Jason Mackey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — Speaking over the weekend during Penn State football media day, coach James Franklin did a respectable and entertaining job of trying to temper expectations.

Repeating something he says often, the 12th-year coach insisted that standards are always high inside the Lasch Football Building. Franklin also joked that preseason rankings will never adorn the walls of his basement man cave.

Good stuff. Exactly what he should say. But I take issue with one part of Franklin's comments.

This year is different at Penn State. A lot different.

It's a departure from anything Franklin has experienced at Penn State, and I'm genuinely excited and curious to see how it all pans out.

Several publications have picked Penn State to debut at No. 1 in the c

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