The college football world is waiting to see whether the Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will formally punish Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh – or both – amid the sign-stealing scandal that is entering its third week.
When will they do something about it?
No. 10 Penn State can provide an answer. All of the talk about punishment and what that means for The Game against No. 1 Ohio State, the Big Ten championship and the College Football Playoff neglects to mention one significant detail.
The Wolverines still have to play at Beaver Stadium on Saturday in a matchup of the top two statistical defenses in the FBS. In that regard, No. 3 Michigan (231.3) and Penn State (234.2) are separated by less than three yards. With a victory, the Nittany Lions can alter the course of the Big Ten East more than anything that comes out of the Big Ten office at this juncture in the season.
Penn State coach James Franklin was asked the Michigan question at his press conference Monday, but he did not bite.
"I know these questions are going to come this week," Franklin said. "I am going to focus on the things that we can control. We always have to have a plan. I've already kind of covered this and talked about this in terms of what we do and how we communicate to our players and how we communicate to our team during our games. I'm going to leave it at that because less is more."
Franklin’s press conference wasn’t what you might expect. Quite the contrary. He was highly complimentary of Michigan while reciting all those team statistics – scoring defense, third-down percentage, game control – that have made the Wolverines dominant this season. He mentioned Harbaugh by name but also deflected a question about Harbaugh and the sign-stealing allegations and how that might affect game preparation.
"I'm focused on all the stuff I see on film," Franklin said. "That's what we're focused on. All the stuff we see on film. Their players. Their scheme. All the stuff when I say 'see on film' I mean the coaches' copy of the film. The stuff that is going on between the sidelines. The 53-and-a-third. That's what we're focused on."
Is there a hint of a veiled shot at Harbaugh in that answer? It would take a microscope to find it. That’s because Penn State has questions of its own to answer, and another subset of statistics that Franklin confronted after the 20-12 loss to the Buckeyes on Oct. 21. Franklin is 4-15 against Ohio State and Michigan – and that includes a 3-6 against the Wolverines – over the last decade.
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The most-frequent question Franklin took Monday was about the interior defensive line, and with good reason. Michigan beat Penn State 41-17 last season in a game where the Nittany Lions allowed 418 rushing yards. The Wolverines have averaged 3.6 yards per carry in their last three games.
"We've been much more disciplined and consistent in gap responsibility," Franklin said. "I think we're a little bit bigger. The size has helped us as well. We're a little bit bigger across the front."
Then, there is the quarterback battle between Drew Allar and J.J. McCarthy, who Franklin called a “differentiator” for the Wolverines. Allar struggled – especially on third down – in the loss to Ohio State and was emotional in the press conference afterward. Allar is 55 of 65 for 450 yards, seven TDs and one interception since against Indiana and Maryland. McCarthy is among the Heisman Trophy favorites, but this is his first start at Beaver Stadium.
That is the other X-factor. Penn State has the Big Noon Kickoff stage and a chance to trigger a quirky Big Ten tiebreaker with a win and a potential Michigan victory against Ohio State. If all three of those teams finish 11-1 and split their round robin, then the team whose Big Ten West opponents have the best conference winning percentage. As of now, that tiebreaker would favor the Nittany Lions pending the usual Big Ten West unpredictability.
That all comes to a head against Michigan.
"The biggest thing with them is they have not been challenged," Franklin said. "They've had really good game control on offense and defense, usually ahead on the scoreboard for the most part and they are usually ahead of the sticks on offense and defense."
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So, can the Nittany Lions put all of that into motion? Franklin mentioned coffee and donuts for what should be an early-arriving crowd, and he surprisingly said this might be every bit the home-field advantage that a “Whiteout” provides in Happy Valley.
Michigan might be the story now, but this is Penn State’s opportunity to create a new narrative – but for themselves and the Big Ten. So the question stands.
When will they do something about it? Maybe Saturday at noon. In this case, there is less pressure on Penn State.
"It's going to be ideal, but I hope that the environment will also be something that is going to be difficult and cause some challenges," Franklin said. "When you get penalties and get people behind the sticks, they have not had to play that way a whole lot this year. That will be a big part of the game."
