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James Franklin called USC candidate; Nassib's big night, more: Newsstand

Believe it or not, the reports of James Franklin being a top candidate for the USC job are already here.

The leader of the Nittany Lions has long been linked to the Trojans any time anyone started to wonder who the next best fit for the Southern California program might be, even if it still had a head coach, which was the case back in 2018.

It doesn't anymore, of course, as Clay Helton was fired on Monday after USC was blown out at home by Stanford, which was a 17-point underdog.

It's the top story of today's newsstand, which also features some NFL updates and more Nittany Lions and college football news and notes.

Penn State coach James Franklin looks on during the win over Ball State. BWI photo/Steve Manuel
Penn State coach James Franklin looks on during the win over Ball State. BWI photo/Steve Manuel
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Tweets of the day

At 5:11 p.m. ET, USC atheltic director Mike Bohn tweeted that the Trojans were going in a different direction.

Before 5:30, Yahoo's Pete Thamel had Franklin on an "early list for USC", and by nightfall, the Penn State head coach was listed as a possibility for the job by that outlet, The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN, and FootballScoop, among others.

Many will suggest that it's ridiculous to link a current coach to a new job in September, and perhaps it is, but it's also happening and won't stop until the position is filled.

For those wondering, Franklin's buyout this year if he leaves is $4 million, and it's worth noting that USC paid $10 million to Helton for firing him.

If you went to bed early, you missed a goofy but entertaining Raiders-Ravens game that Las Vegas won 33-27 in overtime.

Former Nittany Lion defensive linemen Odafe Oweh and Carl Nassib each had sacks, and the latter forced a fumble that set up the game-winning score for the home team.

On the current team front, Jesse Luketa was picked as the PFF defensive MVP of Week 2 in college football after his big day playing as both a linebacker and defensive end against Ball State.

Finally for this section, Week 4 kickoff and television assignments are out, and the Nittany Lions will take on the Villanova Wildcats at Noon on Sept. 25.

Headlines of the day

10 potential candidates for USC head coaching job include Penn State's James Franklin and Clemson's Tony Elliott: Thamel, Yahoo Sports

High School Recap: Dani Dennis-Sutton returns from injury, Allar goes off: Snyder, BWI

Everything Auburn’s Bryan Harsin said about upcoming Penn State game: Green, AL.com

Penn State football showing versatility of winning: Final thoughts: Bauer, BWI

Penn State Football: Luketa and Wilson, Two Players, Four Positions: Jones, Statecollege.com

Penn State football bowl projections: Where Lions are slotted before Week 3: Pickel, BWI

Up Next: Auburn Meets the Penn State 'Whiteout': Wogenrich, SI

Nittany Lion Film Study: Familiar themes begin to emerge for Penn State: Frank Carr, BWI

Penn State faces in the crowd from the win over Ball State: Hermitt, PennLive

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Quote of the day

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of people asking me about it, especially over the past two weeks. But nothing has changed and nothing will change for me. That’s how I look at it. I'm locked in.”

--Penn State QB commit Drew Allar to BWI about whether Ohio State's recent offer changes his recruitment in any way.

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