Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
1 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M J ames Franklin has often discussed the disparities and inequites of col- lege football, including Notre Dame's role as an independent in a sport that's largely organized around conferences. It's been one of his most familiar talk- ing points, so his "slip of the tongue" during a 45-minute press conference with Notre Dame counterpart Marcus Freeman the day before the Orange Bowl did serve a purpose. "Ultimately, it's about Penn State, and it's about Notre Dame, and our teams going out on the field and com- peting and representing our schools and our conferences," Franklin said. Then he paused. "Or, our conference, excuse me." The line elicited a few laughs from reporters in the room, but the sentiment wasn't a one-off. Later, while discuss- ing some of the big-picture issues fac- ing college football, Franklin made clear that he believes uniformity should be part of the sport. Franklin said he believes all teams should be in a conference, that all con- ferences should play the same number of league games, and that either every- one should play a conference champi- onship game or no one should play one. "Things need to be consistent," he said. "There are just a ton of things that need to be discussed and looked at." Freeman, meanwhile, stepped lightly around the topic. He acknowledged that Notre Dame considers its independent status to be a selling point among re- cruits and fans due to the scheduling flexibility it provides, but he added that he didn't have strong opinions on the subject. Under the current College Football Playoff format, Notre Dame isn't eligi- ble for a first-round bye, because those spots go to the four highest-ranked conference champions. However, the Irish are guaranteed a week off, since there's no conference championship game awaiting them after the end of their regular season. "We get to really view our program as a national, global program, in terms of how we play and the audience we play in front of now," Freeman said. "It's not much different than the Big Ten now with UCLA and USC and some of the West Coast teams in it. "But again, we view being indepen- dent as a positive thing. And we sell it to our recruits and our players as a posi- tive thing. We know we can't play in a championship game. And we can't have a first-round bye. But we continue to use not playing Week 13 as our bye, and that's the way view it." One of Franklin's frustrations with the current state of college football is that there's no one with a global per- spective looking out for the overall health of the sport. The schools and conferences act in their own interest, and there's no one with a broader man- date. At a press conference prior to Penn State's Fiesta Bowl appearance against Boise State, Franklin made headlines when he proposed appointing former Alabama coach Nick Saban to such a role. Since stepping down in January 2024, Saban has moved into broad- casting and has joined "ESPN College GameDay," where he's opined on many of the major issues impacting the sport, from NIL rules to revenue sharing to the playoff selection process. Winner of seven national championships — one with LSU, six with Alabama — Saban clearly has a fan in State College. "I think he's the obvious choice, right?" Franklin said. The veteran Penn State coach said he wants to see someone looking out for the sport as an institution, noting that "one of the most important things that we can do is get a commissioner of college football who is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that are in the best interest of college football." Franklin's suggestion received wide- spread applause, but the praise was not universal. "I was on a call the other day with Nick Saban, and he wasn't real happy about me promoting him for commis- sioner of college football," Franklin admitted during his appearance with Freeman prior to the Orange Bowl. "But I think we need that. I think we need somebody who's looking at it from a big-picture perspective, whether that's Nick Saban or [former Washington coach] Chris Petersen or [former Wake Forest coach] Dave Clawson, who I think is a really, really smart football guy. I think having somebody in that position would be valuable for our sport and our student-athletes." ■ James Franklin Advocates For Consistency In College Football NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M During a press conference previewing the Fiesta Bowl, Franklin suggested that former Alabama football coach Nick Saban would be a worthy candidate to oversee the sport as commissioner. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS