Penn State coach James Franklin calls for uniformity in college football

DANIA BEACH, Fla. — The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football. As well as the Big 12, the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference are among those playing eight-game league schedules. The Mountain West played seven league games. Notre Dame has no league.

Enough, says Penn State coach James Franklin.

Franklin — who raised eyebrows when he said former Alabama coach Nick Saban should become the commissioner of college football, a job that technically doesn’t exist and an idea Saban didn’t seem to like much — was at it again, saying sport needs uniformity.

“I know a lot of times when coaches talk like this people roll their eyes,” Franklin said. “But I think when every decision we make is based on finances, then we’re not making great decisions that are in the best interest of the student-athlete and the game of football. … I think that should be consistent throughout college football.”

Franklin — who sat next to Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman as he spoke at a recent news conference previewing their Orange Bowl matchup — is not new to offering broad solutions to the problems facing college football. He also made it clear that he wasn’t knocking Notre Dame, which sees being out of a football conference as a strength.

“I think everybody should play in the conference championship game or nobody should play in the conference championship game,” Franklin said. “I think everyone should play the same number of conference games. … The Big Ten went nine games and I wasn’t a math major at East Stroudsburg, but the numbers alone will make things more challenging if you’re playing another conference game.”

Among Franklin’s other ideas: looking to start the season a week earlier to ease year-end pressures, especially for schools going deep into the CFP, and he reiterated the idea of ​​having someone — Saban, former Boise State and Washington coach Chris Petersen and former Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson would be at the top of his list – overseeing the game.

The notion of a commissioner — especially Saban — drew support from Mississippi coach Lana Kiffin, one of Saban’s former assistants, earlier this month.

“I can’t think of a better person who really has the best interest of the game and the best interest of the kids out there,” Kiffin said. “It always is. He’s always been old school that way. There couldn’t be a better person than him to do that.”

In this era of names, images and likenesses, with the expanded playoffs now in place and with college seasons longer than ever for some teams – teams in the CFP title game will play either their 16th or 17th games of the season – that it only makes sense that the changes continue.

“But it doesn’t matter who the commissioner is, you have to give the guy power,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “And right now the power is in the leagues. And if everybody wants to get in the sandbox and play nice and let someone be in charge of it, that would be the best. Right now, nobody’s showing that they’re willing to let somebody reach a consensus, and I think that’s what’s hurting our game.”

Franklin doesn’t have all the answers. But he, like many coaches, has a ton of questions about what appears to be a transformative time for the college game.

“I think there’s just a ton of things to talk about and consider,” Franklin said. “And I think we need to do that with people who don’t feel pressure from their university or their conference.”