Earlier in the week, Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin took a subtle shot at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and their head coach Marcus Freeman. While discussing the upcoming College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinal game, Franklin discussed the value and importance of the contest for each individual school and conference.
While the Nittany Lions play in the Big Ten Conference, the Fighting Irish are on a few FBS Independent programs. However, the schools both boast very similar regular season records. Penn State finished the regular season with an 11-2 record while Notre Dame completed the campaign with a record of 11-1, though some would cry out about a potential difference in the strength of schedule.
What Did James Franklin Say About Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman?
Franklin explained how the big game between the two schools is important for “representing our schools and our conferences.” However, he then corrected himself and clarified his comments.
“Or, our conference, excuse me,” he added.
Franklin continued by outlining his belief that everyone should be placed in a conference.
“It should be consistent across college football. This is no knock at Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference. I think everybody should play a conference championship game, or nobody should play a conference champion championship game. I think everybody should play the same number of conference games,” he explained.
In response, Freeman expressed how Notre Dame is proud of being an independent football program and does not believe full uniformity is needed to know which schools are the best in the nation.
Orange Bowl Preview
The Nittany Lions face the Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025. The contest will take place at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Despite the differing beliefs of both head coaches, the two teams entered the College Football Playoff as the No. 6 and No. 7 seed, respectively, proving their worth during the season.
The Nittany Lions defeated the No. 11-seeded SMU Mustangs 38-10 and the No. 3-ranked Boise State Broncos by a score of 31-14 to arrive in the semi-final game. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish triumphed against the No. 10-seeded Indiana Hoosiers 27-17 and the No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs 23-10 to punch their ticket to the Orange Bowl game.
The contest figures to be a good one between two of the most talented college football rosters in the country this year. The winner of this semifinal will face off against the winner of the Texas Longhorns-Ohio State Buckeyes Cotton Bowl matchup in the finals of the College Football Playoff. The winner of that game will be crowned this year’s national champion.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.