It has been noted several times over the last couple of weeks, when you are a high-profile college football program, if you are going to fire a successful coach, you better have a backup plan in place. That seems to be the case with Penn State.
Athletic director Pat Kraft fired James Franklin in October after a third straight loss. The Nittany Lions lost to Oregon at home in overtime, then dropped a Big Ten game a week later at UCLA, before coming home and losing to Northwestern. Less than a year removed from a loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Franklin was ousted.