We continue to talk about what Penn State might do to hire its next head coach. There's reason to believe that Penn State will hit this hire out of the park, but not many seem to be talking about where James Franklin could end up. 

Franklin is in a good position to be one of the highest-paid head coaches in college football once again and should find himself in a favorable spot. 

When examining potential destinations, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN proposed a few interesting ones, with one of them being Michigan State. 

“How Franklin views Big Ten jobs is another layer. Other than Penn State, UCLA is the only current vacancy. UCLA has some pluses, especially from a lifestyle standpoint, but would have to take a massive jump to become a national contender. Franklin could have more interest in Big Ten jobs that haven't opened yet, such as Wisconsin and perhaps Michigan State.

“Other potential vacancies such as Florida State and Auburn could enter Franklin's radar too, especially FSU. He would bring a level of credibility to both jobs,” he wrote.

The top name there for Franklin would either be Florida State or Auburn. 

I understand the appeal around UCLA, but as Rittenberg touched on, the Bruins would have to spend a lot more money if they want to compete with some of the best teams in the nation regarding their football program. 

Basketball is typically the thing that takes precedent over there, so that's something that Franklin would have to keep in the back of his mind. 

I guess we could say the same about Michigan State, but perhaps that’d be a bit more intriguing to him. 

Regarding Florida State and Auburn, I think we can go out on a limb and say that if Franklin were offered either of those jobs, he’d decide to take one. 

Florida State is arguably one of the best programs in the nation, history-wise, similar to Penn State. Auburn has also found a lot of success over the past few decades, so he could fit in over there as well.

Regardless of where he ends up, it seems like Franklin will have his options set out for him, which is a promising thing for a fired head coach.