James Franklin: Penn State football ready for all possible bowl scenarios

Penn State football closed out the 2023 regular season in dominant fashion, earning a 42-0 win over Michigan State Friday night. Outside of the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff picture, the Nittany Lions now must wait for the dust to settle after next weekend to learn their bowl destination. While a second consecutive 10-win regular season has put Penn State in prime position to earn a New Year’s Six Bowl game invitation, several factors are still up in the air. But according to head coach James Franklin, the Nittany Lions are already prepared for every possible bowl outcome.

Penn State football is already preparing for possible bowl scenarios

On the bubble for a New Year’s Six Bowl game coming into the weekend, Penn State football did everything it could to secure its place Friday night against Michigan State. The Nittany Lions routed the Spartans 42-0, a game that saw Penn State put up almost 600 yards on offense while allowing just 53 yards on defense.

But now, all Penn State can do is watch and wait. While James Franklin noted after the game that the next week will be filled with recruiting, player meetings, and an offensive coordinator search, the Nittany Lions already have a jump on any potential bowl outcomes.

“All the bowl schedules are already set,” he said. “We already have the calendars all set for where we would go and who we would play.” 

Of course, the Nittany Lions’ potential bowl matchups will be dictated not only by what happened on this field on Saturday, but by the conference championship games next weekend.

Coming into this weekend, there was a pretty strong consensus that Penn State football had done enough to earn a New Year’s Six Bowl invitation, although the destination was unclear. Between the major outlets, there was an even split between the Peach Bowl in Atlanta and the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. Missouri and Washington were the two most commonly predicted opponents.

James Franklin is proud of what the Nittany Lions accomplished

Although 2023 may have fallen short of expectations for a Big Ten championship or College Football Playoff run, it’s still important to recognize what Penn State football accomplished this year. The Nittany Lions secured a double-digit win year for the second-consecutive season and the fifth time under James Franklin. It is the 21st time Penn State has reached the 10-win mark in the regular season.

After the win over Michigan State, James Franklin acknowledged what his team had accomplished on the field this fall.

“This year, we played good enough to win 10 games and hopefully get into a New Year’s Six Bowl game and play well there,” Franklin said. “I think that’s probably more challenging than it’s been in the past with all the different things that have changed in college football over the last five years… I’m proud of it.”

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