The Big Ten has long searched for a postseason game of this caliber. It’s the reason it expanded to the West Coast and abandoned divisions. All of it, for a matchup like this. Penn State and Oregon, two powerhouse programs with little history against each other. James Franklin and Dan Lanning, two of the most prolific coaches in the sport.
For the first time since 2015, the Big Ten Championship will be played between top-five teams. It’s a matchup of programs with paths to the national title. A matchup that means something in determining the seeding of the College Football Playoff. Franklin has an opportunity to break into elite status. Lanning has a chance to prove his Ducks are the rising force in college football.
Lanning and Franklin hardly have the capacity to worry about the playoff right now. This week will be one of the busiest of their careers. There’s preparation for the conference title, signing day and the opening of the transfer portal. It’s all important in maintaining the framework for consistent success. But both coaches can’t deny it. Living in this moment is most important.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to win your games to get to the end,” Lanning said.
Forget the playoff for just a moment. It’s time for the Big Ten Championship. Franklin and Lanning each have something to prove. And the history books are waiting to learn of their fates. They both met with the media on Sunday. What was discussed?
WHAT’S IT WORTH?
Both programs are locked into the College Football Playoff. But while many other playoff hopefuls take the weekend off, these two teams are still in action. The value of the conference championship is, suddenly, in question. A rest week has been sacrificed, as well as a clear path to a first-round home playoff game against a more favorable opponent.
In some ways, this is a first-round matchup. The reward is a free trip to quarterfinals. The risk is that the loser could be negatively impacted by a loss, which, in turn, could define their playoff seeding. This is all fair and true, but neither Franklin nor Lanning are concerned. Franklin said it best. He’s “focused on the things” that he can control.
“I think everybody recognizes that we want to make sure that these [conference championship] games do not become a penalty,” Franklin said. “And I think there’s been a lot of conversation about that, and there’s a bunch of really good football people that are on the committee that I think understand that.”
KOTELNICKI ON LANNING’S WATCH
It’s been a quick turnaround for Lanning, who didn’t know he’d be facing Penn State in the title game until Saturday night. For that reason, he’s hardly had the opportunity to study the Nittany Lions on film. But Lanning is already fluent in Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and his “smoke and mirrors” and, most significantly, his explosive attack.
Kotelnicki’s offense currently ranks tied for No. 5 nationally with 6.7 yards per play. Last season, prior to his arrival, the Nittany Lions finished the year ranked tied for No. 60 in the same stat category, averaging just 5.5 yards per play. That’s the Kotelnicki effect.
“I’ve actually followed Andy for a while,” Lanning said. “One of the things I do here every week is I watch explosive plays across college football. And last year going through film and previous years going through film, Andy’s film always showed up. … The way he utilizes his personnel is something that’s stuck out to me for a long time.”
SCOUTING TYLER WARREN
In a season that’s seen recurring injuries from lead running back Nick Singleton and a wide receiver corps without a dominant presence, there’s been one player in particular that’s made Kotelnicki’s offense tick. That’d be tight end Tyler Warren, who leads the team with 1,167 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns. He’s the ultimate jack of all trades.
“He’s obviously an elite player that’s a matchup issue and a complete tight end,” Lanning said. “So I’m excited to hop in and dive into that plan and try to figure out how we can neutralize him. I think they do as good a job as any of utilizing their personnel. I think their scheme is really difficult to plan for offensively, so that’ll be a fun challenge for us and our defensive staff.”
FULLY HEALTHY SINGLETON
Unfortunately for the Ducks, Singleton has returned to full health. Against Maryland on Saturday, Singleton took 13 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns. It was his best game since Illinois on Sept. 28, which preceded his initial injury the following week of practice. Singleton has also established himself as a durable receiving threat, adding another layer to Lanning’s preparation.
“It’s pretty obvious that Nick is back as close to 100% as he’s been in a long time, and you see the burst and the acceleration on tape,” Franklin said. “But, yeah, we’re going to try to be creative each week with our guys and put them in the best position to be successful.”
SECRET WEAPON JOE LORIG
Franklin and Oregon special teams coordinator Joe Lorig go way back. They were roommates while coaching at Idaho State in 1999 and reunited on Franklin’s Penn State staff in 2019. Lorig then left for the same job with the Ducks in 2022.
He could be a secret weapon for Lanning in preparation for Saturday’s title game, but Franklin said “we both have a probably similar amount of information on each other.”
“Joe’s experience will be something we lean on, but it’s similar to the other people that we face this season that have coaching crossover,” Lanning said. “It’ll make an impact on the game, but Joe is not playing this game. I’m not playing this game. It’s really going to be a lot more about our players.”
