In today’s Fact or Fiction, I look at three big recent topics in college football and decide whether the statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
1. James Franklin’s time at Penn State could end soon.
Farrell’s take: FICTION
Penn State fans are upset. And I get it. Franklin is 1-9 against Ohio State, 3-16 against Top 10 teams, and so on. But he’s also had four 11-win seasons since 2016, and he’s not going anywhere even though Penn State seems to have topped out as the third-best team in the Big Ten. Franklin could move on his own, as he’s always mentioned with other jobs, but he’s at Penn State for as long as he wants to be.
2. Iowa got screwed.
Farrell’s take: FACT
They didn’t deserve to win, honestly. With their horrible offense, they never deserve to win. But when Cooper DeJean returned that punt for a score late against Minnesota, I thought Iowa escaped again. And they should have. The play was called back because DeJean made a vague fair catch, poison motion, but it’s not clear that’s what he meant, and it was clear it never impacted the Gophers coverage team as they were full bore after him without hesitation. Many feel this was the right call based on review but I don’t think so. Was it indisputable evidence he was calling everyone away from the ball? Nope.
3. The NCAA is targeting Jim Harbaugh.
Farrell’s take: FICTION
Harbaugh is polarizing. He’s an odd duck, very stubborn, and honestly, hard to like. And perhaps the NCAA hasn’t had a ton of fun dealing with him. But when a guy is involved with multiple investigations, it goes back to the smoke and fire situation. Ann Arbor is smoking because of Harbaugh, and something is up there. The question is — will it catch fire?
