Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Head Coach Who Will 'Screw This Season Up'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 1:32 PM ET

The college football season is right around the corner, and it's clear analyst Paul Finebaum isn't high on one team that just last year reached the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The Penn State Nittany Lions, led by head coach James Franklin, enter the year as true national championship contenders, sitting at No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Paul Finebaum Does Not Believe in James Franklin

However, during Thursday's episode of ESPN's "First Take," Finebaum revealed he isn't buying that Penn State can win it all in 2025 and pinpointed Franklin as a big reason why.

“It’s just one of these ‘I have to see it to believe it’ moments," Finebaum said. "He’s a top of the line coach, he's a top-10 coach, but until he wins what I consider to be the ultimate game, I can’t buy it, and I just would have to bet here in late August that James Franklin will find some way to screw this season up."

It's a strong take from Finebaum, but it is backed up by some troubling numbers during Franklin's 11-year tenure with Penn State.

James Franklin's Performance In Big Games

Since taking over as head coach in 2014, Franklin has accumulated a 101-42 overall record, while going 6-6 in bowl games and 1-1 in Big Ten title games.

However, the most concerning aspect is his performance against ranked opponents, going 16-28 against top 25 teams, 4-20 when facing top 10 teams, and having an abysmal 1-15 record against top 5 teams.

That's a bad sign going into 2025, considering the Nittany Lions and Franklin are already matched up against three top-25 opponents, including No. 7 Oregon (Sept. 27), No. 3 Ohio State (Nov. 1) and No. 20 Indiana (Nov. 8).

If Penn State loses all three matchups, it puts them out of the running for not only a Big Ten title but likely also a spot in the College Football Playoff.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: