The Orange Bowl will host Penn State Football and Notre Dame on Thursday. However, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin has some skepticism towards the Fighting Irish. He explained to Brett McMurphy about how Notre Dame doesn’t have to play in a conference and the unfairness towards other school.
“I think, again, this is no knock on Coach (Freeman) or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference,” Franklin said. “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.”
Notre Dame is an independent school, meaning they have no conference or conference opponents. As a result, their record is what is taken into consideration for the College Football Playoff eligibility. While the Fighting Irish are 12-1 so far, it makes other teams resent them.
Franklin doesn’t resent Notre Dame, but he believes it’s not entirely fair. For instance, Penn State football was in the Big 10 championship against Oregon. Although the outcome of that game didn’t matter too much for the Nittany Lions, the implications were still high.
Penn State football’s James Franklin wants Notre Dame to be like the others
A conference title game can decide who makes the CFP and who doesn’t. For example, Iowa State missed out on the CFP because they lost to Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. The Fighting Irish have the luxury of not playing a conference championship game. As a result, it can help them get a spot in the CFP, with the expanded 12-team format.
Furthermore, it ruins some of the competition across college football. The Penn State and Ohio rivalry is strong. The Texas and Alabama rivalry is strong, among many others. Not having a conference makes it a cakewalk for the CFP nowadays. Teams like the Nittany Lions have to be wary of their wins, and especially their losses.
Some of Notre Dame’s support comes from “tradition.” They’ve traditionally been an independent school and don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. However, in the past five years, NIL, and the transfer portal have incorporated themselves with college athletics.
Sooner or later, the Fighting Irish might be exempt from the playoff because of playing in a non-conference. They have the talent to do so. Franklin’s point is that Penn State football and other teams have to work hard to get in. Why should Notre Dame get a pass? He’ll have a chance to take out those frustrations on Thursday in the Orange Bowl.
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