Penn State head coach James Franklin had a multitude of excuses for an inexcusable loss against a then-winless UCLA team. At this point, he might as well sat down and pulled these excuses out.
1. Had to prove that every Saturday is a bloodbath in the Big Ten
What better way to prove that the Big Ten is competitive than having an 0-4 team embarrass one of the top teams in the country?
It's one of the best excuses that comes out of every SEC game, regardless of what teams are playing, and the Big Ten felt left out. It preaches that its on the same pedestal as the SEC and should be treated as such. So, there's no better way to prove it than Penn State giving UCLA its first win of the season in what ended up being a close game. If either team could win on Saturday, that definitely means Big Ten talent runs deep and not that Franklin and the Nittany Lions were embarrassingly upset, right? What a way to take one for the team, Penn State!
“Penn State’s loss to UCLA just goes to show how deep the Big Ten is this year. Every Saturday is a blood bath”
— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) October 4, 2025
Am I doing this right SEC fans?
2. Thought the Rose Bowl was a tour stop
Rose Bowl Stadium is an iconic venue in all of sports, but it isn't the first time the Nittany Lions played there. It was the sixth time in program history Penn State played at the venue, and the second time many veterans played there. The last time the blue and white played at Rose Bowl Stadium was 2023 in the postseason. However, Saturday was the first regular season game the Nittany Lions played at the stadium. For the whole team, especially younger players, they obviously got lost in awe of the historic location.
3. Thought the game was a scrimmage with the lack of fans there
Under 40,000 fans attended the UCLA v. Penn State game — 39,256 to be exact. The stadium's capacity is 89, 702, which means more than half the seats were empty for Saturday's contest. The Bruins even covered the upper deck of both end zones because of how empty it was. The Nittany Lions are used to packed stadiums and rabid fans, so maybe they got confused and thought it was an open scrimmage instead? A meaningless exhibition game in the middle of the season perhaps?
4. It was really sunny and hot in Pasadena
Franklin already mentioned travel, but he completely forgot to mention the beautiful weather in California that threw Penn State off its game! The Nittany Lions already adjusted to temperatures cooling down in Happy Valley, so their bodies were obviously in shock when they were met with 85-degree weather with bright and sunny skies.
5. Franklin has a secret, master plan up his sleeve
Get the media rowdy, get fans calling for his job, put everyone in a state of disbelief and anger. Then — and only then — does Franklin bring his team to 10-2, dominate at No. 1 Ohio State while he's at it, take Penn State all the way to the national championship game, and pull a "I told you so." The first five games of some combination of underwhelming offense, defense, and play calling are just decoys.