Paul Finebaum names major college football coach he can't 'take seriously anymore'

Once again, James Franklin couldn’t win the big game.

Coming into the weekend with a dismal record against highly-ranked opponents, the Penn State coach failed to improve on that mark after a double-overtime loss to Oregon at home, and Paul Finebaum has seen enough.

The veteran college football broadcaster says he fails to see how Franklin can be credibly considered one of the elite coaches in the country.

“I say this with no emotion and with no glee, but it’s getting really difficult to take James Franklin seriously anymore as a big-time coach,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show.

“He does the same thing every time, his team manages under him, to blow the big game. It’s a terrible narrative, because, as he said, it’s a fact.”

Franklin has been a consistent winner at Penn State over the last decade, but his performance against the best teams on his schedule has been a serious concern.

Coming out of this weekend, Franklin fell to a 4-21 career record against AP top 10 ranked opponents at Penn State, a mark that falls to 2-21 against teams ranked in the top-six, including a 15-game losing streak in the latter category.

That record includes a 1-15 mark against AP top-five ranked teams, a 15-30 record against top 25 opponents, and a 4-17 record against Ohio State and Michigan combined.

Franklin is 104-43 overall with the Nittany Lions with a solid 37-9 mark over the last three full seasons including the 3-1 start in 2025. But those big losses tell a more complicated story.

 “There’s not much emotion in talking about James Franklin anymore,” Finebaum said.

“It’s become so repetitive. And how many times are we going to hear him say, ‘Yeah, I mean, this was our chance?’ I mean, it’s unreal.”

Penn State trailed 17-3 against Oregon in the fourth quarter, but mustered a comeback to force the overtime, only to watch Drew Allar throw the game-losing interception.

And while the Nittany Lions play a pretty winnable schedule the rest of the way, save a road trip to Ohio State that Finebaum predicted Franklin’s team will lose, he doesn’t see a path to the College Football Playoff even with a 10-2 finish.

“His path is pretty rough right now because he played Florida International, Nevada, and Villanova. That’s his fault,” he said. 

“You don’t even have to play a great team. You just have to play someone respectable and we’ll take you seriously. But it’s hard to take that program seriously.”

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