2 B1G Coaches Who Need Massive Wins to Ease Pressure

As fall camps approach, expectations from fans start to grow around college football. As many top programs begin fall camp the pressure of high expectations is a normal way of life. For two Big Ten Conference coaches the expectations to win are at an all-time high. Penn State's James Franklin and Ryan Day of Ohio State face expectations unlike any they have faced in their coaching careers. Both are coming off disappointing 2023 seasons with Franklin losing his two biggest games while Day lost to Michigan, yet again.   

Both headmen have been under intense scrutiny over the offseason for failures the previous season. Now it is time for both to figure out what went wrong, fix it and accomplish their goals if they hope to cool the pressure hanging over them.  

Scrutiny From Disappointing Seasons

The scrutiny both are facing is highlighted by their lackluster finishes the past few seasons. Penn State has not won the Big Ten since 2016 and Franklin has yet to lead the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff. For Day the scrutiny and pressure comes from not being able to beat archrival Michigan in three consecutive seasons, despite leading the Buckeyes to the CFP or a New Year's 6 bowl game in each of his five seasons.

Franklin's record at Penn State (88-39) is also a big reason he's under pressure to finally get it done. At first glance the record looks good (.693 winning percentage) but once you start dissecting his tenure, you realize not everything is what it seems. Against Ohio State or Michigan Franklin is 4-16. Against top-10 teams he is 3-17. And against the top 25, the Nittany Lions are 12-26.  

While at Penn State, Franklin has made a habit of beating the teams the Nittany Lions should beat while continually losing to the upper echelon. Fans of Penn State should be realizing that Franklin constantly gets out-coached and it’s a problem he might not be able to fix. 

Day's scrutiny can be summed with one stat—1-4. His record against the Wolverines. In his five years at Ohio State, Day is 56-8 and in B1G play holds a 39-3 record. So unlike Franklin, Day beats almost everyone he plays except for one team. Many programs in the country would love to have the success that Day has had at Ohio State, but as the coach of the Buckeyes, you simply can't lose three games to Michigan.

The 2023 loss might be the worst for Day because he didn’t just lose, he lost to an interim coach in Sherrone Moore after Harbaugh was suspended by the B1G. Buckeye fans now must question if Day is the new version of John Copper—who went 2-10-1 against the Wolverines—and that’s a scenario no Buckeye fan wants to face.

Expectations Running High for Franklin

Franklin and Day head into the 2024 season facing different expectations, but with failure, both would face the same outcome. Penn State fans are starting to grow frustrated with Franklin’s inability to win the big game. Ohio State fans, on the other hand, have seen Day win plenty of big games, but it's his inability to win "The Game" that could cost him his job.  

Franklin looks to have an advantage heading into the season as Penn State is the only B1G contender whose starting QB is returning. Michigan and Oregon lost their QBs to the NFL draft while Ohio State's QB headed to the portal after the season ended. 

Penn State's Drew Allar is back after and decent 2023 campaign, but many believe he will be much more comfortable and ready under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Ohio State and Michigan were PSU's two biggest games in 2023 and Allar only managed to go 28-of-64 passing for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Wolverines and Buckeyes combined. Allar came into the 2023 season with a lot of hype and did not live up to it. If he can live up to the hype in 2024, this could be the year PSU fans hoped for.

Franklin brings his 2024 team into training camp at one of the favorites to win the B1G. According to FanDuel, Penn State's odds to win the B1G is +500, only Ohio State (+155) and Oregon (+210) have better odds. Franklin has a few key players returning and avoids Michigan and Oregon in 2024. Penn State fans want and expect a B1G championship run from Franklin in 2024. Those expectations to win the B1G just seem unrealistic even with the favorable schedule as Ohio State and Oregon both look to be cut above everyone else. But with the new 12-team CFP Franklin has to secure a spot in the field. If he doesn't, the pressure on Penn State's leadership to go in a different direction would be immense.

Built for a National Championship Run

Day has assembled one of the most talented teams in the country in 2024. If having players like Emeuka Egbuka Denzel Burke and Jack Sayer return wasn’t enough, Day hammered the transfer portal and brought in players who will compete for starting spots right away.

The only real question for Ohio State heading into the 2024 season was at the QB position. Day answered that by grabbing Kansas State QB Will Howard from the portal. In 2023 Howard had 2,643 yards 24 TDs and 10 interceptions. Pairing him with a loaded running back and wide receiver room will be giving defensive coordinators around the country nightmares.

Despite having arguably the most talented team in the country, fans' expectations seem to be very low for Day. Most OSU fans want only one thing—to beat Michigan. To them finally beating the Wolverines again would make the season a success. But after two former coaches expressed their views of this 2024 team, the only expectation should be to win the national championship. 

When Urban Meyer refers to this Buckeye team as “one of the most talented rosters in the last decade, maybe ever” should speak volumes about what they should be able to accomplish. Just beating Michigan should only be the first step in accomplishing your goals and living up to what should be high expectations. If Meyer's comments weren’t enough Former Buckeye coach Jim Tressel said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that many great players in that building all at once.” After those comments nothing short of winning a national championship can be acceptable.

As the 2024 season quickly approaches both Franklin and Day face very different expectations. But both look to have done enough in navigating through this new world of transfer portal and NIL to have no excuse to live up to the expectations. Penn State fans should be ready to welcome an opponent into Beaver Stadium for their first-ever CFP appearance. Ohio State fans should be pricing a trip out on Jan. 20, 2025, to Atlanta Georgia for the national championship game.