James Franklin’s “Can’t Win the Big One” problem at Penn State isn’t new, but now even the smaller ones are slipping away. Franklin’s 4-21 record against top ten teams now looks worse after a close 42–37 loss to a UCLA team he was expected to handle. Naturally, “Fire Franklin” chants are echoing across Happy Valley. Now, if Penn State does decide to part ways, Franklin would join the ranks of the most expensive coaching buyouts, alongside Jimbo Fisher.

That’s when national analyst Josh Pate devises an effective technique that doesn’t significantly reduce James Franklin’s stock. Dan Mullen, the UNLV Rebels HC, clearly inspired this idea, with a $17.5M price tag. “You could step away, if you were James Franklin right now, for a couple of years. You could go do TV if you wanted to,” P

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