Before his Nittany Lions Taking on the Fighting Irish for a spot in the national title game, Penn State head coach James Franklin was blunt about Notre Dame not playing in a conference.
Our Lady is one of three teams that play an independent schedule in the FBS, but the expansion of the College Football Playoff has led Franklin to believe that every team should participate in a conference.
It didn’t matter that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman stood next to him during a joint press conference on Wednesday. Franklin made his thoughts known.
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Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
“It should be consistent in college football,” Franklin explained, via ESPN. “This is not a knock on (Freeman) or Notre Dame, but I think everyone should be in a conference. I think everyone should be playing a conference championship game, or no one should be playing a conference championship game. I think everyone should play the same song from conference games.”
According to Franklin, the Nittany Lions made it to the Big Ten championship game, where they lost to the Oregon duckswho were named the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Ducks fell to Ohio State, who will face Texas for the other spot in the national title game.
Penn State played one more game than Notre Dame, making the CFP an overall team with the No. 7 seed.
So with more teams entering the playoffs, Franklin is calling on each team to play the same number of games and participate in a conference.
However, Notre Dame is adamant about its independent status, which has been part of its identity for decades. Other Fighting Irish teams play in the ACC, the conference with which the football program has a scheduling agreement.
There are also differences between conferences. For example, SEC teams play only eight conference games, while the Big Ten plays nine before playing the conference championship games.
Franklin likes the eight-game conference schedule in the SEC.
Penn State head coach James Franklin talks to an official during the second half against SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on December 21, 2024 in State College, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
“I didn’t study math at East Stroudsburg, but the numbers alone will make things more challenging if you play another conference game,” said Franklin, who previously coached at Vanderbilt in the SEC.
“We need someone to look at it from a big perspective.”
The CFP selection process has already been ridiculed in this first year of an expanded playoff, leaving out teams like Alabama. Franklin wants to see consistency because of roster differences, which in his view makes it difficult for the selection committee.
“How do you ensure that the people in that room are making a very important decision that affects the landscape of college football, and they can’t compare apples to apples or oranges to oranges?” Franklin wondered. “I think that makes it very, very difficult.”
Freeman said he realizes his program’s independence comes with a great sense of pride, but he also knows his team can use the conference championship weekend to rest and recover, a luxury only Notre Dame can afford. could afford before going to the playoffs.
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
“I’m a guy who just (thinks(: ‘Tell us what we’re doing, and let’s go.’) and you move on,” Freeman said when asked if he had an opinion on the matter. “I love it what we’re doing right now (Notre Dame athletic director) Pete Bevacqua and our Notre Dame administration will continue to make decisions that are best for our program.
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The Capital One Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame kicks off at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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