It was already on the calendar.
It was already must-see TV.
It was already important because it was the next step, the next 1-0 opportunity in a historic season for Penn State football.
But now that it’s Penn State-Notre Dame?
Man, I’m in for all of it when the two teams meet in a College Football Playoff semifinal next week.
Specifically, all of this (and I’m sure more) …
• For the national semifinal Jan. 9 that pits James Franklin and Marcus Freeman and will ensure one of them will be coaching in the national championship game Jan. 20. If that person then wins, he’ll become the first black coach to win a major college football national championship.
• For the end, please, of irrational, silly complaints about Franklin from Penn State fans. He’s one of the best in the business and he’s yours. He’s won big games to get to this point and only four teams remain alive. Yes, he gets paid well. Yes, there are things he could do better. But he clearly coaches and runs a program as well as anyone in the country.
• For the 20th meeting in a series that currently sits at 9-9-1. Their most recent meeting was the first White Out at Beaver Stadium, a 30-10 Penn State victory. The series includes the coldest game in Beaver Stadium history (1987) and an important late-season Penn State victory during its 1986 national championship season. Notre Dame’s most recent victory was a dominant 41-7 effort in South Bend in 2006. The teams’ first meeting was in 1913 but 13 of the 19 games have been played since 1981.
• For all the Al Golden stories. You know, Golden the Irish defensive coordinator and one-time Penn State tight end (a three-time letterman) who helped Penn State beat Notre Dame in 1990 and then crafted a solid coaching career that included head coaching roles at Temple and Miami, along with stops at Boston College, UVa, Penn State and in the NFL. By the end of the buildup, that storyline about the New Jersey native who was born on the Fourth of July might get old. But it’s good and always better than anything Flavor Flav.
• For the fact that Notre Dame ousted Georgia and only one SEC team (Texas) remains alive in the playoff. I love the fans who were so hospitable when Penn State visited SEC country in the past, but the conference’s hubris this season was silly and unfounded.
• For stories from friends and family who will make the trip to Miami, and the temptation to do so myself … only to embrace the comforts of home and save money for a trip to Nashville next fall.
• For the old-school reference to the Penn State Blue Band appearing on screen in “Rudy.”
• For watching the Penn State defense against this Notre Dame QB and offense.
• For the leprechaun and the Nittany Lion.
• For some solid, traditional fight songs.
• For my late father-in-law who was a huge Notre Dame fan. My enduring sports memory with him was his smirk as the Irish trounced West Virginia while we were watching the 1989 Fiesta Bowl together. His daughter’s then smartass sportswriter boyfriend was enamored with Major Harris. It turned out the only thing major that evening was Notre Dame’s dominance. (The Irish led 23-6 at half.)
• For my wife, the best football fan in the house, who shares her thoughts with the TV (and whoever else is in the room) during games. She’s a Penn State alumna who stayed for that entire game as a student in 1987 and later worked for the university for years and now works for Notre Dame.
It’s going to be fun, and I’m here for all of it.
OK, all if it except for some aspects of the almost-certain ESPN Megacast.
Perhaps not surprisingly, my preference would be a clean, viewer-focused broadcast without video game angles selected by an overly creative director. And there’s no need for the game to be the backdrop for another edition of a highly successful sports talk show. I’ll listen or watch them during their scheduled show.
I’m here for the game, though, and it can’t come soon enough.
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