Penn State AD: Franklin's big-game record played role in firing - ESPN

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — James Franklin's record in big games played a role in Penn State moving on from the longtime head coach, athletic director Pat Kraft acknowledged Monday.

«I'm here to win a national championship,» Kraft said. «And I believe our fans deserve that.»

Penn State fired Franklin on Sunday after 12 seasons following a stunning 0-3 start in the Big Ten.

The Nittany Lions opened the year ranked No. 2 in the polls off an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.

But Penn State tumbled out of the polls two weeks ago after losing to then-winless UCLA, which hadn't held a lead all season. Then at home on Saturday, the Nittany Lions lost to Northwestern.

With the two losses, Penn State became the first team since the FBS and FCS split in 1978 to lose consecutive games while favored by 20 or more points in each game, according to ESPN Research.

Yet Penn State's first defeat of the losing streak continued a troubling and inescapable trend under Franklin, which ultimately led to the move.

The Nittany Lions fell at home in double overtime to Oregon, dropping Franklin to 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents, including 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference games. Franklin's .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams is tied for the third-worst record by a coach (minimum 25 games) at a single school since the poll era began in 1936, according to ESPN Research. Penn State has not defeated a top 10 opponent since knocking off Ohio State in 2016.

«This is not a three-game thing,» Kraft said. «This is really diving where we are as a program — what is the trajectory of this program?»

Kraft noted that the athletic department will cover the $49 million buyout that Franklin is