James Franklin is 0-12 in games where his ranked team faced an AP Top 5 opponent.

The latest such defeat came on Saturday in Indianapolis at the Big Ten Championship. Penn State had a chance to drive for a game-tying touchdown in the final 2 minutes, but quarterback Drew Allar took a deep shot and was picked off.

Oregon ran out the clock on a 45-37 victory to win the Big Ten in its first year in the league.

PSU tailback Nicholas Singleton ran for 9 yards on the play prior to Allar’s interception. With 2 minutes on the clock, Penn State chose to throw it deep rather than run on a defense it had gashed all game.

Singleton ran for 105 yards on 10 carries. Kaytron Allen ran for 124 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Allar had 54 yards on the ground. Remove the 1 sack Oregon recorded and Penn State averaged 8.8 yards per rushing attempt.

Allar threw it 39 times and was picked off twice.

As is the case when Penn State loses a big game, Franklin immediately came under fire. Since winning the Big Ten in 2016, Franklin is now 2-15 straight up in games where his Nittany Lions are a betting underdog. They were a 3.5-point dog in Saturday’s game.

Since that Big Ten title, Franklin is also 12-19 against AP ranked opponents.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Penn State is 32-7. That record includes a 1-7 mark against AP Top 15 teams and a 31-0 mark against everyone else.

Franklin’s reputation is that of a coach who simply cannot win the “big” game. Saturday’s result will not help that narrative. Penn State put up 518 yards of total offense and actually outgained the top-ranked Ducks. But the Nittany Lions lost the turnover battle 2-0, missed a field goal on the first drive of the second half, and unsuccessfully tried to convert a 2-point play after a fourth-quarter score that brought them within 8 points.

Here’s some of the reaction to Franklin’s latest loss: