‘Big Game James’? A closer look at the Penn State coach’s record vs. the top 10

If you’re a Penn State fan — or even a hater — chances are you’re very aware that head coach James Franklin holds a 4-21 record against AP top-10 opponents.

That statistic started to go viral after the White Out loss to Oregon, reinforcing the reason Franklin is mockingly referred to as “Big Game James.” That record always seems to go viral after a top-10 loss by the Nittany Lions. It’s unavoidable.

But, when you take a more in-depth look at those 25 top-10 games, you realize that number doesn’t tell the full story. In some ways, Franklin’s inability to win the big game over his 12 seasons with Penn State is even more striking than it is on the surface.

Case in point: Take away Michigan and Ohio State from the schedule, and Franklin is still 3-7 vs. top-10 competition — despite being favored in four of those games.

Revisit all those games below after taking a look at what the record does, and does not, say about Franklin and these Nittany Lions:

• Franklin is 4-21 vs. AP top-10 opponents, with the rankings taken from the day the respective games were played. Only two of those opponents ultimately finished outside of the top 10 at season’s end, and the Nittany Lions still lost both — 42-7 to Michigan in 2018, when the Wolverines were ranked No. 5 at the time but finished No. 14, and 23-20 to Iowa in 2021, when the Hawkeyes were No. 3 at the time but finished No. 23.
• Franklin has seen 15 matchups where both his Nittany Lions and the opponents are ranked within the top 10. He is 3-12 in those games.
• Without Ohio State and Michigan, Franklin’s record against AP top 10 teams would be 3-7. He was favored in four of those games, winning two (2016 Wisconsin; 2024 Boise State) and losing two (2025 Notre Dame; 2025 Oregon).
• Against only Ohio State and Michigan, when in the top 10, Franklin’s record is 1-14. He has been favored in only one of those matchups, which was a 21-17 loss to Michigan in 2021.
• Of Franklin’s 25 matchups against AP top-10 teams, nine of those contests have come at home in Beaver Stadium. Franklin is 1-8 in those games, with his last win coming Oct. 22, 2016, after a 24-21 upset over Ohio State. (Last season’s College Football Playoff win came against No. 12 SMU, which was obviously outside the AP top 10.)
• Against the point spread, in AP top-10 games, Franklin’s Penn State teams have a 9-15-1 betting record. (Again, that’s not PSU’s actual record. That’s how often they beat the point spread — which partly indicates whether Penn State has underachieved relative to outside expectations.) Sportsbooks appeared to underestimate the Nittany Lions quite a bit between 2016-2019; take away those years, and Franklin holds a 4-14 betting record against the spread when facing AP top-10 teams.
• Franklin is 4-22 vs. AP top-10 opponents when just taking end-of-season AP rankings into account. (The Oregon loss is not yet factored into that, since end-of-season rankings won’t be available until January.)
• Even when Penn State is favored against elite competition, it still usually results in a loss. Franklin is 2-5 when favored by sportsbooks against opponents that ultimately end the season ranked within the AP top 10. He’s 2-17 when he’s the underdog against opponents that end the season within the top 10.

Games vs. AP top-10 teams

Note: The below games include the 22 games where Penn State’s opponents were ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game and also remained ranked in the top 10 at the end of the year. The Oregon game is also included, since it doesn’t fit in any of the other below groupings just yet.

Games vs. AP top-10 teams that ended year outside top 10

Note: The below games include the two games where Penn State’s opponents were ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game but ended the season outside of the top 10. (These games are still included in Franklin’s 4-21 record.)

Games vs. non-top-10 teams that ended year in top 10

Note: The below games include the four games where Penn State’s opponents were not ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game but ended the season within the top 10. (These games are NOT included in Franklin’s 4-21 record.)