Will Penn State's James Franklin finally win the big game against Ohio State? “I think it’s our time”

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Have you ever heard the sharp crack of white gold on polished wood?

When the giant championship ring on Pat Kraft's right ring finger hits the conference table in front of him, the sound is unmistakable. Crack!

It is the sound of success, the sound of investment, of tradition, of history. Crack! Crack!

The tune Kraft unintentionally creates in his athletic director's office in the shadows of Beaver Stadium that Wednesday afternoon commemorates Penn State's recent national title. In March, the Nittany Lions won the school's 90th team wrestling championship in its illustrious history – believed to be the most by a school east of the Mississippi.

And yet, outside Kraft's office window, through the fall leaves and against a blue-splattered fall sky, a gigantic structure of steel and concrete rises from the Pennsylvania hills as a reminder of something else: Here, football is king, and it hasn't delivered a ring for 38 years .

“I understand,” says Kraft, beginning his third year as athletic director. “We all sign up for this. We all come to Penn State to win national championships. I know (James Franklin) isn't running away from it. I certainly don't. That's why I came here and that's why we're investing. You don't come to Penn State to be mediocre.

“Michigan won the national championship last year. Ohio State was in that mix,” he continued. “I think it’s our time.”

Penn State executives believe they have caught up with the elites off the field, having lagged for years in facilities and lagging behind in zero compensation for athletes. The company features a renovated football facility, a brand new dining facility, a spectacular weight room and a team of competitive athletic chefs, academic advisors and mental health specialists. Its budget for name, image and likeness (NIL) payments – which was not competitive two years ago – is now very competitive.

On the field, coach James Franklin is in his 11th season and makes $8.5 million per year. He averaged nine wins per year, won one conference championship (2016) and finished in the top 10 four times.

There's only one thing missing from your resume.

On Saturday, the gorilla that has sat on the backs of those in power here comes to this city for years – a scarlet and gray nuisance, the curse of Columbus. Not only do the Ohio State Buckeyes serve as a barometer for predicting a season, but they have literally been the hurdle between Penn State and that elusive prize for more than a decade.

Ohio State has won 15 of the last 18 in the series, 11 of the last 12 and seven in a row. Franklin is 1-9 against them.

“Nick Saban changed the way we look at football coaches,” said Penn State Board of Trustees member Brandon Short, who played for the Nittany Lions in the late 1990s and played seven years in the NFL. “You can win a national championship every 10 years and still be a good program. We have had ten winning seasons, but we have to get over the hurdle. That’s why we’re investing in the program.”

Saturday represents that hump. While Ohio State may have the most talented roster in the country, was the Big Ten preseason favorite and may be the biggest contender for the overall title, the fourth-place Buckeyes (6-1) are struggling. For one, they will be without two starting tackles on an offensive line that is showing signs of weakness.

Their defensive secondary was exposed in a top-five matchup earlier this season at Oregon and their offense struggled in a home game against Nebraska last week.

Is this the year that Penn State, perhaps Franklin's most complete team of his tenure, gets the Buckeyes?

The excitement here in State College is palpable. ESPN's “College GameDay” is here, as is Fox's “Big Noon Kickoff.” The setting is expected to be a quintessential Big Ten fall masterpiece. The sprawling hills of this place are a seasonal melody of red, yellow and orange. The highs on Saturday are a crisp 56 degrees. And kick-off is at 12 p.m.

Big game, right? Franklin is trying to calm the excitement, his comments suggestive of a coach who has posted signs reading “1-0” throughout his facility.

“The season opener for West Virginia was a big game. Bowling Green was a big game. If you don’t think that wasn’t the case, lose to Bowling Green and see how people react,” he said Wednesday. “This is a big game because of how we handled the last six. We are not changing our process. I can’t control the noise and things outside our building.”

No matter how hard Franklin tries to stick to his “1-0” mantra, no matter how many times he jokes that “these are all big games,” this game is different – even his players believe it. Some have enjoyed the thrill of victory presented on Saturday.

“It would be a special feeling that I haven’t felt before,” said sixth-year PSU defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas.

Edge rusher Abdul Carter sticks to the company line — “just another nameless, faceless opponent,” he said — until he doesn’t. “We’re a little excited about this win,” Carter added. “We let it pass (last year).”

For some, the slide against Ohio State is easy to explain. They had more resources and money and were therefore more talented.

“Ohio State had an operating budget that was $12 million larger than Penn State’s,” Short said. “They spent $12 million more. We have always done more with less, but it is unfair to ask staff to do that. We have been working to close this gap. We are seeing results on the field.”

The real test on the field comes on Saturday. It's not just about Ohio State. Franklin can go on a completely different streak.

He hasn't beaten a team named Ohio State or Michigan since 2020 – a streak of six straight losses. On the other hand, Franklin has not lost to any other team in the regular season in the last three seasons.

“He’s really putting his full potential into this program,” Kraft said.

“He worked his ass off in a place that wasn't particularly easy, and certainly not easy for him,” said a former Penn State University staffer who was with Franklin for years at State College.

Those close to Franklin describe him as calculated and smart, a fiercely competitive individual who over the years has flirted with other jobs at big brands – think USC and Florida State – in order to leverage them here for more resources and so to compete with the Ohio States and the Michigans.

He is very aware of his surroundings and is sometimes shocked by headlines and comments directed at him and his program. But his team's culture, people here say, is elite. He cares about his players. He is passionate about them outside of the field – academics, future development.

“I’m proud of the man he is and the leader of the program,” Short said. “It's a family. This is not lip service.”

All in all, 11 years is a long time in one place in an industry that has proven to be transient and impatient.

Coaches, even those like Franklin who average 9-10 wins per year, are fired or retire with too many losses to their rivals. Take former LSU coach Les Miles, for example, who was fired in his 12th season while losing five games to Alabama. Or former Georgia coach Mark Richt, who was eliminated by Florida in 2015 with a 5-10 record. And what about Lloyd Carr, who retired after his 13th season at Michigan after losing six of seven to the Buckeyes?

Kraft points to Ohio State's NIL efforts — the school is reportedly spending $20 million on its football squad — when discussing the latest blip. He acknowledges that Penn State's zero budget is not $20 million. But it's better than it once was. And soon schools will be allowed to share revenue directly with athletes in a limited system intended to provide greater balance.

“We were literally nowhere (with NIL) when I got here,” Kraft said. “I think we’re in a really good position now. I think that's where Ohio State and the people we're competing with had a leg up. They did good things and were aggressive early.

“We’re now at the point where we know we can keep up with them.”

The Nittany Lions meet on Saturday at sold-out Beaver Stadium crack the skidding? A win means a better position to advance to the Big Ten Championship, which paves the way to a bye in the expanded College Football Playoff, which in turn prepares the program to come within three wins of that elusive prize : a ring.