The big losses do define James Franklin's career at Penn State

James Franklin is a really good football coach. He's been with the Penn State Nittany Lions for 12 seasons now, boasting an overall record of 104-43.

He's notched three double-digit win seasons in a row now and is working on a fourth. He's also known as one of the better recruiters in the Big Ten, if not in all of college football. There are programs all across the country that would sell out for that kind of winning and that type of coach.

There is one problem when evaluating Franklin, though, and that's his inability to win the big game. Coming off Saturday's game that saw then-No. 3 Penn State lose to then-No. 6 Oregon in double overtime in Happy Valley, Franklin is now 4-21 against top-10 opponents. To make things even worse, he's 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams.

That's not good, not good at all. On Monday, though, Franklin claimed that he doesn't believe that record should define the type of coach he has been and still is at Penn State.

That doesn't mean the losses don't hurt, though. 

“We have lost to really good teams. We’ve lost to really, really good teams,” Franklin told the press (h/t On3). “I take that very hard, and I take that very personal, because I know how important it is to so many different people. I always start with myself and the things I can control. That’s why I take things so personal. That’s why I take things so hard."

Franklin's career at Penn State is defined by losing big games 

Franklin says the right things, and those things are clearly true. No big-time coach is ever happy with a loss in a big spot, and Franklin has had far too many of those. To say those losses don't define him at Penn State, though? That's unfortunately, for him, not true.

“I will also say this: I’m not going to allow one loss to define our season. I’m not going to allow a few losses to define my career or what we have built here at Penn State,” Franklin added. “Because even though I don’t think a lot of people spend much time on what we’ve accomplished in 12 years here — and I get it, nobody wants to hear this right now — there are a ton of positives."

Sure, there are a ton of positives. Penn State is absolutely a blueblood. Heck, Franklin has basically all but erased the stink of the Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky scandal that hung over the program for years. Still, college football is a big business ,and success in the sport is determined not just by wins and losses, but by wins and losses in big spots.

That's why Ryan Day feels pressure in Columbus despite the fact that he just led Ohio State to a national championship. Heck, Ed Orgeron was let go by LSU just two seasons removed from winning a national title and leading the Tigers to an undefeated season.

It's not just about wins and losses; it's about championships. To that point, Penn State has only won the Big Ten once in the Franklin era (2016). Yes, the Nittany Lions made a nice run through the inaugural 12-team CFP last season, but even then, they ended up losing to Notre Dame in the semifinal. 

Franklin just can't get Penn State over the hump, and that's absolutely his legacy with the Nittany Lions if something doesn't change sooner rather than later.