The Penn State football program is riding the momentum of its 2023 season into the Fall of 2024. The Nittany Lions have high aspirations for their upcoming campaign, hoping to win the Big 10 and make the College Football Playoff. Nevertheless, head coach James Franklin and his team received a warning from Super Bowl champion and ESPN analyst Booger McFarland that will wake their program up.

With the College Football Playoff bracket expanded to 12 teams, James Franklin could be facing more pressure than ever to guide his team to a deep run. Booger McFarland believes the 2024-25 season will be pivotal for Franklin.

“Well I think it’s huge, especially with the comments that we heard that James Franklin made this offseason that most people would be happy with 10, 11 wins a year except if you’re at my place,” McFarland said on the “Always College Football” podcast with Greg McElroy.

McFarland does not believe 10 or 11 wins are enough, emphasizing that Penn State must beat its Big 10 rivals to get over the hump.

“And they’re not happy with that. And the reason being, James, is because with those 10, 11 wins you haven’t beat the two teams that you need to beat. That’s Michigan, Ohio State. At some point we’ve got to understand what the job description is, ala Ryan Day. Hey Ryan Day, you can win… I think Ryan Day’s lost seven games in his career but he’s 0-3 against Michigan or something like that. Like he’s only lost six or seven games his entire career, but he’s yet to beat Michigan. And so certain things matter, and so I would say the same for Penn State,” McFarland added.

Can James Franklin lead Penn State football to a deeper run?

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The Nittany Lions finished the 2023 season with a 10-3 record. They remained competitive in the Big 10 throughout the season. But as Booger McFarland mentioned, the team came up short against its conference rivals. First, Penn State took its first loss of the year to Ohio State on Oct. 23. Then, Michigan handed them a tough defeat on Nov. 11.

Penn State did not make the College Football Playoff, but they earned a Peach Bowl matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels. Unfortunately, the Rebels gave the Nittany Lions their third loss of the season to end their campaign.

With star quarterback Drew Allar and wide receiver transfer Julain Fleming, Penn State looks to continue its quest toward the top of college football. Will James Franklin and company finally overcome their challenges in 2024?