Penn State’s James Franklin slams Notre Dame ahead of CFP matchup: ‘Everybody should be in conference’

Before his Nittany Lions against the Fighting Irish for a spot in the national title game, Penn State head coach James Franklin was open about Notre Dame not playing in the conference.

Notre Dame is one of three teams that play independently on a schedule in the FBS, but the expansion of the College Football Playoff led Franklin to believe that every team should be in the conference.

It didn’t matter that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was right next to him during Wednesday’s joint news conference. Franklin made his thoughts known.

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“He should be consistent in college football,” Franklin explained, via ESPN . “This is not knocking [Freeman] or Notre Dame, but I think they should all be in the conference. I think everyone should play for a conference championship, or no one should play for a conference championship. I think everyone should play the same number of conference games.”

As for Franklin, the Nittany Lions advanced to the Big Ten championship game, where they lost to Oregon Duckswho were named the top seed in the college football playoffs. The Ducks fell to Ohio State, which will take on Texas for the second seed in the national title game.

Penn State played one more game than Notre Dame, making the CFP an at-large No. 7 seed.

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So with multiple teams making the playoffs, Franklin calls for each team to play the same number of games and belong to a conference.

However, Notre Dame is steadfast in its independent status, which has been part of its identity for decades. The other Fighting Irish teams play in the ACC, the conference with which the football program has a scheduling agreement.

There are also differences between conferences. For example, SEC teams play only eight conference games, while the Big Ten plays nine before the conference championship games are played.

Franklin likes the SEC’s eight-game conference schedule.

“I didn’t major in math at East Stroudsburg, but the numbers alone will make things more challenging if you’re playing another conference game,” said Franklin, who previously coached at Vanderbilt in the SEC.

“We need someone who looks at it from a big-picture perspective.”

The CFP selection process has already been ridiculed in this first year of an expanded playoff, with teams like Alabama left out. Franklin wants to see consistency because of the differences in the schedule, which in his eyes makes it difficult for the selection committee.

“How do you get those people who are in that room to make a really important decision that affects the landscape of college football and they can’t compare apples to apples or oranges to oranges?” Franklin wondered. “I think it’s very, very difficult.”

Freeman said he understands his program’s independence comes with a great sense of pride, but he also knows his team can use the conference weekend to rest and recover, a luxury only Notre Dame can afford before heading to the playoffs.

“I’m a guy who just [thinks[, ‘Tell us what we’re doing, and let’s go.’ And you move forward,” Freeman said when asked about whether he had an opinion on the matter. “I love where we’re at right now. [Notre Dame athletic director] Pete Bevacqua and our Notre Dame administration will continue to make decisions that are best for our program.”

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The Capital One Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame begins Thursday in Miami Gardens, Florida at 7:30 PM ET.

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