The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football. The same goes for the Big 12. The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference are among those playing eight-game league schedules. The Mountain West played a seven-game league slate. Notre Dame has no league.
Penn State coach James Franklin says enough is enough.
Franklin, who raised eyebrows last month when former Alabama coach Nick Saban said he should become college football’s commissioner, is at it again, even though it’s a job that technically doesn’t exist and an idea Saban doesn’t really like. On Wednesday, the night before his team faces Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl, he said sports need unity.
“I know a lot of times when a coach says this, people roll their eyes,” Franklin said. “But when every decision we make is based on finances, I don’t think we’re making good decisions in the best interest of our student-athletes and the best interests of football. … I think that should be consistent across college football. do. “
Franklin, who sat next to Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman during the final press conference previewing Thursday night’s Orange Bowl game, is not new to offering big-picture solutions to the problems facing college football. He also made it clear that he wasn’t knocking Notre Dame, which he sees as a strength in not being part of a football conference.
“I think this should be consistent across college football. Again, this is not a knock on the coaches or Notre Dame, but I think everyone should be in the room.” Franklin started.
“I think everyone should be in the conference championship game, and I don’t think anyone should be in the conference championship game,” Franklin said. “I think everyone should play the same number of conference games, but having one more conference game would make things more difficult just because of the numbers. So I think things need to be consistent across college football.”
Among Franklin’s other ideas, he’s considering starting the season a week early to ease the end-of-year pressure on schools that are particularly heavily involved in the CFP, and he reiterated the idea of having someone like former Boise State coach and Washington coach Chris Saban on board. Petersen and former Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson will be on his roster to coach the game.
The notion of a commissioner (and Saban in particular) gained support earlier this month from Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin, one of Saban’s former assistants.
“I can’t imagine a better person who truly has the best interest of the game and the kids,” Kiffin said. “He’s always been that way. He’s always been old-fashioned that way. There’s no one better than him.”
In an age of names, images and likenesses, the playoffs are expanding and some teams’ college seasons are longer than ever. The team in the CFP title game will be playing its 16th or 17th game of the season. Change only makes sense if it continues.
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“But it doesn’t matter who the commissioner is, you have to give him authority,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “And the power right now is in the league. And if everyone wants to get in the sandbox and play well and have someone accountable for that, that would be the best thing. Right now, no one has shown the willingness to do that. “I think it would be detrimental to our game to have someone come to an agreement.”
Franklin doesn’t have all the answers. But he, like many coaches, has many questions about this transformative time in the college game.
“I think there are so many things that need to be discussed and looked at,” Franklin said. “And I think we need to surround ourselves with people who don’t feel pressured by universities or conferences.”
The Associated Press reported.
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