Well, that was certainly some weekend in college football!
Penn State fired James Franklin. Was it the right move at the right time? Who could replace him? Plus, while Texas looked to be headed down a similar spiral to the Nittany Lions, they bounced back in a big way against Oklahoma, and Indiana made a big-time statement against Oregon. Let’s recap the weekend.
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn ImagesPenn State Making Major Changes
It’s hard to believe that less than 300 days ago, Penn State was just minutes away from beating Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and moving on to the National Championship Game. Fast forward to now, and the Nittany Lions are 3-3, just fired their head coach, and paid him nearly $50 million to go away. To add injury to insult, their starting quarterback (and potential No. 1 overall pick) is out for the season, and they are in danger of missing a bowl game. But alas, that’s where we are.
After Penn State’s third straight loss and second straight stunning upset, James Franklin has been officially fired. While most think this was the right move, I’ve seen a few people around the college football landscape who think the firing of Franklin was a mistake. Don’t get me wrong, James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State was a success. No, he never got them over the hump, but he took a historic program that had been middling and brought them back to the top of the pack with the big boys.
He won a Big Ten title, was bringing in great recruiting classes, and had the Nittany Lions in a position to play for championships every year. The problem is, when it came time to win those championship-type games, he just never really did.
I’ve mentioned this before, but since I’m a Notre Dame fan, it’s hard for me not to see the parallels to Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame. Granted, the Irish didn’t fire Kelly. Instead, he bolted for more money at LSU. However, Kelly got Notre Dame out of the dark ages by building a program that was good enough to compete for titles every year. The problem is, he never won big games, either. And while Kelly’s departure forced Notre Dame to move on to Marcus Freeman, that move looks like it’s paying off. There is no guarantee that a similar thing will happen for Penn State.
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)Change is scary. Penn State was in a comfortable position with James Franklin, but they were unlikely to ever take that next step toward truly being an elite program. If it didn’t happen this year with just about everything falling into place, when would it? The Nittany Lions’ next hire is far from a guarantee to work out as well as Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame has thus far. But at the same time, don’t you have to try? Penn State is making a bold move, but they’re taking a big swing for the fences as opposed to sitting on their hands and hoping things change.
I think James Franklin is a good program builder. Someone is going to hire him in the next year or so, and they’ll get a good football coach. But there’s not much doubt that it was time for a change at Penn State. The move might not work, but Franklin got them as far as he could. It’s time for both parties to move on, and in the long run, I think both sides will be better off for it.
As for who Penn State will end up with, that’s a great question. The top name everyone is throwing around is Curt Cignetti. I do think Penn State AD Pat Kraft will try, I’m just not sure Cignetti will want to leave Indiana. Indiana has given Cignetti a bunch of money and just about all the resources he wants to improve that football program, and in less than two seasons, he’s taken them from the Big Ten basement to the top of the conference. Is it worth it for him to roll the dice on a move?
The other name getting thrown around is Matt Rhule from Nebraska, which feels like it would be similar to hiring James Franklin again at that point. Rhule is a great program builder, but Penn State’s program is already built. It needs someone who can win the big games, and Rhule has yet to prove he can do that.
I think Penn State will swing for the fences and try to make a big splash with their hire, but I’m not sure who that is quite yet. This will be a fascinating coaching search to track.
As for Franklin, it wouldn’t shock me if he took the year off and did TV for a season. But there will be quite a few big-time jobs open this offseason. If Billy Napier is out at Florida, which it looks like he will be, that would be where I’d keep my eye on for Franklin to land.
Texas Gets Up Off The Mat
Credit where it’s due. Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns looked like they were headed toward letting their season spiral out of control after their loss to Florida two weeks ago. Arch Manning and the offense looked lost. The Longhorns went from preseason No. 1 to unranked in just six weeks. Plus, top-ten-ranked Oklahoma was next up on the schedule for the Red River Rivalry, and they were getting their Heisman-contending quarterback John Mateer back from a hand injury. Things looked bleak.
But the Longhorns got up off the mat. They dominated OU in the second half and bullied them in the trenches en route to a 23-6 win over their biggest rivals. Was it a perfect game? Hardly. Arch Manning looked more comfortable and was more efficient, but he wasn’t a game-breaker either. What Texas did was bully Oklahoma up front on both sides of the football and set the tone for the football game. The Longhorns outrushed the Sooners 136 to 48. They stuck to their game plan of controlling the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage, and playing smashmouth football.
Is this win going to vault Texas back into the College Football Playoff picture? Probably not. They’re still a flawed team with a tough schedule ahead. But this did prove that they’re not going to go down without a fight. Steve Sarkisian’s team seemed to find a bit of an identity in this win. While it’s probably going to end up being too little, too late for this season, they did get up off the mat and give themselves a chance.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) takes the field before the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff First Round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron – Imagn ImagesWho’s The Real No. 1?
Ohio State is the top-ranked team in the country. That’s not up for debate. But right now, are they the best? The Buckeyes look great so far in 2025. They’ve beaten everyone that’s been in front of them, and with the exception of the season opener against Texas, they’ve never really been in danger of losing. But I think we’re at a point where it’s fair to ask if Indiana should be ranked number one.
I’m not saying that right now that Indiana is for sure a better team than Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ defense is outstanding, and their offense, led by first-year starter Julian Sayin, is getting better each week. But I’m also having a hard time looking at their resume compared to Indiana’s and saying it’s better.
The Hoosiers have by far the best win between the two, and probably the best win of anyone in the country with their 30-20 win over Oregon at Autzen Stadium. They have a common opponent with Ohio State in Illinois, and they won that game 63-10. Granted, they played it at home while OSU was on the road.
Again, I’m not trying to say I think Indiana is a better team than Ohio State. But I just don’t think we know for sure that they’re not. Comparing the two resumes, Indiana should be the top team in the country. If both teams keep rolling like they are, I’ll be fascinated to see how the CFP committee sees these two teams. The good thing is, we’re likely headed for a Big Ten title game clash between these two if things keep playing out the way they are, and we’ll see it get settled on the field.
Ohio State is a great football team, and if they played Indiana on a neutral field tomorrow, I wouldn’t bet against the Buckeyes. However, given what both teams’ resumes look like this season, it’s hard for me not to buy into the idea that Indiana deserves that top ranking. Also, this is nothing against Miami, either. I think they’ve had a great year and are absolutely deserving of a top-three ranking in the country as well. Heck, you can argue their resume is better than Ohio State’s as well.
More CFB Notes
Ahead of their big matchup against USC this weekend, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman announced starting center Ashton Craig was lost for the season with a knee injury.Notre Dame center Ashton Craig is out for the season with a right knee injury, head coach Marcus Freeman announces.It's the second straight season Craig has gone out for the year in the middle of the season."You just feel bad for the kid."Craig is in "good spirits."
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) October 13, 2025 Speaking of USC, it made a massive statement with its big win over Michigan at the Coliseum on Saturday night. The Trojans beat the Wolverines at their own game and bullied them up front on the way to a 31-13 blowout win. The stage is now set for what looks like a potential elimination game in South Bend on Saturday when Notre Dame hosts the Trojans.STOPPED ON 4TH DOWNThe @uscfb defense shuts down Michigan ?:NBC pic.twitter.com/tMvC0kBN8F
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2025 Matt Rhule was asked about the job at Penn State opening up, and while he said how much he loved Nebraska, he didn’t exactly shut down the idea of leaving either.HC Matt Rhule’s response to Penn State job rumors: pic.twitter.com/kk1g9B7fS3
— Huskers Talk | ???????? ?????? (@HuskersTalk) October 13, 2025 At his media availability today, Bill Belichick called the rumors of his potential UNC exit “categorically false.”Bill Belichick tells reporters at UNC that any reports of him looking for an exit from UNC are “categorically false." pic.twitter.com/Y0FD5vTSua
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 13, 2025Hence then, the article about around the campus penn state s next move texas bounces back who s no 1 more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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