In the moments following Penn State's thrilling 38-31 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, James Franklin got his time on the microphone.
The microphone, and that stage for the conference champion, has long been a place where coaches can stump for teams and players in the ever-evolving race for college football supremacy. The Nittany Lions know they have an uphill battle to break into the top four of the College Football Playoff Rankings with Alabama, Clemson and Washington all winning this weekend, but Franklin's not here to listen to reasons why they won't be in the mix for the title.
With Fox Sports' Joel Klatt conducting the interview, Franklin went full WWE in stating his case for Penn State's inclusion in the final four.
via Fox Sports:
Klatt: You were 2-2
Franklin: Let's stop talking about 2-2, and lets' talk bout the last nine games.
Klatt: You've got nine straight wins, the 13th data point as they say, you're an East Division champion, and the Big Ten conference champion after handling Wisconsin. Do you deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff?
Franklin: Could you rattle those things off again?
Klatt: [repeats accolades]
Franklin: What I do know is we just won the toughest conference in college football. We won nine straight. They say you're allowed to overcome early setbacks, we've done that. It's on you now, the committee.
Meanwhile, things were getting a little crazy back in State College.