With Marcus Freeman seated maybe 24 inches to his right and a cup of coffee at his left hand, James Franklin dove in. Penn State's 11th-year head coach knocked the continued independence of Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish,

Notre Dame safety Adon Shuler (8) hurdles over Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea (10) after intercepting the ball during a NCAA college football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State's head coach explains his plan for improving college football. It includes Notre Dame finally joining a conference.

The loss to Northern Illinois is no longer relevant to Notre Dame. The losses to Ohio State and Oregon don’t matter to Penn State right now. The Irish (13-1) and Nittany Lions (13-2) face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night,

Yahoo Sports national columnist Dan Wetzel and senior college sports reporter Ross Dellenger join Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde to react to Penn State head coach James Franklin's comments about Notre Dame's independence and discuss the constant chatter that the Fighting Irish should join a conference.

With key injuries and limited prep time, Notre Dame faces a tough challenge against Penn State in their CFP showdown.