James Franklin is entering his eighth season as head coach at Penn State, and he will do so with a team fully capable of a bounceback season after a challenging 2020 campaign. While the schedule throws Penn State no favors with a challenging pair of crossover division games on the road and sees Penn State in the same division as national championship contender Ohio State and an Indiana team looking to prove 2020 was no fluke, Penn State has plenty fo reasons to feel optimistic about what they can do this fall.

But will Penn State get off on the right foot for the 2021 season? Penn State stumbled in their season opener with an upset loss in Bloomington at the start of the delayed big Ten season last October against Michael Penix and the Indiana Hoosiers. Penn State’s 2021 season will also begin with a challenging road trip in conference play when they begin the new season in Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Wisconsin Badgers, a perennial Big Ten West Division contender.

James Franklin has seen some tense season openers in his time as a head coach, first with Vanderbilt and currently with Penn State. In season openers against power-conference opponents, all of which have been conference games when applicable, Franklin’s teams have come up on the wrong end of a one-possession game. Twice, Franklin has coached a season opener in an overtime situation, including last season’s opener at Indiana (the other coming against Appalachian State in 2018). So should Penn State fans be expecting a tight contest when Penn State takes on the Badgers in FOX’s first Big Noon Kickoff of the 2021 season? History may suggest so.

Here is a look back at every season opener coached by James Franklin, beginning with his head coaching debut with the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2011.

2011: Vanderbilt vs. Elon

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Date: September 3, 2011 Result: Vanderbilt 45, Elon 14 Franklin's record in season openers: 1-0 James Franklin easily picked up his first career win as Vanderbilt jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the FCS Elon in the first half and really put the game out of reach with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4LB8yu7FxA

2012: Vanderbilt vs. No. 9 South Carolina

Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Date: August 30, 2012 Result: No. 9 South Carolina 17, Vanderbilt 13 Franklin's record in season openers: 1-1 Following a step forward in 2011, Franklin's Vanderbilt program was about to embark on a nine-win season. But it got off on the wrong foot with a hard-fought game against a top-10 South Carolina squad coached by Steve Spurrier. A Marcus Lattimore touchdown run from the goal line early in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the game as Vanderbilt was unable to hold on to a small lead in a true defensive battle.

2013: Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss

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Date: August 29, 2013 Result: Ole Miss 39, Vanderbilt 35 Franklin's record in season openers: 1-2 The 2013 season opener had a much different tune, with plenty of offense to spare. The Commodores put together 426 yards of offense but quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels had two interceptions in the game. And a game lacking on defense cost Vanderbilt in the final minutes of the game as Ole Miss running back Jeff Scott took off for a 75-yard go-ahead touchdown run with 1:07 left to play just moments after Vanderbilt took the lead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Y_ZortOek

2014: Penn State vs. UCF (Dublin, Ireland)

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Date: August 30, 2014 Result: Penn State 26, UCF 24 Franklin's record in season openers: 2-2 James Franklin's Penn State debut took place across the pond with a matchup against UCF in Dublin, Ireland. And it was quite a start! Penn State and UCF battled back and forth deep into the fourth quarter but a game-winning field goal by Sam Ficken as time expired gave Penn State a dramatic 26-24 victory in Franklin's first game as head coach at Penn State. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1XrlR-rwd8

2015: Penn State at Temple

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Date: September 5, 2015 Result: Temple 27, Penn State 10 Franklin's record in season openers: 2-3 Penn State's 2015 season got off to a terrible start. The offense scored one point for every sack of Christian Hackenberg given up to a Temple team that had one of their best seasons in program history. Temple head coach Matt Rhule simply got the better of Franklin in this one as Penn State squandered a 10-0 lead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7HCeNCpMlg

2016: Penn State vs. Kent State

Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Date: September 3, 2016 Result: Penn State Penn State 33, Kent State 13 Franklin's record in season openers: 3-3 Nobody quite knew what to expect out of the 2016 season so early on, but Franklin's Nittany Lions set the right tone with a dominant win over Kent State in the 2016 season opener. What would turn out to be a Big Ten championship season started with Saquon Bakley rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown and Trace McSorley throwing for 209 yards with two touchdown passes as Franklin evened his record in season openers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cYHL_FyLdE

2017: No. 6 Penn State vs. Akron

Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Date: September 2, 2017 Result: No. 6 Penn State 52, Akron 0 Franklin's record in season openers: 4-3 Franklin and the defending Big Ten champions pitched a shutout against an overmatched Akron squad to start the 2017 season. Saquon Barkley rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout. For the first time since his coaching debut, Franklin was over .500 in season openers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2QSq1IJqE0

2018: No. 10 Penn State vs. Appalachian State

Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Date: September 1, 2018 Result: No. 10 Penn State 45, Appalachian State 38 (OT) Franklin's record in season openers: 5-3 Penn State had their hands full with a very good Appalachian State team in the 2018 season opener. Appalachian State scored 28 fourth-quarter points to overcome a 14-point deficit and KJ Hamler scored on a 15-yard pass in the final minute of regulation to tie the game at 38-38. A Miles Sanders touchdown in overtime followed by a game-winning interception allowed Penn State to escape the massive upset bid by the Mountaineers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMSClbb0CXw

2019: No. 15 Penn State vs. Idaho

Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Date: August 31, 2019 Result: No. 15 Penn State 79, Idaho 7 Franklin's record in season openers: 6-3 This game was over when it was scheduled. Idaho at least managed to hold the Nittany Lions to fewer than 80 points. This was clearly the easiest season-opening win for Franklin and a much more relaxing opener compared to the previous season... and the next season... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOoYjkkwR_g

2020: No. 8 Penn State at Indiana

Credit: AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Date: October 24, 2020 Result: Indiana 36, No. 8 Penn State 35 (OT) Franklin's record in season openers: 6-4 Penn State started the 2020 season as a top 10 team despite starting their season in October, but the Nittany Lions dropped hard and fast with an overtime loss at Indiana. Although Penn State overcame an early deficit and led the game in the fourth quarter, Indiana stunned the Nittany Lions for just their second win all-time against Penn State. Franklin's Nittany Lions went on to drop their next four games for a historic 0-5 start to a season. The loss to Indiana occurred in a somewhat controversial fashion with a video replay upholding a two-point conversion attempt by Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for the overtime winner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCzrvevCSII Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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