Giger: OK, James, let's go grab that beer and answer questions

ALTOONA, Pa. -- OK, James Franklin, if we're gonna do this, I have one rule: You have to tell the truth. Otherwise, the whole exercise would be pointless.

Franklin told the media this week that "I'd love to sit down with you guys over a beer and talk through all of this." He was referring to all the coaching rumors, his status at Penn State and the "challenging situations" coaches sometimes get put in when discussing the future.

But here's the thing: Franklin is in this situation because of his own doing. He's a potential candidate for jobs at USC and LSU because he wants to be, and nothing he can say will change that simple fact.

Franklin could remove himself from consideration at any point by pulling a Mike Tomlin and flat out dismissing the subject altogether. But it's not in his best interests to do so, because then he'd be off the market, for one, and he'd lose any potential leverage he could gain in order to get more out of Penn State.

So, if we could sit down over that beer, and if Franklin would indeed vow to tell us the truth, these would be the three questions I would ask. Because I think we could get to the bottom of all of this if he would in fact answer these three questions truthfully.

1. Is your family completely happy living in central PA?

Happy wife, happy life. Happy daughters ... well, there's no saying for that.

This is a simple question, but one that would be incredibly telling. Because I do believe Franklin is a good family man who wants to put his family in the best possible situation -- not just financially, but all things considered.

If his wife, Fumi, and daughters, Shola and Addy, love living in central PA, then that's a big reason for James to want to stay here.

If they don't love living here, then it would give the coach one very important reason to look elsewhere.

State College has a lot of cultural diversity overall, but the Black population is only 3.7 percent. Is that an issue at all for the Franklin family? Would they like to live in a more diverse area? Or a bigger city that's not kind of in the middle of nowhere?

Are any of those factors important to the family? Maybe they are, maybe they're not.

Keep in mind, Franklin's wife and daughters had to move away from central PA for about a year during the height of the pandemic to protect Addy, who has sickle cell disease. That was an extremely difficult situation for Franklin, who is a great family man, and it is wonderful to see the family reunited.

Having moved away for a long spell, did it change how his wife and daughters feel about this area and moving back?

We all like to think about coaching jobs in terms of money or prestige, but in Franklin's case, family would seem to be a huge part of the equation.

2. Where do you have the best chance to win a national championship?

Penn State hasn't won one since 1986, a span of 35 years.

LSU won it two years ago. Plus in 2007 and 2003.

USC hasn't won one since 2004, and also in 2003 under Pete Carroll.

The Trojans have the easiest path to the playoff in the Pac-12. LSU has the most money but is in the same division as Alabama.

Penn State has the best team of those three right now, but it also has to deal with Ohio State in its division.

Franklin's goal is to become the first Black coach to win a national title, which would cement his legacy in college football. So these next few weeks and his decision after this season will be vital to whether he may have a chance to do that.

If Franklin truly believes he can lead Penn State to a national title, then it's a big reason to stay. But there are obstacles, which I'll get to here ...

3. What exactly do you need from Penn State to achieve your goals?

It's not really about more money for himself, although I'm sure he wouldn't turn down another raise.

It's more about facilities and commitment. And by commitment, I mean a total, 100 percent commitment from everyone -- administration, board of trustees and everyone in between.

If Franklin feels there's a faction of people who are not 100 percent fully committed to providing him everything he needs to win a national title, then he would see that as a barrier and a reason to leave.

When you have high-profile, influential people such as Jay Paterno and Anthony Lubrano on the Board of Trustees voting against spending money to enhance football facilities, it's easy to think that Franklin may not feel he has that full commitment.

Man, I would absolutely love to know how Franklin feels about Jay, Lubrano and any other perceived Joe Paterno loyalists and whether they are giving him everything he needs to succeed. But we'll probably never get the 100 percent truth there.

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Those are my questions. They might not be the best questions, but I believe if we could get Franklin to be completely honest on those three topics, then we could determine if he will be staying at Penn State for a long time or leaving to go somewhere else.

I asked fans on Twitter for the questions they would like to ask Franklin, and these are some of the best responses: