Michigan fans freak out over out-of-context James Franklin quote

It seems like Penn State football is always on the minds of Michigan fans. During his Tuesday press conference, James Franklin covered a wide array of topics, including a reference to the nonconference scheduling philosophy of “another team” in the Big Ten. The words no sooner left Franklin’s mouth before the quote was trending throughout social media. Michigan websites and fans seemed to take particular offense to Franklin’s comments, believing them to be a shot at their football program. But, was this actually the case?

James Franklin quote on nonconference scheduling goes viral

Penn State football coach James Franklin had several viral moments in this edition of his weekly press conference. But perhaps none caught on as quickly as his comments regarding out-of-conference scheduling in the upcoming 12-team Playoff format. In particular, this specific quote went viral before the ink was even dry on the press conference transcript:

“There’s a team in this conference that’s buying out a ton of game contracts to go in another direction,” Franklin said. “You gotta do whatever you possibly can to give yourself a chance to be undefeated.”

Michigan fans overreact to out-of-context quote

As will be noted below, the full context of this quote is much less controversial than it appears at first read. But apparently, that didn’t stop Michigan fans and outlets from believing that this was a shot at the Wolverines.

James Franklin throwing a metaphorical peanut butter and jelly sandwich at Michigan today it appears https://t.co/h1bZqmcmu5

— Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) October 10, 2023

The story was even eventually picked up by national outlets such as Barstool Sports, owned by noted Michigan alum Dave Portnoy.

James Franklin Poured Gasoline On A Fire Today By Taking A Shot At Michigan's Weak Non-Conference Schedule https://t.co/STpjmEOTm2 pic.twitter.com/2ZZHafUMBR

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 10, 2023

They say that when people overreact to something, it is that deep down, they feel insecure about that issue in their own life. Michigan has arguably one of the worst schedules to start the season in recent memory for a title-contending team. Michigan’s nonconference opponents for 2023 were East Carolina, Bowling Green, and UNLV. This is following last season, which included Hawaii, Colorado State, and UConn. So, when Franklin made the comment, many Michigan fans were quick to jump on the issue.

Many Wolverine fans turned their attention to the future opponents that have been scheduled in the nonconference. Others attacked Franklin for playing UMass this week and having a losing record against Michigan in his time at Penn State. The funny part is that two things can be true and not be in any way related. Michigan can have a weak nonconference schedule and, at the same time, can have a good record against Penn State football.

Makes it funnier when you realize they play UMass on Saturday

— MaizeandGoBlue (@maizeandgoblue) October 10, 2023

What was Franklin actually talking about?

Perhaps the most ridiculous part of this entire story is that James Franklin likely wasn’t referencing Michigan at all. As pointed out by our sister site, Blue By Ninety, Franklin was most likely talking about Indiana, which recently started to drop power conference teams off of its future nonconference schedules, like Louisville in 2024. The Hoosiers plan to replace Louisville with an FCS opponent.

This actually makes sense for Indiana, because the Big Ten is already going to be hard enough adding great programs like USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington for the 2024 season. Why make it even harder to get wins?

James Franklin agrees with Michigan

Funnier still, Franklin actually appears to agree with the Michigan scheduling approach. If any reference to Michigan was made, it came at the end of the comments when Franklin said:

“…If you’re not scheduling to be undefeated, you’re scheduling to have the least amount of losses possible to give yourself a chance to be in the Playoffs. There’s another team in this conference that has had a ton of success the last couple years, and again, I think it would follow the same argument.”

The Michigan model actually makes sense in the new direction of college football. Why risk losses when the conference schedule is already going to be difficult enough?

Penn State football doesn’t currently have a big nonconference opponent in 2025 and has scheduled a home-and-home series with both Temple and Syracuse for 2026 through 2028. So, instead of rushing to judgment, maybe next time, read the entire quote and take it as a compliment.

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