When Penn State fired James Franklin back in October, most fans were happy with the move. The firing came after three straight losses to fall to 3-3, one year removed from a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
It feels like athletic director Pat Kraft made the move out of impulse with no backup plan. In fact, after Franklin was fired, you could say that Kraft got some coaches across the country paid with some massive extensions. That made the path to finding a new coach a difficult one.
Franklin landed on his feet in mid-November, being hired at Virginia Tech while Penn State was still looking for its next head coach. Again, it seemed like everyone they targeted got an extension and stayed at their current schools.
In the end, Kraft was able to pull Matt Campbell away from Iowa State to being him to State College. Campbell is a good coach, but he is another guy who comes up short in the big games. Don't tell that to Nittany Lions fans; they think only Franklin does that. Cody Nagel of CBS Sports made one bold prediction for each way-too-early top 25 team next season, and Penn State's would be a worst-case scenario for Penn State fans.
Penn State's early 2026 prediction compared to Virginia Tech's would be a worst-case scenario for Nittany Lions fans
Nagel made one prediction for each of their way-too-early top 25 teams. Virginia Tech's prediction was that Franklin would win 10 games in his first season in Blacksburg. As for Penn State's, well, it is one that would be the worst-case scenario for Nittany Lions' fans, predicting they go 7-5.
"Penn State messed around and actually landed on a great hire in Matt Campbell, but expectations may be too high for 2026 despite a schedule that is more than gettable. Although Campbell is bringing 23 Iowa State transfers with him, the roster turnover is still real and adjusting to the Big Ten could take some time,'' wrote Nagel.
Could you imagine if Penn State went 7-5 with a gettable schedule? If that happens, to make themselves feel better, Nittany Lions' fans will be hanging on to each result for Franklin and Virginia Tech, hoping that he doesn't win 10 games. Predicting the Hokies winning 10 games with the ACC schedule they have might be a huge bold prediction, but if Penn State wins seven games with their schedule, then somehow, Nittany Lions fans will blame Franklin.