Franklin to LSU could mean lots of dollars, but would it make sense?

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Outgoing LSU coach Ed Orgeron is getting $9 million this season, making him the second-highest paid coach in college football behind Alabama's Nick Saban ($9.75 million).

Now, money isn't everything, but in terms of college football money, LSU is a spectacular job.

James Franklin is making more than $6 million at Penn State. So, if he were to get the LSU job, he undoubtedly would receive a big raise. He would make a lot more money with LSU, one would think, than if he leaves for the USC job.

It comes as no surprise that Franklin's name quickly surfaced Sunday once news broke that Orgeron will be out at LSU after this season. We've been down this road numerous times before, so everyone should understand all the reasons why Franklin is a hot commodity: proven winner, great recruiter, terrific CEO, etc. etc.

Franklin isn't just being mentioned as a candidate in the early going of this search. He's already considered by some media outlets as the frontrunner for the job. Which, again, is understandable for lots of reasons.

This is what CBSSports' Dennis Dodd said in a video in the story linked above:

“James Franklin has to be at the top. I have reason to think that he wants USC. Now with LSU in play, how does that color his thoughts? I think James Franklin would be great at either job. I would want to be his agent right now, Trace Armstrong, to negotiate those deals. Because he’s gonna get top money if he leaves Penn State.”

Dodd also wrote this in a story: Franklin checks all the boxes at two huge openings: LSU and USC. Does it become a bidding war now, and does he leave Penn State at all? 

There is a whole lot to unpack in those comments.

But first, it's important to point out that just a few days ago, ESPN's Paul Finebaum said he believes Franklin should be the No. 1 target for the USC job. Finebaum said:

“I would hire James Franklin. He checks a lot of boxes in the sense that he’s a very good CEO. Which means he’ll bring in a top-flight staff. From there, I think this program needs to be run like a big-time operation, which it hasn’t been.”

Clay Helton was making $4.8 million this season at USC before getting fired. So clearly, the LSU money is far superior to the USC money. And as many Penn State fans have pointed out in recent weeks, California has very high taxes, which means whatever money Franklin does make wouldn't go quite as far in that state.

Here are the main questions in all of this:

Does Franklin want to leave Penn State?

Who knows? Seriously. We can't read his mind, and we don't know if his family loves it in central PA or not. While we all can give lots of reasons why it is the best job around for a "Pennsylvania boy with a Penn State heart," we are talking about a coach who is very, very, very much in demand and may be able to pick whichever golden opportunity he wants among some the best job openings in the country.

Franklin is making good money. He can make better money somewhere else, or he can turn all of these offers into even more money at Penn State.

Will Franklin still be such a hot commodity if Penn State struggles the rest of this season?

Look, Sean Clifford's status is in doubt. We've written several times already about how many more games the Nittany Lions will win this season if he cannot return. Penn State is 5-1, but if Clifford is out the rest of the way, 7-5 is a possibility. That would mean consecutive seasons of 4-5 and 7-5 records for Franklin, which surely would make him a tougher sell for some of the programs looking to pay massive money.

Now, if Clifford does return and Penn State goes 9-3 or better, then absolutely, Franklin will still be a very hot name for any major job opening.

Would the LSU job make sense for Franklin?

No. And yes. Depending on many factors.

I started this analysis by mentioning the money. Orgeron is getting $9 million this year, and it would be very difficult for any coach to turn down a job offering that kind of money.

But here's the major catch with me regarding the LSU job: The SEC West and Alabama.

Franklin already knows plenty about having to deal with an elite team in his own division in Ohio State. Would he really want to go to a division and have to deal with Alabama, the best program in the country, every year? That is a monumental challenge, and Franklin would understand that very well after constantly having to beat his head against the wall trying to find a way to beat Ohio State every year.

Now, one can wonder if Alabama can remain such a force year after year. But the answer to that question very well seems to be yes. Saban is 69 and has a contract through 2028, so there's no reason to believe the Tide will be dropping off at all.

But LSU certainly can win a national title

The Tigers won it all just two years ago, led by Orgeron and Heisman Trophy winning QB Joe Burrow. Saban won a national title there in 2003, and Les Miles won one in 2007.

Franklin's goal is to become the first Black coach to win a national title. Can he do that at Penn State? Yes, it's possible, but the Lions haven't won it all since 1986, so it's been 35 years. (Sure, Penn State fans can gripe about 1994, but the bottom line is the Lions didn't get the nod over Nebraska that year.)

Franklin certainly could be thinking that, once he gets the ball rolling, he could compete for national titles at LSU more often than he could at Penn State. And he would be right.

Still, the LSU job is extremely difficult because of Alabama and the SEC West. Things fell apart for Orgeron, and he's getting ousted just two years after winning a national title. Job security, therefore, could be tenuous there.

It also could be tenuous at USC, where Franklin could find himself fired in 3-4 years if he doesn't live up to expectations with the Trojans.

If he stays at Penn State, you'd have to think Franklin could remain the coach for 15-20 more years if he so chooses.

Where will Franklin be coaching next season?

I wrote a while back that USC would make sense for Franklin, and one of the primary reasons would be that the Pac-12 is weak and there would not be some huge obstacle such as Ohio State standing in his way every year in the conference.

But I've long held the belief that he ultimately would choose Penn State over USC, in large part because of the job security.

But now that LSU figures to be in the mix, and that there could be a bidding war as Dodd pointed out above, it certainly makes it much more likely that Franklin will indeed leave Penn State after this season. That is, if the money ends up being so amazing that Penn State cannot come close to matching it.

Penn State has certain financial constraints with 31 athletic programs and needed renovations that it just might not be able to keep piling up money every time another suitor comes Franklin's way.

Now, if Penn State beats Ohio State in a couple of weeks and manages to get into the College Football Playoff, I certainly would see Franklin staying. It would be astounding for any coach to leave a situation where he would have just reached a playoff.

But if the Lions miss out on the playoff and perhaps struggle down the stretch given the Clifford issue, it could add a lot of wrinkles to Franklin's decision and very well could lead him to leaving Penn State.

If LSU comes offering $9 million a year, it would be hard to see Franklin -- or anyone for that matter -- turning it down.