It’s finally bowl season, folks.

Despite a rollercoaster season that saw James Franklin get fired, Drew Allar get injured for the season, and a drawn-out head coaching search, many consider Penn State’s journey to .500 as a success.

The Nittany Lions defeated the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers in Piscataway on Saturday in a 40-36 barnburner that saw over 1000 yards of offense. Kaytron Allen had a career high of 226 yards, while Nick Singleton broke three program records held by Saquon Barkley.

Although it should be a positive time for Penn State football, some hot takes graced social media following the Nittany Lions’ victory.

All Players Should Participate In The Bowl Game

Oscar Orellana: If Terry Smith is being truthful about how bought-in the team is and how much the players respect the institution, this shouldn’t really be a decision for anyone besides Kaytron Allen. The Nittany Lions clawed their way back from the depths of hell for this game. When coupled with the fact that players need to put more stuff out for NFL staffs to evaluate, it’s easy to see that they should all play.

Collin Ward: I really don’t mind when players sit out of bowl games if they are projected to go in the top end of the draft. With that being said, most of the Penn State players are not. If you aren’t going to get drafted, then go play and get Penn State another win.

Smith has preached the Penn State culture all season; it would be sad if a bunch of players went against this and sat out.

Cooper Cazares: Aside from Kaytron Allen, every Penn State player should want to get more film ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, for the new head coach, and possibly the transfer portal. Nick Singleton has started to gain some traction since his slump in the first half of the season. Dani Dennis-Sutton has been good but nowhere near as dominant as expected. For the returning players, such as Chaz Coleman, who has shown flashes but doesn’t have a ton of film, it would be wise for players such as him to impress.

This Season Should Still Be Viewed As A Failure, Despite Making A Bowl

Oscar Orellana: Penn State came into the season ranked No. 2 in the nation. This team should be gearing up for a game in Indianapolis this weekend.

The season has been a disaster. There’s no question about that. But a complete failure?

There’s something to be said about Terry Smith straight-up willing the team to bowl eligibility. Penn State has no business playing a game in December after everything that’s happened. However, the way Smith revitalized this squad into three consecutive wins to end the season is something that requires recognition.

The program will want to move on from 2025 quickly. But Penn State could have missed out on bowl eligibility due to on-field performance for the first time in over 20 years. It was a disaster, not a failure.

Collin Ward: Uh… yeah, this season is definitely a failure.

Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country and was expected to make the national championship this year. The Nittany Lions are now 6-6 and likely playing in the no one cares bowl. While I think the end of the season was a success and a testament to the guys in the locker room, you have to look at the full picture when judging a season.

Cooper Cazares: I don’t know about this.

A complete failure seems harsh after winning out and salvaging a bowl game. However, in the grand scheme of things, winning out is a small victory in an overall collapse of a championship-contending program. Penn State football had the players, the coaching staff, and the schedule to repeat its long playoff run from the year before, but failed to put the pieces together.

There’s reason to be happy for a bowl game because of what the team has been through, but it’s a far cry from being a championship favorite and ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation during the preseason.

Terry Smith Has No Chance Of Being Penn State’s Next Head Coach

Oscar Orellana: With no crystal-clear candidates emerging from the shadows and most big names already pinned to other programs, it’s impossible to rule anything out. Smith has as good a chance as anybody, it seems. Especially with all the support he’s received in recent weeks.

Collin Ward: I mean… if it is not Kalani Sitake, there is a chance Smith is the only option. I know some people are saying Jeff Brohm, but everyone else has said no, so why wouldn’t Brohm?

I hope Penn State gets Sitake, but I am not sure Pat Kraft expected to compete with the church in a bidding war.

Cooper Cazares: At this point, who knows?

Every name in the book has been connected to this job opening, with what seems like zero positive steps to signing the future head man. If Pat Kraft continues to miss on target candidates, I’d say Smith has a great chance of getting signed as a safe option for another couple of years.

Penn State Will Sign Less Than Two Players In The Class Of 2026 On Signing Day

Oscar Orellana: The clock is ticking, but Penn State still holds verbal commitments from six 2026 guys. Maybe the program can lock in two or more of those, but without a head coach, it looks highly unlikely the Nittany Lions will be able to retain many of those.

Collin Ward: Yeah, at this point, the 2026 class might just be a wash. No point predicting, this coaching search is causing me enough stress as it is.

Cooper Cazares: Probably.

Without a head coach set, who could blame recruits for looking elsewhere? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nittany Lions sign a record-low number of athletes in this year’s recruiting cycle, especially with no future coach readily available.

Pat Kraft Has Already Botched The Head Coach Search

Oscar Orellana: It’s been botched. What is even happening anymore? It’s been 51 days since James Franklin was fired, and there are different names popping up every single day, with most of Penn State’s original top targets already signed to other schools. It doesn’t look great.

Collin Ward: Surely Nick Saban is about to sign the contract? Right?

I mean, yeah, if Penn State doesn’t bring in Sitake, the search has been botched. But, as Tom Fornelli would say, there is no way of telling if a hire is a good fit or not until years down the road. Who knows, maybe our 11th option is still the national championship-winning coach.

I mean, Pete Carroll wasn’t the first name on USC’s list, and that went pretty well.

Cooper Cazares: Seems like it.

The speech after relieving James Franklin of his duties was inspiring and strong, but it has yielded what feels like no progress in the head coaching search. Maybe there’s more going on behind the scenes, but it seems like there’s a new “favorite” candidate every other day.

Is it Kraft’s fault? I don’t know, but there needs to be a head coach decided this week, or else Penn State will continue to fall behind in preparation for next season.