James Franklin urges everyone to focus on Penn State’s finish
It’s not about how you start, but how you finish. At least that’s what James Franklin wants everyone to believe.
Penn State beat Wisconsin 38-31 in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday to win the conference. They came back from down 28-7 in the second quarter and put up 24 points in the second half. Not only did they come back in that game, but they also came back from a 2-2 start to win nine straight, making them 11-2.
After the game, Franklin was asked about the College Football Playoff and urged everyone to focus on how his Nittany Lions finished.
“Let’s stop talking about the 2-2 and let’s start talking about the last nine games,” Franklin told FOX.
He then challenged the selection committee to consider what the Nittany Lions have done.
“What I do know is we just won the toughest conference in college football. We’ve won nine straight. They say you’re allowed to overcome early setbacks — we’ve done that. It’s on you now, the committee.”
Despite the conference championship, there is no guarantee Penn State will make the playoff. Alabama at 13-0 is a lock, while ACC champion Clemson likely is in. The bigger questions are what will happen with Washington and the Big Ten teams. You have to figure Michigan — and certainly Wisconsin — are out now, but what about Ohio State and Penn State? Ohio State is 11-1 and has an impressive resume, but they lost to Penn State. Penn State beat Ohio State and has won nine in a row, but they’ve lost two games. And the Huskies are 12-1 with big road wins over Stanford, Utah and Washington State, and a win in the Pac-12 championship over Colorado, but they have a weak non-conference schedule.
