It was five seasons ago, after a gut-punch, 27-26 loss to Ohio State, that James Franklin declared that his Penn State program was close to the mountain top, but not quite there.
“We’ve gone from an average football team, to a good football team, to a great football team,” Franklin said. “But we’re not an elite team yet.”
Five years later, as another showdown with Ohio State looms at noon Saturday in Columbus, Penn State fans are still waiting.
The Nittany Lions are 6-0 and ranked sixth in the country. They are 17-2 in the last season and a half.