Penn State notes: James Franklin names Nick Saban as potential commissioner

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.

Penn State coach James Franklin has long campaigned for college football to have a commissioner oversee the sport because of NIL and transfer portal issues, among others.

Sunday at the Fiesta Bowls Media Day, Franklin named who he would like to see fill that role.

I think (former Alabama coach) Nick Saban would be the obvious choice, he said.

Nick will probably call me tonight and say, Dont do this.

But I think hes the obvious choice, right? I think there are some other really good candidates out there.

But that would be a very, very important step moving forward to come up with some solutions and do whats best for our sport.

Franklin was responding to a question regarding Miami quarterback Cam Ward not playing the second half of the Hurricanes 42-41 loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Last year, four Penn State players opted out of the Peach Bowl: Olu Fashanu, Chop Robinson, Kalen King and Johnny Dixon.

Three others sat out the second half: Theo Johnson, Adisa Isaac and Caedan Wallace.

Its a challenge that has been a challenge for a number of years, Franklin said.

Its obviously become even more challenging with some of the things with the calendar and with the transfer portal, the windows; and then on top of that, NIL.

Its one of those things that we cant just keep talking about.

We have to come up with some solutions.

Franklin also suggested eliminating conference championship games and teams playing the same amount of conference games.

We should be doing whats best for college football and the student-athletes, he said.

Getting rid of the conference championship games would help with that.

When you have a (College Football Playoff) committee sitting in a room trying to compare apples to apples, its hard to do that when not everybody is playing under the same model.

I also think its very, very important that everybody is playing the same number of conference games, whether thats eight, nine or whatever.

Then the committee can compare apples to apples.

Embracing underdog role: Boise State arrived Saturday in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl wearing T-shirts that said, Please Count Us Out.

The Broncos (12-1) are 11-point underdogs against Penn State for Tuesday nights game.

I definitely didnt plan on it becoming a shirt, Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said.

(But) thats what I believe in and thats what Boise State has been built on.

Danielson mentioned the Broncos thrilling overtime win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl as why fans across the country have been drawn to the program.

We have been counted out before, he said.

We have been counted out as a program.

We have been counted out in games this year, and you thrive in that.

Praise for Durant: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was asked if anyone on the Penn State defense other than All-American end Abdul Carter jumped out to him.

I know the interior guys kind of get overlooked, said Jeanty, the nations top rusher.

To me, (tackle) Zane Durant is a baller.

Weve been talking about him since weve been game-planning.

Hes a great player.

Hes going to give us a run for our money..

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