James Franklin Fired! Penn State Chaos, Indiana’s Huge Win at Oregon, Big Ten Playoff Race

James Franklin is out at Penn State — and college football’s coaching carousel just exploded. Galen Clavio and Matt Blaszka dig into the stunning firing, how a playoff-level program collapsed in two weeks, and what it means for the next wave of major job openings.

Then it’s on to the field: Indiana stuns Oregon on the road in the Hoosiers’ biggest win in program history, shaking up the Big Ten and the playoff race. We break down IU’s defensive dominance, Ohio State’s steadiness, Ole Miss’s scare, and why Florida, Michigan, and Clemson are trending the wrong way.

Plus: our updated Merit Poll (Indiana No. 1!), the new economics of coaching contracts, and full previews of Ole Miss–Georgia, USC–Notre Dame, and the Holy War between Utah and BYU.

It’s mid-October — chaos season — and it’s officially Football Weather.