James Franklin Says Scheduling Comments Were Mischaracterized
Penn State coach James Franklin opened his post-practice availability Wednesday by asking some media members whom, he said, mischaracterized his comments about college football scheduling to read the transcript completely. In doing so, Franklin said, they'll learn that the coach wasn't criticizing programs for their scheduling strategies. In fact, Franklin said he was "complimenting" them.
"It can be frustrating and a little sad sometimes when you have non-media members but they have some social media presence and they put something out that is not accurate, and then some national media don't read the transcript or don't watch the interview and they put something out there," Franklin told reporters after practice in State College. "Anybody that watched the entire interview, or anybody who read the whole transcript, I was actually complimenting the schools from a scheduling perspective. It's what we've been doing."
Franklin on Tuesday was asked whether he thought teams would change their non-conference football scheduling strategies when the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024. The implication was that teams might consider scheduling more non-conference games against Power 5 opponents with more playoff slots available. Franklin said that he didn't believe the model would change and that expansion, notably conference expansion, might prompt teams to go in the other direction. Franklin noted that "there's a team in this conference specifically that's buying out of a ton of game contracts that are already signed to go in the complete opposite direction."
Some media outlets interpreted Franklin's comments as criticizing other programs for building weak schedules. Franklin invited them to read the compete transcript as he opened his midweek media availability with a statement.
"Even in the question that was asked to me, that's what was said," Franklin told reporters in State College. "So I know every fan base and different school is looking for a reason to get angry and get mad and get motivated or something, but that to me is disappointing, when real media members grab a partial quote and use it out of context. That's frustrating."
Franklin has been consistent for years about his scheduling philosophy, which he reiterated this week as this: "You've got to do whatever you possibly can to give yourself a chance, number one, to be undefeated at the end of the season." On Wednesday, Franklin said that some media members, and others on social media, did not "do the homework" and provide the full context of his statement.
"To me, you can't control the person that has their own little social media page or whatever and they're doing it from their mom's basement. I can't really control that person," Franklin said. "But it's disappointing when, I think, some respected national and other people put things out that are inaccurate and don't do the homework of actually watching an interview or reading the transcript."
More on Penn State
Big Ten, playoff expansion 'magnifies' scheduling strategies, James Franklin says
Penn State emerges from bye week with positive injury report
Penn State Q&A: What we know about the Lions' 5-0 start
First look: Penn State vs. UMass
Seeking a 'spark,' Pitt turns to former Penn State QB Christian Veilleux
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
