When the Penn State Nittany Lions lost an overtime thriller to Oregon last weekend, it was another disappointing showing in a big game which has become the expectation under James Franklin. Despite the fact that the Nittany Lions lost, AP voters were still optimistic with this teams outlook ranking them as the 7th best team in the Country.
Any hope of this team turning things around and looking like a National Championship contender were instantly put to bed in the first half. UCLA used an early touchdown and a surprise onside kick to take a 10-0 lead before the Nittany Lions even touched the football. UCLA may have done Penn State a favor as the offense took the field and looked terrible leading to a 27-7 UCLA lead at the half.
UCLA WITH THE SURPRISE ONSIDE KICK! pic.twitter.com/tlOkovmMQu
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 4, 2025
This UCLA Bruins team isn't a good team as they're 0-4 and fired their Head Coach yet, they made Penn State look like they didn't belong on the same field at times. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have a whole half to turn things around but, based on what we saw in the first half, this team looks unprepared and they're being outcoached, and the offense isn't good enough to dig themselves out of this hole.
How much is James Franklin's buyout if Penn State finally moves on?
In 2021, the Penn State Nittany Lions signed James Franklin to a massive 10-year contract extension worth $85 million which makes buying him out much harder as he's under contract through 2031. The exact figure of his buyout is unknown but, the estimated figure is $56 million which may make it tougher to fire him. The method of payment may be the biggest hurdle for Penn State as paying that much money upfront would be difficult in this revenue sharing era.