I Tell Ya' Herbie

    Time for our weekly thoughts on the college football world- I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Penn State was viewed by many as a potential playoff winner entering the season.

Between most of their lineup returning and a schedule that featured Oregon coming to State College, and a non-conference schedule that was softer than sherbet, the Nittany Lions ' chances seemed solid.

Even their two overtime defeat to Oregon didn't hurt, but their shocking loss to winless UCLA may have forced Penn State into run-the-table mode, even to make the playoffs, and would include a road win at Ohio State.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Penn State fans would be more than willing to move on without James Franklin, but it's unlikely to happen.

Why?

Well, if Penn State could find a school that wanted Franklin, Penn State would receive a buyout of between two and four million dollars from that school.

However, if Penn State fired Franklin for any reason (outside of breaking rules, etc.), it would reportedly cost them between $50 million and $54 million.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Another coach under fire is Texas head man Steve Sarkisian.

Sarkisian's loss to Ohio State on the road could be excused, but not their defeat to a struggling Florida Gators team.

Sarkisian is essentially James Franklin South.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             This week is an opportunity for Indiana to take the next step in its sprint to national prominence.

While Curt Cignetti has done one of the best turnarounds of a downtrodden program in years, the Hoosiers still lack a big scalp on their mantle.

Indiana travels to Oregon on Saturday, and should they win that game, Indiana can knock down another hurdle.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             3-2 Iowa will battle 2-3 Wisconsin in Madison in my favorite game ot the season that doesn't involve a team that I support.

That game is always fun with Ryan (Wisconsin) meeting Jeff (Iowa) in a battle of smack talk, rooting, screaming, and predicting doom; that was always a great time.

I'm hoping to spend my Saturday night on a video chat with the two of them, watching the game.

It's not quite the same as the three of us watching together, but it's something to add to the memory book.