As reported at NBC News, Penn State has fired head football coach James Franklin, the second winningest coach in Nitney Lion history. Penn State was a AP preseason #2 and now finds itself with 3 straight losses including losses to the UCLA Bruins as a 24.5-point favorite and to the Northwestern Wildcats as a 21.5-point favorite. The buyout is the second richest in college football history
Franklin, 53, is the second winningest coach in Nittany Lions history, behind only Joe Paterno. Last season, he led Penn State to the semifinal of the College Football Playoff, and the team finished the season ranked fifth in the final Associated Press poll — the Nittany Lions’ best finish since 2005.
Penn State entered August ranked No. 2 in the country by the AP, it and very likely could have been ranked first had it hung on to defeat Oregon instead of losing in overtime.
After the loss to the Ducks, the Nittany Lions lost twice more — on the road against the UCLA Bruins as a 24.5-point favorite and at home to the Northwestern Wildcats as a 21.5-point favorite. The two losses came by a total of six points but weren’t close enough to save Franklin’s job.