Penn State head coach James Franklin looks up during the second half of the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game against Notre Dame, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It’s difficult to get to within a field goal of playing for the national championship and still consider this a disappointing season.

So I won’t do that.

But certainly, Thursday night brought a disappointing ending to a memorable year, and the disappointment is underscored because this was the program’s best opportunity to change the narrative on James Franklin’s Penn State tenure, and the Nittany Lions — and Franklin — couldn’t do it.

Whether it was at the goal line against Ohio State, or in the Big Ten final against No. 1 Oregon or in the College Football Playoff semifinals against beatable Notre Dame, each time the Lions found a way to lose.

Franklin has done so many things well since arriving in Happy Valley and rebuilding the program, but winning the biggest games is not one of them.

He’s 1-15 against the Associated Press Top 5, and the losses often follow the same, troubling pattern — building a lead and then not finishing strong, making a curious call at the wrong time or simply committing the fatal mistake like Drew Allar’s interception in the last minute against the Irish.

Franklin is clearly one of the nation’s better coaches, and with a salary of $8 million per year — and a contract through 2031 — he’s certainly compensated accordingly.

Only a fool would move on from him.

But that doesn’t mean the fan base believes in or fully appreciates him, and the Notre Dame loss was another reason why.

With the exception of his 2016 Rose Bowl entry, which was loaded offensively, this was Franklin’s best team, and the first 12-team CFP playoff road provided a favorable draw with SMU, Boise State and Notre Dame.

It makes you wonder if Franklin couldn’t get to the title game with this team, through this bracket, will he ever?

At some point, it’s fair to wonder how much more disappointment he can take or whether he wants to start fresh somewhere else.

Then again, there aren’t many jobs equal to PSU, which is embarking on a $700 million stadium renovation, so options may be limited.

Penn State fans are a patient lot compared to the SEC.

Late Thursday night, as an emotional but composed Franklin dabbed away a couple tears, he was asked his thoughts on falling short yet again.

He selflessly deflected the spotlight.

“I wanted it for the guys in the locker room and the staff,” he said. “As you can imagine, there’s a thousand different emotions going on and feelings, but as the head coach, I’ve got to put on the right face for the guys in the locker room for what they need right now and for my family.

“And the sun will come up tomorrow, and the one thing I want to make sure that all those guys do is walk out of that locker room with their heads high and their chests out because they have a ton to be proud of.”

“There’s about 128 teams that would give their right arm to have the season that we just had this year. It doesn’t feel that way right now.”

And it shouldn’t. Penn State isn’t one of 128. It’s one of about a dozen who can dare to dream big.

Now the roster will start changing. Tyler Warren’s eligibility is up. Abdul Carter’s departure to the NFL was quickly confirmed Friday morning. Nick Singleton could follow. Dani Dennis-Sutton ad Kaytron Allen may as well.

But Allar is returning, along with a solid foundation.

“There’s going to be a ton of guys coming back for next year that are going to be hungry and motivated for more,” Franklin said. “They’ve gotten a taste of what this feels like and what it looks like and what it smells like. We’ll all be better for it, including myself.”

We’ll have to take his word for it and see just when that will translate into big-game success.

Nitpicking …

n After completing nearly 70 percent of his passes through 12 games of the regular season, Allar dropped off significantly in December.

He completed 58-of-119 in his last four games, just over 50 percent.

With the wide receiver position in total disarray — the Lions did not have a WR catch a pass Thursday — this bears watching in 2025.

n Penn State’s recruiting, evaluation and development at the wide receiver position could bring a staff change at the position. Stay tuned.

n It’s tough to remember a more courageous performance by a PSU opponent than the one Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard turned in. First off, he was decked and knocked woozy in the first half and returned to finish with 223 yards passing and 35 tough rush yards.

n Secondary flaw: Notre Dame’s Jaden Greathouse caught 29 passes this season, then made seven catches for 105 yards against Penn State — four in the fourth quarter when the Lion defenders couldn’t stay on their feet (which is a technique issue, a former player assures me.).

n I know there’s no chance of this resuming, but — despite the outcome — it sure was nice for Penn State to play Notre Dame again.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.