James Franklin on playing in big matchups: You come to Penn State to play in these types of games

Penn State and Michigan have been on a collision course to this point and, after Saturday’s bout in Ann Arbor, one of the two teams will finally have a blemish on their record. Penn State head coach James Franklin wouldn’t have it any other way.

And while these types of games don’t come around more than a handful of times a season — two Top 10 teams squaring off with major conference title and College Football Playoff implications on deck — they’re why you go to a place like Penn State, as Franklin sees it. But to play in an undefeated, Top 10 matchup, you first must be undefeated and ranked in the Top 10.

“At the end of the day, we have to do everything we possibly can to put ourselves in position to get to this point, where we are 5-0, with a Top 10 matchup on the road in a tough venue,” Franklin said. “And we’ve gotta have an unbelievable week of preparation, and we gotta make sure that our players are approaching it the right way. I gotta make sure that the staff is approaching it the right way to put ourselves in the best position to be successful on Saturday. And it’s going to be a challenge. But to your point, this is why you come to a place like Penn State, to play in these types of games.” 

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Franklin’s point about getting to 5-0 to set up the contest with Michigan was prompted by a question about appreciating weight of games against the likes of Michigan and Ohio State, which annually decide who is top dog in the Big Ten East, compared to keeping an even keel and bringing it week in, week out.

To hear Franklin explain it, the two are related. As noted above, you flat-out have to win to keep things intact for big showdowns later in the season. And on top of wins, each game is a chance to get better, for Penn State to hone its edge. Even the offseason and training camp matter in building to moments like the one Penn State finds itself in now.

You cannot forego the former, lest you miss out on the latter.

“If you put all your eggs in these games’ baskets, then you can put yourself in a situation where you don’t handle the ones before that you need to, that everybody wants to look past. So, that’s kind of the fine line of managing those two things. Doing everything you possibly can to get yourself to this position, and then also being strategic as you possibly can to take advantage of these opportunities when they come,” Franklin said.

He continued: “… That’s where not only is this Saturday critical, in terms of how we manage the game and how our players go out there with the confidence and swagger to make the plays when they’re needed, but it’s also the thing that we’ve talked about in the past: It’s all of the progress that you can make. The other 364 days a year that add up. All those little wins add up all year long to put your team in the best position to be successful consistently on Saturdays, in both [types of] games that you’ve described.”