Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has never shoed away from sharing his opinions on what he feels are good or bad for the game of college football. And he is certainly not one to back away from speaking his mind about how the game should operate. With Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions prepping for a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Notre Dame, Franklin share his opinion on whether or not his next opponent should be in a conference. And it will surely ruffle some feathers in the Notre Dame community.
“This is no knock on Coach [Marcus Freeman] or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference,” Franklin said during a joint press conference for the Orange Bowl with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. “I think everybody should play a conference championship game or no one should play a conference championship game. I think everybody should play the same number of conference games.”
This is not the first time Franklin has made statements suggesting the sport needs more consistency across the landscape. Franklin went on to reiterate some of his feelings about all teams playing the same number of conference games.
Notre Dame is one of the last remaining independent programs, and the Fighting Irish are the most notable independent in college football. Football independence has been one of the things the school has held dear at heart despite the recent waves of major realignment changes in the college athletics landscape. BYU joined the Big 12 last year and Army has joined the American Athletic Conference, but Notre Dame remains tied to its football independence.
Franklin’s concerns about more consistency in the sport are valid, but there are over 130 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Asking them all to play by the exact same set of rules when it comes to scheduling is a near-impossible task whether everyone is in a conference or not.
Helmet sticker to South Bend Tribune.
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