Penn State is now 4-20 against Top 10 opponents under head coach James Franklin after the Nittany Lions fell 27-24 to Notre Dame in the College

James Franklin is a good college football coach on paper. Just look at his overall stats at Penn State as their head coach for the past 11 years: 101-41 overall. Bowl appearances in all but one of his years (and that year happened to be 2020). His teams have finished top-10 in the AP poll four times.

As Penn State football head coach James Franklin has struggled against top ranked teams, the AD comes to his defense.

There's no sugarcoating it: As Penn State 's coach, James Franklin owns an abysmal 4-19 record against opponents ranked in the Associated Press top 10 -- and is just 3-10 in such games when his team is also in the top 10.

Following the loss for the Nittany Lions, Franklin sent a message to Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman . Franklin shared high praise for Freeman and the Fighting Irish, mentioning that he's a "class act" and wishes Notre Dame success in their next matchup.

Penn State head coach James Franklin sounded an awful lot like Jim Harbaugh following Nittany Lions' loss to Notre Dame on Thursday

James Franklin and Penn State will be left to rue a key fourth-quarter decision as the Nittany Lions narrowly fell to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on Thursday

Another big game, another loss for Penn State head coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 27-24 on Thursday, coming up one victory short in their quest for a national championship berth.