Will Penn State accept a bowl bid if offered? The team will discuss Saturday, James Franklin says
Penn State head coach James Franklin said Tuesday that a discussion with his players and staff to gauge the team’s interest in participating in a bowl game will have to wait until Saturday night.
After a program-worst 0-5 start to the season, the Nittany Lions are on a three-game winning streak. They are now set to take on Illinois at Beaver Stadium on Saturday for the Big Ten’s Week 9 Champions Week matchup — a crossover game between Big Ten East and Big Ten West teams.
If Penn State can knock off the Fighting Illini and finish with a 4-5 regular-season record, there’s a good chance it will punch its ticket to a bowl game, with the NCAA having waived bowl eligibility requirements amid the pandemic.
“What we’re going to do is, Saturday night after the game — because, as you know, we take a 1-0 mentality — we’ll have another discussion,” Franklin told reporters on a Zoom conference call.
Latest bowl projections from CBS Sports and the Sporting News have Penn State slotted to play N.C. State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Dec. 30. ESPN’s latest bowl projections have the Nittany Lions pegged to either face off against West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 26, or against Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
The list of teams that are opting out of potential bowl games continues to grow. By the end of this past weekend, Boston College, Pitt, Virginia and Stanford had all decided against playing this postseason.
But a handful of Nittany Lions players have expressed their interest in playing in a bowl game, if the opportunity presents itself.
“I wouldn’t want any other thing than to play with my brothers,” junior receiver Jahan Dotson said last Saturday after Penn State’s 39-24 win over Michigan State. “At the end of the day, you only get so many opportunities to suit up in the Blue and White on Saturdays. So, (I’ll take) any opportunity I can get to play with those guys in that locker room and fight for them — that’s what I’ve been doing for the three years that I’ve been here. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Like Franklin, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Rasheed Walker seemed to be thinking about the chance to potentially play in a bowl game with a one-day-at-a-time mentality.
“I’m just thankful for every opportunity that I have to play football in general,” Walker said Tuesday. “As far as that, I’m just focused on today. I’m just excited to go out today and be able to practice today, because I know at one point, no one knew if we were even going to be able to play this season. I’m just thankful to be able to play one game this season. Everything else is just a bonus for me.”
Still, there was no denying that he — just like a handful of his teammates — would be open to playing this postseason if Penn State is given the chance.
“I’m with whatever my brothers are with,” Walker said. “If we’re gonna play, I’m playing. That’s just my mindset on that.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
