It’s safe to say that Penn State football will treat this year’s Cotton Bowl Classic as a business trip.

Last year, head coach James Franklin told reporters that he expected his team to strike a “70/30 or 60/40” balance between football and enjoying Orlando prior to the Citrus Bowl. He didn’t name any numbers like that at his team’s Cotton Bowl media day on Friday, and his comments indicate that the Nittany Lions will be laser-focused on their task at hand.

“It’s kind of like when we went to Ireland [in 2014],” Franklin said. “Everybody was like ‘what a wonderful cultural experience this is going to be for the team and coaches!’ and we were pretty much in the hotel or on the practice field the whole time. I think the guys rode around on one double decker bus was about all they got. I think the bowl games are similar.”

Obviously, Penn State’s primary reason for being in Texas this week is to win a football game. However, there will be a host of events for the team and its fans to enjoy along with everything that the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth have to offer.

Penn State’s team-sanctioned pep rally will take place at 8 a.m. Friday, December 27 at AT&T Stadium’s West Plaza along with the Battle of the Bands, which will take place between the Penn State Blue Band and Memphis’ Mighty Sound of the South from 3-4 p.m. on Friday. The Nittany Lions themselves will visit a local children’s hospital from 9:30-10 a.m. on Monday, December 23.

For what it’s worth, senior linebacker Cam Brown predicts he and his teammates maintaining a 75/25 football-to-fun ratio throughout the trip. Brown, who’s one of Penn State’s eight captains this year, cited maturity and knowing when to balance having fun with being locked in at practices and meetings as keys to striking a successful balance on trips like these.

Starting quarterback Sean Clifford will have a similar mentality during the team’s time in Dallas.

“I think it’s just like balancing anything in life,” Clifford said. “When I was balancing everything going on during the first game week with trying to prepare for the game and all that excitement, it’s no different getting down there. We’ll have a bunch of activities and team bonding, but you just have to make sure that A) you’re getting to sleep on time, and B) don’t change your routine when it comes to practice.”

With all that in mind, Penn State will definitely enjoy being in north Texas throughout this week. The team arrived in Dallas on Saturday, and according to the Cotton Bowl’s Twitter account, at least 30 Nittany Lions were wearing cowboy hats to mark their arrival in the Lone Star State.

“We have meetings and we have practice, and then there’s a lot of mandatory events that the bowl does,” Franklin said. “But I think the players will get the experience of Dallas — not so much that it takes away and becomes a distraction for the game. Most importantly we’ve got to find a way to win this game against a really good, talented opponent that thrives in these types of games.

“There’s an understanding of expectations and standards of how we do things. At the end of the day, the most important thing is putting ‘Bowl Champions’ on our rings, bringing that trophy back to the facility, and sending these seniors out the right way after the game.”