UNIVERSITY PARK — The College Football Playoffs are evolving even faster than NIL and the transfer portal. It seems inevitable that the field will expand to 16 teams, possibly as soon as the 2026 season.

The management committee for the CFP recently modified the seeding where the top four conference champions will not necessarily receive a bye, but will go to the top four teams.

Now, the discussion has changed to how are the teams picked and should the committee start using a formula such as what was used in the BCS era from 1998-2013.

Count Penn State coach James Franklin as part of the crowd that is undecided.

“There were all these complaints about the BCS,” Franklin said. “Then we go to (the CFP), and the problem is everyone voting is biased, whether you want to be or not. In a lot of ways, you could make the argument that a formula could be better, but we didn’t love the formula, so we went to this.”

Ohio State coach Ryan Day made the argument earlier this week that the Big Ten should have four automatic qualifiers to the playoffs. Part of the reasoning is because the conference expanded to 18 teams last season, with the four West Coast teams being some of the predominant teams that the PAC-12 featured for many years.

“It’s an interesting discussion,” Franklin said of the four automatic qualifiers. “Somebody said, ‘Let’s just choose the best 16.’ Well, how do you choose the best 16?

“It’s why I think we need a commissioner. The majority of people that have strong opinions have an agenda and are biased based on what’s good for them.

“We do have more teams now and a greater level of competition. Why should (the field makeup) be balanced? I think that’s the conversation everyone is having.”

It’s an ongoing conversation that likely won’t have an end game until at least next year, if not longer. Franklin pointed out that the Big Ten only plays nine conference games, while the SEC only plays eight in league play. That only scratches the surface of the whole dilemma.

“At the end of the day there’s not going to be a perfect system,” Franklin said. But let’s make it as perfect as we can so we can compare an apple to an apple.”

A brand new room

The leading wide receiver from last year’s Nittany Lions returning is Liam Clifford, who managed to get just 286 yards on 18 catches. First Team All-American tight end Tyler Warren was a first-round NFL Draft pick, while Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans transferred to Ole Miss and Washington, respectively.

But the wideouts were revamped over the winter with USC’s Kyron Hudson and Troy’s Devonte Ross committing to Penn State via the transfer portal. On the day of the Blue-White Game, it was also reported that Syracuse’s Trebor Pena was also coming to State College.

Pena had 84 receptions for 941 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Orange.

“It worked out pretty well,” Franklin said. “Since he’s been here, I know our veteran players like him. Hudson has come here and been a good fit and the guys really like him. Hudson and Pena were both captains at their schools. That’s very telling.”

What has the rest of the coaching staff noticed about Pena since he’s been on campus?

“He’s got tremendous ball skills,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “He’s really quick. He can make things happen with the ball in his hands.”

Wide receivers coach Marques Hagans pointed out his production, his competitiveness, and his toughness stands out on film.

“No matter what system you’re in, football is football,” Hagans said. “Can he run? Can he catch? What can he do with the ball in his hands? It’s a different system, but the result we need is the same. Guys that can get open and catch the ball and make something happen with it. He proved he can do that on film.”

Edge rusher out

Franklin confirmed on Thursday that redshirt freshman defensive end Max Granville is out with a long-term injury that he suffered at home while working out.

Granville saw limited action in seven games last year with one tackle and one pass break-up, but was likely going to receive a bigger role this season.

“Obviously not an ideal situation,” Franklin said. “My heart breaks for the kid and the family. Obviously not what we wanted or needed either. He played last year and we were depending on him taking that next step this year.”