The Inside Zone

The Inside Zone

Penn State and the price you pay when you spend to win

What's next for the Nittany Lions after their all-in approach to this season fell flat?

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Matt Fortuna
Oct 08, 2025
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On Labor Day, Dan Lanning summed up the state of college football — and sports in general — by responding to Mike Gundy’s comments about how much money Oregon is spending on its players.

“We spend to win,” the Ducks coach told reporters. “Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t, right?”

Right.

Some schools that used to have that excuse no longer have it. And it isn’t difficult to see which bucket each program falls into.

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For much of James Franklin’s tenure, Penn State was in the former.

Now, unquestionably, it’s in the latter.

The results this season have been underwhelming: A 3-2 record and a fall from a preseason No. 2 ranking to unranked following a loss Saturday to previously winless UCLA.

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