People bashing James Franklin for picking Virginia Tech are totally clueless

One of the worst-kept secrets of the last couple of weeks became reality when Virginia Tech announced the hiring of James Franklin as the school's next football coach on Monday.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on College GameDay Saturday morning that the sides were in early discussions for the former Penn State coach to come to Blacksburg. Truth be told, the discussions were reportedly happening for weeks, but in fairness to Thamel, he was just reporting what was being given to him. With everyone involved signing NDAs, everything had to be worded correctly.

As soon as Penn State fired Franklin in October, he instantly became the top coach on the market, and Virginia Tech's search committee didn't waste time in reaching out and securing a coach who had his team in the National Semifinals less than a year ago.

Fans across college football were balking at the rumors of Franklin to Virginia Tech for several reasons. Arkansas fans were doubting that Franklin would take the job over going there, but in the overall big picture, there is likely one reason why he picked the ACC over the SEC or the Big Ten.

James Franklin going to the ACC over the SEC was a no-brainer

In the overall big picture, when Franklin picked Virginia Tech, he did it for one major reason: the path to the College Football Playoff is a lot easier in the ACC than it is in the Big Ten and SEC. It's just the truth. Winning the ACC is a very realistic goal every year, and it could be a reality as soon as 2026.

Just look at the season Virginia is having one year after a 5-7 finish. Tony Elliott addressed needs through the Transfer Portal and looks at them now. Is this a one-year wonder for the Cavaliers? Probably with Franklin coming to Virginia Tech, but it shows how doable things are as soon as next year.

With the expansion to 12 teams, there are more paths to the CFP, and Franklin going to the ACC over the SEC and Big Ten makes the path easier for him. There's no Ohio State or Michigan in the ACC, and Clemson and Florida State are not controlling things like they have. There's also no Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and other SEC power programs in the ALL either. Arkansas and fans of other schools need to realize that picking Virginia Tech was an easy decision for several factors that the SEC and Big Ten have that the ACC doesn't.