Three years ago, we were having a conversation about James Franklin being on his way out at Penn State after a lousy start at his new job. What a difference a few seasons can make.

To start the 2016 season, the Nittany Lions were 2-2, fresh off a 49-10 blowout loss to Michigan. At the time, that result seemed to solidify Franklin’s fate after what had been a mediocre two-and-a-half year run.

Penn State was 16-14 over with a 6-11 mark in B1G play. It hadn’t finished ranked in the top 25 and was consistently trampled by the better teams on the schedule. To think that Franklin would save his job, let alone eventually be considered one of the top coaches in the B1G, would’ve been enough to warrant a medical examination.

It’s where we are though, heading into the 2019 season. Not only is Franklin among the top-level coaches in the league, some are considering the top dog in the conference with Urban Meyer’s departure.

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“If you ask me who’s the best coach in the conference right now, I’m going to say James Franklin,” The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman said in BTN’s Take Ten podcast. “He’s still in charge, and I think he’s got a lot of athletes there. I don’t want to call it a bounce back because they finished 17th, but I think they have a chance to be a top 10 team.”

With Meyer out of the picture, there are a half dozen B1G names that could be argued as the best coach in the B1G, Franklin among them. And, if you look at the numbers since 2015 (when Paul Chryst and Jim Harbaugh joined the conference), Franklin is the only coach to post a winning percentage above .700 and win a B1G title.

Pretty solid consistency over the last four years from a coach who was once that to be on his way out.

And when you look at those other five coaches you could make an argument for — Chryst, Harbaugh, Mark Dantonio, Kirk Ferentz and Pat Fitzgerald — Franklin certainly belongs in the conversation.

B1G coaches

(2015-18)

 Record Win % Division

titles

 B1G

titles
James Franklin   38-15    .717       1      1
Paul Chryst   42-12    .777       2      0
Mark Dantonio   32-20    .615       1      1
Jim Harbaugh   38-14    .731       0      0
Pat Fitzgerald   36-17    .679       1      0
Kirk Ferentz   37-16    .698       1      0

Is Feldman right, though? Has Franklin done enough over the last three years — winning nine games or more each season with one conference championship — to earn the moniker as the B1G’s top coach?

Certainly a case could be made. But Franklin actually has an excellent opportunity to prove it this season — though that’s probably not on his list of concerns right now.

Penn State arguably suffered more than any B1G team this offseason. Not only are stars like Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders gone, but over a dozen players leaped into the transfer portal. A handful more decided to test the NFL Draft waters. Assumed starting quarterback Tommy Stevens teamed up with Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State.

Roster management was quite the talking point this offseason when it came to Penn State.

The exodus from State College left the Nittany Lions with a young, inexperienced roster. Heading into the season, PSU is almost universally considered a lock in that No. 4 spot in the B1G East, behind the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State.

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Expectations aren’t nearly as high in 2019 as they were the past two seasons. And, for that reason, Franklin has as good a shot as any to show the B1G why he’s the best coach in the league.

Despite all the talent leaving, Penn State’s cupboard is hardly bare. The Nittany Lions still have a loaded backfield, featuring Ricky Slade, Journey Brown, Noah Cain and Devyn Ford. Receiver KJ Hamler may be one of the fastest in the B1G and Justin Shorter has big-play capability. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is regarded by many as the best in the conference.

Then there’s the defensive side of the football. Yetur Gross-Matos leads a strong defensive end group and linebacker Micah Parsons led the team in tackles as a freshman. The secondary is a bit raw, but John Reid and Tariq Castro-Fields highlight the group.

It’s a group that can produce a lot of wins, even in the power-heavy B1G East. But in order for Penn State to add a significant number of tallies in the victory column, it may take his best coaching effort yet.

From the talent standpoint, Penn State has the pieces to contend in the B1G East. It’s the youth and inexperience that are major factors at play, presenting Franklin with the unique challenge. There’s no doubt this team will be a force come the 2020 season, but can the Nittany Lions make enough progress during camp to be a year ahead of schedule?

Nobody is expecting too much from Penn State this fall. While no coach is every truly in a “no pressure” situation, this may be as close as it gets for Franklin. It’s the perfect season for the Nittany Lions to exceed those minimal expectations.

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Unless Franklin guides Penn State to another conference title this fall, there probably isn’t much he can do that will make him the unanimous pick as the B1G’s best coach like Meyer was at Ohio State. But if the Lions hit another double-digit win total and beat one of the big boys — Michigan, Michigan State or Ohio State — Franklin will solidify his name in the conversation.

Considering all the turnover the team experienced this offseason, that kind of success would be hard to ignore.

Right now, Franklin is focused on the only thing that matters — Idaho, Idaho, Idaho. He’s not concerned with where he ranks among B1G head coaches are if he’s considered the best at his craft. There are more important things he’s concerned with for the time.

He probably wouldn’t mind seeing his name at the top of that conversation at the end of the season, though. Especially when you consider where he was just three years ago.