Penn State’s James Franklin attacks Notre Dame before CFP game: ‘Everyone should be in conference’

Before him Nittany Lions Taking on the Fighting Irish for a spot in the national title game, Penn State head coach James Franklin has been vocal about not playing Notre Dame in the conference.

Our Lady It is one of three teams that plays an independent schedule in the FBS, but the expansion of the College Football Playoff led Franklin to believe that every team should be in a conference.

It didn’t matter that Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was right next to him during a joint news conference on Wednesday. Franklin announced his thoughts.

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“It has to be consistent across 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 in the conference championship game, or no one should be playing in the conference championship game. I think everyone should be playing the same Number of conference games.”

As far back as Franklin, the Nittany Lions made the Big Ten Championship game, where they lost to Oregon duckswho were selected as the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Ducks fell to Ohio State, which will face Texas for the other spot in the national title game.

Penn State has played one more game than Notre Dame, making the CFP as an at-large team with the No. 7 seed.

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Therefore, as more teams enter the playoffs, Franklin calls on each team to play the same number of games and belong to a conference.

However, Notre Dame remained adamant about its independent status, which had 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 only play eight conference games, while the Big Ten plays nine before playing conference championship games.

Franklin likes the SEC’s eight-game conference schedule.

“I wasn’t a math person at East Stroudsburg, but the numbers will just make things more difficult if you’re playing another conference game,” said Franklin, who previously coached at Vanderbilt in the SEC.

“We need someone to look at it from a big picture perspective.”

The CFP selection process has already been ridiculed in this first year of the expanded playoffs, with teams like Alabama being left out. Franklin wants to see consistency because of the scheduling differences, which in his view makes it difficult for the selection committee.

“How do you put those people in that room to make a really important decision that impacts 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 difficult.”

Freeman said he realizes how his program’s independence comes with a great sense of pride, but he also knows his team can use conference championship weekend to rest and recover, a luxury only Notre Dame can afford before heading to the playoffs.

“I’m a ‘just think, tell us what we’re doing, and let’s go’ guy. And you move on,” Freeman said when asked if he had an opinion on the matter. “And you move on,” which is where we are now. (Notre Dame athletic director) Pete Bevacqua and the 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 Thursday in Miami Gardens, Florida, at 7:30 p.m.

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