The 2020 season is a rough one in (not-so) Happy Valley. Penn State is off to its worst start in program history, and with just four games left on the schedule, there’s no chance the Nittany Lions can finish the campaign with a winning record.

After another loss to Iowa over the weekend, there’s some saying that the team is just throwing this year away. That 0-8 is a possibility in this crazy, whacky and unique season.

Hard to believe for a team that entered the season ranked in the Top 10 nationally, was considered a threat to Ohio State in the B1G race and was a contender for the College Football Playoff.

While all the commotion has been about the negatives about Penn State, James Franklin is trying to stay as optimistic and positive as possible. Even with so much disappointment, he believes this is a year that his team and coaches can learn from moving forward.

“Whenever you have challenges like this it creates work,’ Franklin said. “Coming is this season before all the dynamics changed, things were really going pretty well…There’s no other option but to find a way to get better and get back on track.”

Penn State still has three opponents on the schedule, closing out with Michigan (2-3), Michigan State (1-3) and Rutgers (1-4). There’s still a possibility that the Nittany Lions get a few wins to close out the year and salvage something from this otherwise disappointing season.

Even if it doesn’t happen, Franklin seems pretty confident that Penn State will learn from the struggles the 2020 season presented.