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Penn State firing James Franklin this week could have larger implications outside of the future of Penn State’s program or the coaching carousel at large. It could also force people to reconsider what college football is now.
History and tradition are great, and for years, they’ve been the foundation of what keeps the sport’s top programs at or near the top. That’s all changing, though, and fast. In 2025, the truth of the matter is that resources (aka money) and the ability to identify talent are far more important than history or tradition. This is why I believe Penn State fans who think it’s a no-brainer that Curt Cignetti would leave Indiana for Penn State haven’t caught onto the reality of college football in 2025.
My power ratings are a reflection of the new reality. The top three teams in my ratings are Big Ten schools this week, and one of them is Indiana, not Penn State. In fifth is Texas A&M, a proud program with plenty of history, but not one that’s been competing at this level for a long time. Behind the Aggies is another Texas school, but not the one in Austin. It’s Texas Tech.
College football rankings: Indiana joins the top 3 after Oregon win as Texas, USC climb new CBS Sports 136
Chip Patterson
Tech is the program being used as the shining example of how programs can be successful in this modern era. I would argue that idea ignores what Indiana did last year and continues to do this year, but it’s all beside the point.
Having money and spending it wisely is what will win you national titles in this era, not the fact that you won national titles 40 years ago, or your 100,000+ seat stadium. When NIL and the portal were introduced, I assumed this would be the eventual result, but I did not expect it to happen this quickly.
But it has, and if you want to compete at the top, you’d better adapt even quicker.
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2025 Fornelli Power Ratings
Fell outside Top 12: Penn State, Oklahoma