Franklin is the oldest among the eight remaining playoff coaches. 'The older you get, you try to keep the main thing the main thing,' he said.

Every chance Franklin and Penn State have had to change the narrative, they almost always come up short. Since 2014, Franklin’s Penn State teams are 3-19 against teams ranked in the AP top 10. It’s a dizzying statistic that Penn State fans and alums know too much about.

By most measures of football success, James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State has been satisfying. A 100-41 record over 11 seasons, one Big Ten championship, a slew of players in the NFL.