Former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno continues to hold the record for the most coaching victories in a college football game with 24, and that record appears to be safe for a few more years. It goes without saying then that current Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has a long way to go to catch up to Paterno.
Entering the 2022-23 bowl season, Franklin has been on the winning side of a bowl game as often as he has been on the losing end. Franklin’s career bowl record of 5-5 is highlighted by a pair of New Years Six bowl game victories in the Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl, and he has taken Penn State to two Rose Bowls since arriving from Vanderbilt. Franklin was 2-1 in bowl games at Vanderbilt, a remarkable feat on its own given Vanderbilt is just 4-4-1 all-time in bowl games.
Franklin coached in Penn State’s first bowl game since being relieved of NCAA sanctions in his first season on the job with a trip to the Pinstripe Bowl in 2014. But Franklin is 0-3 in bowl games against his former foes from the SEC with losses to Georgia, Kentucky, and Arkansas.
Here is a look back at each bowl game coached by Franklin heading into the 2023 Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Utah.