COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ryan Day chose not to go down the path of discussing the recent news surrounding Ohio State’s rival Michigan State.

He shut down any potential angle of questioning on the subject of the Wolverines’ alleged sign theft, choosing instead to focus on the Buckeyes’ upcoming opponent Wisconsin. However, not every coach chose to go this route. Others had no problem discussing certain aspects of the investigation in terms of whether the proceedings affected them.

Penn State head coach James Franklin vaguely discussed the sign-stealing business in general and detailed why it’s a problem.

“What happens is you get to after games and you feel like you got an unexpected call in a certain situation and they’re on perfect defense for that,” Franklin said. “You’re sitting there saying what would make you play Cover 2 on fourth-and-1 and we’re in a personnel-heavy group. But they’re in it and you have a chance there.

“Those things make you think again, go back and look at those things and what you have to do to hide them. If it happened once, that’s one thing, but if it happened over and over again, you might be aware of it. For us, that’s something we always look at, But obviously with the things that are happening now, it’s amplifying that.

Franklin comes from the perspective of a team that has lost two straight games to the Wolverines. Both games fall within the three-year window of allegations against Michigan. ESPN reported that 11 Big Ten schools confirmed that Michigan employee Connor Stallions purchased tickets in his name for more than 30 conference games.

New reports Tuesday night It is noteworthy that the list of schools expands outside the conference to include potential College Football Playoff opponents such as Georgia, which faces Michigan during the 2021 season. The new developments mean that Kirby Smart was asked about the situation.

Smart admitted that although he knew of the teams involved in stealing the signs, he did not believe the Wolverines were doing it to the extent they were buying tickets for scout teams in person.

“There’s nothing I remember about the Michigan game that makes me think that,” Smart said.

The 2021 Orange Bowl was Michigan’s first playoff appearance, but the game was far from competitive. The eventual national champion Bulldogs won 34-11. It is the only time in the past three years that the two programs have played each other.