Penn State fans fall into 2 basic camps.

There’s the impatient, aggressive types. They’re counteracted by cerebral, long-range optimists. The first group wants change. The second wants reasonableness and understanding.

Seeking a representative from each side, I went to my pool table and attempted to break up a game of Luke1 vs. Luke2. Luke1, the aggressive one, told me to buzz off until the game was over. Luke2 was more accommodating. We eventually got together.

Having both sides plus a moderator in the same head assures I won’t have to share the writing fee with anyone else. Whether it’s good for my mental health is another matter, but that’s probably already a lost cause for someone watching and opining on Penn State football on a weekly basis.

Now that the Nittany Lions have lost to Ohio State and Michigan in consecutive seasons to drop James Franklin to 4-16 against those teams in 10 years as head coach, some questions have arisen.

Does 10-2 count as good regular season?

Luke1: Not when the offense looks this bland and the in-game coaching this poor against Ohio State and now Michigan on Saturday. Did you hear Franklin’s explanation for going for 2 while down 24-15 with less than 3 minutes remaining?

At this point, I’d rather have David Jones of PennLive calling the shots.

The rest of the Big Ten is horrendous this year, so 10-2 really was the floor. And apparently the ceiling. If Franklin and OC Mike Yurcich keep laying down this meekly against the Big 2 of the B1G, fans have no reason to keep showing up 110,000+ strong.

Luke2: Ohio State and Michigan are currently Nos. 1 and 3 in the CFP standings, with 2 of the best defenses in the country. Losing close games as an underdog is frustrating, but not embarrassing. Next year could be the year! A lot of standout players will return, and Michigan is off the schedule for Year 1 of the new, 18-team Big Ten.

Does the RB timeshare make sense?

Luke1: Heck no. Neither Kaytron Allen nor Nick Singleton can get into much of a rhythm. Even when one of them catches a hot streak, he comes out of the game for 10-15 minutes of clock time. Both guys’ numbers are down, especially 5-star, best RB recruit of 2022 Singleton, who had his 7th game of 50 or less rushing yards this season on Saturday. The 50-50 split hurts both players. It should be more like 70-30, even if the lead role switches from game to game. And there’s no rule against putting them both on the field at the same time.

Luke2: Combined, they’re averaging better than 115 yards per game, and this way both stay fresh and healthy — for this year and next.

Luke1: We’ll see if they both stick around for next season.

Does Drew Allar fit the offense?

Luke1: Not well, but I’ll be reasonable on this one. It’s not his fault. His accuracy waned in the 2 losses, but Franklin himself said the play-calling needs to be better. Play design is lacking too. The more mobile Beau Pribula, touted as a Trace McSorley type, might fit better if Yurcich can’t or won’t adapt the offense. Going empty on 3rd-and-3 makes no sense, and the offense doesn’t use play-action near enough or sell fakes well enough.

Luke2: We have some common ground here. Allar has 21 TD passes and only 1 pick thrown this year, and has shown flashes of being the big-time player his 5-star 2022 recruiting ranking suggests. This could get really good next season, assuming a better offensive scheme. The receivers’ route-running needs to get way better, so Yurcich and new receivers coach Marques Hagans will have to get to work in the offseason.

Should PSU shake up the staff?

Luke1: You know me. I say start at the top. The best way to keep DC Manny Diaz from bolting for a head coach job is to give him this one. Let’s gut Franklin and the offensive staff and start over.

Luke2: Just when we’re finding some common ground, you go crazy on me. So like you, Luke1. The university isn’t eating 8 years worth of Franklin’s salary to buy him out. And the roster/recruiting hit wouldn’t be worth it. OL coach Phil Trautwein has recruited really well in recent years. Some young prospects will be stepping up even as Olu Fashanu heads off to the NFL. Hagans just arrived this season; he deserves some time. Yurcich certainly should be on the hot seat, but he’s the one who brought in Allar.

Most experts said Penn State’s target year for a breakthrough was 2024, when Allar, Singleton, Allen, Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton and the rest of the loaded 2022 recruiting class will be juniors.

We should sit tight and let next season play out. Then we can have this debate again.

Luke1: I hate it when you’re right. And I’m still not optimistic.