Is This a Definitive Season for Penn State Football?

James Franklin entered his first season as Penn State football coach without many expectations. The program was under NCAA sanctions, on its third head coach in four years and still trying to determine its future.

Two years later, Franklin accelerated the pace of expectations by leading Penn State to an unexpected Big Ten title. What college football’s vocal class called a decade-long reconstruction, Franklin accomplished in his third season at Penn State. Embracing expectations became his catchphrase.

“When you're at a place like Penn State, you embrace the expectations,” Franklin said before Penn State's Peach Bowl appearance against Ole Miss. “That's why you came here. That's for our players, and that's for the coaches, and that's for me. We embrace the high expectations.”

Now, those expectations come with mounting pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, Penn State is one of five programs “under pressure” in 2024. The Nittany Lions have won 10 regular-season games in consecutive seasons and three of the past five years. They’ve appeared in three (formerly known as) New Year’s Six bowls during that span. They’ve selected a total of 22 players in the past three NFL Drafts. And yet, they don’t have a College Football Playoff appearance to show for it. Penn State’s highlight was a win over Utah in the 2023 Rose Bowl.

PFF therefore states that it is time for Penn State to reach a new level.

“Making the College Football Playoff in 2024 will be an easier task with 12 teams in the field, meaning there are no excuses for James Franklin and Penn State not to qualify in what feels like a pivotal year for the program,” PFF's Mitch Kaiser writes.

Penn State opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 at West Virginia with a new set of coordinators, many of its best offensive skill players returning and several loaded position groups on defense. But similar questions continue to haunt the team.

Can a once-explosive offense recapture its downfield magic? Can quarterback Drew Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki play together to unlock its potential? Can defensive coordinator Tom Allen utilize the Nittany Lions’ defensive line and secondary strengths in his system?

“We know how good the defense can be, and if Allar can improve, the offense could put Penn State over the top this season,” PFF wrote. “Otherwise, big changes could be coming.”

Big “swings” may be an exaggeration, since (as noted) Franklin replaced all three coordinators this offseason, including the former offensive coordinator (Mike Yurcich) he personally courted for two years. Meanwhile, Franklin’s buyout in 2024 is $56 million, an expensive change for an athletic department that’s building a $700 million Beaver Stadium and including athlete revenue sharing in its future budgets.

Still, this year is a crucial one for Penn State, which needs to reach the 12-team College Football Playoff to give the program some momentum. Franklin is aware of that, of course. While he acknowledged his pride in the “consistency” his teams have shown, Franklin accepted the pressure to perform.

“We take a lot of pride in the consistency and the way we've been able to play for the majority of our time at Penn State, and I think sometimes people take that for granted and don't realize how

“The challenge that exists in college football today,” Franklin said. “For us, it's to be grateful and acknowledge what we've done well, but also to take a deep dive and be very, very transparent and say where do we need to grow? How do we get better? And how do we attack

those things?”

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AllPennState is the home for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com Network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, covering three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.