Take Two: Penn State surging, Butch Jones' future, Max Browne

Take Two is back this week tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

MORE: Coaching carousel: On the move | Farrell on conference recruiting, more

Storyline: This was supposed to be the season Tennessee competed for the SEC crown and a possible berth in the College Football Playoff. It was supposed to be magical in Knoxville.

Instead, here are the Vols sitting at 5-3, losers of three straight to Texas A&M, Alabama and South Carolina and with coach Butch Jones talking this week about a Wall Street Journal report about how teams that high-five and chest bump often win more games.

Tennessee is at a crossroads. The Vols have Tennessee Tech, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt to close out the regular season. They should finish 9-3 and Jones should be safe.

But if things continue to go south, watch out. Jones probably has more time in Knoxville, but next season will be crucially important.

First take: “I think fans are certainly frustrated, but I don't think he's on the 'hot seat.' Now, we still have four weeks left in the season and that could certainly change. The Vols are sitting at a crossroads. They are 5-3 with four very winnable games left on the schedule and even though they only have a small chance to make the SEC Championship Game, there's still a lot to play for.

“Plus, when you look at this season the narrative has to be the injuries. The Vols have been absolutely decimated by the injuries. But does Jones let this team fall apart down the stretch or do they rally after Jalen Hurd's departure and finish the season with four straight wins? If they can do that and win a third straight bowl game you have to think they have some momentum back headed into the offseason. But, these last four weeks are critical and the way this team has played nothing is a given.” – Paul Fortenberry, Volquest.com

Second take: “The definition of hot seat is interesting. Hot seat to me is a guy who could be fired at the end of this season. I don’t believe that to be true at all. But heading into next season there is going to be an extreme amount of pressure on him. They were the darkhorse to win the SEC East last year, they were the favorite to win it this year. Next year it’s win it or bust for his tenure at Tennessee. The rest of the schedule looks very easy, but so did South Carolina. If he loses one of the last four games or possibly two, you’re talking about pressure being amped up further. I don’t think he’s on the hot seat for 2016, but he’s going to be one of those coaches under extreme pressure next season.” - Farrell

Storyline: Max Browne has not lived up to his five-star ranking out of high school but every indication points to him transferring after this season and having one more year to reignite his career someplace other than USC.

Browne sat behind Cody Kessler for years with the Trojans and had his opportunity to start this season but really didn’t do much before being benched in favor of former four-star Sam Darnold. The Trojans’ offense has been humming under the San Clemente, Calif., prospect.

Where will Browne land? There has been some talk that Cal, Colorado and Washington State could be in the mix. According to reports, USC did not block any schools, even within the conference.

One season is left for Browne. Can he make it a good one and start popping up on some NFL Draft lists after next year? Or does he just not have those special tools to make it at the next level?

First take: “The possibility of Max Browne replicating Davis Webb's success at Cal is intriguing for anyone looking for a landing spot for the former USC starter. He is a former five-star recruit, and anyone with that kind of pedigree is going to get a look at the very least. That being said, I'm not sure Browne would be the best fit for the Bears in 2017. Two cases in the conference make this point, at Oregon and USC.

“Oregon had gone down the grad transfer route the past two years for their season opening starters, snagging Vernon Adams from Eastern Washington in 2015 and Dakota Prukop from Montana State in 2016. Adams worked well as a stopgap between a top QB in Marcus Mariota and the future, much like what Cal is doing right now with Webb. That worked, but Prukop hadn't worked out the same way, with the Oregon coaches making the switch to Justin Herbert midway through the year. Cal's going to need to play some of the quarterbacks they've recruited at some point, otherwise that doesn't speak very well to their development. The Herbert situation could prove as a sort of early warning to the Cal coaching staff to not go to the well that often.

“Then comes what happened at USC, where Browne got replaced by Darnold by the Utah game. The biggest change between the two is mobility in the pocket, and that's something that Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital wants to see more of from his quarterbacks. Class of 2017 QB commit Chase Garbers looks to be more mobile this year than he has in the past, and the top 2018 and 2019 QB recruits for the Bears (Adrian Martinez and Michael Johnson Jr.), are more mobile guys. If the Bears want to move in that direction offensively, Browne may not be the best fit.” – Trace Travers, GoldenBearReport.com

Second take: “I think he was overrated. Watching him in high school and watching him get his chance this season I see the same player. That worked in high school against Washington competition in a spread offense where you just had to make a decision and get the ball out. He still had a little bit of a windup delivery and he’s not mobile. I just don’t see it clicking for him. Cal and Washington State are complete 50-plus pass-a-game programs. He could put up numbers but the lack of mobility, the delayed decision-making and the release point makes me believe the NFL won’t be interested.” - Farrell

Storyline: Penn State is one of the hottest teams in college football and the Nittany Lions own the biggest upset this season by beating Ohio State a couple weeks ago in Happy Valley.

They find themselves 6-2 with losses on the road to Pitt and Michigan, and No. 12 in the first College Football Playoff rankings.

Twelve?

That’s right. Penn State is ahead of LSU, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Baylor, West Virginia, Florida State and some other really talented squads.

Maybe the Nittany Lions are that good and the committee got it right. Or maybe Penn State is just a touch overrated at this point. With games against Iowa, Indiana, Rutgers and Michigan State, the Lions could finish strong and possibly move even higher.

First take: “Even the most optimistic of Penn State fans wouldn’t have predicted the program to land at No. 12 on the first CFP rankings. Finally getting back into the top 25 was definitely an expectation coming out of the Ohio State game, which is still inarguably the biggest upset in college football this season, but most Penn State fans understand that this is very much a development year for the program.

“Certainly, if Penn State is to run the table, it’d be hard to argue against its place in the national conversation. With its remaining games against Iowa, Indiana, Rutgers and Michigan State, though, a marquee bowl opponent might be necessary to fully understand just how far Penn State has come since the start of the season. What’s clear internally for a team that entered the season without the burden of high external expectations, any inclusion in a conversation centered around the College Football Playoff is welcomed, but ultimately meaningless when contrast with the importance of actual development for a very young and inexperienced Penn State program.” – Nate Bauer, BlueWhiteIllustrated.com

Second take: “Twelve is high. I don’t think they’re in the same category as Auburn or Wisconsin as two-loss programs. If they played a team like Florida State with three losses I think they’d lose. But they do have a victory that no one else in the country can claim. They beat Ohio State, the No. 2 team in the country. They have arguably the biggest win in college football this season. If this committee is looking at what have you done for me lately? Then No. 12 is great. But again, there are a couple teams behind them that would beat them head-to-head. They’re just too close in the rankings to teams like Wisconsin and Auburn that are playing much better.” - Farrell