I wrote an extremely long and I would like to believe, insightful, piece about the BCS. Especially in a time since the BCS commissioners meeting this past weekend where everyone is ganging up on the supposedly evil system. I feel like the minority voice has to be heard. So I’m linking back to the post and hope those of you who haven’t read it yet, give it a go.

The Rose Curtain

In his ‘State of the Union’ speech in 2002, George W Bush famously grouped Iraq, Iran and North Korea into the ‘Axis of Evil’, eerily familiar to the Axis powers of the second World War. Always on the lookout for catchy phrases, the mainstream media led by ESPN have cleverly modified the term to dub the Big Ten and the Pac 10 as the ‘Axis of Obstruction’.

Aren’t we getting a bit too dramatic here? Despite what most fans want (and I am clearly not in that majority) any idea of a playoff system involving college football is not and has never been in the best interest of any of the powerhouse conferences, INCLUDING the SEC despite what Mike Slive wants you to believe.

I shall first allow the commissioners to explain then I will elaborate,

“After a very thorough, very good discussion among the group, we have decided that because we feel at this time the BCS is in an unprecedented state of health, we feel it’s never been healthier during its first decade, we have made a decision to move forward in the next cycle with the current format,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford

“If it isn’t broke,” “don’t fix it.” Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White

“The system is under a lot of scrutiny that can result in pressure to add games. Our league is not favorable to a playoff system as a whole, and viewed this as the first step in that direction.” Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe

“very pleased with the current system.” WAC commissioner Karl Benson also representing C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt.

So let me get this right. Every single Div-I football conference major AND mid-major are opposed to any sort of a playoff idea except the SEC and yet the finger is only pointed at the Big Ten and Pac 10? If it looks like a scapegoat, and smells like a scapegoat, then it probably is a scapegoat. The reason why people love to hate the Rose Bowl alliance between these two Northern and Western conferences is also the reason why people love to hate Notre Dame.

While this is extremely tough for me to admit, but the nation’s hatred with Notre Dame is less about their performance on the field, their fans, tradition or even their impressively long waiting list for season tickets, but it is solely because of their privileged relationship with NBC and the BCS system in general. Did you see any other athletic directors representing just 1 school sitting at the ocean-front resort this past weekend?

Jim Delany, John Swofford, Dan Beebe and even Mike Slive represent a collection of multiple football powerhouses ranging from Ohio State and Michigan to Texas and Oklahoma to Florida and Miami. They are each obligated to represent multiple athletic directors, differing opinions and massive fan bases. And Kevin White? Well he sits among these godfathers representing just 1 school, Notre Dame. Not because Notre Dame is an independent. If that were the case, we’d see Army, Navy and Western Kentucky represented. Kevin White is an equal among these men of influence simply because of what Notre Dame means to college football.

Now we’ve all done analogies before. Notre Dame to college football is what the Rose Bowl is to the college post season. The Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game still in existence and the pageantry, history and tradition surrounding the game only makes it the premier destinations for most teams. To make the Rose Bowl game is an entitlement in itself. And this is why the Big Ten and the Pac 10 hold on so dearly to their commitment to the Rose Bowl. Why wouldn’t they? Like Notre Dame’s independent contract with NBC, both the Big Ten and the Pac 10 have a good thing going for them. Before the days of the BCS, the Rose Bowl stood tall alongside its Cotton, Orange and Sugar peers. Now the Cotton has been replaced with the Fiesta, yet the Rose Bowl is still going strong.

Many believe that it is actually feasible for all the conferences to move forward without the Big Ten, Pac 10 and their Rose Bowl. But remember the Bowl Alliance prior to the BCS? Well that was a post season system that excluded the Big Ten, Pac 10 and the Rose Bowl and look how well that turned out. The other conferences can only hope to have a tie in with the Rose Bowl that is currently already occupied. And as Big Ten fans we should recognize the special status our historic tie-in affords us in the college football landscape.

But don’t we want a true ‘fair’ national champion crowned each year? What about college football is fair? Even within the Big Ten conference itself, there are teams that don’t have to play Ohio State and Michigan in some seasons while other teams are stuck with playing both powerhouses annually. Is that fair? Notre Dame gets to pick and choose their entire schedule on an annual basis. If a playoff system were to be instituted why wouldn’t teams want to pick and choose an entire schedule of cupcakes in addition to 2 or 3 games against the big boys. Hell, a 9-3 record would solidify Notre Dame as a regular participant in any playoff scenario.

People are too short sighted to actually appreciate what the current BCS system has afforded us. Yes, there is lots of contraversy, but isn’t it exactly that contraversy that sends thousands of fans to the forums, blogs and world wide web to further talk about college football? Isn’t the fact that a single loss whether it be to #1 Ohio State late in the year or to Division I-AA Appalachian State to start off the season devastating, the reason why fans pack the stadium for both matchups? Fan attendance is in record figures, television ratings are through the roof, schools are raking in record revenues, can someone remind me what exactly is wrong with the system we have now again?

Oh, the fair thing. Auburn still has a grudge, apparently so does Georgia and Boise State. But what about USC in 2007 after being upset by UCLA in their last game? Or Penn State in 2005 who lost in a controversial game to Michigan in the last second? Don’t you think they would have benefited from a playoff? Sure. But that is exactly why a playoff is not good for college football. It is because we answered in the affirmative to the last question that would render such momentous upsets that would be scribed into history books into mere formalities.

The 2006 Ohio State - Michigan game with both team’s undefeated records would have simply been a battle between two teams that had already punched their ticket into any sort of playoff system. What’s to stop them from resting their best players? The NFL already does it because they know the ultimate prize lies in the post season. There is absolutely no reason why Jim Tressel would want to risk injury to Ted Ginn, Gonzales or even Troy Smith in a game that has no bearing on making the postseason had there been a playoff system. But it is because we didn’t, that we were treated to an all out, epic battle between two teams who knew, despite all the politicking that the loser of the game face little to no chance of participating in the national title game.

In 2006 after the classic matchup between #1 Ohio State and #2 Michigan, SEC commissioner Mike Slive denounced any possibilities of a repeat matchup between the two Big Ten powers in the championship game. Now he is proposing a plus-one playoff format which would have ensured that both Ohio State and Michigan would have had another shot at a repeat matchup. The likely matchup that year had we moved to a plus-one playoff system would have been #1 Ohio State v #4 USC and #2 Florida v #3 Michigan. The only difference would be that Florida from the SEC and USC from the Pac 10 would have had a shot as well. Just a tad self-serving when it comes to proposing ideas aren’t we Slive?

So how exactly does rendering the regular season into a ‘win-enough-games-to-make-the-postseason’ system better than the current system. It isn’t and never will be. You can miss a couple NFL games and still be content with your favorite pro football team come playoff time as long as they make the playoffs. Do you honestly want to render college football into what men’s basketball has become? Where losing a few games is acceptable. I personally think that would be devastating for this sport we all love and cherish.

Shockingly not everything revolves around money. There is just so much more money potentially for the NCAA and its members if they switched to a playoff format, but at the expense of reducing the value of the regular season? The benefit becomes negligible.

Do not for a second even fool yourselves into thinking Auburn, Boise State and Georgia are the only victims in our wacky postseason format. Penn State was robbed of 2 national championship appearances once by Nixon when he prematurely awarded the title to Texas and once to Nebraska despite the 1994 team still widely regarded as one of the best ever in college football. So trust me when I say that I am still a little ticked off. But my rage has not blinded me to the bigger picture. Our national championship system is not perfect, but it works for college football.

So why exactly is Mike Slive the commissioner of possibly the second highest profile conference in the nation advocating an idea so absurd to the institution of college football that it is doomed to fail from day one? Ever hear of the Ralph Nadar tactic? Well when you know that an idea or a candidate stands very little chance of winning, the idea/candidate is still proposed simply to earn favor with the fans or electorate. Nadar will propose legalizing marijuana. He knows that is extremely popular with the younger generation. He will also propose lowering the drinking age. That is even more popular with college bound voters. But he also knows all too well he will never, ever win. So proposing it makes him look like the forward thinking candidate, the innovator and earn some good will despite the fact that he has no intention or ability to ever make good on his promise.

In walks Mike Slive. His conference has just won back to back national titles through a system that he now proposes scrapping. The mere fact that he is even thinking about a proposed playoff has all the fans, blogs and forums up in arms supporting him. But wait, he knows there is no chance such a system will ever come to fruition. How can I claim that? Well scroll back up and read the almost unanimous rejection of any sort of playoff or plus-one idea by every commissioner including the one representing mid-majors who as of the current system has no shot in hell of ever earning a title spot.

So why would Mike Slive still go through the trouble of bringing it up? Well isn’t the media and fans berating the Big Ten, Pac 10 and Rose Bowl and giving Slive and the SEC a standing ovation? Don’t you think he has already accomplished his goal? Those who can’t see through the game Slive is playing here want to award him with the medal of honor. And unfortunately that describes that mass majority of college football fans. Slive knows all too well his idea is bogus and will never gain traction, yet he runs his propaganda machine perfectly.

Each and every year there is contraversy, it adds to the lore that defines the sport of college football. We have to remember that this is a sport where teams and fan bases battle and hate each other over bronzed pigs, wooden buckets and in Notre Dame and USC’s case, a stupid looking Irish stick. Logic has little place in a sport so immersed in passion and tradition. Where else can you find two differing win records between teams from Missouri and Kansas simply because they can’t agree on the results of their historic rivalry? Do we honestly want to risk these rivalry games, passion for our teams even against inferior non conference opponents and the tradition that is the bowl game tie-ins (and I’m not talking about Joe’s Toilet bowl that was just introduced last year) just to give two more teams that couldn’t make a good enough case to be a national title participant lock in the first place another shot at the title? It sure isn’t worth it to me.

The only difference between commissioners Jim Delany and Mike Slive is not in their post season systems. They both know and believe that the current bowl tie-in system is what is best for the sport. The only difference between the two is that Jim Delany actually possesses a backbone. He is blatantly and at times too painfully honest about his commitment to the Rose Bowl and the current system. Slive on the other hand will squeeze as much good will from the majority of passionate college football fans as he can. How else will he ever get Missouri, Kansas, USC and even West Virginian fans on his side otherwise?

The mainstream media can dub the Big Ten, Pac 10 Rose Bowl alliance as the ‘Axis of Obstruction’ all they want. But in all honesty, the Rose Curtain (thats right ESPN, I can make smart, creative references too) is here to stay and for the good of college football as a sport, lets hope they never tear down this wall.

I have been to quite a number of concerts and performances in my day. Linkin Park, Coldplay, Black Eye Peas, Red Hot Chili Peppers, you name it. But never in my life of attending performances have I ever obtained front row seats. And I’m talking the seats where your tickets actually say Row 1. Not only was I fortunate enough to be sitting in the front row, I was dead center facing the stage in the first row for the Blue Man Group when they made an appearance at the Bryce Jordan Center last night.

It is because of this momentous occasion that I find myself writing about the performance in lieu of a sports related topic which I shall touch on later.

I wasn’t kidding when I said I was in the first row. You could literally reach out and touch the performers, not that you would want to, since they’re all covered in latex and blue paint, but if you were into that sorta stuff I guess you could from where we were.

I was lucky enough to obtain 5 tickets to their only show in Happy Valley last night, but when I invited a couple of my friends, all of them had heard of the Blue Man group, but didn’t know exactly what they were. A band? A circus? Or possibly a little bit of both. I didn’t even know how to describe the performance to them. I mean common, they never speak throughout the entire show and they play with paintballs, florescent paint, and produce music. Try explaining that to someone.

I’ve always had this fear of being approached by a mascot at an amusement park or a performer to drag me onto stage. Its been a lingering fear since I was a kid so being in the front row dead smack in the center, every time one of the Blue men stepped off stage, my heart skipped a beat. This man was unfortunate enough to have his credit card swiped by the blue men for a charge of a $1000. But luckily he gets to take home a ‘How to be a Megastar kit’.

One of the most unique bits about the Blue Man performance elsewhere (there are performances in Boston, New York and Vegas) is that regular students who can’t afford the costly ticket price can actually volunteer to become an usher before the show and clean up the mess after performances. In return, they get to actually watch the Blue Man group for free from the back. I was lucky enough to volunteer for a performance in Boston two summers ago and was the first time I saw the Blue Man group. And even having seen it before, there is nothing quite like a performance involving lights, drums and latex.

If you have never seen the Blue Man group before, I would highly recommend you take an opportunity to catch it if it is on tour at a place near you or if you happen to drop into Boston, New York or Vegas.

We’ll take on the BCS playoff proposal after this, but I must say all this talk about the Big Ten and Pac 10 being the ‘Axis of Obstruction’ to any sort of playoff idea is ridiculous. The SEC commissioner knows all too well that there are plenty more commissioners out there opposed to any sort of playoff idea, so to earn a little bit of good will, he goes on a pointless crusade for a playoff he knows has no chance of ever making it into the BCS system.

When you know you are fighting a lost cause, why not go all out and propose the impossible. Nadar wants to legalize weed, Nadar wants to lower the drinking age to 18, Nadar wants to provide free health insurance. Nadar is full of shit. So is the SEC commissioner Michael L. Slive. Hey, if you can propose something that will win you good will with the fans, and know it won’t ever become reality, why not be the one to bring it up. The only difference between Slive and Jim Delany is that Jim actually has a backbone. He is not willing to play this propaganda game.

The slow blogging this past weekend was due to the fact that I was out celebrating my birthday. But I feel like I could have still written some interesting posts drunk.

While I was gone:

Penn State’s dominating mens volleyball team faces the Buckeyes of Ohio State out in California for the national semifinals.

How can I call them dominating? Well this year’s squad holds a 28-1 record with their only loss to George Mason early in the year. They eventually redeemed themselves by sweeping George Mason in their second meeting for the EIVA championship.

Penn State should have no trouble with the Buckeyes in this match up. They have met twice this year with a 3 game sweep in Columbus and a 4 game victory in University Park. But lets hope history does not repeat itself.

2 years ago, the anteaters of UC-Irvine was in the exact same position Penn State finds itself in this year. They were the #1 seed filled with All-Americans yet they were upset by the #4 seeded Nittany Lions at Rec Hall. This year, Penn State finds itself in the exact same position except it is the Lions that have to travel across the country to bring back its second national championship.

If they manage to avoid the upsets, Penn State will become only the second school to win the men’s and the women’s volleyball championship in succession. Stanford being the first.

So if there are Lion fans out there in the Los Angeles region, head on out to UC Irvine this Thursday and root for the Blue and White at 6 pm.

Ticket Information

All Tickets are sold through the Bren Events Center Ticket Office by calling (949) 824-5000 or
Box Office Hours
Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Ticket Prices
All-Session Adult Pass - $25
All-Session Youth/Student Pass - $18

Single Session Tickets will only be available to purchase beginning April 28.
Please note there is no guarantee that any single session tickets will be available.

Adult Single Session Pass - $15
Youth/Student Single Session Pass - $10
$1.50 service charge per ticket.

(session one - Thursday, May 1st and session two - Saturday, May 3rd)

Do we need a recount?

There are five captains for this season’s football team.

Yes. Five.

This either means there aren’t true ‘leaders’ on this years squad to pinpoint an individual offensive and defensive captain, OR there are so many playmakers and leaders that they couldn’t settle on just 3 captains. I’m hoping for the latter, but with all the off-the-field issues with the law, I can’t help but think its reason number 1.

But in addition to our sideline captain, Sean Lee (LB), Gaines (DE) and Scirrotto (S) were selected defensive captains and Shipley (C) and Williams (WR) were chosen as the offensive leaders. It was interesting to see Scirrotto on that list seeing as he was in Joe’s doghouse, but I guess Joe realizes there are worst crimes out there.

Count 5 for the NFL

Linebacker Dan Connor slips to the third round when he was selected by the Carolina Panthers as the 74th overall pick.

Cornerback Justin King was selected as the 101st overall pick in the fourth round.

Wide receiver Terrell Golden was signed as a free agent to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fullback Matt Hahn was signed as a free agent to the Oakland Raiders.

And most amazing of all, Anthony Morelli was signed as a free agent to the Arizona Cardinals.

…more on the NFL draft through Blue and White tinted glasses tomorrow later this week.

This is the official email sent out to all the students qualified for student season tickets for this coming season:

2008 FOOTBALL STUDENT SEASON TICKET INFORMATION

- Please read thoroughly, print, and retain for your reference.

First of all, we wish you well in the successful completion of classes and final exams over the next few weeks.

On behalf of Penn State Athletics, we want to make you aware of the upcoming modifications and important dates related to the 2008 Student Season Ticket sale that will take place in mid-June.

While some important steps of the process have been modified, please note that Penn State Football student season tickets will once again be issued via an online first-come, first-served sale. Each eligible student may attempt to purchase one season ticket.

Over the past several months, Intercollegiate Athletics has encouraged and read your suggestions as well as met with various student leadership representatives to review the long-standing season ticket allocation process. From the beginning, our very clear collective mission has been to assure that the season ticket allocation process is fair for all eligible participants.

The results of those discussions produced the following refinements to the distribution of season tickets for the 2008 season:

Highlighted changes are as follows:

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT

1. All returning, full-time students who wish to purchase a 2008

season ticket must pre-register for the sale during the designated pre-registration period, May 27-30. Full instructions to complete this process will be sent via email only to all returning students’

official Penn State email address during the period of May 15-23.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR PENN STATE EMAIL ACCOUNT DURING THIS TIME TO ASSURE RECEIPT OF THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Returning students who do not pre-register will not be eligible to participate in the sale.

Incoming Freshmen and newly accepted transfer students from another university will not pre-register, but are eligible to participate in the sale (See #3).

INDIVIDUAL CLASS SALES

2. The 2008 sale will be administered by class and will result

in five (5) separate sale dates for the five (5) separate class designations - Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores, Freshmen and Graduate students. Class designation will be determined by total credit hours through Spring ‘08. The number of tickets allocated to each class sale will be based on historical purchase data and/or projected enrollments of each class at University Park.

FRESHMAN and TRANSFER STUDENT PARTICIPATION

3. Incoming Freshmen and newly accepted Transfer Students are

eligible to participate in the online sale without pre-registration because issuance of University email addresses for this group will not yet be complete at the time of the sale.

TICKET RESALE POLICY

4. Penn State Athletics retains the right to revoke purchased

tickets and future ticket purchase privileges from any student found to be selling his or her season ticket on the secondary market. The season ticket process is intended solely for Penn State students who plan to attend the scheduled games and support the Nittany Lions.

ADDITIONAL KEY POINTS AND TIMELINE:

INSTRUCTIONS SENT

May 15 - May 23: All full-time, registered (minimum 12 credits) students for Fall 2008 semester, including incoming Freshman class, will be notified via email of the complete instructions for the 2008 Student Football Season Ticket sale. In addition, incoming freshmen and newly accepted transfer students from another university will receive the instructions by US mail. Emails and US mail addresses used will be those on file with the University. Details of the sale will also be posted at:

<http://www.GoPSUsports.com/ticket>www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets.

PRE-REGISTRATION PERIOD

May 27 thru May 30: Mandatory online pre-registration period for all returning students interested in purchasing 2008 student tickets.

(This does not include incoming freshmen and newly accepted transfer

students.) Note that registration can occur at any time during this 4-day registration period. All eligible, full-time students who register during the specified time period will be eligible to participate in the sale.

SALE WEEK

Week of June 16: Student ticket sale. Seniors - 6/16, Juniors - 6/17, Sophomores - 6/18, Freshmen 6/19 and Grad students - 6/20.

Each sale will begin at a time to be announced in the mid-May set of instructions.

TICKETS MAILED

Week of July 21: Student season tickets will be mailed to home address on file with the University’s Registrar and Admissions.

Students with UP campus or outside the continental United States addresses will not receive their tickets in the mail. They must be picked up at the Athletic Ticket Office beginning August 11.

BE PREPARED

Must Have Valid PSU Student ID: All student participants will need

to use their Penn State Student ID # in order to access both the online pre-registration (May 27- May 30) and sale (June 16 - June 20). Student ID # is assigned by the University.

PAYMENT

Valid Credit Card: The Student Season Football Ticket process requires a valid credit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover only - at the time of the sale. Tickets will be charged to the account immediately upon successful purchase of the student season ticket. Credit cards that are not valid or can not absorb the charge at the time of purchase may cause the student to be disqualified.

Again, we encourage you to print this message and retain it for your reference. We also invite you to revisit this message as often as needed at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets.

Please expect, as outlined above, to hear from us again in mid-May with further detail and instruction for the June sale.

Enjoy your summer!

Ticketing Services - Penn State Athletics

So there you have it. So instead of all the tickets selling out in 45 minutes, you will see each allotment of tickets sell out in half an hour on each specific day. Congratulations Penn State, instead of 1 day of pandemonium you have created an entire week of students screaming for heads to roll. Job well done.

Source: York Daily Record

Knowledge Timmons, the former William Penn standout, said he was reinstated to the team late Wednesday — along with starting defensive tackle Chris Baker, linebacker Navorro Bowman and tight end Andrew Quarless, two more potential starters.

That should be great news for the depth of our defensive line.

Thanks to Mike at Black Shoe Diaries, we present a Big Ten bloggers roundtable!

I love spring. Flowers blooming. Birds chirping. Bones breaking. ACL’s tearing. List the injuries your team sustained and describe their impact on 2008.

With 3 out of the 4 injured players projected to be back by the fall, the most glaring loss on that list is obviously Sean Lee. The fact that he will probably still be named a captain for the 2008 squad despite being sideline by his ACL injury is telling. He was is the leader of the defense and hopefully he will continue to help the young linebacking corp along from the sidelines.

“It’s not just the physical loss to us. He’s everything you want in a football player. He’s got poise. He comes to practice everyday. He works like a dog and the whole bit. When he got hurt it was a big loss, particularly in the drill. It wasn’t even a contact thing. It’s going to hurt us, but as I said to the squad, if you’ve got a good football team, somebody comes to the front.” - Joe Paterno

Luckily for us, we are Penn State. That means we run before we have to pass, we will be in blue home jerseys and black cleats a century for now, and we are never low on linebackers. Joe feels Tyrell Sales have ’stepped up’ and put himself in the position to fill the athletic void that was left by Sean Lee. So Sean Lee’s injury is not a good thing come 2008, but he has already promised to come back in 2009 and our linebacking corp should be one of the best especially with younger players forced to play this year.

Break down the major position battles going on with your offense

There are 2 for Penn State.

The much talked about one is the quarterback position, but I’ve mentioned many a times, this is basically Daryll Clark’s to lose. The signs are already there. He had the most production last year in limited snaps, and he took all his snaps solely with the first team offense while Pat went with the second team offense before moving to the first team when Daryll was pulled in the spring game. If the competition was as even as everyone thinks, wouldn’t Daryll have had snaps with the second team offense as well? But I’d much rather have 2 heralded quarterbacks that are capable of running our offense than none at all.

The second position would be at the running back position. This spot became a position battle since Green turned a pitch into a 57 yard touchdown at the Blue White game. Before that, no one doubted Royster’s place on the depth charts after his efficient production in limited carries last season especially after Scott was removed due to legal problems. But Green has put himself in the position for a second look with his electrifying runs both during the spring scrimmage and during practice.

Break down the major position battles on defense

Where do I start?

First there’s Sean Lee’s injury, which means younger players like Sales, Hull and Gbadyu will have to step up. This can be a two way street though. While we might be a little vulnerable at the linebacking spot for this season, imagine next year when we get all 3 back including Sean Lee. We can rotate them at will. Imagine the fresh legs at that spot.

Then there’s the defensive line. Last year the injuries sort of depleted our defensive line leaving very little room for error on defense. When you don’t have depth on the defensive line, you can’t pressure quarterbacks fast enough leaving your corners and safeties into vulnerable positions. And it is one of multiple reasons why our defense broke down in a few games, Ohio State and Michigan State for starters. But this year we have so many capable defensive linemen we are able to rotate them like a carousel. We already have Odrick, Koroma, Still, McEowen, Ogbu and less heralded Okoli. Imagine if we get Baker and Taylor back from suspension. Offensive coordinators shall tremble before our line.

Lastly we have secondary battles going on. Cornerback is our biggest concern with Justin King bolting prematurely for the NFL. There will be two prime candidates for this one. Tony Davis and Lydell Sargeant will fight for the second cornerback slot since Wallace is a lock for the first one. But both Davis and Sargeant are seniors with experience in our defense so the transition should not be too rough.

Who are the unknown kids on your team that will be household names come December?

I wonder if Green is even an ‘unknown’ kid anymore. With all the talk from spring practices, opposing defenses will be more worried about Green than they are about Royster.

But in all honesty, keep an eye out for Derek Moye. I know we have the super trio of Williams, Butler and Norwood, but the staff realizes we need to get some of our younger guys in the game seeing as all 3 are forced to graduate following this year. Rumors out of spring practices are that Moye could be the next big one for Penn State. Remember when Penn State last recruited Williams and Butler became our most productive receiver? Look for Moye to step up a little bit this year seeing as defensive will be more focused on our seasoned trio leaving the relatively unknown offensive players to slip through.

How would you describe the general mood around your program? Are you gearing up the tailgate party for a conference title run or do you get the impression there are going to be a lot of empty seats in your stadium this year?

Who do you think we are? Pittsburgh? Nittany Lion fans packed Beaver Stadium during the Zack Mills dark ages and there i no doubt we will continue to do so this year even if it turns out horrendously bad, which will not happen.

But Nittany nation is itching for the season to start. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who watched Green turn a simple pitch into a 57 yard sprint to the endzone. Then there’s Daryll Clark who conjures up memories of our last athletic quarterback, Michael Robinson and we all know how that season ended up. So spirits are high. The only hesitation I have with this season is our conference schedule. Not so much the dates we have to play specific teams, but the time we are slated to play them especially on the road in prime time.

Usually teams that are expected to make a national title run are slated for multiple night/prime time games in one season. Think USC, Ohio State, Florida, LSU. These are all teams that were expected to be national title contenders with potential Heisman candidates in their respective seasons and prime time television not only provides them further exposure, but makes for great television if they do indeed stumble along their path to glory.

So why exactly is Penn State playing 3 night 8pm prime time games in 4 consecutive weekends? The player who is even remotely close to a Heisman candidacy might be Derrick Williams and even then, he isn’t our most productive receiver on the squad. And lets not kid ourselves, we aren’t the juggernaut that can march into the Horseshoe and Camp Randell and roll over teams. We would struggle just to beat Northwestern if it was an away game.

So it’s basically clear the television networks smell blood in the form of Joe Paterno’s retirement and the sharks are circling. This might be his last visit to the Shoe and Camp Randell, even if he doesn’t retire following this year, he probably will in 2009. Unfortunately, this Penn State squad with a little glimmer of potential is thrust into the limelight because of Joe Paterno’s inevitable retirement which is a bit unfair, but nothing about college football is fair.

So no, there will not be any empty seats come 2008, but if Joe’s Lions manage to pull off the impossible running through the gauntlet of Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin unscathed, you can be sure there won’t be an empty seat in all of Happy Valley.

Thousands continued to voice their displeasure for the past 2 years. Many have gone as far as to express their protest in public. It was obvious that things just weren’t going right. But our leader insisted everything was going according to plan and we will prevail over the repeating setbacks that have befallen us.

Isn’t it amazing how the Morelli era almost seem identical to our situation in Iraq?

Joe Paterno’s insistence on playing an overrated Morelli despite his ineptitude in winning games with his arm can almost be as stubborn as Bush’s insistence that the Iraq war was the right thing to do. Both can’t be convinced of otherwise and trying to do so is a waste of time.

Then there were the rumors swirling that Morelli possessed an arm capable of shredding defenses to bit. But like Iraq, that weapon of an arm was as existent as the WMDs Iraq supposedly possessed.

The Altoona Mirror ran a piece yesterday titled “B-W Game fans wrong to boo Morelli” and I’ll give you one guess as to what it’s about. But it basically chastised the fans that were vocal in their displeasure of the once overhyped quarterback at this year’s spring game.

“No, Morelli may not have lived up to expectations during his two seasons as Penn State’s starting quarterback. But to boo him in that setting — a practice scrimmage, after his career is over and while he’s being honored on the field for an achievement — was shameful.”

For those of you who weren’t present, Morelli was introduced to the Blue/White game crowd of 73,000 at halftime to accept one of the Players of the Game award for the Florida International game last year. In stark contrast to the rousing reception for Michael Robinson and Tamba Hali just minutes earlier, almost half the crowd rained boos on the now ex-Penn State quarterback surprising many in attendance.

But what is exactly surprising? Are you surprised that the quarterback that single handedly lost us multiple games in the last two years was not given a standing ovation? Yes, Morelli held a 18-8 record during his 2 years as a starter, but are you going to blame Nittany Nation for their unwillingness to accept mediocrity? I sure don’t.

I was in fact one of those that went out of my way to boo the quarterback. But let me explain. I am a Lions fan through thick and thin. Don’t believe me? I was there during the two Zack Mills dark years including the infamous 6-4 Iowa game and never once left early despite the thousands that did during our losing seasons. I am not claiming to be the best fan, but I sure ain’t a bandwagon fan.

But when a school such as Penn State has no remorse in withdrawing an academic scholarship if the student fails to meet the academic requirements, why should athletes be treated any differently? Both were given a free ride to college for their talents. Different talents, but talents nonetheless. Academic scholarships reward those talented in studies and their field of work and athletic scholarships reward the talents in their respective field of play.

So when Morelli clearly performs as badly as a honor student failing his or her classes, and the school continues to reward the failing athlete with playing time and shreds the honor student’s scholarship, why aren’t fans justified in voicing their displeasure. The coach sure won’t heed it, but like those protesting in front of the White House against the war, fans need a public forum to ensure the coach at least noticed it.

Bush won’t end the war because millions marched against the war around the world, neither will Joe bench Morelli. But you can be damned sure, Joe and Bush both knows the fans aren’t happy, and the fact that the boos were directed to one person in particular, Joe knows exactly why they aren’t happy. Is it wrong to condemn a college kid for his ineptitude on the field? Maybe. Maybe not. But fans don’t meet Joe on a regular basis to let him know what they think of his decisions, he is barely around the office to meet his own players on a regular basis. So the best public venue would be at games and the spring scrimmage.

Then there are those that call the boo-birds ‘classless’ and ‘bandwagon fans’. Sound similar to the hordes of pro-war supporters who declare protesters ‘unpatriotic’ and ‘Unamerican’? I have been around Penn State football and love every second of it’s existence. I will sell off my first born for the ticket money if we ever make another national title appearance. But I will also boo Morelli if he deserves it. If I had been at the Ohio State game in 2006 where he threw 2 picks that were returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach, I would have boo’d him there too. I am a fan of a team, and a team is bigger than any one person.

If a player does not live up to my expectations for Penn State, I will be damned sure to let him know. I am one of thousands that ensure these players attend college for free, have free housing, free meals and amazing facilities that allow him the best possibility opportunity to compete with the best and if the player is not living up to his end of the deal, fans have the right to voice their displeasure.

To those that were shocked and angered by the boos showered onto Morelli at the Blue/White game, maybe its time for you to catch the games on television from home. If something as insignificant as voicing your justified displeasure bothers you, then maybe sports is not the right venue for you. Sports is a passion and you can’t be shocked when you hear passionate responses. Just like it is your American patriotic duty to ensure the government does not run unchecked by the people, we have the right to rightfully boo ineptitude.

If Morelli can’t handle that, he is more unqualified as a Penn State quarterback and I thought. And he’s already set the standard pretty low.

Remember all that hoopla about Penn State stealing the ‘white out’ from a team, Phoenix Coyotes that can barely use it? Whens the last time they have consistently made it to the playoffs? But remember all that stuff about trademark infringement?

Well the Pittsburgh Penguins are declaring one for their playoff series against the Rangers at Mellon Arena. What’s worst, when Penn State did it, the fans voluntarily wore white to create that atmosphere. Pittsburgh is actually handing out free white T-shirts to all the fans in attendance. So sue them Phoenix! You huff and puff when a college team pulls off a stadium wide white so I better see that same bravado against the Penguins.

On a side note, I have finally obtained my Blue/White game pictures and they are all up on the Blue/White post. Check it out here.

Remember the Rich Rod is a Liar and a Snake series? You don’t? Heres a quick recap.

“Rich Rod’s staff stole more de-commits by themselves than the entire conferences of the SEC, Big East, Big 12 and Pac 10. He can rest assured that the entire conference of the ACC with its 2 divisions have the same de-commits stolen as the great institution of Michigan.”

Apparently Brian at Mgoblog attempted to justify Rich Rod’s suspect recruiting techniques by… drumroll please… blaming the recruit!

“Which, like… of course. Roy Roundtree is perfectly capable of making sound decisions like “not going to Purdue.” He has free will.”

Yes, he does. But the question isn’t whether these kids are capable of making sound decisions, what are the odds of Roundtree even considering switching if Michigan decided to back off after his verbal to Purdue.

But hey, everyone does it Brian argues.

Every coach in the Big Ten has, at one time or another, attempted to poach some other Big Ten school’s “commitment.”

Granted we have had one or two instances every few years in which one Big Ten school poached or attempted to steal another recruit from a fellow conference member. Which by the way, despite what those at Mgoblog says, IS a lot worst than stealing from out of conference teams.

“Stealing recruits from your fellow brethren is like shitting where you sleep. You are not only going to be playing with one another, but there are galas, conferences, conventions and even meetings that will thrust you among your fellow conference peers and Rich Rod has not experienced that as of now. Think he’ll be sitting side by side with Tiller, Tressel or Paterno anytime soon? At the rate he’s going, they’ll have to bring in a kid’s table just so he can sit by himself during Media Day.”

But no one has done it at the rate Rich Rod is going. But hey, Michigan just wants to beat Ohio State at this point so who can blame them. But common, blaming the recruits for switching their commitments? You can do better. Sure, Rich Rod continuing pressure on Roundtree even after his verbal to Purdue had absolutely nothing to do with his decommitment.

So any takers for Rich Rod’s roommate at the Big Ten media conference in Chicago? Joe, Tiller and Tressel rather sleep in a cardboard box.