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Penn State’s James Franklin chimes in on CFP format changes | Penn State Football News

On Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, the first domino fell. That day, the College Football Playoff board voted unanimously to expand the current field of four teams to 12 by 2026 with the hope of it being implemented by 2024 — a wish that ended up coming true. Fast forward three years, and a second domino […]

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On Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, the first domino fell.

That day, the College Football Playoff board voted unanimously to expand the current field of four teams to 12 by 2026 with the hope of it being implemented by 2024 — a wish that ended up coming true.

Fast forward three years, and a second domino is close to its tipping point. Higher ups continue to debate the idea of once again expanding the playoff to 14 or 16 teams in the bracket, a change Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft said he’s “not against” back in February — but Kraft wants some other snags in college football smoothed out before that happens.

“The more teams in and the more kind of tournament you have, I think it’s great,” Kraft said. “We got to continue to look at all the other aspects of that. If you have 16 going on playing into like March, be going to February, I mean, my football players do go to class. They got to go to school. So what are we doing? And so I think we have to understand the bigger impact of that.”

It doesn’t seem like any of Kraft’s concerns are en route to being amended, but there are other aspects of a potential expansion that find themselves at the forefront of these debates. The Big Ten and SEC have both expressed desire to have four automatic qualifiers in each conference.

The pair’s argument dates back to the fall when debates were swirling over which conference was better in 2024 and which one deserved to have more teams in the playoff. As someone who’s been a head coach in both, James Franklin addressed those comments directly on Nov. 20.

“The right thing to be talking about is the two best conferences in all of college football are the Big Ten and the SEC and we should have the most teams in,” Franklin said. “I don’t think we need to take shots in the Big Ten at the SEC because that’s been proven over time. And I don’t think the SEC should be taking shots at the Big Ten.”

Franklin’s comments suffice as foreshadowing for the now ongoing debate about altering the format of the playoff. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said plainly Wednesday that the Big Ten should have four automatic bids.

“We’re in the Big Ten, and we have 18 teams and some of the best programs in the country,” Day told ESPN. “I feel like we deserve at least four automatic qualifiers.”







Football media day, James Franklin

Head Coach James Franklin talks to reporters in the Lasch Football Building on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in University Park, Pa.




Speaking with the media for the first time since the Blue-White Game, Franklin was asked right off the bat if he agrees with the comments made by one of his rivals. While the Nittany Lions’ head coach indirectly declined to give an answer, Franklin did share some thoughts on the matter.

“It’s an interesting discussion with a lot of different perspectives and a lot of people that have very, very strong feelings in terms of what’s in the best interest of college football, what’s in the best interest of fans, what’s in the best interest of the sport. And I get all of it,” Franklin said. “The majority of people that have strong opinions have an agenda and are biased based on what’s good for them, right?”

As for the Big Ten and SEC specifically, Franklin pointed to the “discrepancies” he notices across college football. Some teams play less conference games, while others aren’t even in a conference, things Franklin feels are reasons why the pair are fighting to have their way with the playoff.

“When you have some conferences playing nine games, some conferences playing a conference championship, some teams not in a conference. It makes it really difficult,” Franklin said. “The other issue you’ve had in the past, every conference and every team or every AD would have the same vote. Well, if we have more teams in our conference now, and have a greater level of competition week in and week out. Why should it be balanced?”

Former Temple head coach and Penn State running backs coach Stan Drayton gave his thoughts on the matter as well, sharing Franklin’s sentiment that there are a lot of different ways to decide who makes the playoff and college football just needs consistency across the board.

Regardless, the debate remains scorching hot, and it’s unclear whether a decision will be made any time soon. One thing is clear, though — the College Football Playoff could look very different come 2026, and more dominoes might keep falling to create a world where the Big Ten and SEC run the sport.

“Our conferences are built differently. Everybody shouldn’t get the same vote… A Penn State vote shouldn’t be the same vote as a school X,” Franklin said. “The way it worked in the old NCAA structures, everybody got the same vote, all the conferences got the same vote, and I guess what I’m saying is I agree with it the way it sits right now, because it’s not even, but let’s spend as much time as we possibly can on trying to get it consistent across the board.”

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College Sports

USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley Buying Time With NIL?

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley joined the program ahead of the 2022 college football season with high expectations. The program has yet to make the College Football Playoff under Riley, and are coming off a disappointing season. In 2024, the Trojans finished with a 7-6 record, going 4-5 in Big Ten conference play. Though the […]

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USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley joined the program ahead of the 2022 college football season with high expectations. The program has yet to make the College Football Playoff under Riley, and are coming off a disappointing season.

In 2024, the Trojans finished with a 7-6 record, going 4-5 in Big Ten conference play. Though the team did earn and win a bowl game, it was Riley’s worst season with USC. Only winning four conference matchups and going on a three-game losing streak was not a good look for Riley, leading to the belief that he is on the hot seat.





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Can video game ratings affect NIL valuations for college players?

With college sports video games making a return, players may have a valid reason for being concerned about their ratings. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe plays the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game at the McDonald Hughes Center in Tuscaloosa. Milroe is one of the players featured on the game’s cover. | Gary Cosby […]

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With college sports video games making a return, players may have a valid reason for being concerned about their ratings.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe plays the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game at the McDonald Hughes Center in Tuscaloosa. Milroe is one of the players featured on the game’s cover. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

EA Sports’ new College Football 26 game has altered the way college players are compensated. Not only will players receive a check for being in the video game, but their schools will also see revenue depending on how often their university is featured in the game.



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Livvy Dunne calls out New York Times for 2022 ‘Sex Sells’ headline, recalls aftemath

Back in 2022, the New York Times put together an article about the new NIL era in college athletics. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne was a part of the story, with a picture of her being used. The headline ended with the two words “Sex Sells” and it’s something Dunne has been critical of ever since. […]

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Back in 2022, the New York Times put together an article about the new NIL era in college athletics. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne was a part of the story, with a picture of her being used. The headline ended with the two words “Sex Sells” and it’s something Dunne has been critical of ever since.

She expanded on the topic recently when appearing on the What’s Your Story? podcast. Dunne explained the process of how the New York Times went about a photoshoot. Nothing different than what she would normally wear as a gymnast.

“They came to our gymnastics facility at LSU, took pictures of me,” Dunne said via What’s Your Story? “They said, ‘wear your team-issued attire, put on a leotard,’ and they took a picture of me standing in front of the beam, like any gymnast would, and then they blew it up on the screen and put the headline, ‘Sex Sells.’

“Okay, well, you just came into the facility and took pictures of me in our team-issued attire and blew it up on a screen… So I was like, ‘okay, well, this is crazy.’ And there was obviously a lot of backlash to the New York Times because of that.”

Dunne has been one of the faces of NIL since college athletes were allowed to be paid. Not many athletes out there have built a bigger brand for themselves in that time. The portfolio expands well outside gymnastics too, as Dunne partners with a large number of brands out there.

This is not the first time Dunne has called out this specific article, either. Once describing it as “BS,” Dunne knew something was off from the very beginning while being interviewed.

“The interviewer called me and he was asking me very odd questions,” Dunne said in 2023 on the FULL SEND PODCAST. “It was worded quite weird. He was like, ‘So, how does it feel to be a small petite blonde gymnast doing so well with NIL?’ I was just like, ‘Why does it matter that I’m petite and blonde?’ You can just ask me about NIL without you having to use these weird ways of saying it.”

Dunne has since run out of eligibility, ending her gymnastics career. Her affinity for LSU has not changed though, most recently cheering on the Tigers in Omaha as Jay Johnson led them to another national championship.



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Blake Wheeler, Who Once Ruptured A Testicle, Officially Retires After 16 NHL Seasons

Right-winger had his best years in Winnipeg, including a pair of back-to-back 91-point seasons PublishedJuly 19, 2025 6:39 PM EDT•UpdatedJuly 19, 2025 6:39 PM EDT Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link He didn’t sign with an NHL team last season, so there was speculation that he may be hanging them up, but not former Winnipeg Jets […]

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Right-winger had his best years in Winnipeg, including a pair of back-to-back 91-point seasons

He didn’t sign with an NHL team last season, so there was speculation that he may be hanging them up, but not former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler is making it official: he’s retiring.

Wheeler appeared on an episode of the radio show Jets at Noon this week and revealed that he had decided to call it a career after 16 NHL seasons and 1,172 games played.

“More or less, right after last year knew I was all done,” Wheeler said, per Global News. “I just haven’t felt like a rush to make a formal announcement or anything. But yeah, after my injury and kinda the way things ended last year, I just didn’t have anything left in the tank for it. So yeah, I was at peace with it almost immediately after last year, and yeah, I’m just enjoying being a dad and kinda slowing things down a little bit, and being around my family.”

Wheeler, a native of Plymouth, Minn., played for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL and then played college hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Despite being selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2004 NHL Draft, Wheeler signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent in 2008. In 2011, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers and played the tail end of their season before the team moved to Winnipeg.

Wheeler had his best years in Winnipeg, including a pair of back-to-back 91-point seasons, and was named the team’s captain for the 2016-17 season.

In 2023, he signed with the New York Rangers, but missed a chunk of the season with a leg injury. He appeared in one game for the Blueshirts during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which proved to be his final NHL game.

Congrats to Wheeler on a heck of a career. I think he’s going to go down as one of the most underrated Americna-born players. He was on the 2014 Olympic team and was a Hockey Guy’s Hockey Guy. 

I mean, who could forget when he ruptured a testicle and stayed in the game?

Now that’s peak Hockey Guy-ism.





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NHL all-time record scorer Ovechkin calls for Russian return to global sports | National News

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada Zip Code Country United States of […]

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Two ASU Future Commits Invited to USA Hockey Camp

Don’t let anyone tell you that hockey doesn’t belong in the desert, because Tempe, Arizona is quickly becoming a hotbed. Shortly after getting its first-ever first-round draft pick in Cullen Potter, the Sun Devils keep piling up the high-end commits. This time, two ASU commits were invited to USA Hockey’s Selection Camp for the Hlinka […]

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Don’t let anyone tell you that hockey doesn’t belong in the desert, because Tempe, Arizona is quickly becoming a hotbed.

Shortly after getting its first-ever first-round draft pick in Cullen Potter, the Sun Devils keep piling up the high-end commits.

This time, two ASU commits were invited to USA Hockey’s Selection Camp for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which occurs every summer.

It’s a prestigious tournament that features the world’s most talented players under the age of 18, and some of the biggest names in the NHL have participated in it over the decades.

Ben Kevan, an ASU commit and second-round NHL Draft pick, participated in last year’s Cup.

This season, defenseman Henry Chmiel, who boasts a large frame for someone his age, will take the ice.

At just 17 years old, he stands 6 feet tall and weighs 212 pounds.

He’s coming off an exceptional career at Shattuck St. Mary’s, a program that’s developed high-end NHL players for years.

This past season at Shattuck, he posted five goals and 20 assists in 55 games.

Chmiel is expected to spend next season in the USHL with the Des Moines Buccaneers, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 USHL Futures Draft.

Continuing the trend of young, big-bodied skaters, Jimmy Egan will also be participating.

Currently, Egan stands at 6-foot-2, 187 pounds, and he’ll be playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League next season.

As part of the NCAA-CHL agreement, players are allowed to start their careers in major junior before transitioning to the college ranks.

It’s the perfect trajectory for a young player, especially someone who’s dominated practically everywhere he’s played.

This past season, Egan tore up the U16 AAA ranks with Sioux Falls Power, racking up 45 points in 26 games.

Once Sioux Falls’ season ended, he suited up for three games with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, though he didn’t score.

Granted, the Lancers were the worst team in the league by far, and Egan’s chances of succeeding were slim.

That’s why, after the season, he committed to playing in Brandon for the 2025-26 campaign before making the jump to college.

It’s a new day for Arizona State hockey, and it’s become a destination for young players who not only want to enjoy the desert weather but also get a high-end education and develop into NHL players.

When you walk through the desert, that’s not a mirage you’re seeing — that’s an ice rink. And it’s leading you to a program that’s building a perennial contender for years to come.

Please follow us on X when you click right here and let us know you’re thoughts on ASU hockey!



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