The strides made in the 2024-25 Penn State football season don't go unnoticed. If anything, they only make people expect more. For head coach James Franklin, now that it's known that the Nittany Lions can go far, the accolades need to be obtained.
"For [Franklin], it's time," Joel Klatt said on his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show." "And everybody around that program knows it."
Franklin and his Nittany Lions made it all the way to two big games last season: the College Football Playoffs Orange Bowl and the Big Ten Championship.
Both results left Penn State searching for more. In fact, Klatt acknowledged that it's more likely than not for the Nittany Lions to fall behind when the team they're up against is comparable in talent.
"Here's the problem: Penn State under [Franklin] still doesn't have that win at least in recent vintage in the last four or five seasons against a team that maybe [it is] similar to or matched up with or even an underdog too," Klatt said.
This isn't just the case for Penn State's loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl or a sore ending to Oregon for a conference title.
Its rivalry with Michigan, despite close games, fall in favor of the Wolverines. Their all time history record lines up 17-10 with the Nittany Lions on the tail end.
Penn State has proven consistently that it will win games it's supposed to win. The Nittany Lions won't let an underdog upset them. Now it's time for the next step.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, these talent-packed games need to not only be priorities for Franklin but on-paper wins.
First on this list: Oregon on Sept. 27 at Beaver Stadium.
Klatt noted this as the first big matchup of Penn State's schedule, and the Nittany Lions have some advantages already tallying up in their favor. The Ducks are bringing in a new quarterback, the transfer out of UCLA Dante Moore. The game is also set to be a white out, so the energy in Beaver Stadium will be off the charts.
Even with a talent even on both sides of the field, Penn State's heading into the season with ambition and determination.
Offensively, quarterback Drew Allar is looking to silence critics. Now with a stronger wide receiver core, Allar should have more help making big-time plays when needed most. The offensive line, too, should do nothing but excel. With returning stars on the line, there shouldn't be much getting in Allar's way.
"If Penn State loses that game [to Oregon]," Klatt warned. "All anyone is going to be talking about is that [Franklin] can't win these games because that's the slow boiling narrative going into the season."
Losing to Oregon at home is a likely indicator that Penn State's Big Ten appearances will not be up to par. He predicted that a loss to the Ducks could entail a loss to College Football Playoff champion Ohio State on the road.
From there, things can only snowball against the Nittany Lions.
"You're probably not going to be in the Big Ten title game," Klatt said if Penn State loses in those two conference games. "Which means that you're going to have to play as a non-bye team in the College Football Playoff - maybe even have to go on the road."
In order to keep the public's "hot seat" at bay, the tell-tale game of Penn State's season will be in the first half of its schedule - a game that can not only catalyze a Nittany Lion redemption arc but must if the program is looking to reach new heights.