Penn State coach James Franklin held his final news conference before his No. 3 Nittany Lions take on No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten title game on Wednesday night. The first question he fielded focused on the value of playing in and winning a conference crown versus the risk of losing seeding positioning in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.

“We’re excited to play Oregon,” Franklin said. “Great opportunity, playing the number one team in the country. We’re excited about that. That’s what we control. That’s what we’re focused on, not focused on anything else. I mean, I understand the question, I appreciate the question, but we’re just focused on trying to beat the number one team in the country, Oregon, in Indianapolis, in the Big Ten [title game], and just totally focused on that, and not any of the other scenarios or discussions.”

The next question centered on what the Lions could learn from both teams’ film after each battled Ohio State earlier this year.

“Obviously, when you have similar opponents, those games are valuable because you got perspective on both teams and both opponents,” Franklin said. “Obviously their game came down to a few critical plays, a couple of them on special teams. You know, Joe Lorig was with us, now the special teams coordinator at Oregon, has done a nice job. You know, the basically deep dribble that they did, where they hit the guy on the front line. That was a critical play in the game. Both offenses were able to move the ball and make plays. The thing that really kind of stands out when you look at Oregon is you, want to stay out like everybody does, but you want to stay out of obvious passing situations.

“You want to stay ahead of the sticks. Starting fast against this type of team is going to be really important. We have to play well for four quarters. You look at them statistically as well on film, they’ve been a dominant football team all year long. Obviously, Ohio State film is good for us. That was a close, competitive game for us and for them.

Read everything else Franklin said and watch video of his news conference below.

On dealing with Oregon’s speed and size on defense

“They’re talented,” he said. “They’ve done a really good job of recruiting and developing. They have size and speed and athleticism. They’ve done a good job of using it. They got some guys that are somewhat unusual in terms of their measurables for the position they play, specifically at defensive end. Got a ton of respect for their nose guard as well. But, yeah, I think that’s what everybody’s trying to do, right? You’re trying to get as many big athletes as you possibly can. We’ve talked about this in the past. On offense, you’re trying to create space. On defense, you’re trying to take space away. How do you do that?

“You can do that with size in terms of weight and being sturdy and not allowing people to get any movement on you. You can do it with size in terms of length and taking up space on the field. And then you can do it with speed, in terms of being able to close space down as quick as you possibly can. And when you can have a combination of all those traits, then that it makes for a very, very challenging opponent, and that’s what they’ve been able to do against most of the teams that they played.

More: Will Penn State wear white uniforms in the Big Ten title game? Jersey picks revealed for the Lions, Oregon

“For us, there’s certain players that we need to be aware of, just like they need to be aware of Abdul right? There’s certain players you better have a plan for or they can make the game even more challenging than it needs to be. So we spent a ton of time on that. But you know, we’re going to have to go execute the plan against a really good team. And as you also know, if you’re giving extra help on a defensive end, yes, that helps solve one of the problems that you have, but then it also exposes you in other areas. So that’s kind of the the chess match, right? You’re trying to solve one problem, and it does, but it also, you know, allows you, or creates you, you know, you’d be susceptible in other areas.”

On defending Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel

“For me, the thing that stands out about him, it seems like he’s been playing college football for like, the last 10 years, and he’s just so poised and relaxed. You watch him play, just looks so relaxed. He looks so poised. You’re not going to give him a whole lot that he hasn’t seen before, and he’s surrounded with really good talent. The running backs are really good. The tight end is a really good player. The receivers are dynamic. So you know, he’s put himself in really good situations where he’s played a ton of football. You got an experienced quarterback. Their play caller does a really good job of getting people in space, and he looks very comfortable and relaxed.

“And because of that, he’s thrown for a very high percentage. You very rarely ever see him get rattled, and he’s throwing to guys that can make plays for him. So it’s a combination of skill, it’s a combination of scheme and it’s a combination of the guys that he has around them, plus experience.”

On his confidence level that injured Penn State receiver Trey Wallace and cornerback Elliot Washington II will be back this week

“Good,” Franklin said. “But as you guys know, I don’t get into a whole lot of that kind of stuff unless it’s a long-term injury,” Franklin said. “But we have confidence that both of those guys will be available to play. I think you saw them both out here contributing today.”

On not having played Oregon yet this year but having numerous familiar opponents

“We’ve gotten to see them a decent amount in crossover games,” Franklin sad. “You kind of follow what they’re doing, because they’re doing some really nice things on offense, defense and special teams.

“But it really just came down to a normal game week. Probably very similar to what we’ve faced in terms of UCLA and Washington. New opponents that we don’t have a whole lot of familiarity with. At least with them you could do a little bit of summer studies and things like that. But at the end of the day, we got a week to get ready for these guys. We’re maximizing that time and I’ve been pleased so far with how the players and the staff are handling it.”

On the Penn State Class of 2025

“Happy,” Franklin said. “One of the things that we take great pride in, knock on wood, that we have not had a whole lot of drama on Signing Day. We’re very upfront and honest and transparent with the families and the kids that we recruit. They know what they’re getting. We know what we’re getting. And, we typically don’t have a whole lot of issues. Those guys sign, and obviously we’ve been recruiting them for a long time. I’m pleased with the class.

“I was also very, very pleased with the staff in general. This is a very different signing day. It was just me and the recruiting staff. Usually it’s our whole staff. But we can’t afford to do that right now. So, the rest of the staff playing football all day. I came in early and it will stay late to make up for the time that I missed on football.

“But it was myself. The recruiting staff and the administrative staff did a phenomenal job having everything set up. And you’re talking about, not only was that different, but not having National Letter of Intent this year, NIL contracts, all kinds of stuff, make it very, very challenging. And for us to not have any hiccups or any issues, to me, was impressive from the organization. That’s a credit to Andy Frank and Kenny Sanders and Alan Zemaitis and all those guys.”

Is the December college football model of early signing day, transfer portal, and the postseason sustainable?

“Yeah, as you can imagine, I’d like to talk about Oregon, but I think it’s a fair question,” Franklin said. “You know, I don’t think it makes a whole lot of sense to have one of the most important days of the year, which is signing day, which is very complex in today’s college football, more complex than it’s ever been. Oh, and by the way, you’re about to play the number one team in the country in the conference championship. Don’t know if that makes a whole lot of sense.

“There’s been a lot of discussion for a long time that instead of kind of continuing to piecemeal and make changes to solve certain problems, we need to look at the whole thing holistically, the entire model, the rules, the calendar, but it is what it is. And I was pleased with our staff and how they handled it.”

What are the Penn State high school and transfer portal priorities moving forward?

“I’ll probably wait on that right now,” Franklin said. “There’s a lot of different moving parts and a lot of things that are going on right now. And don’t necessarily want to be talking about things that impact our current roster. Want to focus on the guys that we have now. I’m happy to answer that question, once we kind of get through this, what our plan is for the transfer portal.

“I know what you’re going to say, the transfer portal is about the open. I get it. Again, we’re just trying to keep everybody as focused on the task at hand. I got the recruiting staff working on those other things. And we’re focused on Oregon. But I promise you I will answer that question here when I think it’s a little bit more appropriate.”