Penn State and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] are gearing up for their Fiesta Bowl matchup against Boise State, but that did not stop the Nittany Lions head coach from getting asked how to fix college football just a few days before the program’s biggest game in years.
In his media availability this weekend, Franklin stepped away from discussing how to stop Ashton Jeanty and his 12-2 Nittany Lions and instead focused on the bigger picture. The question of how to “fix college football” has been asked recently, mainly because Penn State lost backup quarterback Beau Pribula to the transfer portal in the middle of a title race. Pribula left in part to seek out more NIL money and a starting role, as many do in the new era of college football.
Franklin was asked, “what can be done to incentivize playing for the team you’re on, as opposed to thinking about what’s going to happen next?”
Franklin’s answer sparked some buzz around college football circles. He suggested that college football needs a commissioner like any major sports organization. Franklin went further, naming former Alabama head coach and college football legend Nick Saban as the optimal candidate for the role.
Saban’s name has been tossed in the ring for a possible commissioner role by other head coaches, including Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
Franklin discussed other changes that would benefit college football, including eliminating conference championship games, requiring teams to play the same number of conference games, and starting the season a week earlier.
Franklin and Kiffin didn’t hesitate to pick Nick Saban as the ideal college football commissioner. It remains to be seen if the former coach would want to take on such a significant role, but Saban would undoubtedly have the backing of some of the top sports head coaches.