Sean Clifford says Penn State not worried about USC rumors, focused on Auburn

There’s nothing like a good rumor to distract a team from what they need to focus on, but Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is tuning it all out and only concerned with beating Auburn — and according to him so is Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin.

Clifford on the Franklin-USC rumors, "Coach Franklin talked yesterday, just addressed the topic. I don't think that it's anything we need to worry about. It's something that is kind of out of our hands. We're just going to focus on Auburn and then go from there."

— Elton Hayes (@EHDC12) September 15, 2021

When USC fired head coach Clay Helton earlier this week, it didn’t take long for the speculation about who would fill the position and relocate to Southern California. Among those on nearly every list, was Franklin.

But keeping the eye on the ball will be a tall order this week, with plenty of hype building up to this weekend’s prime-time showdown. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in College Station for their weekly live broadcast, and ABC will have it’s “A-Team” of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstriet and Holly Rowe covering the game.

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Auburn heads into Happy Valley as the first SEC team to do so since Alabama in 2011. The game, a “White Out” at Beaver Stadium, is a matchup of two unbeaten teams, with Auburn having defeated its first two opponents by a combined 122-10 score. ESPN’s College Football Power Index rates the game as a top-10 game — Auburn at No. 10 and PSU and No. 8.

"We're really excited about what we've got on the table this week, so we're not going to let outside sources change our game plan or our thought process on the game."

— Elton Hayes (@EHDC12) September 15, 2021

A 6:30 PM kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 18 at Beaver Stadium in College State, Pennsylvania.