Penn State blocking out noise of big-game losses, has focus on another run to playoff

LAS VEGAS (AP) — New year, new slate, no outside noise. That's the mantra in Happy Valley, despite James Franklin being saddled with a 4-20 mark as coach at Penn State against teams ranked in the AP Top 10. "Coming to Penn State, I came here to win Big Ten championships and win a national championship," Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley said Wednesday, the second of three Big Ten media days. "The beginning of every year, that's expectations. Whatever happens, happens. But that's how I go into the season every year. "Coach Franklin does a great job of making sure we're laser focused on the task at hand." Right now, the task is to open camp with a fresh mindset and zero in on the season opener against Nevada on Aug. 30. Forget his collective 101-42 mark at the helm or the two College Football Playoff victories before falling to Notre Dame in last year's national semifinal. As Franklin enters his 12th season leading the Lions, with 10 trips to the postseason in 11 years, the 53-year-old never seems to escape the narrative of losing big games. Nittany Lions fans might be happy to know Franklin feels he has the best combined personnel he's ever had at Penn State, from players and staff, to depth, to talent and experience. "We're very excited about that," Franklin said. "There's a ton of conversations that are happening nationally. We embrace that. We've earned that based on what we've been able to do and what we've got coming back. "We were a game away from playing for the National Championship, and you could actually make the argument a drive away from playing for the National Championship, but it didn't feel that way, right? Because the expectations at Penn State are really high. We embrace that." Wheatley, a fifth-year senior, agreed, saying it's the best atmosphere he's been around since landing on campus. "The amount of film work and amount of extra work being put in, the energy around the building right now is electric," said Wheatley, whose 16 tackles in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame tied for the third-most recorded by a Penn State player in a postseason game. "With the amount of veteran guys we got coming back and leadership we got going on, it kind of flows from freshmen to seniors. Everyone feels good right now." Fighter pilot Fickell Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell wasn't sure what could be tougher: the Badgers' upcoming schedule or the ride-along in an F-16 fighter jet at Nellis Air Force Base he's scheduled to take Thursday. "The immediacy of the now, the ride-along is going to put more pressure on my body," Fickell said, laughing. "But in the long run, the schedule is going to take more years off my life." In a friend-of-a-friend situation involving a former player, Fickell's butterflies were aflutter as he talked about taking to the skies over southern Nevada with a fighter pilot. "I know what my body's going to feel like when I'm all said and done," Fickell said. Among those on Wisconsin's schedule this year are Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon. "There's nothing harder than what's in front of us," he said. "We understand that, but we're not going to shy away from it, either." Locksley's locker room Maryland coach Michael Locksley displayed a bit of vulnerability, revealing he lost his locker room after the Terrapins finished 4-8 in his sixth full season with the program. It marked Locksley's first losing record since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He had navigated Maryland to three straight bowl appearances while winning at least seven games each of those season. He said the new world in which players get paid created divisions in the locker room. "We had 'haves' and 'have-nots' for the first time in our locker room," Locksley said. "The landscape of college football taught me a valuable lesson: Continue to educate players on the importance of what playing for something bigger than yourself is all about." The Terrapins open their season at home on Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic. Lakefront vibes As Northwestern awaits the renovation of Ryan Field, being upgraded to a state-of-the-art venue in time for the 2026 campaign, the Wildcats return to the 12,000-seat Martin Athletic Facility for a second straight season. "Who else gets to play on a lake in college football?" asked incoming quarterback Preston Stone, who transferred in from SMU. "It's unbelievable, it's an incredible opportunity for us to get to play in a unique environment." Ticket prices on the school's website range from $94 to $413 for the home opener against Western Illinois on Sept. 5. One week later, against Big Ten foe Oregon and with Fox Sports' Big Noon Kickoff in town, ticket prices trickle upward in the range of $156 to $670. "I think where we landed was the perfect solution and perfect bridge," Northwestern coach David Braun said. "It's unique, it's intimate. It allows our guys to have a level of consistency in terms of where they're playing for all their home games. Allows for our students to engage. And then you bring the element of, I mean, you are on one of the most prime pieces of real estate in the entire country, right on Lake Michigan. Beautiful fall day, Big Ten football, it's pretty special."