Giger, Prugar tackle Penn State, national college football topics taken in Altoona, Pa. (Penn State)

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Will Nick Saban and Alabama make the College Football Playoff this season? That's one of the topics we discuss in our debate session.

ALTOONA, Pa. -- There are a whole bunch of intriguing things happening right now with the Penn State football program and throughout college football at the midway point of the season.

We tackle a number of the most pressing topics in this installment of our beat writer battle, this one between me and Jarrod Prugar.

We'll start with a heavy hitter question:

Q: Where will James Franklin be coaching next season?

Giger: I think he's going to USC. Now, I'm only like 51-49 on this right now, so I'm not speaking with any degree of certainty at this stage. And let me state up front that I do hope Franklin stays at Penn State. He's done a really nice job during his eight seasons, and the future looks bright with recruiting, particularly with commit Drew Allar now being rated as the top quarterback prospect in the nation.

I've been about 75 percent sure that Franklin would come back to Penn State next year, primarily because he would have much more job security with the Nittany Lions than at USC. But the dynamic probably changes now with Franklin also being mentioned for the LSU job.

Why? Two words: Bidding war.

I fully expect Franklin's agent, Trace Armstrong, to play the game and push the envelope to see how much money potentially could be out there for Franklin. That's his job. That's how things work. So if USC -- or LSU for that matter -- really wants Franklin, the price surely will go up the more suitors are involved. And as I've already written this week, I don't think Penn State should be forced to go up to the $8-9 million range.

Ultimately, I think Franklin has a better chance to win a national title at USC than he does at Penn State. The path to a playoff is much easier at USC, and if he gets the ball rolling there, he could be in position to win multiple titles. Yes, he could get Penn State in position to win a title, as well, but the path is always going to be very difficult with Ohio State and the Big Ten East gauntlet.

Prugar: I have a tough time seeing Franklin going anywhere. The program is right where he wants it and he has the support of the board, administration and high level donors. That combo rules the roost and while yes, he's the hot commodity, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. 

With the top recruiting class of the 2022 cycle so far and the early success save for the Iowa game, this is as good as it gets in University Park. It's been a long time since the boos at halftime against Minnesota in 2016 and since then Franklin has developed a top program and will continue to do so with the Nittany Lions.

Penn State is the safe bet. The amount of media pressure Franklin gets each week pales in comparison to what he'd get at USC, LSU or any other top tier program throughout the continue. Anywhere from 8-10 wins in the Big Ten East each year gets you a lot of leverage and has worked well for Franklin during his tenure as well. 

While I don't think he ends up leaving, I do believe he will use this for leverage to get more money poured into the program mainly Beaver Stadium. This was the first year anything cosmetic was done and it includes a 1-0 sign in the tunnel and some new LED lights coming out of the locker room. Beaver Stadium needs cosmetic upgrades in a big way, could this be the spark? It's possible.

Q; How do you see Ta'Quan Roberson and the QB situation playing out this week against Illinois?

Giger: I see Mike Yurcich simplifying the offense to a large degree and giving Roberson a handful of packages that he knows really well and can succeed with. Like on the one drive at Iowa where Roberson used his legs more and moved the team down the field for a field goal.

Now, the danger with having Roberson run a lot is that he could take a big hit and get hurt, then the Lions would be down to Christian Veilleux as the only remaining scholarship quarterback.

Penn State can still win this game easily by keeping things relatively simple on offense and relying on its strong defense. Illinois' offense is really bad. But we do need to see Roberson gain some confidence throwing the ball because he'll need to do that if the Lions are to having any chance with him playing next week at Ohio State.

Prugar: The offensive game plan is going to be centered around Roberson's skill set. I do believe if they go up-tempo and take the thinking aspect out of the play, Roberson will do just fine as he did against Iowa.

What Roberson was called on to do against the Hawkeyes isn't an easy task by any means. On the road, let alone against the No. 3 ranked team in the country is a tough ask for a quarterback who's not played more than mop up duty.

I do believe Penn State handles Illinois easily no matter who is at quarterback and expect Roberson to shoulder much of the load, but should the Nittany Lions get up early, it could be very beneficial to get Veilleux some time late in the game.

Q: Will Sean Clifford be back for the Ohio State game? And if not, when?

Giger: I've updated my portion here with the news that Clifford took part in practice Wednesday. I didn't think he'd be back in time for Ohio State, but with this development, now I'm thinking that yes, he will be on the field against the Buckeyes.

We're still in wait-and-see mode, obviously, but wow, this is a huge development that very well could save the season.

I still don't think Penn State will beat Ohio State next week, but if Clifford is healthy and can play at a high level, the Lions should at least have a chance. If he can't play, then Penn State probably gets blown out.

Prugar: Clifford took part in individual drills during the open portion of Penn State's practice Wednesday afternoon. There is undoubtedly going to be some gamesmanship here from Franklin and the program with him stating Veilleux and Roberson split the snaps 50/50 during the team period of practice Tuesday.

Taking part in individual drills is a major step in the right direct. I believe he will be back for Ohio State while being available for Illinois in an extreme emergency simply because there just aren't many options. 

Clifford is the spark plug for this offense and after a week off, coming out and taking part in practice in some capacity is definitely a good sign moving forward. My guess is at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday it'll be Clifford leading the offense against Ohio State.

Q: What do you think of Illinois coach Bret Bielema ripping the quality of his own roster. And if you didn't see it, here ya go:

Giger: He's telling the truth. I love it when coaches tell the truth, because we almost NEVER hear it. They just give us so much coach speak.

Now, can Bielema saying all of that work against him, with his players quitting on him or whatever else? Sure. When you say critical things about people, you run the risk of them turning on you.

But man, I give Bielema credit for telling it like it is. If it hurts some players' feelings, then they should use it as motivation to get better.

Prugar: Have to admire Bielema's ability to be a straight shooter in this situation. Many of his players aren't guys he'd recruit or has recruited and understandably so after inheriting the tire fire that was Illinois' program under Lovie Smith. 

Could this and will this come back to bite him? Yes and Yes. Does he care? Absolutely not. It's either you're with us or you're against us for the Fighting Illini at this point and Bielema is doing whatever he can to build the roster and program up from the shambles it's been in. 

It's also possible the kids use it as motivation, though with the way their season is going, I'd imagine this only continues the decline. Have to give Bielema credit, he said what many others were thinking and that takes some stones.

Q: What do you think about Washington State coach Nick Rolovich losing his job because he refused to get vaccinated?

Giger: He's a fool. To walk away from a $3 million job that he's worked his entire life for is just stupid. Same with Kyrie Irving.

The vaccine works. Don't be afraid of it.

Please and thank you.

Prugar: Wazzou gave him $3 million reasons why to get vaccinated and he still didn't do it. That said, I saw a story floating around that he was able to get a religious exemption, but when it floated up the chain it was denied at Washington State. 

It's a shame for the Cougars that one man put his beliefs ahead of the team when football is a team first sport. 

Get vaccinated not just for you but for those around you.

Q: What is the best college job opening so far?

Giger: I still think USC can be a tremendous job, because if you get the ball rolling out there like Pete Carroll did, you can compete for a national title just about every year.

The Pac-12 is just so weak compared to the SEC and Big Ten, so there's really only Oregon standing in the way of USC dominating that conference year in and year out.

Prugar: Long term USC is the best available but that program is going to need some serious help to get back to where it was under Carroll. A daunting task for sure, but doable. 

Los Angeles has everything you could ask for in the recruiting world and the world would be your oyster if you were able to have success with the Trojans. 

That being said, the program ready to win right now is LSU. Say what you want about the demise of Ed Orgeron, but the Tigers were still pulling in great recruiting classes. It was what happened when they got there that is now the issue and point of contention.

The caveat for the LSU job is you have to play in the gauntlet that is the SEC. LSU has the donor base and the resources to pour into the program and make it a success just look at what they're paying Coach O to finish out the season.

Q: Which teams will make the College Football Playoff this season?

Giger: I think Georgia will beat Alabama in the SEC title game. That outcome will be huge, because if Alabama wins, then both of those teams probably get into the playoff with one loss.

But since I'm picking Georgia to win, I think the playoff goes like this:

  • Georgia
  • Ohio State
  • Oklahoma -- I wasn't sold on the Sooners with Spencer Rattler, but that's a different team now with Caleb Williams at QB, and I think they run the table.
  • Cincinnati

Prugar: It's a two conference race right now in my opinion. The ACC is a disaster and the Pac 12 can't get out of it's own way. There is no such thing as defense in the Big 12 and well, Cincinnati's schedule is like getting a kids' meal when you're starving, sure it's easy, but it leaves you wanting much more.

  • Georgia - if they beat Alabama in the SEC Championship that leaves them with only one loss if they haven't slipped up to that point.
  • Oklahoma - with Rattler, the Sooners were a whole lot of meh, but with Williams, there's excitement in Norman and deservedly so, he's an electric athlete.
  • Ohio State - though this could change if Penn State rolls into Columbus and beats them. This spot is left for the winner of the Big Ten East as that will be who wins the Big Ten. Iowa was exposed by Penn State and exploited by Purdue and the West division is just terrible. 
  • Alabama - because well Nick Saban. I see the Tide rolling through the remainder of the schedule until the SEC Championship against Georgia. I think Saban figures out a way to win and the SEC gets two teams in the top-4.


PODCAST: Check out Cory Giger's podcast discussion on James Franklin's job situation with longtime Penn State reporter Rich Scarcella from the Reading Eagle:




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