ALTOONA, Pa. -- Tomorrow marks the three-year anniversary of James Franklin saying something that, truth be told, one has to wonder if he regrets saying.
Going back in time, Penn State had just been punched in the gut with a 27-26 loss to Ohio State at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 29, 2018. Dwayne Haskins and the Buckeyes overcame a 26-14 deficit in the fourth quarter. And of course, Ricky Rahne made that terrible play call on fourth-and-5 when he took the ball out of Trace McSorley's hands and called a handoff to Miles Sanders, who was stuffed. Game over.
Afterward, Franklin said this, which has been heavily discussed ever since:
"The realty is, we've gone from an average football team, to a good football team, to a great football team. But we're not an elite team yet. The work that it's going to take to get to an elite program is going to be just as hard as the ground and the distance that we've already traveled to get there.
"We're gong to break through and be an elite program -- by doing all the little things," Franklin also said. "We're a great program. We lost to an elite program. And we're that close."
Franklin wasn't wrong in what he said about not being elite. Penn State wasn't then and still isn't elite.
In saying that word, Franklin set a bar so high for himself and the Penn State program that, inevitably, everything the Nittany Lions ever accomplish ultimately could be viewed in comparison to the select group of truly elite programs in the country -- Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State are slam dunks, with Georgia and Oklahoma also in the discussion.
Fast forward three years, and Penn State is the No. 4 team in the country in this week's AP poll. The Lions have the sixth-best odds to win a national title this year. They have some huge games coming up, starting with a visit from Indiana on Saturday and then a trip to Iowa next week.
If -- and it's a big if -- the Lions do make the College Football Playoff this season, one could make the case that they would have taken the big step necessary to become an elite program.
It does make sense, then, that the elite topic once again could be brought up at this stage. And it was during Franklin's press conference Tuesday, in a question from Allie Berube of ABC27 in Harrisburg. She cited QB Sean Clifford's comments Saturday saying he feels like Penn State is the best team in the country.
The question was: "In the past you've talked about making the leap from being a great team to an elite team in college football. Where do you think you are on that journey?"
Now, anyone reading this far and expecting to see something salacious from Franklin, such as some kind of declaration about being elite, you'll be disappointed. Because if he had said something like that, it wouldn't be buried way down here.
No, Franklin gave a boring answer.
"I appreciate Sean’s confidence, and I appreciate Sean’s belief in his teammates and program and the statement," Franklin said.
"But as you guys know, and I know you guys hate it because it seems boring, but I just want to beat Indiana. I think if we approach it like that week in and week out, it’ll give us the best chance to reach our potential, whatever that may be.
"So, I appreciate Sean and his confidence and his belief in his teammates and our program and the type of support that we've gotten from the commmunity and the buzz and excitement that we feel in Happy Valley right now. But what I'd prefer is that everybody pour their energy into Indiana and our players preparing like they’ve’ never prepared before for a game and our fans packing Beaver Stadium and making Saturday night one of the toughest environments in all of college football.
"And then Saturday night we can have another discussion about where we sit in the football hierarchy, and then I'll probably give you another boring answer. But I just want to find a way to beat Indiana."
All of that represents a good, smart answer from Franklin, especially during the middle of the week with a game approaching.
He made the original elite comments after a really tough loss to Penn State's most important rival, and I remember that night well. He was passionate and honest after that Ohio State game in 2018, and it's during those moments when you usually get the best answers from coaches.
Three years later, Penn State is still not an elite team. Can it become elite this season? Yes, that's certainly possible.
But if it doesn't, after getting ranked as high as No. 4 right now, then it certainly will be something we'll have to keep asking Franklin about for as long as he's at Penn State.