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James Franklin's latest out-of-character loss is his worst: Best tweets after Penn State loss to Northwestern

Penn State has lost three games in a row in increasingly shocking fashion.
ByAlicia de Artola|
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Ok, losing to Oregon was one thing. The Ducks are one of the best teams in the country and, frankly, everyone saw that one coming. But Penn State losing to UCLA and Northwestern? No one, and I mean no one, could have predicted that one. It might be the most shocking two-game sequence in college football history.

UCLA was one of the worst teams in the country coming into last week, but they'd made a coaching change and look reinvigorated against a Penn State team that clearly didn't take them seriously. The Nittany Lions were on the road, right? And Nico Iamaleava was a former five-start quarterback, right? The excuses were flimsy but at least there were some to cling to.

Then came Northwestern, a 21-point underdog, dropping Penn State at Beaver Stadium. What once looked like James Franklin's best team ever now looks like his most disappointing, by a longshot. This isn't just the same old Franklin MO of losing the big games. This isn't perennially 10-2 Penn State. These are games Penn State should have one. The ones Franklin always reliably used to win. These are unforgivable.

Whether it's media or fans, social media had to pick its collective jaw up off the floor after the final whistle on Saturday.

Best memes and tweets after Northwestern stuns Penn State

A common narrative on social media was the "Big Game" issue around Franklin. After being so consistent for years, this heel turn has been shocking. Not only that, it's been historic. These aren't just bad losses for Franklin. These are bad losses for any coach that's ever led a program.

Of course, there were jokes on that front. What if Franklin took the "treat every game like a big game" thing too far?

Penn State fans are not happy. Not even a little bit. NSFW levels of not happy.

So what comes next for Franklin and the Nittany Lions? If a lot of Penn State fans have their way, he won't be in Happy Valley much longer.

Things are getting ugly for Franklin. After years of consistent winning, the calls for his head on a silver platter are only rising. Will the Penn State administration feel it's bad enough to pull the plug? That's going to be something to watch.