James Franklin & Mel Tucker give their thoughts on Penn State - Michigan State being moved to Detroit
INDIANAPOLIS – Schedules and television times are always a popular topic among Penn State and all Big Ten fans, but this year that’s been heightened significantly. Following the newest television contract, which sees NBC and CBS join FOX among the key broadcast partners, this year’s schedule will look a bit different from what Nittany Lion fans have been used to in recent years.
That’ll be evident in week one when West Virginia comes to State College for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC. Then again a few weeks later, as Iowa and Penn State will face off in the annual White Out game on CBS.
But maybe the biggest talking point of all this offseason was the Big Ten’s decision to not only move Penn State’s season finale against Michigan State to Detroit’s Ford Field, but more importantly, it’ll be played on Black Friday instead of Saturday.
This move was highly scrutinized when ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote that schools were making “concessions” to make the new television deal work. Ohio State elected to play a home game at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11. Ironically, that game is against Michigan State. The Spartans also then moved this game away from their home stadium to help fill the November night game slots that had been promised to networks.
So, needless to say, getting the opinion of both Mel Tucker and James Franklin was a popular topic from reporters during Wednesday’s media day appearance in Indianapolis. Tucker was specifically asked if this was something Michigan State may do multiple times in the years ahead.
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He didn’t take the bait.
Link: Three thoughts on James Franklin’s Penn State podium speech at Media Days
“This season will be a tremendous opportunity for our players,” Tucker said. “Great exposure for our program [in front] of a national audience in a pro football arena, which I think is going to be great for our team. It’s going to be a great game. We’ll be in the Detroit area where we recruit. We have a lot of fans there. So, I think it’ll be a great opportunity. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Franklin opened up a bit more about the pros and cons of the schedule change. On one hand, it’s no longer a true home game for Michigan State, which is certainly a plus for Penn State. With that said, moving it up a day, especially after 11 regular season games, when players are already banged up, isn’t ideal.
“The one challenge is it’ll be a Friday game,” Franklin said. “So, you’re talking about later in the season and you got a short week. By that point of the year, you got bumps and bruises and challenges with depth. So, the Friday night game can be a little bit challenging, but at least it’s a level playing field and we’re both having to deal with that.
“I do think there’s going to be a ton of positives. When you talk about that point of the season, being able to play in this venue. I think we’ll pack this place. I think our fans will travel well. Obviously, the Michigan State [fans] will travel extremely well. It’s their home game. So, I think it’s going to be a great environment. Obviously, being in indoors that time of year, there’s a real positive that comes from that, too. We’ve had great games against Michigan State. We’re looking forward to that as well.”
