Mark Madden: Penn State's James Franklin acted, so who cares if he doesn't say anything?

Knickers got twisted when Penn State football coach James Franklin did the hokey-pokey on and off the podium at his weekly news conference by way of declining to comment on two ex-Nittany Lions players charged with rape. A PR flack exchanged places with Franklin and recited a prepared statement.

The assembled media had been told that Franklin wouldn’t comment on the case. But, hey, if you want softball questions only, you had better go on Pat McAfee’s show.

Franklin is getting heat: “The face of Penn State’s program should address this, blah, blah, blah.”

But this is an ongoing legal matter. Franklin dismissed both players from Penn State’s team before charges were filed. Penn State, by all accounts, is cooperating with the investigation.

Penn State is guilty of nothing. For a change.

Franklin could only say the wrong thing. Or something token that might further inflame the alt-righteous. So don’t say anything.

The situation has brought the usual suspects out of the woodwork to say that if Franklin didn’t do anything wrong, then — aha! — Joe Paterno didn’t do anything wrong.

Yeah, except Franklin acted. Paterno didn’t.

Penn State covered up then. This time Penn State didn’t.

That said, I’ve tempered my thinking on the denouement of the Paterno saga.

While there’s no doubt Paterno knew about the nefarious activities of Jerry Sandusky and should have acted more stridently, maybe the aftermath of that revelation should have been left to the legal process. Perhaps Penn State should have let Paterno finish the 2011 season. Do right by the program and the man who made it. Mollify the program’s supporters.

Instead, Penn State bowed to the mob.

Paterno’s stooges then formed a different mob, who have since whitewashed and tried to speak lies into truth.

Paterno might have been indicted for the cover-up. Three high-ranking Penn State officials went to jail. Paterno, however informally, outranked all of them.

Paterno died Jan. 22, 2012. A monument to coaching excellence but also to the dangers of football uber alles. The Sandusky scandal is what he’s most remembered for.

Franklin doing the foxtrot on and off the dais was a momentary distraction from Penn State being undefeated and ranked No. 3. Pitt is also undefeated and ranked No. 19.

With the new 12-team playoff looming, incredible things could happen.

The playoff won’t be about involving the 12 best teams, though it’s likely to come close.

The playoff will be about brands, buzz and matchups that create the latter. Especially in the first round when the top four teams get byes and seeds 5 through 8 host games.

Let’s say Penn State loses one game, missing the Big Ten final.

Let’s say Pitt loses one game, missing the ACC final.

It’s not that hard to see Penn State and Pitt playing a first-round game at Creepy Valley.

That’s likely a pipe dream. Pitt, even with one loss, wouldn’t fit the profile of an at-large team.

But with Penn State and Pitt not playing every year as God intended, it’s something to hope for, albeit in vain.