ESPN's Booger McFarland predicts there will be a day, soon, that Penn State fans will miss James Franklin
For the first time in six months, the question was asked, "Will (Penn State) ever miss James Franklin?"
It's an interesting question, and of course it was asked by Pardon My Take's PFT Commentator, and the thought is a scary one. It's easily forgotten that Franklin's Penn State teams, prior to last year, were always at least in the conversation. They never punched above their weight class, but they took care of business against equal teams.
By no means am I under the impression that any fan will ever miss Franklin, but that's not to say that McFarland isn't. Booger said, "Yes, I do think so; I do think they are going to take a little step back."
It's hard to take a step back from 6-6; really, the only way to go is forward from that record. However, I do believe that Booger did make a good point.
He referenced the fact that Penn State's new core of players is pretty much just the best of the Iowa State Cyclones mixed with those same 6-6 Nittany Lions. That's an 8-4 team combined with a 6-6 team, and many, including myself, expect that team to go to the Playoffs.
I think context is important here, and if the Nittany Lions were to play Ohio State's schedule from this year, I'd say that they would go 7-5 or 8-4. However, they don't and they won't.
Penn State is going to win a lot of ballgames this year, and they are going to be in contention for the 2026 College Football Playoffs.
However, does the evaluation stop there?
I don't think it does because in two years, or even three years, what will people be saying? It could get off to a really good start, and then Campbell will have to prove his worth when the honeymoon phase wears off.
We can't forget that Campbell himself is, overall, an average head football coach. His career record is 107-70 at two places where it is really tough to win. He turned Toledo into a winner, and he made Iowa State an above-average program.
Can he elevate the Nittany Lions program to bigger heights than before? Time will tell us the answer, but I am firmly on the other side of the argument when it comes to Campbell. I think he is going to find success, and lots of it, at Penn State.
Although he made a couple of legitimate points, I will disagree with McFarland's belief about this coach and this roster as it gets prepared to run the table in 2026.
