After what transpired between Notre Dame and Penn State in last years College Football Playoff, you’d think that the Nittany Lions head coach James Frankin wouldn’t have much to say about the Irish’s independence.
Well, that wasn’t exactly the case, as during the Big Ten Media days he was asked about playing eight or nine conference games, and again was critical on its freedom without directly being asked about Notre Dame. Franklin brought it up on his own, as it seems like he’s harboring a bit of anger towards the Irish months after seeing his team lose to them.
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The Nittany Lions coach talked about having conversations in the SEC when he was coaching Vanderbilt about changing the number of conference games, and randomly decided to take a jab at the Irish, saying “everybody should be in a conference. I said that last year in a press conference before we played Notre Dame, and everybody thought I was slighting Notre Dame. I’ve been saying that for 10 years.”
Franklin believes that the comparison between other teams and the Irish aren’t the same, but its about body of work as opposed to winning a conference title. Ohio State didn’t win the Big Ten last year, but they proved they were the best team, and the Irish gave them their toughest challenge during the CFP run.
Let’s compare schedules, as Penn State has three ranked games inside its conference schedule, while the Irish have two without being affiliated. Franklin’s argument that the committee isn’t able to properly compare teams is off base, it’s pretty obvious which teams are the best in terms of making the playoff.
Maybe Franklin isn’t just mad about losing to Notre Dame, as they’ve won out multiple recruiting battles (cornerback Khary Adams, safety Joey O’Brien, offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh and yesterday 2027 quarterback Teddy Jarrard) between the two schools. Either way, it’s a bad look that he continues to wear.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: James Franklin still isn’t happy with Notre Dame being independent
