Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519242
M A Y 2 0 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M O utlining the Penn State football team's objectives this spring, head coach James Franklin rattled off a list of familiar items that are important this time of year. A key one, he said, was that the Nittany Lions needed to lay a foundation on which they could build, even amid a series of offseason comings and goings. "I think more than anything, it's a foundation of habits. It's a founda- tion of offense, defense and special teams. Not just for the players but for some of the coaches as well who are new," Franklin said. "I think it's just the foundation of all those things: habits and an understanding of the offense, defense and special teams so that you truly have a chance to compete in the summer." He wasn't finished. Turning his attention to the new- comers who will arrive later this spring and early in the summer — true fresh- man enrollees and possibly late addi- tions from the transfer portal — Frank- lin offered a subliminal glimpse at their collective importance. Uncertain of how position battles will shake out, or which new faces will impact this team as starters or significant backups, the staff is adhering to one overriding principle in its pursuit of excellence Penn State is working to produce as much game-ready depth as it possibly can this offseason. And it is doing so with the intent of using all of it. Determined to become part of a conversation from which they were largely excluded during the previous 10 seasons, the Nittany Lions are talking about the 2024 campaign in College Football Playoff terms. "We don't know who those guys are right now," Franklin said. "We'll have a better chance to evaluate that and see if any of those guys who haven't been here yet will have a chance to help us. Not necessarily by Game 1, but maybe they've shown us that they've got a chance, and then by Game 4 or 5, they're ready to contribute. Especially when you talk about the possibility of 17 games, that's a long season." Franklin's reference to the potential of playing 17 games was not a one-off this spring, and it represents a change in the way the program talks about its goals. Throughout his tenure at PSU, he and his staff have been fixated on instilling a one-game-at-a-time mentality in players. The playoff has rarely been discussed publicly as a goal. Rather, the focus has been on handling opponents individually, the idea being that postseason opportunities would be a byproduct of weekly successes through the regular season. Penn State is guaranteed 12 games this year, starting with nonconference clashes against West Virginia, Bowling Green and Kent State. The Big Ten slate will serve up games against new confer- ence members UCLA, USC and Wash- ington, along with perennial foes Wis- consin and Ohio State, among others. Should Penn State pass all of those tests, it would find itself in India- napolis for the Big Ten Championship Game, which starting this year will feature the two top overall teams in the final standings of the division-less conference. If the Nittany Lions don't win the conference, they wouldn't necessarily be precluded from partici- pation in the new 12-team CFP field. Penn State could find itself among eight teams playing first-round play- off games — home for Nos. 5 through 8, away for Nos. 9 through 12. Or, as a top-four-seeded team, the Lions could meet a first-round winner in one of four bowl games: the Fiesta, Peach, Rose or Sugar. Those winners will then move into semifinal matchups in the Cotton and Orange bowls, followed by the national championship game Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. Teams that lose their conference championship game but still make the CFP field will have the toughest path of all. They'll have played 13 games and won't receive a first-round bye in the playoff, meaning that they'll have to win four additional games to claim the national title. New Penn State defensive coordina- tor Tom Allen acknowledged that the expanded playoff format has shaped his perspective on the importance of developing depth. "I think there's an element of try- ing to maximize the number of guys we have, to play a lot of guys and give us that depth so we can be ready for a long season," he said. "You want to be in that playoff hunt and that opportu- nity to get in that situation. We're just going to keep on playing more games than college teams played in the past … so we have to adapt to that, without question." ■ Defensive coordinator Tom Allen said that with the College Football Playoff growing to 12 teams and four rounds, it's more important than ever to develop depth throughout the lineup. PHOTO BY SEAN FITZ O P I N I O N NATE BAUER N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M HOT READ Playoff Expansion Prompts Some Deep Thinking At PSU