PITTSBURGH — It would be silly to suggest that Penn State's James Franklin needs a win Saturday afternoon at Michigan. He signed a 10-year, $75 million contract extension in November that runs through the 2031 season. He has plenty of job security. He doesn't need much of anything.
But Franklin really could use a win against a Michigan team that is 6-0 and ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll. It would do wonders for his Penn State team, which is 5-0 and ranked No. 10. A win would make a hard push toward Franklin's second Big Ten title at Penn State and a shot at the College Football Playoff, although a home game against No. 2 Ohio State lurks on Oct. 29. It also would do wonders for Franklin's image as a coach. Right or wrong, he is regarded as a terrific recruiter and lousy game-day coach.
Franklin is 2-13 at Penn State against top-10 opponents, a dismal record that includes nine consecutive losses.
To avoid that unsightly streak hitting double-digits, Penn State will have to win on the road against an opponent that is a touchdown favorite.
It's hard to like Penn State's chances, even though it is coming off its bye week and will have two weeks to prepare.
Penn State won on its most recent trip to Michigan, 27-17 in 2020, but there were no fans at that game because of COVID-19 protocols. There will be more than 111,000 fanatics at the Big House on Saturday. Penn State lost its three previous games there under Franklin, including 42-7 in 2018 and 49-10 in 2016, a lopsided defeat that kept it out of the College Football Playoff every bit as much as its loss to Pitt that season.
Remember what Franklin said in an infamous rant earlier in that 2018 season after No. 9 Penn State blew a 26-14 fourth-quarter lead to No. 4 Ohio State, led by the late Dwayne Haskins, before a White Out crowd of 110,889, the biggest in Beaver Stadium history?
"The reality is, we've gone from an average football team to a good football team to a great football team, but we're not an elite team yet."
Penn State still is reaching.
Franklin was in a similar position last season, when Penn State went to Iowa with a 5-0 record and a No. 4 ranking. The game was going all Penn State's way when quarterback Sean Clifford went out with an injury late in the second quarter. No. 3 Iowa was able to climb out of a 17-3 lead for a 23-20 win, in large part because Franklin didn't have a backup quarterback ready. Penn State couldn't even do a simple snap from center without a false-start penalty.
That loss led to a terrible finish to the season for Penn State. It lost five of its next seven games and finished 7-6, making its two-year record 11-11. One of those losses was to No. 9 Michigan at Happy Valley, 21-17, when Penn State blew a late 17-14 lead. Franklin was heavily criticized after that game for a fake field goal attempt that failed late in the first quarter with Penn State leading 3-0.
This Penn State team is better than last season's team.
Clifford is back at quarterback, but he's been no better than average despite his Kenny Pickett-like college experience. Many Penn State fans would love to see more of freshman Drew Allar, one of Franklin's prized recruits and the team's quarterback of the future.
The offensive line and running game are much better. Freshman backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen each have had 100-yard rushing games, two by Singleton. No Penn State back rushed for 100 yards in a game last season for the first time since 1978. On the negative side, Singleton and Allen each lost fumbles in the most recent game, a 17-7 home win against Northwestern.
Penn State's turnover ratio is among the best in the country at plus-6 despite five turnovers against Northwestern. The defense has intercepted five passes and recovered seven fumbles. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. — yes, his son — is projected as a first-round draft choice.
Can we agree this Penn State team is clearly better than last season's team?
But is it good enough to get that win for Franklin on Saturday?
The answer here is no.
