For Penn State's James Franklin, Next Year Starts Now

The Nittany Lions crave a 2024 playoff berth. Getting there leaves little time to celebrate a 42-0 win over Michigan State.

Penn State coach James Franklin thought playing at Detroit's Ford Field created a positive experience for both teams Friday night. Michigan State might have disagreed after a 42-0 loss to the Nittany Lions, but Franklin loved it. And before leaving, Franklin made a statement that, a year from now, will matter much more to Penn State football.

"I think we're playing kind of our best football now, so it's good to be trending at the right time," Franklin told reporters at Ford Field. "But that's for next year. This year, we've played good enough to win 10 games and hopefully get into a New Year's 6 bowl game and play well in it. I think that's probably more challenging than it's been in the past, with all the different things that have changed in college football the last five years. But again, I'm proud."

Penn State capped a 10-2 regular season (Franklin's fifth in the past eight years) with an assertive performance against a downtrodden team. Michigan State is rebuilding from scratch once again. Meanwhile, Penn State is re-tuning after a two-year stretch in which it went 20-0 against every regular-season opponent but Michigan and Ohio State. The Lions went 0-4 against them.

Which is why Franklin said he plans to spend his weekend in Zoom meetings with prospective offensive coordinators. Ja'Juan Seider and Ty Howle handled the interim duties well, particularly on Friday, as the Nittany Lions rolled up a season-high 586 yards of offense. But Franklin is thinking bigger for Year 11, in which the Lions expect to be part of the 12-team playoff conversation.

Perhaps no other team would have benefited from an expanded College Football Playoff than Penn State over the past eight years. The Lions would have made a 12-team playoff from 2016-19, in 2022 and most likely this season. Since 2017, according to Fox Sports, Penn State leads the country in victories without a conference title. Making the 2024 College Football Playoff is an imperative for Penn State.

Penn State has the most wins of any Power Five team since 2017 without a conference title 👀

Will they win their first Big Ten title since 2016 this season? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zJtHYIW92C

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 10, 2023

The Nittany Lions are flying at 35,000 feet, comfortably above most every other college football program. But when they ascend to 39,000 feet, where Ohio State and Michigan cruise, the Lions encounter turbulence and must descend. Franklin is building this offensive coordinator hire around flying comfortably at that altitude. He pretty much stated that outright before heading to Detroit.

At his midweek media availability in State College, Franklin explained what he'll be looking for in those Zoom calls. A proven track record as a play-caller matters, as do success rates on third down and with explosive plays. As always, relationships matter, too. But Franklin also is looking for someone with established success in big games. Beating Michigan State 42-0 is lovely. Franklin wants more.

'A big [factor] is data and information based on the people who’ve been able to score against their best competition in whatever leagues they’ve come from. That's an important piece in this as well," Franklin said. "Obviously we've got even more competition coming into the league as well. Overall our numbers are pretty good, but we've got to put ourselves in the best position based on the teams we need to beat, and have the data, evidence and experience to back it up. That’s really the difference. Hopefully it's someone that’s done it long enough to have a true indication [of success]. ... It's a smaller pool than people might think."

Franklin is swinging big and will have the resources to attract top talent. At the same time, Franklin will invest time this week seeking to retain his top talent. The NCAA Transfer Portal opens Dec. 4, and Penn State will be an active player, likely at receiver in particular. However, Franklin and his coaching staff will meet next week with every player on the roster to begin determining their futures. One positive note from Friday. According to Pennlive's Johnny McGonigal, running back Nicholas Singleton followed his best game of the season (18 carries, 118 yards) by saying he plans to return to Penn State. The coaching staff welcomed Singleton's confirmation.

Nick Singleton: “I’m committed. I’m committed to the whole team next year. Coach Franklin, Coach Seider, the whole coaching staff. I’m telling ya, I’m not leaving. I’m staying here.” pic.twitter.com/nW2HZ56zZ7

— Johnny McGonigal (@jmcgonigal9) November 25, 2023

After the game, Franklin was asked whether the win, and specifically his team's offensive performance, led to a sense of vindication for Penn State. He's not one to agree with such question premises but answered anyway. Franklin's response mixed satisfaction in what Penn State has accomplished this year with a prediction.

"We won 10 games this season," Franklin said. "There's very few programs in the country that are able to do that. We've done it in back-to-back seasons. I'm very proud of what we've done. Do I understand and do I embrace the fact that this place has really, really high expectations? Nobody has higher expectations than the players and the coaches, so I'm not sure about all that [regarding vindication]. But I'm proud of this team and how we played tonight and how consistently we played this year. But obviously there's some steps we have to take. I'm confident we're going to take those steps and be aggressive."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.