Perspective of an Old Timer

[OzLion]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

 

[republion]

Well said...

 

[PSUPride1]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

Please don't compare Joe losing national championship games to perhaps the greatest coach of all time to the garbage we saw yesterday. And by 78 Joe had three undefeated seasons. Joe played for the national title four times in an eight year span and played for it twice in a row beating a team that was one of the most talented in history.
When Joe beat Miami in 86 he beat a team with more talent. The next time Franklin does that will be the first time.
And in Joe's day we took guys like Harrison and either shut them down or at least held them down.
And again I'm talking about in Joe's prime which is basically the first 25 years.

 

[LMTLION]

Please don't compare Joe losing national championship games to perhaps the greatest coach of all time to the garbage we saw yesterday. And by 78 Joe had three undefeated seasons. Joe played for the national title four times in an eight year span and played for it twice in a row beating a team that was one of the most talented in history.
When Joe beat Miami in 86 he beat a team with more talent. The next time Franklin does that will be the first time.
And in Joe's day we took guys like Harrison and either shut them down or at least held them down.
And again I'm talking about in Joe's prime which is basically the first 25 years.

Tell us about the debilitating sanctions Joe had to live through at the beginning of his tenure.

 

[harbest]

Please don't compare Joe losing national championship games to perhaps the greatest coach of all time to the garbage we saw yesterday. And by 78 Joe had three undefeated seasons. Joe played for the national title four times in an eight year span and played for it twice in a row beating a team that was one of the most talented in history.
When Joe beat Miami in 86 he beat a team with more talent. The next time Franklin does that will be the first time.
And in Joe's day we took guys like Harrison and either shut them down or at least held them down.
And again I'm talking about in Joe's prime which is basically the first 25 years.

Ask "alligator arms " Michael Irvine about Ray Isom in the Fiesta Bowl.

 

[LandoComando]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

I'm not against most of this post but #3 is what i have an issue with. People want Rhule or Golden because they have ties to Penn State. That shouldn't be considered. There's a bunch of guys that "may" be able to take us to the next level (start with Elka and Brohm) but there's risk there. I'm not okay with being 9-3/10-2 and hoping to get the 11 or 12 seed in the playoff. Just like Georgia wasn't under Richt. Sometimes you take to take a risk to get to the next level. You're right there's no guarantee but without risk there isn't reward. The point is moot right now because Franklin's not going anywhere because of the buyout but fear should never be the reason a move isn't made.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Tell us about the debilitating sanctions Joe had to live through at the beginning of his tenure.

Joe had a lot of talent on that 86 team. Conlan, Dozier, Manoa, Smith for some examples. People don't get the changing demographics and also don't have memories. I remember the 99 collapse, 9 losses in a row to Michigan, the 02 team disappointments etc etc.

The game has changed and Pa. has lost population relative to the southern states. In 1968 we had 29 electoral votes, now we have 19. Tressel really locked Ohio down in 01 going forward and helped build the current more modern OSU program.

At the same team we were declining as a program, had sanctions, then got lucky with O'Brien and Franklin. I'm wishing O'brien stayed but Franklin to me is a solid replacement.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

Very well said, I compared our relative struggles to our wrestling team who is dominating. There are a whole lot of wrestling fans who complain about coaching but who do you get to beat Cael? Everyone tosses out names associated with PSU but they have such a machine, why leave the area?

The best of the Southern coaches are in a better recruiting area, why would they want to come here?

 

[91Joe95]

Joe had a lot of talent on that 86 team. Conlan, Dozier, Manoa, Smith for some examples. People don't get the changing demographics and also don't have memories. I remember the 99 collapse, 9 losses in a row to Michigan, the 02 team disappointments etc etc.

The game has changed and Pa. has lost population relative to the southern states. In 1968 we had 29 electoral votes, now we have 19. Tressel really locked Ohio down in 01 going forward and helped build the current more modern OSU program.

At the same team we were declining as a program, had sanctions, then got lucky with O'Brien and Franklin. I'm wishing O'brien stayed but Franklin to me is a solid replacement.

The big change was the implementation of the 85 scholarship limit. Joe didn't want to take a schollie away from a hard working kid, hence he would have classes of like 12 kids at times. You put him in today's environment where the kids could keep the schollies and Joe could recruit 20-25 kids annually and look out. I would have loved to see Joe with all those schollies and a playoff to boot.

 

[bourbon n blues]

The big change was the implementation of the 85 scholarship limit. Joe didn't want to take a schollie away from a hard working kid, hence he would have classes of like 12 kids at times. You put him in today's environment where the kids could keep the schollies and Joe could recruit 20-25 kids annually and look out. I would have loved to see Joe with all those schollies and a playoff to boot.

Agreed, isn't it funny how we played by rules that now aren't rules?

 

[MacNit2.0]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

Your memory is faulty.

Joe won plenty (PLENTY) of big games before the near miss in the 78/79 Sugar Bowl. And in a couple of years immediately after that fateful day in New Orleans, he won plenty more. Including a road win against a #1 ranked Pitt team brimming with future NFL stars.

Please quit comparing a past few seem to remember with the current reality of excuses of even competing against the best teams - especially outside of Beaver Stadium.

It’s time for someone else to have a chance!

 

[Jerry]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

Regarding your point #1, Joe couldn't seem to beat the Bear, but other than that, he won a ton of big games through the first 25 years or so of his career.

I agree with your #2. As for #3, replacing Franklin, I begrudge nobody a right to their own opinion, but this notion is right up there with the idea of ditching Drew after a bad game: pure fantasy with zero chance of happening.

OSU belongs in the rear-view mirror. We were a long shot to win from the get-go. The focus now must be on the next two games and then the big one at home against the Michigan Sign-Stealers.

 

[PSUPride1]

Tell us about the debilitating sanctions Joe had to live through at the beginning of his tenure.

How long are we going to play the sanctions excuse.

 

[LemonEars]

Please don't compare Joe losing national championship games to perhaps the greatest coach of all time to the garbage we saw yesterday. And by 78 Joe had three undefeated seasons. Joe played for the national title four times in an eight year span and played for it twice in a row beating a team that was one of the most talented in history.
When Joe beat Miami in 86 he beat a team with more talent. The next time Franklin does that will be the first time.
And in Joe's day we took guys like Harrison and either shut them down or at least held them down.
And again I'm talking about in Joe's prime which is basically the first 25 years.

Don't forget that the main reason we beat Miami in '86 was our great defensive coordinator who devised a perfect game plan.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Tell us about the debilitating sanctions Joe had to live through at the beginning of his tenure.

Franklin didn't have to deal with debilitating sanctions either. O'Brien did, Franklin did not. In fact, the sanctions allowed Franklin to transform the roster faster than he otherwise would have been able to so they actually benefited him. Franklin's biggest challenge early on was himself. He was in over his head and the team, the school and the fanbase paid for it.

 

[Indian rocks rich]

Your memory is faulty.

Joe won plenty (PLENTY) of big games before the near miss in the 78/79 Sugar Bowl. And in a couple of years immediately after that fateful day in New Orleans, he won plenty more. Including a road win against a #1 ranked Pitt team brimming with future NFL stars.

Please quit comparing a past few seem to remember with the current reality of excuses of even competing against the best teams - especially outside of Beaver Stadium.

It’s time for someone else to have a chance!

You just say someone else. How bout some names that would do a better job than coach Franklin.

 

[Texas Lion]

I think we need to ask a serious question when you ask about a future coach.....Does Old Main or the Board of Trustees really hurt the chances of success in the football program?

 

[LMTLION]

How long are we going to play the sanctions excuse.

Joe had no impediments in his early years like sanctions, a pandemic a bit later, or a conference that is centered around two schools . It is apples to oranges to compare the two. I would argue that Franklin has done more with a lot less, and that’s no negative statement about Joe.

 

[MacNit2.0]

You just say someone else. How bout some names that would do a better job than coach Franklin.

False premise. There are plenty. That is AD’s job. Too bad the previous incompetent tied his hands with a ridiculous contract.

I’d personally suggest Diaz, Rhule, Leopald, and the Gorilla of East Rutherford for starters. At this point, anyone. How long is long enough. It’s time.

 

[LMTLION]

Joe had a lot of talent on that 86 team. Conlan, Dozier, Manoa, Smith for some examples. People don't get the changing demographics and also don't have memories. I remember the 99 collapse, 9 losses in a row to Michigan, the 02 team disappointments etc etc.

The game has changed and Pa. has lost population relative to the southern states. In 1968 we had 29 electoral votes, now we have 19. Tressel really locked Ohio down in 01 going forward and helped build the current more modern OSU program.

At the same team we were declining as a program, had sanctions, then got lucky with O'Brien and Franklin. I'm wishing O'brien stayed but Franklin to me is a solid replacement.

I agree with your assessment of population migration. I would specify further that the decline is on the western side of the state. When the Allentown and Reading school districts are not that far behind in population size compared to the Pittsburgh school district, that’s a sign that the youth population of Western PA has completely collapsed. Just look up school district sizes between eastern PA and western PA and there’s hardly any western Pennsylvania districts that are in the top 25 in population. Eastern PA benefits from healthier economies, and the inbound migration of younger people from the NY/NJ area.

 

[mcpat]

And by 78 Joe had three undefeated seasons.

Without a single road win against a ranked team in any of those three undefeated seasons.

When Joe beat Miami in 86 he beat a team with more talent.

Loved that game. But do you honestly think our offense looked better in it than it did yesterday? Testeverde’s five INTs won what was otherwise a game dominated by Miami. Yardage was 445 to 162. First downs were 22 to 8. But the turnovers were glorious!

It’s really tough to win on the road against a top 3 team. Really tough. Even for Joe.

 

[MacNit2.0]

Joe had no impediments in his early years like sanctions, a pandemic a bit later, or a conference that is centered around two schools . It is apples to oranges to compare the two. I would argue that Franklin has done more with a lot less, and that’s no negative statement about Joe.

Joe excelled early and maintained the high level for 4 decades…even after the dark years, he re-emerged as a top coach.

Franklin has been spinning his wheels since 2016. And he has not ever been anywhere near Joe’s level.

We don’t compete.

 

[KCLion]

I agree with your assessment of population migration. I would specify further that the decline is on the western side of the state. When the Allentown and Reading school districts are not that far behind in population size compared to the Pittsburgh school district, that’s a sign that the youth population of Western PA has completely collapsed. Just look up school district sizes between eastern PA and western PA and there’s hardly any western Pennsylvania districts that are in the top 25 in population. Eastern PA benefits from healthier economies, and the inbound migration of younger people from the NY/NJ area.

As far as population and electoral votes, Michigan has 15, Ohio has 17 and don’t we pride ourselves on the Md/VA recruiting grounds?

Alabama has 9, South Carolina has 9, Louisiana has 8, Oklahoma has 7 all teams that have been in CFP while we haven’t.

 

[Indian rocks rich]

False premise. There are plenty. That is AD’s job. Too bad the previous incompetent tied his hands with a ridiculous contract.

I’d personally suggest Diaz, Rhule, Leopald, and the Gorilla of East Rutherford for starters. At this point, anyone. How long is long enough. It’s time.

How many national championships did any of those coaches win since they’ve been head coaches

 

[LandoComando]

How many national championships did any of those coaches win since they’ve been head coaches

Leipold has 6

 

[hoflane]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

I’m not ridiculing you or your belief. I believe in Penn State. I can’t say I have the same belief in Franklin as a coach. Your point 1 isn’t in full context, IMO. Paterno had two undefeated seasons in 68 and 69. He had already proven he could take care of business and allowed the “press” to make their decisions pertaining to who was the “champion”. This is all I could ever ask for or expect from Franklin. However, reality to this point has proven Franklin would prefer to talk instead of shutting his mouth and allowing on field performance to speak for itself. Franklin is a master showman. That’s why I believe he should be “transitioned” to somewhere in the department of “media”.

I love Penn State. Always have and always will. I do not love James Franklin as a coach.

 

[hoflane]

Joe had no impediments in his early years like sanctions, a pandemic a bit later, or a conference that is centered around two schools . It is apples to oranges to compare the two. I would argue that Franklin has done more with a lot less, and that’s no negative statement about Joe.

Joe took over a program in its infancy with minimal support at best and formed it into a juggernaut. The idea that Franklin has done more with less or navigated through tougher times is simply untrue, IMO. It’s just an excuse. Franklin didn’t navigate sanctions, BOB navigated sanctions. Franklin endured a little of the sanctions that remained.

 

[KCLion]

Leipold has 6

And Chris Kleiman has 4. Doing well at a tough place to recruit.

 

[mcpat]

Joe vs top 5 teams on the road:

L 8-42 vs MSU 9/24/66
L 11-49 vs UCLA 10/15/66
L 0-21 vs GA Tech 11/12/66
L 9-17 vs Ohio St 9/20/75
L 7-24 vs Pitt 11/26/76
W 15-10 vs Pitt 11/26/77
W 48-14 vs Pitt 11/28/81
L 21-42 vs Alabama 10/9/82
W 20-17 vs Iowa 9/15/84
W 23-3 vs Alabama 10/25/86
L 3-21 vs Notre Dame 11/19/88
W 24-21 vs Notre Dame 11/17/90
L 26-20 vs Miami 10/12/91
L 6-24 vs Ohio St 10/30/93
W 31-24 vs Michigan 10/15/94
L 7-38 vs Ohio St 10/5/96
L 9-28 vs Ohio St 10/3/98
L 7-13 vs Ohio St 10/26/02
L 17-41 vs Notre Dame 9/9/06
L 6-28 vs Ohio St 9/23/06
L 3-24 vs Alabama 9/11/10

0-6 at the Horseshoe vs top 5 Ohio St teams. 6-15 overall on road vs top 5 teams. No top 5 road wins 10 years into being a head coach (where Franklin is right now).

But Franklin should be let go after losing a one TD game at #3 Ohio St?

I think folks have poor memories and unrealistic expectations.

 

[LMTLION]

Joe vs top 5 teams on the road:

L 8-42 vs MSU 9/24/66
L 11-49 vs UCLA 10/15/66
L 0-21 vs GA Tech 11/12/66
L 9-17 vs Ohio St 9/20/75
L 7-24 vs Pitt 11/26/76
W 15-10 vs Pitt 11/26/77
W 48-14 vs Pitt 11/28/81
L 21-42 vs Alabama 10/9/82
W 20-17 vs Iowa 9/15/84
W 23-3 vs Alabama 10/25/86
L 3-21 vs Notre Dame 11/19/88
W 24-21 vs Notre Dame 11/17/90
L 26-20 vs Miami 10/12/91
L 6-24 vs Ohio St 10/30/93
W 31-24 vs Michigan 10/15/94
L 7-38 vs Ohio St 10/5/96
L 9-28 vs Ohio St 10/3/98
L 7-13 vs Ohio St 10/26/02
L 17-41 vs Notre Dame 9/9/06
L 6-28 vs Ohio St 9/23/06
L 3-24 vs Alabama 9/11/10

0-6 at the Horseshoe vs top 5 Ohio St teams. 6-15 overall on road vs top 5 teams. No top 5 road wins 10 years into being a head coach (where Franklin is right now).

But Franklin should be let go after losing a one TD game at #3 Ohio St?

I think folks have poor memories and unrealistic expectations.

The facts are brutal to the Franklin haters. Thank you for bravely laying that out!

 

[bvillebaron]

Some perspective from an old time alum (class of '82) and fan (father also an alum, class of '56)

1) I remember when Joe Paterno could not win the big game. Loss to 'Bama in 1978 Sugar bowl was a heartbreaker, then the lopsided loss to them in 1981 at home had people ready to send Paterno packing. PSU even lost to 'Bama in 1982, seemingly knocking them out of contention. Then they started winning national championships.

2) It's not silly as it sounds to keep rooting and believing - maybe the big win is a few weeks away, or (more likely) maybe things change once the playoffs and the B1G expand next year and PSU is no longer trapped in the current B1G East 3-way from hell situation. Don't lose track of how much progress this program has made since Franklin took over during sanctions, and how much change in CFB he's had to navigate with the portal and NIL.

3) If PSU does panic and replace Franklin, who exactly do people think is waiting by the phone for PSU to call that would do better? I remember when Al Golden was the golden boy, but he hit some rough patches, and Matt Rhule was a popular choice who flunked the NFL and is hitting a wall at Nebraska early on. No guarantee that 'the coach behind door number one' that succeeds Franklin will do half as well, let alone better.

I find the current PSU teams comprised of good players and good people (as far as I can tell from their public faces) who play hard and are fun to watch (most of the time) and cheer for, so I will keep doing so. Beat Michigan Guys (after you go 1-0 the next two weeks).

I’m with you My wife and I started dating in 1978 and got season tickets that year through a friend. He and his wife and my wife and I kept them until last year when we had to give them up due to her health. Lots of memories over those years including heart breaking losses
No one gets more frustrated than I do after another loss to OSU and Michigan than me but perhaps with age (71) comes a little perspective. Joe lost the 1978 Championship when he chose to run the ball up the middle 4 times and Bama had a goal line stand. He also blew any chance for a National Championship in 1999 with a loss to Minnesota with some incredibly conservative play calling in the 4th quarter. Lots of talk about how Joe would never win the “big one”
On the other hand, one of our haapiest memories is spending 6 days in New Orleans and attending the 1983 National Championship game (1982 season). My wife woke me up after midnight and said she didn’t think she could take any more How bout them Dawgs chants which we heard constantly for the prior 4 days. I told her that would stop in about 11 hours after Penn State wins. Had a blast walking down Bourbon Street after the game with other Penn Stats fans chanting what do Lions Eat? Dawg meat. Also still remember the national media saying immediately after the game that Joe finally got his National Championship. People forget or are too young to know that Paterno was an assistant coach for 16 years before he was named head coach and it took him another 16 I believe to win the big prize.
There are legitimate things to criticize Franklin about (like the decision to go for it Saturday on 4th down with half the fourth quarter to go in a one score game) but the knee jerk posts to fire Franklin after each loss to OSU and Michigan from some posters are both predictable and getting stale from this old timer’s perspective. But what else should I expect from the immediate gratification crowd and arm chair experts?

 

[MacNit2.0]

How many national championships did any of those coaches win since they’ve been head coaches

How many did Nick Saban before he went to LSU?

How many has Franklin won?

 

[MacNit2.0]

I’m with you My wife and I started dating in 1978 and got season tickets that year through a friend. He and his wife and my wife and I kept them until last year when we had to give them up due to her health. Lots of memories over those years including heart breaking losses
No one gets more frustrated than I do after another loss to OSU and Michigan than me but perhaps with age (71) comes a little perspective. Joe lost the 1978 Championship when he chose to run the ball up the middle 4 times and Bama had a goal line stand. He also blew any chance for a National Championship in 1999 with a loss to Minnesota with some incredibly conservative play calling in the 4th quarter. Lots of talk about how Joe would never win the “big one”
On the other hand, one of our haapiest memories is spending 6 days in New Orleans and attending the 1983 National Championship game (1982 season). My wife woke me up after midnight and said she didn’t think she could take any more How bout them Dawgs chants which we heard constantly for the prior 4 days. I told her that would stop in about 11 hours after Penn State wins. Had a blast walking down Bourbon Street after the game with other Penn Stats fans chanting what do Lions Eat? Dawg meat. Also still remember the national media saying immediately after the game that Joe finally got his National Championship. People forget or are too young to know that Paterno was an assistant coach for 16 years before he was named head coach and it took him another 16 I believe to win the big prize.
There are legitimate things to criticize Franklin about (like the decision to go for it Saturday on 4th down with half the fourth quarter to go in a one score game) but the knee jerk posts to fire Franklin after each loss to OSU and Michigan from some posters are both predictable and getting stale from this old timer’s perspective. But what else should I expect from the immediate gratification crowd and arm chair experts?

Did Joe lose every year to Pitt and Syracuse?

 

[mcpat]

I’m with you My wife and I started dating in 1978 and got season tickets that year through a friend. He and his wife and my wife and I kept them until last year when we had to give them up due to her health. Lots of memories over those years including heart breaking losses
No one gets more frustrated than I do after another loss to OSU and Michigan than me but perhaps with age (71) comes a little perspective. Joe lost the 1978 Championship when he chose to run the ball up the middle 4 times and Bama had a goal line stand. He also blew any chance for a National Championship in 1999 with a loss to Minnesota with some incredibly conservative play calling in the 4th quarter. Lots of talk about how Joe would never win the “big one”
On the other hand, one of our haapiest memories is spending 6 days in New Orleans and attending the 1983 National Championship game (1982 season). My wife woke me up after midnight and said she didn’t think she could take any more How bout them Dawgs chants which we heard constantly for the prior 4 days. I told her that would stop in about 11 hours after Penn State wins. Had a blast walking down Bourbon Street after the game with other Penn Stats fans chanting what do Lions Eat? Dawg meat. Also still remember the national media saying immediately after the game that Joe finally got his National Championship. People forget or are too young to know that Paterno was an assistant coach for 16 years before he was named head coach and it took him another 16 I believe to win the big prize.
There are legitimate things to criticize Franklin about (like the decision to go for it Saturday on 4th down with half the fourth quarter to go in a one score game) but the knee jerk posts to fire Franklin after each loss to OSU and Michigan from some posters are both predictable and getting stale from this old timer’s perspective. But what else should I expect from the immediate gratification crowd and arm chair experts?

One takeaway I have from this post is that PSU lost by 21 points on the road against Alabama in that season where you celebrated in New Orleans. To the naysayers… let’s see how this season plays out; can still win the conference and make the playoffs.

 

[MacNit2.0]

The facts are brutal to the Franklin haters. Thank you for bravely laying that out!

Next to no one is saying to get rid of Franklin after 1 game. It is the cumulative futility.

You are embarrassing yourself by comparing Joe to Franklin.

 

[mcpat]

Did Joe lose every year to Pitt and Syracuse?

No, but Franklin usually beats Rutgers and Maryland.

 

[bvillebaron]

Joe vs top 5 teams on the road:

L 8-42 vs MSU 9/24/66
L 11-49 vs UCLA 10/15/66
L 0-21 vs GA Tech 11/12/66
L 9-17 vs Ohio St 9/20/75
L 7-24 vs Pitt 11/26/76
W 15-10 vs Pitt 11/26/77
W 48-14 vs Pitt 11/28/81
L 21-42 vs Alabama 10/9/82
W 20-17 vs Iowa 9/15/84
W 23-3 vs Alabama 10/25/86
L 3-21 vs Notre Dame 11/19/88
W 24-21 vs Notre Dame 11/17/90
L 26-20 vs Miami 10/12/91
L 6-24 vs Ohio St 10/30/93
W 31-24 vs Michigan 10/15/94
L 7-38 vs Ohio St 10/5/96
L 9-28 vs Ohio St 10/3/98
L 7-13 vs Ohio St 10/26/02
L 17-41 vs Notre Dame 9/9/06
L 6-28 vs Ohio St 9/23/06
L 3-24 vs Alabama 9/11/10

0-6 at the Horseshoe vs top 5 Ohio St teams. 6-15 overall on road vs top 5 teams. No top 5 road wins 10 years into being a head coach (where Franklin is right now).

But Franklin should be let go after losing a one TD game at #3 Ohio St?

I think folks have poor memories and unrealistic expectations.

You forgot to mention the season opening pummeling by Nebraska in 1983.

 

[mcpat]

You forgot to mention the season opening pummeling by Nebraska in 1983.

Listed as a neutral site game

 

[bvillebaron]

Next to no one is saying to get rid of Franklin after 1 game. It is the cumulative futility.

You are embarrassing yourself by comparing Joe to Franklin.

Not as much as you. See my other post. If people would have listened to “experts” like you Paterno would have been fired long before the 1982 Championship. There is no bigger Paterno fan than me but the fact is Penn State’s schedules year in and year our were not nearly as difficult than they are since the joined the Big Ten. But then again why would you let facts spoil your narrative?

 

[bvillebaron]

Listed as a neutral site game

Yeah you are right. I think the game was played at the Meadowlands. But it was as royal of a butt kicking as I have seen.