The alternate interception reality every Penn State fan has imagined

Former Penn State football head coach James Franklin's tenure crashed and burned without any warning in 2025.

The Week 7 loss to Northwestern was the final straw for athletic director Pat Kraft after the Nittany Lions were projected to be national champions come the end of the season. Instead, the blue and white allowed a double overtime loss in Week 5 turn into a series of losses, a head coach firing, a last ditch effort to make a non-playoff bowl game, a 54-day coach search, and eventually the hiring of new head coach Matt Campbell.

The snowball effect from that Oregon loss was brutal, to say the least. All it took was an interception, and that wasn't the first time former quarterback Drew Allar sold the game with one. Both picks, which were just roughly 8.5 months apart, sealed Penn State's national championship fate, whether fans knew it immediately or had to wait for things to crumble.

What if Drew Allar never threw those interceptions?

The Orange Bowl vs. Notre Dame was the first victim of the Allar pick.

The Nittany Lions were up 10-3 at halftime and held onto a lead up until the fourth quarter. After the Fighting Irish claimed their first advantage on the scoreboard, though, Penn State fought back and went up 24-17. A 54-yard touchdown tied the game at 24-24, and the ball was back in Allar's hands with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

The blue and white took their chance to be aggressive, and it backfired instantly. With 35 seconds on the clock, Allar's pass intended for wide receiver Omari Evans was easily picked off by cornerback Christian Gray at Penn State's 42-yard-line. Notre Dame took the field and hit the game-winning field goal that sent the Nittany Lions packing on the brink of a national championship appearance.

This is the easy alternate reality to imagine. Without that interception, it would've been Penn State kicking it through the uprights and on its way to the title game vs. Ohio State. The Buckeyes, realistically, would have beaten the Nittany Lions, but getting to that point would have been huge for Franklin. On top of that, his crew of starters would have likely opted out of the 2025 NFL Draft and still returned for their last NCAA season.

Then comes Week 5 of 2025. The White Out vs. the Ducks and a whole lot for Franklin to prove. Can he overcome the big games? The big moments? Can Allar overcome them too? The answer ended up being no, and then some. Franklin could neither win the big one nor rally back from the loss, and it was Allar's interception that sent things spiraling downward.

If that wasn't a pick and the Nittany Lions went down and scored on their possession in double overtime, they would've kicked the extra point and won the game 31-30. It would've been a monumental win for Franklin, the national title hopes would still be alive, and they wouldn't have lost to UCLA or Northwestern. The lack of morale and faith lost those next two games thanks to the Oregon loss.

The Iowa-Ohio State-Indiana trio would have caused Penn State some trouble, and it would have likely lost to the Buckeyes and Hoosiers if we're being honest. Finishing the season 10-2 with a win vs. Oregon (or 11-1 if we're feeling unrealistic) and still ranked would have put the blue and white back in the College Football Playoff.

The Nittany Lions would have had another run at a national title, and Franklin would have most likely bought himself another year. At the very least, he hit the bare minimum and it would be up to Kraft to decide on whether or not "third time's a charm."

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow