It’s been a disaster of a few weeks for James Franklin and Penn State. And USA TODAY Sports just added some insult to injury.
The Hawkeyes will take on Penn State next weekend at Kinnick Stadium under the lights. And the Nittany Lions have a ton of things to fix before they make that trip.
The Nittany Lions fell to Oregon at home in a double-overtime thriller in week five, raising big questions about Franklin’s ability to ‘win the big game’. However, the performance they followed up with in that game raised even more questions.
Penn State lost to winless UCLA 42-37 on the road, with the defense looking completely and utterly disinterested all afternoon. That loss created a ton of outrage from Penn State fans, with many calling for Franklin’s job and for massive changes in the program. But the outrage didn’t stop there. USA Today Sports got in on the action with their latest article.
USA Today Sports released an article ranking their top five flops in college football this season. Penn State found itself at third on the list. Here’s what USA Today Sports had to say about Franklin’s squad.
Those thinking in August that James Franklin would produce a national championship and that Drew Allar was a Heisman contender must have been sipping some kind of Kool-Aid. Franklin and Allar have upheld their reputations for wilting in big games, but this loss to woebegone UCLA is a new wrinkle for misery. – Blake Toppmeyer
It’s a scathing and honest review of how much Penn State has underperformed this year, given the preseason expectations. They would have to win out to make the College Football Playoffs, and with games against Iowa, Ohio State, and Indiana remaining on the schedule, that seems unlikely.
They have a chance for a get-right game this weekend against Northwestern before making the trip over to Iowa City next Saturday. That game against Iowa will kick off at 6 p.m. CST and can be streamed on Peacock.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football opponent among USA TODAY Sports’ biggest frauds
Reporting by Zach Hiney, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
