FauxMo

August 18th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^

EXACTLY what I thought. My God, the guy started last year 2-2, with a loss to in-state non-rival Pitt, and an absolute slaughter in Ann Arbor. Then, they barely beat Temple, and literally enjoy 5 lucky plays to beat OSU. They squeak into the B1G championship and beat Wisky. THAT is worth 6 years at $5.8 million? Wow, PSU is going to regret that... 

NittanyFan

August 18th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^

he gets fired and PSU then pays someone else a metric ton of $$$. 

PSU is in that class of about 20-30 FBS schools who will always (1) be able to afford that "metric ton of $$$" and (2) be willing to pay it.

It's not like PSU invests in basketball, after all.

Point being, PSU won't regret this, even if Franklin craters and goes 3-9 every year going forward. 

FauxMo

August 18th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^

Yeah, this may be right. FYI, PSU is in the group finance-wise, but there is no way that group is 20-30 schools. It's MAYBE 12-18. 

Also, not trying to rub salt in wounds (honestly), but the school has to be hurting slightly from the pay-outs on the Sandusky thing, right? While I doubt that comes out of the general fund or from only the athletic department, it can't have helped the bottom line? Point being, maybe PSU is SLIGHTLY more concerned about expenses like this, assuming they don't pay out? Just ask us Michigan fans...We know what it's like to go from sell-outs to tickets via Diet Cokes...

NittanyFan

August 18th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^

PSU, best I've read (I'm hardly an insider in this regard) is financing all the various Sandusky settlements and such.  School's credit rating is still perfectly fine (I think it's Aa1), so it's not as terrible as it could be, but still a damn big line-item on the financial ledger.  It is a pain point. The $$$ is coming from the "Penn State Incorporated" budget as a whole.  

If it gets too bad, PSU always has the "increase revenue via tuition" lever to push.  That's not a lever I'd like to see pushed, given that PSU has had very high (unacceptably high) tuition for a land-grant University even before 2011.  Graham Spanier's legacy has become something else, of course - but prior to 2011 his legacy in his mind was "empire building coupled with a complete lack of interest in tuition control."  That is embarassing, given PSU's core mission as a land-grant institution, but that's a whole nother tangent .....

PSU can definitely have attendance crater in the future.  An even bigger risk given its lack of proximity to major metro areas.  ADs will cross the fingers and hope that doesn't happen.  Not the first folk to have "cross the fingers" as part of a business plan.

NittanyFan

August 18th, 2017 at 1:44 PM ^

And who could untangle if that story were true anyway?  The Sandusky settlements are now part of a "debt financing" line item that's part of a $5.7 Billion annual budget (including the Hershey Medical School).  "Penn State Incorporated" would be 455th on the Fortune 500 list if it weren't a, cough cough, "non-profit."

PSU's tuition is only up 2.2% annually since Spanier was fired.  Which is below the norm for most schools in the 2011-2017 time period.  As I said: PSU's tuition was way too high to begin with.  But the 2.2% line item is encouraging, in that it appears the new administrators are more committed to tuition control.

NittanyFan

August 18th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^

It doesn't pay Federal taxes.  The US Government sees PSU as a non-profit.

It's also a non-profit that:

(1) has its highest paid (by far) individual being a football coach.

(2) has historically paid a lot of attention (Graham Spanier) to empire-building and growing the machine. 

(3) has many many activities which are a ways from its core mission (providing a quality affordable education to PA residents).

Those things above?  Hardly unique to Penn State.  Endemic to many big universities.

LJ

August 18th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^

I don't really see how (1) and (2) are contrary to the mission of providing a quality educational community.

On (1), having a good football program is very important for a university's mission.  When the football team is good, applications go up, and the university can be more selective.  Football is perhaps the primary activity that keeps alums connected, and it's better when the program is good.  The University's logo is everywhere around the world, in no small part because of football.  And no one here would disagree that paying a football coach well is a prerequisite to having a good program.  Harbaugh is the highest paid U of M employee, and I think those dollars are very well spent toward the University's mission.  Football also brings in money to support all of the other athletes, whose educational and athletic growth is part of the University's mission.

On (2), the university grows to support it's mission.  We want more buildings, more programs, better research, better students.  Isn't that how a nonprofit is supposed to spend its revenue?

NittanyFan

August 18th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^

Should be devoted to the reason the non-profit is classified as a non-profit in the first place.

Question --- if "University of Michigan Football" was ever "spun-off" from the larger school, what chance would it have of being recognized as a 501(c) organization?  Answer - Zero.  Point.  Zero.   U-M football has a lot more in common with the Detroit Lions than it has in common with the University of Michigan School of Engineering.

Yet - the highest paid employee at Michigan?  The football coach.

I get it - Michigan makes many more millions on football than pay out, so why not pay the Coach so much $?   But at many FBS schools (much less looking at schools even lower down the NCAA food-chain) - the football program runs at a deficit.  Yet, the football coach is the highest-paid employee at those schools also!

Is what it is, but I find it hard to defend.  Even at those schools (U-M/PSU both being among them) where football more than pays its own freight.

 

brianntb

August 18th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^

and he said winning the Big 10 after beating Ohio State is better than losing to Ohio State and never playing in the Big championship. 

stop being dumb. 

cheer michigan. cheer harbaugh. but it's stupid to pretend that somehow franklin lucked into these wins. he's done it, harbaugh aint. when/if harbaugh does, then we can say so. 

lhglrkwg

August 18th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^

had a very lucky season never being overly impressive. Lots of coaches have one great season, sign big contracts, and then come crashing back to earth. James Franklin alone doesn't have the chops to compete with Harbaugh and Meyer so he's going to be sad when Moorhead leaves

BlueTimesTwo

August 18th, 2017 at 1:54 PM ^

If any one of the numereous breaks that went in favor of PSU versus OSU, and went against Michigan versus OSU, had gone the other way then PSU has nothing to crow about.  That is a razor-thin margin on which you are balancing your high horse, and if you don't see luck as a factor then you are clearly just trolling.

FauxMo

August 18th, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^

Don't be an idiot. Luck is a huge part of sports, and any fan or coach worth their weight will admit as much. Franklin happened to fall on the positive side of that equation a LOT last year. It's not at all unreasonable to suggest that sheer dumb luck will end. 

In conclusion, don't be an idiot. 

war-dawg69

August 19th, 2017 at 7:44 AM ^

Is he being paid for the future or rewarded for last year. They are not going to be happy after this years results. I see they play nobody in non-conference again. When they lose to Iowa, Northwestern, Michigan and then osu will see how happy they are to have him.

tragictones

August 18th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^

Last year, everyone said penn state was screwed in 2016 because the only thing keeping them in games was bob shoop. Shoop left, and everyone expected them to take a huge step back. I suspect Franklin will continue to hire good assistant coaches. Seems to have a knack for it

bsgriffin1

August 18th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^

I kind of agree. Although I don't think he is of the same caliber of coaches as Harbaugh, Saben, Meyer. I think that results matter, he got paid that he won. Even if there were lucky plays involved, he won the BIG and beat OSU. Harbaugh can't even say that. We haven't won the BIG in quite some time now, I would love to get the results that make this happen and he deserves credit for doing so with I think less talent then we have overall.

brianntb

August 18th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^

Matters even more: 

beating Ohio State (Franklin's done it, not Harbaugh) 

winning Big 10 (Franklin's done it, not Harbaugh) 

neg all you want but I'm 100% right. 

If Harbaugh wins the Big and/or beats Ohio State before he leaves for his next job, I'll be happy to note it. 

UM Fan from Sydney

August 18th, 2017 at 1:22 PM ^

Harbaugh is retiring as the UM coach. Sorry to burst your bubble. Guys don't come to teams like Michigan, coach for five, six, seven years and leave for another coaching job.

lhglrkwg

August 18th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^

Yes, Franklin beat OSU in a home night game in which his team was clearly outplayed but still managed to find a win. They won a tiebreaker thanks to Michigans loss to Iowa and played a Wisconsin team which Michigan also beat. No one is that impressed with James Franklin. He'll come crashing back to earth soon enough.

I mean, the guy kicked a field goal inside the 10 when he was down 28-0. He's the 3rd best coach in the East at best.

brianntb

August 18th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^

let me guess: both didn't go to the Big 10 championship? 

Franklin got the job done and was rewarded for it. 

Pretending it was all some accident is stupid and reveals you aren't equipped to follow football. Too mentally challening. 

When/if harbaugh beats ohio state and wins the Big, celebrate. Until then, quit revealing you aint so bright. 

brianntb

August 18th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^

and that means I'm a fan through thick and thin but it also means i'm not stupid. 

people here saying Franklin lucked into beating Ohio State and winning the Big and going to the rose bowl are stupid. 

back to your question: i think they will lose 2 games, 1 being to Michigan.