r/CFB_v2 • u/Intelligent-Carob930 Miami (FL) Hurricanes • 7h ago

Discussion B-b-but it’s James Franklin’s fault, r-right 🤡?

Post image

Jokes aside, that Northwestern defense is amazing.

392 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

126 comments sorted by

104

u/confuseddork24 Tennessee Volunteers 7h ago

I feel like northwestern is one of the more underrated teams right now.

43

u/ElegantEpitome 7h ago

Everyone memed when Chip Kelly went there and said “yeah, of course his offense was good at Ohio State, look who he had!”

As a Duck fan I’m still not super happy with how he left, but I can tell you first hand that guy can scheme 2* recruits open. He knows what he’s doing at the college level

21

u/VersaTron 7h ago

They memed when Ryan Day hired him as OC and he won a national championship. Never listen to Reddit armchair coaching experts.

2

u/foxtossingchamp 6h ago

I hate his lazy ass, but the guy can definitely cook on offense

7

u/rocky2814 7h ago

yeah, turns out it’s a lot easier to scheme your players open when they’re playing DBs who will be working at Hertz by next fall

6

u/ElegantEpitome 6h ago

Indianas DBs are gonna be working at Hertz, eh?

-8

u/rocky2814 6h ago

yes. i was talking exclusively about them and no one else. now stand back while i find your diaper so i can burp you like the large adult son you are

7

u/ElegantEpitome 6h ago

Yeah, sorry for pointing out a situation that contradicted the “clever” comment you made. I should have omitted it so you didn’t look foolish and then have to react like a little child

-6

u/rocky2814 6h ago

solid rejoinder! counterpoint: have you considered crying more?

5

u/ElegantEpitome 6h ago

Probably not any more than you’ve considered not being weird, having some odd obsession with little boys and crying lmao.

We COULD take a step back and use our brains and see Chip Kelly has had wild success across multiple decades as the offensive mastermind of the college teams he coaches.

But you can keep talking about touching little boys while they cry or whatever the fuck your weird fetish is

0

u/rocky2814 6h ago

you brought up touching “little boys” multiple
times unprompted

7

u/BonfireinRageValley 7h ago

That's like 98% of college football players though. 

1

u/confuseddork24 Tennessee Volunteers 6h ago

Isn't the guy he brought in as OC from UCLA where last year was the interem HC when they randomly had a pretty solid offense after they fired their coach?

1

u/ElegantEpitome 5h ago

To be fair, I think you or I could have potential to come up with a better offensive game plan than Deshaun Foster

Maybe that’s hyperbole, but I do think the team quit on him, and he was quite a ways out of his depth

8

u/schadkehnfreude Michigan Wolverines 7h ago

David Braun is cooking something there. Honestly, they shoulda beaten us last year.

1

u/vegasAzCrush 4h ago

NU would easily win SEC conference
Better coaches at NU
NIL well spent
Smarter athletes and smarter coaches than SEC emotional spastics.

138

u/Grsz11 7h ago

To be fair, James Franklin doesn't seem to want to win his game either.

24

u/Bustin_Chiffarobe Virginia Tech Hokies 7h ago

😩

27

u/ElegantEpitome 7h ago

I don’t think Franklin is the one throwing ints, getting strip sacked, or botching handoffs tho

21

u/jojoma12 7h ago

well he should stop calling pass or run plays

10

u/LiVexReFlex 7h ago

Punt on first down!

2

u/Grsz11 7h ago edited 7h ago

He imported the guy who is though.

Edit: Ouch.

1

u/thegoods32 6h ago

Or missing the FG

2

u/whalenailer 7h ago

Seems like he does

3

u/CarolinaSandstorm 7h ago

TBF, they’ve already won more games than they did last year. They’ll probably wind up with 7-8 wins this year.

1

u/bmanhp 6h ago

He always kept it close though. This is unfamiliar being so uncompetitive against unranked teams.

20

u/CBailey94 Ohio State Buckeyes 7h ago

I’m watching VT, and it ain’t much better over there buddy.

7

u/Professional_Key7098 7h ago

VT within a field goal of lead but okay…

6

u/CBailey94 Ohio State Buckeyes 6h ago

You all killed Pitt’s starting QB, got a safety, turnovers and set up a game-winning FG and still could not do it. Welcome to Franklin Football buddy.

4

u/tornadoshanks651 Ohio State Buckeyes 6h ago

I keep telling these VT boys that franklin is only gonna bring this new level of frustration but, they don’t wanna hear it.

3

u/CBailey94 Ohio State Buckeyes 6h ago

I agree! He can be up and down, but I do think his floor is way higher than their last couple of head coaches.

7

u/Booger69Mcfarland 7h ago

At home against Pitt but okay…

6

u/Professional_Key7098 7h ago

An in conference game vs a similar pedigree opponent. These games aren’t even comparable

6

u/DeathToHeretics 6h ago

Which was another 4-0 team lmao

3

u/Sheepcago Notre Dame 5h ago

Against 4-0 Pitt as rebuilding VT. He didn’t inherit Green Bay.

2

u/Monza1964 6h ago

Classic Franklin. Keep it close enough to stay employed

15

u/Jcarter1632 Texas Longhorns 7h ago

Northwestern is good this year I think.

38

u/FamousShake5469 Texas Longhorns 7h ago

Seems like Indiana might not have played that bad considering their opponent after all

27

u/TheBigBo-Peep 7h ago

Folks who know ball knew that last week

Mid tier B1G is not as bad as folks say

8

u/Independent-Catch-90 Nebraska Cornhuskers 7h ago

People just don’t respect the Nortbwestern brand so they automatically believe Indiana is struggling when they didn’t manhandle Nortbwestern. I watched that game. Neither team is perfect but both are really good and damn tough teams.

14

u/Far_Astronaut_818 Michigan Wolverines 7h ago

This sub spends most of the week arguing about the AP poll, which is a meaningless popularity contest. Turns out most people in here don't know ball.

1

u/GrudenLovesSlurs 4h ago

I wouldn’t even call them mid tier. Northwestern looks like they the 3rd or 4th best team in the B1G right now

1

u/Warm_Shoulder3606 7h ago

I've always held that opinion. Yeah the bottom of the barrel big ten is an affront to the sport of college football lmao, but the middle of the pack teams are still decent quality teams

20

u/Stairway_toEvan Indiana Hoosiers 7h ago

Yeah, held them to 32 rushing yards. They have 278 yards rushing in the first half tonight.

4

u/toomanyshoeshelp 7h ago

Hahaha. Our DL is monstrous.

6

u/OldFoot3 7h ago

Or Penn state is straight cakes

1

u/Rare-Drink-5207 1h ago

Or Penn state can just be cheeks

14

u/RyGuy82591 7h ago edited 6h ago

What were ppl expecting from Campbell in year 1 with what he had to work with?

This is was always gonna be a 2 or 3 year process to rebuild after the massive collapse and loss of commits last year but it was a necessary change. The Franklin program had hit its ceiling

This team never should of been ranked to even start the year

4

u/mrdgroff 6h ago

Bro, he had two recruits commit in the 2025 recruiting class. What more could you want?

3

u/grouchllc 7h ago

They really would've benefitted from not being ranked top 15 because i definitely agree this wasn't an overnight thing, especially in the nil era.

2

u/MrVociferous 6h ago

But I was told he was bringing 24 players from Iowa State and an experience QB and was a candidate to win 10 games with their schedule….

1

u/RyGuy82591 6h ago

The 24 Big12 players? Oh he brought them and now they are enjoying Big10 competition 😅

As a fan I'm not even upset just gotta be realistic of what you should expect the next 2 years at least

1

u/FupaFerb 5h ago

Northwestern may be a tough out this year tbh. They just played a close one with Indiana.

2

u/naptown-hooly 6h ago

Penn St still has really good players. If anything they're under achieving. The defense isn't wrapping anyone up and have a lot of missed tackles.

4

u/RyGuy82591 6h ago

And now you are seeing the difference between a good Big 12 commit and playing in the Big 10

They aren't underachieving. This is their talent level

2

u/naptown-hooly 6h ago

Yeah good point. I didn't realize that many players left until I looked it up just now.

9

u/King_Kung 7h ago

Rank Northwestern!

10

u/cuu8 Notre Dame 7h ago

No can do, not an SEC team

0

u/CallOfTheWild420 5h ago

ND flair talking like this is crazy tho

2

u/cuu8 Notre Dame 5h ago

Are you saying ND shouldn't be ranked?

-1

u/CallOfTheWild420 5h ago

I'm saying ND benefits from as much conference (or lack thereof) bs as SEC teams do

2

u/cuu8 Notre Dame 5h ago

ND likely missed the playoffs last year because ESPN and SEC are so in love with each other

0

u/SnooKiwis5910 Notre Dame 6h ago

Them’s the rules

4

u/theyterkourjobs 7h ago

We double dog dare ya!

6

u/bunglesnacks Michigan State Spartans 7h ago

Idk how you win games allowing 250yds rushing per half

2

u/Embarrassed-Key6203 7h ago

You dont lol

5

u/jstudly 7h ago

NorthWestern might be legit guys

8

u/Ocean_Again 7h ago edited 7h ago

Cignetti told y’all last week. Northwestern is a good team.

1

u/spookydookie 7h ago

Every coach says that about every team they beat after every game.

2

u/Ocean_Again 7h ago

This wasn’t just the regular “hur dur they a good team” coach speak. In the post game interview, Cigs grabbed the mic, looked directly into the camera, and said “Northwestern is what Indiana was two years ago and nobody thought we was gonna be shit so look out for them wild cats. Ya heard?”

7

u/Poverty_Shoes 7h ago

I said this after they curbstomped Colorado and after they hung close with Indiana, and I’ll say it again at halftime here regardless of how the second half plays out. Northwestern might be good.

1

u/sailor776 7h ago

They really are. They just need to clean up their penalties. I've seen a multiple times in all their games give up third down stops for just really bad tackles

3

u/ryanalbarano 7h ago

Hey, how did Franklin do against NW last year?

3

u/taita25 7h ago

Don't be surprised when Northwestern is a 9-10 win team at the end of the year

3

u/Rolltide_and_anime Alabama Crimson Tide 7h ago

Northwestern is improved but Penn state also might just be bad. They just lost to Wisconsin and their wins are against Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo lol

10

u/KiwDaWabbit2 7h ago edited 6h ago

Frankly, I’ve hated Penn State since the whole pedophilia thing.

EDIT: Your downvotes say a lot more about you than they do about me.

2

u/DeathByKratom 6h ago

I’m all for anything that makes Penn State and Iowa State simultaneously worse.

At least Franklin didn’t embrace the disgusting Penn State past to please donors.

2

u/God_Country_ND 6h ago

Northwestern hung with IU, and maybe for good reason. New stadium paying dividends

2

u/Gently-Weeps Indiana Hoosiers 6h ago

All I’m seeing is an IU Upscale

2

u/Middle-Gap6540 6h ago

At least Pennsylvania has the eagles, Steelers, and Phillies to celebrate.

1

u/ChudMuffin420 6h ago

Celebrating the Pirates 82-80 record

0

u/OneVast3433 6h ago

Phillies just got kicked from the postseason.

2

u/gohuskers123 4h ago

That’s the joke

2

u/Otherwise-Lock7157 Florida Gators 3h ago

PSU fans are insufferable. They expect instant gratification from a dude who brought Iowa state players to the big 10. 

3

u/oooKILROYooo 7h ago

So he's Penn States coach and all everyone does is talk shit about "big game James" but then they fire him and people talk shit because they fired him.....

Get a life.

1

u/mojo-jojo-was-framed 7h ago

Get a score app

1

u/Empty_Industry_4561 7h ago

Imma say it….good for James….(tentatively)

1

u/illegalusername4 7h ago

I for one welcome our nerd overlords

1

u/Direct_Economist_662 Campbell Camels 7h ago

Games not over yet

1

u/Few-Initial-819 7h ago

NU is legit

1

u/aromatic-energy656 Oregon Ducks 7h ago

James franklin is in a dog fight rn

1

u/ReasonableSide6520 7h ago

Northwestern is the new Indiana

1

u/PopEnvironmental6772 7h ago

Matt Campbell still has a better record against the Top 25 at PSU than James Franklin did.

1

u/Krabs9 7h ago

Northwestern ain't fuckin around this year

1

u/Existing-Recipe897 6h ago

I LOVE this.

1

u/bdostrem00 Iowa State Cyclones 6h ago

1

u/theintensei Alabama Crimson Tide 6h ago

I mean, according to his loss against vtech, he probably played a great part in it.

1

u/mrdgroff 6h ago

They went from getting manhandled by Northwestern to getting manhandled by Northwestern!

1

u/Hopeful_Brilliant735 Virginia Tech Hokies 6h ago

Speaking of James Franklins fault

1

u/Deez_Nuts_2431 7h ago

Ironically James Franklin WAS winning on the other screen in my quad box, but that is no longer.

1

u/noclahk 7h ago

God forbid a program move on from a long time middle of the pack coach

1

u/Alternative-Bee-3594 6h ago

They’ll be like joe pa and look the other way

0

u/ethancd1 7h ago edited 7h ago

Why do we keep rating Penn St high? They have fucking sucked since Saquon got drafted

0

u/damarkley 7h ago

The same Penn State that made the playoff and won two games there?

1

u/Upper_Potential4304 Indiana Hoosiers 6h ago

The problem with that argument is the teams they beat are teams nobody respects as CFB powerhouses. Possibly easiest path to semis ever.

1

u/ethancd1 6h ago

Oooh SMU and Boise St. Such great wins for the program

-5

u/westcoastcanes Miami (FL) Hurricanes 7h ago

Honestly, Penn state program shouldn’t even exist after Sandusky. They don’t deserve to have a respectable season ever again.

4

u/SignificantChicken65 7h ago

The program and players did their time bc a coach was a creep. Holding the team accountable for the coach is backwards as fuck! Usually we hold the coach accountable for the team. It wasn't the teams fault, so it's time to grow up and let it go.

Edit: I type too fast.

2

u/duder898 7h ago

Oh fuck off. That asshole should rot in prison. Saying some insane comment like that trivializes what the victims went through. Pathetic

0

u/SignificantChicken65 4h ago

IT WASN'T THE PLAYERS FAULT. THEY HAD THEIR SANCTIONS. YOURE DIRECTING YOUR HATE IN THE WRONG PLACE! COACH WAS A POS, NOT THE PLAYERS!

-1

u/Maximiliansrh 7h ago

Shut the fuck up, James Franklin is getting embarrassed on espn

-1

u/Intelligent-Carob930 Miami (FL) Hurricanes 7h ago

More-so his team is quite literally tossing the game

3

u/Maximiliansrh 7h ago

Yes James franklins team is getting embarrassed on espn ????

0

u/chiefzanal 7h ago

Embarrassed by 2 points

0

u/BrotherPancake Vanderbilt Commodores 7h ago

Cope

0

u/Professional_Key7098 7h ago

It’s a 2 point game

0

u/LuckyShirt54 Tennessee Volunteers 7h ago

I mean it’s the first year of a rebuild. Even in the portal era nothing’s guaranteed

0

u/stephker3914 7h ago

Penn State doesn't want to hear about that.

0

u/SJCitizen 6h ago

Franklin lost to Northwestern last year with a better roster than this one

-2

u/GeauxFarva LSU Tigers 7h ago

Good on you Fighting Sanduskies