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Penn State will not be required to release a Big ten availability report before its CFP semifinal with Notre Dame

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•01/07/25•

GregPickel

James Franklin Penn State Football On3
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin against the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Penn State will not be required to release a pregame availability report before its College Football Playoff semifinal round matchup with Notre Dame, a Big Ten spokesperson told Blue-White Illustrated. That information leads today’s newsstand.

The Nittany Lions were required to release one by the conference two hours before kickoff during the regular season. However, after submitting one for publication before its first round matchup with SMU, they elected not to do so with approval from the conference before their quarterfinal round matchup with Boise State.

“Even though PSU submitted a report for the opening round against a nonconference opponent, they chose to not submit a report for the quarterfinal against a nonconference opponent,” the Big Ten said in a statement. “Both PSU and OSU have the same choice for the upcoming semifinals against nonconference opponents.”

Penn State is unlikely to release one before it plays the Fighting Irish because it is not required to do so as an Independent progam.

“We did not submit, and I want to say this to you guys because it affects your job,” Penn State coach James Franklin told reporters on Saturday. “We did not submit the availability report in the Boise game, and the reason why, again, I know that impacts you guys doing your job but the reason why is the College Football Playoff, it’s not a requirement. And what happened the week before is SMU did not do one, and we did.

“So until this is a consistent mandate across college football, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for us to do one when they are not. So just so you guys know, I want you to understand, that was the reason behind that.”

Headlines of the day

Cowboys Micah Parsons joins sack legends in finale, turns attention to new deal with Dallas: Linder, PennLive

Trimmings: Penn State staffers hit the road to recruit: Fitz, BWI

Kaytron Allen, Penn State’s Best Postseason Player, Sights Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl: Wogenrich, SI

Penn State-Notre Dame early predictions are in; who is picking the Lions, Fighting Irish?: Pickel, BWI

Penn State DE Max Granville Should Be in High School. He’s Backing Up Abdul Carter in the CFP Instead: Engle, Statecollege.com

Analyzing seven key 2026 recruiting battles between Penn State and Notre Dame: Snyder, BWI

How the Final Four were built: Penn State vs. Notre Dame: Barnett, Football Scoop

Penn State hosting intriguing defensive line target who recently entered transfer portal: Snyder, BWI

Quote of the day

“When you’re prepared, it’s very easy, and I realized that very quickly. The way I prepare now, I prepare as if I’m a starter for every game. Going into games, I’m not surprised when I get into games because I know what’s going to happen. I already have a good idea of what their tendencies are and things like that. So, it’s been pretty easy for me to slow down the game now.”

–PSU freshman linebacker Anthony Speca to BWI.

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