Here’s how James Franklin gets Penn State Football back into CFP Conversation

Improved in-game coaching

In-game coaching will always be the equalizer.

It doesn’t matter if you have the best talent or the best game plan. If you can’t adjust on the fly, you will never win at an elite level.

When you look at James Franklins’ career at Penn State, this hasn’t been his strong suit. There have been many instances of poor clock management, baffling play calls, and simply being outcoached.

Improving in-game coaching will be the final step in Penn State Football being included in the College Football Playoff discussion every season.

Slowly, we have seen an improvement in James Franklins’ game management. If you forget the Illinois game this season, like most of us wish we could. Franklin has not been the main reason for a loss. You also never hear from other coaches that James Franklin outcoached them.

The next evolution from Franklin, which is the hardest, is to make the game management decisions that directly result in a victory. Going for it on fourth down and converting in a crucial spot, running the clock effectively, and coming up with the big drive to ice the game is just a couple of examples. Once James Franklin is referred to as more than just a good recruiter, that is when Penn State will be in the College Football Playoff discussion.