The Penn State Nittany Lions football season was over. Fans of all ages, including myself, were ready to run head coach James Franklin straight out of town. Penn State was on the verge of a Rutgers-like season. A terrible loss in week two to in state rival Pitt, a mediocre win over Temple, and an abomination at Michigan had all Penn State hopefuls throwing in the towel on 2016. Yet, Franklin remained positive and asked everyone for patience. We as the Penn State community, should be ashamed that we did not believe in what Franklin was building. Now, after a miraculous victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Penn State head man has a real chance to be named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year.

Yes, Penn State was bad early this year, but have cranked it into full gear at just the right time. The latest victory makes it three straight wins over unbeaten opponents for the Nittany Lions, who had some help from a bye week, the weather, and possibly a higher power in the latest. The team cracked the top 25 rankings this week for the first time since 2011 (I wonder who was coaching then). This game has to be looked at after the season to just see how Franklin and the rest of his staff completely outcoached Urban freaking Meyer and the Ohio State staff. It’s a stretch, but this win has cracked the door open for a possible Big Ten Championship appearance for Penn State.

James Franklin will win Big Ten Coach of the Year because of the way he managed his team during a plague of injuries, somehow remaining positive through all of the criticism, and for shaking up the college football playoff. Penn State was stuck playing a sixth string linebacker and converted safeties at Michigan so you basically have to throw that game out the window. No one goes into the “Big House” and wins playing a sixth string anything. Still, the coaching staff was able to piece together just enough on defense and create opportunities to succeed for the unit and the team. A bye week at the perfect time gave starting linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell just enough time to heal and have the games of their lives against the Buckeyes. But before we go further on Franklin can we talk about Cabinda’s neck roll? How freaking awesome is that thing?! The cast on his hand also embodied everything about Linebacker U.

Have we ever witnessed a bigger win for a coach and a program before. Franklin said it best in his postgame interview with ESPN. After all that this school and community have been through, to be able to experience something like that is not just a step in the right direction, but a shot out of a cannon towards becoming that nationally feared program once again. To me, this win officially turns the page from the Paterno era to a new Penn State football. The type of program that the commonwealth and the school and get behind. The community is ready to look forward.

The final stretch for Penn State includes all very winnable games that the Nittany Lions will be favored in. Saturday’s contest is at Purdue and Penn State is currently a 12 point favorite. They will then return home to host Iowa in another night game at Beaver Stadium, then two road games against Indiana and Rutgers, followed by a not so scary season finally at home against Michigan State. Penn State can easily win all of these games which will result in a 10-2 season and secure James Franklin the honors. Even one loss could give Franklin Big Ten Coach of the Year, but let’s just make it easy and win out.

Even if the Big Ten Conference does not have a representative in the College Football Playoff this season, it still shows that it is easily one of the best three conferences in the country. The depth, the competition, the week by week accountability that every team has is just unmatched. If all the cards align, if every little piece falls into the perfect place, the Penn State Nittany Lions football team will have a chance at the Big Ten Title in Indianapolis come December 3 and James Franklin will add a person accolade to the trophy room.