Franklin can’t seem to win the big one

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions by the score of 27-24 in the College Football Playoff semifinal last Thursday at the Orange Bowl. This loss brings Franklin’s overall record against Top 10 opponents to 4-20. With yet another loss against a high-level team, there is another log being placed on the fire under Franklin’s feet. Now that the season is over for Penn State, the rumors will begin to fly about whether or not Franklin is the right man for the job. Franklin wins the games he is supposed to; however, when it comes to playing a rival or another good program, it seems Franklin can’t get over that hump. I saw some interesting numbers about Franklin’s tenure at Penn State. Not only is he 4-20 against Top 10 teams, but he is also 1-15 vs. Top 5 opponents, 15-29 against Top 25 teams, and is 4-17 against top rivals Michigan and Ohio State. With those types of numbers against tough competition, it’s easy to see why people are questioning if Franklin is the right man for the job in Happy Valley. Franklin understands the frustration that is boiling over from the fan base. These...