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Is this a must-win game this weekend for James Franklin?
When people start talking about "must-wins," it's usually tied to job security so my answer is no.
James Franklin doesn't need to win this game to keep his job.
He's under contract through 2031, a generous extension provided in 2021 by Sandy Barbour and Eric Barron on their way out the door.
Presuming, at least in the fine print, the contract says it would help if he can be better than 4-15 against Ohio State and Michigan, there's no question the fan base is not satisfied.
Nor is it convinced that he's the coach to take the program any further than he has in the past 10 years.
So in that regard, in the eyes of the Nittany Nation, it is a must-win. Then again, if we're going to judge by the sentiment of the fan base, he's already lost several must-win games over the past few seasons.
Whether the fans like it or not, Franklin can lose this game, too, without being summoned to Pat Kraft's office.
Here's why: Michigan is the No. 2 ranked team in the country and -- despite the uncertainty surrounding its head coach, Jim Harbaugh -- the Wolverines are the current odds-on favorite to win the national championship.
If the Lions can spring this upset, and Michigan turns around and beats Ohio State in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25, Penn State owns the tiebreaker advance to represent the Big Ten East in the conference title game on Dec. 2.
But if the Lions lose to UM, they're still on pace for a 10-2 regular season, which would be their fourth season with no worse than two losses in the last seven.
That is not grounds for dismissal or even hot-seat status.
Now, granted, Franklin has not been his best in the biggest moments -- unable to put away leads or come up with the key call that swings momentum and delivers an inspirational victory over a heavyweight (translate: OSU or Michigan) as an underdog.
He'll get that coveted chance again Saturday.
If the Lions win, it will be one of the top two or three wins of Franklin's tenure -- alongside decking the Buckeyes, albeit on a blocked field goal in 2016, and winning the Big Ten title the same year.
But if they don't win and throw a mighty scare into the Maize and Blue - and at least play to their potential, instead of the egg they laid in Columbus -- the Lions will still be poised to be one of the teams to beat in the Big Ten next year, what with Drew Allar and many other key pieces returning.
Further, Franklin checks many of the off-the-field boxes important to Penn State.
Now, if he loses this game badly and still can't get over the big-game hump next year -- Allar's third season - maybe it's a different conversation.
But not yet.
Neil Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.