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Three reasons why October will be a massive month for Penn State Football

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads the team onto the field before the game against the Ohio Bobcats at Beaver Stadium on September 10, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads the team onto the field before the game against the Ohio Bobcats at Beaver Stadium on September 10, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Penn State Nittany Lions at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Penn State Nittany Lions at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. /

2. Changing Narratives

Penn State football can change plenty of narratives about its program during October.

The most notable one is Franklin’s record after bye weeks. Penn State is 3-5 in games after the bye week under Franklin. Considering the off week is supposed to be an advantage, this record is not great.

Two other narratives are Penn State’s success on the road and its success against ranked teams on the road. At Penn State, Franklin is just 19-20 on the road and 1-10 on the road against ranked teams. Some of this damage came in the early years, when Penn State was still reeling from the sanctions, but overall, it needs to improve.

Well, Franklin will have a chance to crush all three of these narratives in one game. Penn State faces No. 4 Michigan on the road directly after the bye week. To say this game means a lot would be an understatement.

Beating Michigan in the Big House will not be easy. It’s something Franklin has never done with fans in the stands. Winning this game though would be quite the statement.

Another narrative that can be changed is Penn State’s success against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are just 1-7 against the Buckeyes under Franklin. Penn State will get a chance to change that on Oct. 29, the last game of the month.

Beating Ohio State is not easy, for anyone, but with this game being at Beaver Stadium, it’s one of Penn State’s best opportunities.

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