On a Saturday night in September, it looked like everything had finally come together for James Franklin.

Penn State had charged back from a two-touchdown deficit to force overtime against No. 6 Oregon.

The Nittany Lions scored first in the extra period. The Ducks were facing fourth down. With one defensive stop, Franklin would have his first victory over a top-6 team since 2016.

But Oregon easily picked up the first down and won in double overtime.

The crushing defeat sent the Nittany Lions into an unfathomable spiral that cost Franklin his job just 15 days after it appeared his career was peaking.

Penn State’s move to fire its head coach served as an indelible reminder that the modern era of college football takes no prisoners and has no patience. With massive money at stake and ros

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