James Franklin reveals how PSU prepares for Ohio State, Michigan games during offseason

The Michigan and Ohio State rivalry often stands in the Big Ten spotlight. This year, Penn State will look to steal the show with wins over both of them.

On Friday, Penn State head coach James Franklin sat down with On3’s own JD Pickell to discuss the Nittany Lions’ upcoming season. With former five-star quarterback Drew Allar taking the reins, expectations are high for the upcoming season.

Penn State HC James Franklin tells @jdpickell there is 'a lot of excitement' around Sophomore QB Drew Allar heading into next season👀https://t.co/Np50O5h6ed pic.twitter.com/I4o2YnEztA

— On3 (@On3sports) May 25, 2023

While Penn State’s expectations are high, the Wolverine and Buckeyes’ are higher.

“We’re anywhere, in most publications, five or six in the country preseason. The challenge is is Michigan and Ohio State are two and three, or two and four. So our side of the conference, whether it’s the Big Ten East or the SEC West, you could make the argument [are the] best two divisions in college football,” Franklin told Pickell.

It’s a fair argument to make. Penn State hasn’t defeated both Ohio State and Michigan in the same season since 2008. The Nittany Lions finished as the No. 8 team in the country that season. Franklin has his eyes set on even higher accomplishments this season, and is willing to do a little extra work to get there.

“We are getting ready for West Virginia and we have done our first four opponents. We literally just finished those breakdowns. But then we will get a head start on Michigan and we will get a head start on Ohio State,” Franklin said. “Obviously, we understand the importance of those two games.”

The importance can’t be understated. While Franklin is a Penn State legend, he is yet to lead his team to the College Football Playoffs. The closest he came was in 2016 when he led the program to a Big Ten title.

Nonetheless, the selection committee failed to choose the Nittany Lions. Franklin is ready to make history this season.

“If we can build on that Week 1 and get better each week of the season to put us in the best position to compete for a Big Ten championship and get a chance to get into those playoffs and see where it goes from there, that’s what’s important to us.”