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James Franklin on Big Ten, CFB Playoff: ‘As a conference, we have to look at what we’re doing’
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For the third straight season, the winner of the Big Ten is being left out of the College Football Playoff.
Two years ago, Penn State won the conference, but Ohio State made it into the playoff. Once there, the Buckeyes got shutout by Clemson in the semifinal.
Last season, Ohio State won the conference and missed the playoff entirely. This season, the same exact thing happened: The Buckeyes won the conference, but missed the Top 4. What gives?
On Sunday, Penn State coach James Franklin talked quite a bit about the Big Ten, its current model and schedule how it works with the CFB Playoff.
“As a conference, we have to look at what we’re doing, look at our model, and see if it makes sense, especially our side of the conference,” Franklin said. “We’re beating each other up week in and week out. Other conferences play eight [conference] games and there’s conversation of putting two of their teams in, and we play nine and have been left out three years in a row. Are we doing what’s best for our conference schools to make the Playoff?
“In my mind, that’s what you need to do. You need to do everything in your power to give you the best chance to be undefeated at the end of the regular season. It’s at least worth a discussion, because it’s three years in a row now that we’ve been left out.”
Franklin certainly has some legitimate points. Is the Big Ten schedule too daunting? Is it fair that the B1G has t play 9 conference games, while some others play 8?
No, but, sports isn’t 100 percent fair. Regardless, if something can be changed to help the conference, why not look more into it?
Franklin talked more about it:
“We have to look at that as well, and say, are we putting our programs in the Big Ten in the best position to compete for a national championship?” Franklin said. “When one conference who is playing less conference games than we are and has been playing I-AA programs for a long time, when there’s discussion of them possibly getting two teams in and us having been left out the last three years, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to not at least have the conversation.”
Franklin here was certainly talking about the SEC. He spent time in that conference, coaching at Vanderbilt before joining Penn State. He knows how the scheduling goes in both conferences.
Again, maybe it’s just been a small cycle where the Big Ten hasn’t been deserving of getting a team in the playoff. On the other hand, maybe there’s something the conference as a whole is doing to hurt its own teams from getting to the ultimate prize.
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.