Stunning loss to UCLA should put James Franklin on hot seat

Penn State has reached the point of no return.

On Saturday, Associated Press No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 in Big Ten) suffered the most stunning loss of the season, 42-37 at the previously winless UCLA Bruins (1-4, 1-1 in Big Ten). The Nittany Lions entered as a 24.5-point favorite.

UCLA never trailed, and quarterback Nico Iamaleava accounted for five touchdowns. The Bruins rushed for a season-high 269 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. The defense came up with a decisive fourth-quarter stop on 4th-and-2 on its own 12-yard line.

Loss calls into question program under head coach James Franklin

With the result, Penn State, one of the preseason contenders for this year’s national championship, has likely played itself out of the College Football Playoff conversation. Technically, it could rally and win games against No. 1 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 in Big Ten) and No. 8 Indiana (5-0, 2-0 in Big Ten) to reenter the discussion. But that’s unrealistic, especially with James Franklin as head coach.

The 12th-year coach is out of his element in big games, making it unlikely Penn State will prevail in both, which is probably necessary for the program to make the 12-team playoff for the second year in a row.

For a team with the expectations the Nittany Lions had entering the season, their flop in Los Angeles against the country’s only winless power conference program is unacceptable. It should also call into question Franklin’s job security, regardless of his contract running through 2031.

Teams are a reflection of their head coach, and Penn State was unprepared and unorganized against UCLA. At the end of the first half, Franklin used poor clock management, refraining from calling his timeouts. Late in the fourth, the special teams unit wasn’t ready for UCLA playing for a safety deep in their own end, allowing the Bruins to burn eight seconds off the clock by not rushing the punter.

Entering the season, Franklin had one of the country’s largest buyouts at an estimated $56 million, per 247Sports.

It would be hard to swallow that kind of buyout sum, but it can’t be any more difficult than watching Penn State consistently fail to live up to expectations. Losing against top-ranked teams is one thing, but getting out-coached and out-played against inferior competition shouldn’t be tolerated at a program like Penn State. After Week 6, it’s fair to wonder how much longer the Nittany Lions will stand for it.