It’s looking bleak, folks.

It feels like forever since Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Nittany Lions dropped out of the rankings for the first time since 2022 after losing to an 0-4 UCLA team in Pasadena.

Penn State’s defense collapsed, allowing Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava to run rampant and seemingly untouchable. The Nittany Lions are now 0-2 in the Big Ten and 3-2 overall, without a win against a Power Four team this season.

As expected, social media ripped into the program after the loss, with many fans calling for James Franklin to be fired after what appears to be a squandered opportunity to make the College Football Playoffs for the second-straight year.

Penn State Has No Chance To Make The Playoffs

Oscar Orellana: I don’t even know, man. Maybe?

Penn State definitely has to not only win out, but it has to beat Ohio State and Indiana comfortably to ease the damage that the UCLA game has already done to its 2025 campaign. Give it one more loss and I’m comfortable with completely shutting the door.

Collin Ward: The only way is to win out.

Penn State was given a 22% chance last week to make the playoffs after losing to Oregon. Well, now the Nittany Lions have another loss on the resume. I would imagine that number is somewhere around 5% this week.

If Penn State can beat Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio State, though, it has a good chance of finding itself back in the top 12.

Cooper Cazares: It looks bleak, but it’s not statistically over.

Penn State may have killed its season against the Bruins, leaving no room for error in a tough schedule. I don’t have the confidence I once had in Penn State’s capabilities, but there’s still a chance. The Nittany Lions would need to win out, meaning they would have to comfortably beat Iowa and Ohio State on the road while also handling a good Indiana team in Beaver Stadium. It’s not over, but it doesn’t look great.

Firing James Franklin Is Worth the $56 Million Buyout

Oscar Orellana: I wasn’t on board with firing Franklin until after Saturday. My only issue is who would Penn State even hire?

Sure, there are already names that fans have circulated on social media, and I agree that the loss to UCLA is inexcusable and definitely a fireable offense at this point. I do think the buyout is worth it, but only if there’s some sort of plan in place already. It’s not as easy as simply firing Franklin and having everything turn back to sunshine and rainbows.

Collin Ward: No, the firing is not worth it. Yet.

I know everyone wants his head after losing to UCLA, but the season really isn’t over yet. While the path is unlikely, the playoffs are still in the picture, and Penn State won’t get there without a head coach.

With that being said, the Nittany Lions should look into other options at the end of the season and take a long, hard look at what the $56 million price tag would mean.

Cooper Cazares: This was a fireable offence.

If there was a rock bottom, this would be it. There is simply no way to describe the utter collapse that occurred on Saturday. This was supposed to be one of the best Penn State teams in recent memory, bringing back loads of talent and putting together one of the best coordinator duos in the country.

James Franklin has been good at two things at Penn State: beating teams he should beat and losing to teams he should lose to. When a coach starts to lose games to teams such as UCLA, it starts to look bleak.

Firing Franklin shouldn’t be a mid-year deal, but if this season gets worse, it may be time to start opening up the checkbook.

Jim Knowles Wasn’t Worth The Hype

Oscar Orellana: Through five games, he’s been nowhere near the hype. Sure, Penn State had dominant defensive performances through each of its non-conference games, but it was lackluster in overtime against Oregon (which is slightly due to the offense’s inability to stay on the field, but that’s a discussion for another time) and flat-out embarrassing against UCLA. I really don’t care that Jerry Neuheisel didn’t have anything to analyze on tape before the game. The defensive performance was shameful and pathetic against the Bruins.

Collin Ward: I think that the hype was overblown.

I guess that means that he has not lived up to the hype, but in my opinion, this is more because of the unrealistic hype than Knowles not being Knowles.

For the people who really pay attention to college football and not just the Nittany Lions, the first three seasons at Ohio State were not smooth sailing. The Buckeyes had games where they gave up legit points to Marshall and Maryland.

The offense was always good enough to win Ohio State these games, but there was a lot of scrutiny on Knowles. By year three, though, he had the defense fully installed, and he won a national championship because of it.

I say we ride with Knowles, even if the fruit is not ripe this season. In the long run, it will be worth it.

Cooper Cazares: This has plagued my mind since Pasadena.

With the defensive personnel that Penn State has, it should be much stronger than it has shown this far. Sure, the unit had three games of carrying a lackluster offensive effort, but it showed its fatigue against Oregon in overtime.

Then UCLA happened. Whatever happened in that game was beyond embarrassing. There shouldn’t be a time when both linebackers are blitzing while dropping two defensive linemen into coverage in a goal-line scenario. Not to mention failing to adapt the defense to contain the obviously dangerous runner that Nico Iamaleava has shown to be.

It will take a lot for Penn State fans to forget about that game, and as of right now, Knowles hasn’t earned that $3 million paycheck.

Luke Reynolds Was Never The Answer

Oscar Orellana: Tyler Warren was always going to be hard to replace. Franklin mostly noted Khalil Dinkins as the probable TE1 before the season started, and Dinkins has been involved, but Drew Allar definitely clicks with Reynolds more.

That being said, I’m still not comfortable with completely disregarding Reynolds. He made his worst mistake of the season easily with his fumble at the beginning of the third quarter against UCLA, but I wouldn’t say Penn State was ever looking at him as an “answer” in the tight end unit. It was only looking for a bridge between Warren and whoever the next great Penn State tight end is. Presently, there isn’t anyone in the room.

Collin Ward: Reynolds is so confusing. One second, he looks like the Tyler Warren regen, and the next, he is as pedestrian as they come.

I think the real thing here is how high Nittany Lions fans’ expectations are for the tight end position because of the recent history. While it hurts us this season that he is not Warren, the Colts draftee didn’t come into his own until later in his career, either.

For now, though, I think that Andrew Rappleyea is the better option.

Cooper Cazares: No one can replace Tyler Warren.

When you lose a generational talent, it’s hard to contain your expectations of the next man up. James Franklin was adamant that the media wasn’t giving Khalil Dinkins enough credit this offseason. Although he scored a wide-open touchdown against UCLA, it’s easy to see that Drew Allar favors Luke Reynolds in the receiving department.

I’m not out on Reynolds because comparing him to Warren is simply unfair. I have more qualms with the offensive scheme as of late to completely write him off.

The Defense Showed No Effort Without Tony Rojas

Oscar Orellana: It was a stinker.

Do I think the result may have been a little different with Tony Rojas? Yes.

Do I think Penn State would have still been in a dog fight and possibly even still lose the game? Yes.

The defensive showing was outside of Rojas’ inclusion in the lineup or not. It was a ticking time bomb that finally decided to go off. We can’t dwell on it because the fact of the matter is that he’s gone. The defense has to move forward and get better without him.

Collin Ward: This is unfair. I think everyone on the field gave 100%.

The issue is, to win in college football, you need to give more than that. You need to want it so much that you will give whatever it takes. I think the whole team is playing without this juice right now. From taking plays off to half-hearted blocks.

Hopefully, this is a reality check for the seniors, and the rest of the season pans out how it can.

Cooper Cazares: Between the Oregon loss and Rojas’ injury, you could tell this defense was in trouble early against UCLA.

The Bruins had never led a game until their first drive against Penn State. DeLuca, whom I assumed would be a serviceable backup, had a hard time keeping up with UCLA playmakers and was one of many who failed to contain Nico Iamaleava. Right now, there’s a huge disparity between Amare Campbell and the rest of the linebacker corps, but to say Penn State wouldn’t have lost that game if Rojas were available is incorrect.