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This week's topic is easy.
Penn State's biggest problem is at the top of the totem pole: James Franklin.
I said last week the Michigan game was not a must-win for Franklin, and in terms of keeping his job, it wasn't.
Here's hoping Penn State would never suffer from the complete loss of perspective that has inflicted Texas A&M, which is buying out $76 million of Jimbo Fisher's contract.
Franklin is signed through 2031, and whether he makes it that long -- either by his choice, or eventually, Penn State's -- is another subject.
But he's the answer to today's question.
He's the common thread between all these frustrating losses to Ohio State and Michigan.
Franklin is now 4-16 vs. OSU and UM, but to be fair, the Lions have been the underdog in most of those games. Further, it took Franklin a few years to fully recover from the scandal, scholarship reduction and all the accompanying fallout.
But he put together an excellent season in 2016 and won the Big Ten title.
In the seven seasons since, however, the Lions have consistently fallen short of expectations -- specifically their own -- when it comes to chasing "elite."
Because he's an excellent recruiter, rest assured this is not a talent issue. That's evident by how many Penn State players dot NFL rosters.
Under Franklin, the Lions have proven they can compete with the Buckeyes and Wolverines, but they've also proven they can't beat them.
Whether it's not closing out a game with a lead or being offensively inept, or panicking in a key situation (cue up the Michigan tape from Saturday), or relying on some ridiculous gadget play, or making the wrong call at the wrong time, these games and moments are too big for Franklin.
His team plays tentatively in its biggest opportunities.
It's also bothersome that he's better at assigning blame than accepting it.
Rarely does he say, "It starts with me; I have to coach better," which would be refreshing.
Instead, he'll fire an offensive coordinator like he did Mike Yurcich on Sunday. His next OC will be Franklin's sixth in 11 seasons.
So he's not real good at picking them, either.
Franklin tripped over himself to coldly oust Kirk Ciarrocca after just one season -- 2020, the Covid season -- in order to hire Mike Yurcich, who was underwhelming.
Now, he'll presumably convince Pat Kraft to pony up to fix the latest mistake.
Franklin spends more time helping to coach the offense; hence, the results are not a coincidence.
Cory presents the legitimate argument that the receivers are the biggest issue, and while they're definitely part of it, Franklin is responsible for the management of that position, too.
Marques Hagans, in his first season, is Franklin's fifth receivers coach after the curious firing of Taylor Stubblefield, who seemingly did a decent job since he developed Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington.
We can nitpick all we want about this position or that, but the head coach has lost the public's confidence in him.
In a lot of ways, Franklin has done a good job rebuilding Penn State over the past 10 years and, trust me, this is not personal. I like the guy and would like to see him succeed.
But it appears he's taken the program as far as he's capable.
And that, dear PSU fans, is the biggest issue hanging over the Nittany Lions' program.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.