UCLA knocks off Penn State 42-37

[NorthKCHawk]

I don't think it is all about the nattie for Penn State fans. While that might be part of it, they are mostly sick of taking dumps in big games.

Franklin is 4-21 against top 10 teams. In 15 of those games, both teams were in the top 10. He is 3-12 in those match-ups.

It gets worse. In those 25 games against top 10 teams, 9 games have been at home. Franklin is 1-8 in those 9 home games. And get this, that one win against a top 10 team at home was in 2016, almost a decade ago.

Penn State fans are sick of getting their ass kicked by really good teams, home and away, even though they typically have a highly ranked team as well. Plus I think Franklin's personality slow wears on folks, too.

Fair enough.

To somewhat contradict my first post, I think any fanbase gets to a platue point where they feel like their coach has taken them as far as he can go and after a while its not good enough. Put another way, this is as good as it is ever going to be, and at times, it will be worse. The only coach that ever really defied that sort of gravity was Saban. He spread his natties out like a drug dealer to keep that fanbase loyal.

I think we all saw that with Fran. He brought the program up from the ashes, and was a consistent top half of the conference coach, and brought some great individual stars through the program. But, he shit the bed every March. Collectively, we were ready for a change, even though Fran's level of winning was very good.

I sense that the fan base is not all that far off with KF. Another 8-5 campaign, while winning football, feels stuck.

 

[dagdaj]

I don't think it is all about the nattie for Penn State fans. While that might be part of it, they are mostly sick of taking dumps in big games.

Well, as the meme going around says.....Franklin has heard the complaints about not being able to win the big games. His response, apparently, was to lose a little one.

 

[Fryowa]

Fair enough.

To somewhat contradict my first post, I think any fanbase gets to a platue point where they feel like their coach has taken them as far as he can go and after a while its not good enough. Put another way, this is as good as it is ever going to be, and at times, it will be worse. The only coach that ever really defied that sort of gravity was Saban. He spread his natties out like a drug dealer to keep that fanbase loyal.

I think we all saw that with Fran. He brought the program up from the ashes, and was a consistent top half of the conference coach, and brought some great individual stars through the program. But, he shit the bed every March. Collectively, we were ready for a change, even though Fran's level of winning was very good.

I sense that the fan base is not all that far off with KF. Another 8-5 campaign, while winning football, feels stuck.

Saban was a WAY better recruiter than he ever was a coach. Once the recruiting advantage was gone he could see the writing on the wall and he hung his spurs up. Which was smart.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Saban was a WAY better recruiter than he ever was a coach. Once the recruiting advantage was gone he could see the writing on the wall and he hung his spurs up. Which was smart.

Same with Self at Kansas. Once everyone could start paying players, they suddenly weren't savants.

 

[Fryowa]

Same with Self at Kansas. Once everyone could start paying players, they suddenly weren't savants.

I will give Saban some credit where it's due though, he had to be able to evaluate the best players to pay and he could definitely do that.

Different circumstances but Jerry Jones is living proof that having a ton of money doesn't equal football smarts.

 

[99topdawg]

Saban was a WAY better recruiter than he ever was a coach. Once the recruiting advantage was gone he could see the writing on the wall and he hung his spurs up. Which was smart.

I realize some of them retired because of their age, but I thought it was quite the coincidence that Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Tony Bennett, Jim Larranaga, Bruce Pearl, and maybe others have all retired since NIL became an equalizer, all of which were listed in the FBI probe into improper benefits.

 

[Fryowa]

I realize some of them retired because of their age, but I thought it was quite the coincidence that Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Tony Bennett, Jim Larranaga, Bruce Pearl, and maybe others have all retired since NIL became an equalizer, all of which were listed in the FBI probe into improper benefits.

Agreed. Some of them (I'm guessing behind closed doors almost all of them) claimed it was because they didn't like the direction of the sport nowadays, didn't want to have to sell NIL deals instead of selling the school and program...yadda yadda. Uh huh. Sure.

NIL did to scummy coaches what Draft Kings did to degenerate bookies.

 

[HawkPowerlifter]

Franklin will be known as the coach that took them from the dark ages of the Sandusky scandal to a winning program again, but couldn't win the big games. But that buyout......oooof. Might be hard to justify. With the money they dumped on building that championship team, it would be curious if somehow donors grow tired of not getting a natty and buy him out.

 

[Fryowa]

Franklin will be known as the coach that took them from the dark ages of the Sandusky scandal to a winning program again, but couldn't win the big games. But that buyout......oooof. Might be hard to justify. With the money they dumped on building that championship team, it would be curious if somehow donors grow tired of not getting a natty and buy him out.

I think NIL has leveled the playing field enough among the top say, 10 big money schools enough that I don't know if one team could buy even a 51% chance at a title.

Look what's happened to Texas, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, etc. OSU hasn't played anyone yet at the level those other teams have so they may be in the same boat but we just don't know it yet.

As crazy as it seems, this NIL stuff might bring back true coaching skill as the major defining factor at those schools and do you risk shit canning a really good coach when there's that much at stake?

Don't get me wrong, the Iowas and Wisconsins of the world aren't in any of those conversations...I'm talking about the huge NIL schools with giant checkbooks.

 

[HawkPowerlifter]

Definitely! And it shows that even with talent, coaching is still integral. In some ways, explains why Iowa's football program has maintained a reputation for technique and skill set. Granted, it seems tackling has been a bit suspect of late. But generally speaking, Iowa is known to do more with less. I think it also is a tip of the hat that many of our players end up in the NFL.