Penn State's James Franklin Eyes Equal Conference Schedules After CFP Bracket Reveal

After the College Football Playoff field was decided on Sunday, Penn State head coach James Franklin offered a suggestion to make things more equal across different conferences.

"Everyone should be playing the same number of conference games," Franklin said, per StateCollege.com's Seth Engle.

Franklin's Nittany Lions were named the No. 6 seed in the first 12-team CFP bracket on Sunday. Penn State's only losses came to Ohio State and Oregon, which it fell to in the Big Ten Championship Saturday.

The Big Ten announced last fall that it would continue to play nine conference games every year until at least the 2029 season. The Big 12 revealed ahead of the 2024 season that it would continue playing nine league games as well.

The other two Power 4 conferences, the SEC and ACC, each play eight conference games despite the SEC expanding to 16 teams this year and the ACC moving to 18 teams.

It's unclear whether Franklin thinks the best decision is for the Big Ten and Big 12 to move to eight games or for the SEC and ACC to move to nine games, but he's ready to even things out.

Franklin's frustration with the Nittany Lions' grueling schedule makes sense when you consider how the last few seasons have gone for him. Penn State has not lost a regular-season nonconference game since 2016, when it lost an early-season matchup against Pittsburgh.

The Nittany Lions never made the College Football Playoff under the four-team format, though that could have been different if they hadn't had to play an additional Big Ten matchup.

Franklin and Penn State have more to worry about than their conference schedule right now as they prepare for a matchup against No. 11-seeded SMU. After losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship, the Mustangs made it into the Playoff over Alabama and are now looking for a big upset over the Nittany Lions.

Penn State will get the benefit of hosting inside what should be a rowdy Beaver Stadium on Dec. 21. A win would get the Nittany Lions a date with No. 3-seeded Boise State in the quarterfinals.