College football playoff screaming season is in full swing. Penn State isn’t immune to having its name invoked, for better or worse, as the No. 4 team in the rankings latest CFP rankings. Although the Nittany Lions face a critical match Saturday in Minnesotawhere their playoff hopes were derailed in 2019, they can’t really escape the conversation.

So on Wednesday, Penn State coach James Franklin was asked to assess the strength of the Big Ten this season. He responded by saying the Big Ten and SEC should make up the majority of the 12 playoff teams and made no apologies for it.

“The reality is, whether people’s feelings are hurt or not, these two conferences need to have the most (teams) and the most presence in the playoffs because we’ve earned it all along. season,” Franklin told reporters after practice. State College.

State of Pennsylvania (9-1) was excluded from the argument due to the strength of its schedule (38, according to ESPN College Football Power Index), backrest strength (4) and seven-point loss to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions draw comparisons, which range from so-so to overworked to two-loss teams in the SEC.

Franklin called it the battle over the “college football narrative,” which will continue until the 12-team playoff field is announced Dec. 8 (and even after). But Franklin said the Big Ten and SEC deserve to lead that narrative.

“Obviously I’m concerned about Penn State and obviously the Big Ten, but I’m one of the few guys who’s been a head coach in both conferences,” said Franklin, who spent three years at Vanderbilt before becoming head coach of Penn State in 2014. “And to me, the good thing to talk about is that the two best conferences in all of college football are the Big Ten and the SEC, and we should have the most teams in (the playoffs). I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

“I think where it becomes problematic is when you have rules for certain teams and certain conferences, and maybe people don’t feel like they’re in the top 12. We have luck. We’re in the group. two conferences that I think everyone would agree are the two strongest conferences. I don’t think we need to take a chance in the Big Ten in the SEC. , because this has been proven over time And I don’t think so. not that the SEC should do it. We’re in a very, very good position in both conferences, I don’t think there’s any discussion about that.”

An eventful month of December ahead

After its regular season finale against Maryland on Nov. 30, Franklin won’t have much downtime. Even if the Nittany Lions do not qualify for the Big Ten title gamehead coach faces rapid recruiting turnaround. The early signing period begins Dec. 4 and the NCAA transfer portal opens Dec. 9, meaning Franklin and his staff will be doing a lot of roster building and retention while preparing for a potential playoff game.

Franklin said Wednesday that Penn State will hold its annual signing program even if the team plays in the conference championship game. The event will simply feature fewer attendants present during the festivities.

“Typically it’s the entire staff, but it’ll be me and the (program) recruiting staff,” Franklin said. “The rest of the coaches will do the game planning. It takes a lot of organization, vision and communication to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Road Warriors

Penn State can pull off a rare sweep Saturday at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions are 4-0 on the road this season. With a win against the Gophers, Penn State will move to 5-0 in regular season road games for the first time since 1994.

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