James Franklin is still not in the good graces of SEC personality Paul Finebaum, even amid a productive offseason in State College. As he has done continuously for weeks, Finebaum has gone on the offensive against Franklin as arguably the biggest non-Big Ten critic.
Things became dicey during a recent edition of "Get Up," taking a damming stance about why Penn State won't win a national title: Franklin himself.
“On Jan. 20, if I’m sitting here eating my words, I will be the most shocked person on the face of the earth,” Finebaum said. “James Franklin and Penn State will not win the National Championship. It has nothing to do with the team. They’re excellent, they’re fantastic. It’s the best team he’s had."
The biggest issue, though, according to Finebaum, is winning when it counts.
“But they still have the same problem they’ve had since James Franklin arrived from Vanderbilt — they have James Franklin as the head coach," Franklin continued. "And while he is a very good coach, his record speaks for itself, he is incapable of winning that last game. We saw it last year when he blew a 10-point lead against Ohio State. He blew a 10-point lead against Notre Dame.”
Finebaum, simply put, needs to see more.
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"And I’m getting sick and tired of talking about the leads he’s blown," Finebaum said. "But he’s done nothing to convince me otherwise.”
Key games for Penn State include its White Out game against Oregon, a road game against Iowa, followed by a road game against Ohio State to close October and begin November, respectively. Penn State also welcomes Indiana to State College, among other notable opponents.
The season is nearly a month away, and for Penn State, it will have a chance to prove Finebaum wrong