Penn State coach James Franklin believes ‘everybody should be in a conference’

The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football. So does the Big 12. The Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference are among those playing eight-game league schedules. The Mountain West played a seven-game league slate. Notre Dame doesn’t have a league.

Enough, Penn State coach James Franklin says.

Franklin — who raised some eyebrows last month when he said that former Alabama coach Nick Saban should become commissioner of college football, a job that doesn’t technically exist and an idea that Saban didn’t seem to like very much — was at it again Wednesday, saying on the eve of his team’s matchup with Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl that the sport needs uniformity.

“I know a lot of times when coaches talk like this, people roll their eyes,” Franklin said. “But I think when every decision that we make is based on finances, then we’re not making great decisions that’s in the student-athlete and the game of football’s best interest. … I think it should be consistent across college football.”

Franklin — who was seated next to Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman as he spoke in the final news conference previewing their Orange Bowl matchup Thursday night — is not new to offering big-picture solutions to issues facing college football. He also made clear that he wasn’t knocking Notre Dame, which views not being in a conference for football as a strength.

“I think it should be consistent across college football. I think, again, this is no knock at coach or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference,” Franklin began.

“I think everybody should play a conference championship game or no one should play a conference championship game,” Franklin said. “I think everybody should play the same number of conference games. But, just the numbers are going to make things more challenging if you’re playing one more conference game. So I just think things need to be consistent across college football.”

Among Franklin’s other ideas: looking at starting the season a week earlier to help alleviate end-of-year pressures especially for schools that go deep into the CFP, and he reiterated the idea of having someone — Saban, former Boise State and Washington coach Chris Petersen and former Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson would be atop his list — overseeing the game.

The notion of a commissioner — Saban in particular — drew support from Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin, one of Saban’s former assistants, earlier this month as well.

“I can’t imagine there being a better person that genuinely has the best interest for the game and the kids,” Kiffin said. “He always has. He’s always been old-school that way. There couldn’t be a better person than him to do it.”

In this era of name, image and likeness, with an expanded playoff now in place and with the college seasons longer than ever for some teams — the teams in the CFP title game will be playing either their 16th or 17th games of the season — it only makes sense for changes to keep coming.

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“But it doesn’t matter who the commissioner is, you have to give the guy power,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “And right now the power is with the leagues. And if everybody wants to get in the sandbox and play nice and let someone be in charge of it, that would be best thing. Right now no one is showing that they’re willing to let somebody create consensus, and I think that’s what’s hurting our game.”

Franklin doesn’t have all the answers. But he, like many coaches, has a ton of questions at what seems to be a transformative time for the college game.

“I think there’s just a ton of things that need to be discussed and looked at,” Franklin said. “And I think we need to do it with people that do not feel the pressure from their university or their conference.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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