Penn State cannot lose to Northwestern; that’s what we were told. As it turns out, the Nittany Lions can indeed lose to Northwestern, and they can even do it at home.
The formerly #2-ranked Nittany Lions, who were 20.5-point favorites at home against a journalism school, found a way to 22-21. This comes after losing two weeks ago in a tough Saturday night matchup against Oregon, and losing out on the left coast last week to UCLA, who entered that game as a 24.5-point dog to the visiting Nittany Lions. Oh, and they lost starting quarterback Drew Allar for the rest of the season.
It’s safe to say that things have gone off the rails in Happy Valley.
After the game, a dejected-looking Franklin stood on the field and watched as his players walked into the tunnel.
Looking lost as reporters took pictures of him was just the beginning of Franklin’s unceremonious exit. First, Franklin shook hands with his players as they left the field. The players were met with scattered boos from the few remaining fans and even some applause as they made it to the tunnel entrance. However, when Franklin approached the tunnel, the scattered boos turned into a resounding chorus of disapproval.
In fact, that thunderous roar of boos followed Franklin all the way into the tunnel.
Franklin has been at Penn State since 2014. Yet, despite fielding consistently competitive teams, he has failed to win the big games the fanbase and boosters have craved since the program’s glory years.
Now that Franklin has regressed to the point where he is not beating the teams he should, change might be coming to Happy Valley.
In 2021, Franklin signed a 10-year, $85 million contract extension with the school. If he were fired without cause, his buyout would be just under $50 million.
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