James Franklin's Record in Big Games Criticized by CFB Fans After Loss to Notre Dame

Penn State is now 4-20 against Top 10 opponents under head coach James Franklin after the Nittany Lions fell 27-24 to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday at the Orange Bowl.

The Nittany Lions rolled into the semifinals after a 38-10 win over SMU and a 31-14 victory against Boise State. PSU also led Notre Dame 24-17 after Nick Singleton's third rushing touchdown with 4:38 remaining in regulation.

However, Notre Dame won thanks to three huge plays: Jaden Greathouse's 54-yard touchdown catch, Christian Grey's interception with 42 seconds left and Mitch Jeter's clutch, game-winning 41-yard field goal.

And with that, Penn State lost yet another big game in the Franklin era, a fact that didn't go unnoticed among fans and analysts alike.

Penn State is 101-42 under Franklin with a 64-33 Big Ten record. The Nittany Lions will finish this season with their fifth Top 10 finish in the Associated Press poll since 2016. This year also marked Penn State's third straight season with 10 or more wins.

But PSU simply can't win the big game in this era, for whatever reason. This year, Penn State faced Ohio State at home, but the offense fell short in a 20-13 home loss.

PSU got into the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon, but the Ducks offense dominated the Nittany Lion defense in a 45-37 win.

The Nittany Lions outscored their first two CFP opponents 69-24 and was in position to win Thursday, but Penn State stumbled down the stretch.

Now the Nittany Lions go into a long offseason after a bitterly disappointing loss, hoping to finally find the answers toward winning the team's first national title since 1986.