2 days Ago By Zain Bando
Penn State isn’t just advancing to the College Football Playoff semifinal as one of two Big Ten teams remaining in the field. It’s doing so with a purpose. Since losing to Oregon last month, the Nittany Lions have blitzed through their first two playoff opponents: SMU and Boise State.
Both were dominant performances, further proving that it’s loss to an already eliminated Ohio State earlier this season was the wake-up call it needed to push toward a national title. Taking a 10,000-foot view, it’s an even bigger deal for coach James Franklin. Given Notre Dame’s upset win against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs Thursday , history is going to be made regardless of the outcome between both schools.
Inside Zone’s Matt Fortuna was one of the few media members to notice an historic milestone and how far the sport has come. “With Penn State (James Franklin) and Notre Dame (Marcus Freeman) squaring off in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Orange Bowl, there is guaranteed to be a Black head coach in the FBS national championship game for the first time ever,” Fortuna wrote. Not only is it an outstanding feat regardless of which team advances, it also gives the Big Ten validation that it doesn’t have to play second-fiddle to the SEC.
Although Franklin has his critics at times, it’s clear he wants to see college football improve holistically. Whether that’s a commissioner overseeing the whole sport or further regulations regarding the transfer portal, he is acting as an advocate for change. In an environment with so much uncertainty around college athletics as a whole, Franklin and Freeman could be the leading the charge, beginning with the matchup against each other.
The winner plays Texas or Ohio State. The Longhorns overcame Arizona State in double overtime in the Peach Bowl, 39-38, while Ohio State earned a 20-point win against Oregon in the Rose Bowl, 41-21, to begin the new calendar year. Notre Dame-Penn State and Ohio State-Texas take place on back-to-back nights, beginning next Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.
m. ET..
