The silver football that normally rests atop the Big Ten championship trophy has been a constant companion for Penn State head coach James Franklin the past couple of months.
Franklin joked that Wednesday's national signing day press conference was the first time since the Nittany Lions beat Wisconsin on Dec. 3 that the ball had not been in his possession. He had carried it around with him to high schools and home visits, an important prop in efforts to sway potential recruits toward State College.
"There's an excitement, a buzz around our program," Franklin said. "We hadn't won a Big Ten championship in over 20 years.