Penn State football has high expectations to meet in 2025-26. A Big Ten championship and College Football Playoffs titles are well within reach for the Nittany Lions. They have Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, A.J. Harris, a stacked offensive line, and the list keeps going.
However, with high expectations comes a load of pressure and Paul Finebaum doesn't think head coach James Franklin can handle it.
Paul Finebaum says Penn State faces the most pressure in 2025-26
“I believe it’s Penn State because of this reason. They may very well be favored to win the Big Ten and [Franklin] does not handle pressure well," Finebaum said. "He had a 10-point lead against Ohio State last year. Blew it. He had a 10-point lead against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Blew it. And that’s why he gets in trouble with his fanbase.”
Franklin's entering his 12th season with the Nittany Lions with a 101-42 record. Those 42 losses, though, include 29 games against ranked teams. Last season, Penn State had its best record in program history, 13-3. It didn't matter when it came to those big games, though.
No matter how many wins Franklin can accumulate in the regular season and journey to a championship game, he crashes in moments it matters most. Falling to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship then Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals only added to the "Big Game James" narrative.
"[Franklin's] record is exemplary, but he can’t seem to handle the pressure and he has it now,” Finebaum said.
That's the primary issue with the Nittany Lions being preseason favorites — the pressure is already amounting and it's piling up quick. George McElroy agreed with Finebaum, saying Franklin has the most pressure to perform among college football coaches in 2025-26. His job won't be on the line if he doesn't bring home those titles at the end of the season, but the pressure will only get worse moving forward.
They have yet to face their first true contest of the regular season, Oregon on Sept. 27, and that in itself is a game that Penn State must win to control the rest of its season. It'll only be an uphill battle from there if the Ducks beat the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Not only is it a home game for Penn State, but it's the White Out game. All eyes will be on Franklin to see if he can withstand that level of pressure.
Week 5 is when the Nittany Lions face Oregon at home, and Franklin set his schedule up where his team essentially has a series of easy wins to prepare. This in itself is something Finebaum isn't a fan of.
Penn State is already the favorite to win the Big Ten and go far in the playoffs. On top of that, though, the first three weeks are (or should be) an easy 3-0 start to the season whereas conference rivals are starting off with hard hitters. Ohio State plays Texas in its season opener while the Nittany Lions take on Nevada.
"They have one of the most ridiculous non-conference schedules I have ever seen,” Finebaum said. ". . . they really go big-time by bringing in Villanova [Week 2]. Those are their three non-conference games. Completely embarrassing for a major college to do that, but we’re talking about Penn State of course.”
Whether that easy three weeks and an additional bye will control the "Big Game James" narrative is yet to be certain. After a light introduction to the season, though, it's all Big Ten action and a lot of pressure on the Nittany Lions.