It is our turn to host the blue and white roundtable here at NittanyWhiteOut.com. We are pleased to have the following participants take part:

http://www.nittanywhiteout.com/
http://www.blackshoediaries.com/
http://thenittanyline.blogspot.com/
http://gloryofoldstate.blogspot.com/
http://www.yurasko.net/wfy/
http://tangledupinwhiteandblue.blogspot.com/
http://thebigeleventh.blogspot.com/
http://mvn.com/ncaa-pennstate/
http://runupthescore.wordpress.com

so without further ado, here goes:

1. The announcement Wednesday is that contract talks are on hold until the conclusion of this season, and that Joe might not even need a contract to coach, how do you see this saga ending? Is this the final year for Joe Paterno?

Joe will coach next year, but that may be it for him. At this point, Joe Paterno has overstayed his welcome. I understand he wants to retire with a third National Championship, but a potential Big Ten title will have to do. There is no way Penn State will fire Paterno following this season even if it is a disappointing one. Fans will be outraged, alumni will be outraged, cash flow into the football program will suffer a big hit. That is too risky for the administration. They will, however give Joe an ultimatum following this season. If the season is a bust, they are justified in forcing Joe into announcing his retirement following the 2009 season. If the season is a smashing success, then they will force Joe into retirement while he’s on top. This is a lose-lose situation for the legendary coach.

But I foresee him announcing his retirement prior to the 2009 season. The big question is whether or not he will be allowed to pick his replacement or if the administration will conduct a nation wide search. The Penn State coaching position will be one of the most anticipated jobs in the nation including Michigan’s vacancy left by Lloyd Carr. Penn State hasn’t hired a coach in 40+ years, think anyone will want to give up an opportunity to interview for a potential opening? Think again.

2. Joe will clearly not be on the sidelines in 10 years time. Whether he is awarded another extension or is forced out against his will, a new face will inevitably be on the sidelines for the Lions in the years to come. Which candidates would top the list when it comes to a coaching search? Should it be an in-house hire or should we start off with a blank slate?

Repeat slowly after me. Time – for – a – clean – break.

The popular choice so far among Penn State fans has to be current defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. Why shouldn’t it be? Bradley was the man of Joe Paterno’s choice when he was forced to stay at home after suffering an injury during the Wisconsin game. Then there are all those impressive defensive units Bradley seems to churn out year after year.

But if Penn State can’t be a consistent competitor in the Big Ten with Bradley already on the staff, what makes Lion fans think he can turn that around overnight? Joe Paterno seems to favor Bradley succeeding him especially because of his loyalty. What would make any of us believe that Bradley will willingly fire Jay Paterno when he is in charge? Bradley is no doubt a great recruiter, an even better defensive coordinator and a likable guy, but like voting for President, if you pick someone who is already entrenched in the system, things will simply remain the same.

The key is to go with someone new. If he has a prior connection to Penn State, thats a plus, but not a prerequisite. Greg Schiano of Rutgers, Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, and Al Golden of Temple all top the list of possible replacements with prior Penn State ties. But let’s not be so quick to dub Schiano or Ferentz the next savior of Penn State football. They may have done more with less at Iowa and Rutgers, but Ferentz have not come close to a top 3 finish in conference play since earning his second Rose Bowl bid and a hefty pay raise. And Schiano manages to squeeze miraculous upsets out of his Rutger teams only to fall flat on their face the next Saturday. Penn State fans are already experts in inconsistent play. We will dismantle a top 10 team at home one weekend, and trip over ourselves on the road against an inferior opponent the next. We definitely don’t need a brand new coach to further our suffering.

My top pick would be Larry Coker. Hear me out. This is the same man that in his first year, took the Miami program from the sanctioned years under Butch Davis to two national title appearance his first two year on the job. He barely missed out on a third straight appearance had it not been for two late season losses, yet still won the Big East (this was before the realignment of conferences). Reason why Larry Coker is out of a job? Two consecutive “disappointing” 9-3 seasons before a 6-6 season finally gave way to his dismissal. Disappointing being the operative word.

Penn state definitely has the money to hire Larry Coker and the fact that he is currently jobless only makes this a match made in heaven. Not only will he bring a brand new attitude to the Penn State program, but imagine the benefits of hiring a coach with inroad into recruiting in the state of Florida. With Coker, Penn State will rise again.

3. It almost seems as if we find another athlete in trouble with the law each morning when we read the newspaper. What has gone wrong with the once pristine image of the Penn State program?

To those that blame easier media access for the increasing run-ins with the law, that is an absolute cop-out. The advent of faster media access does not cause football players to pull 12-inch blades at the dinner table, nor does it round up a posse of football players for a rumble at the HUB. It simply provides the news and its juicy details to us faster. These run-ins with the law are the sole decisions by 18-21 year olds who do not realize the privilege of attending college for free.

Here’s a stat for you. Guess the number of players who have run afoul of the law since 2002? That number is 60 and climbing with each season. That’s an average of 10 a season. There is clearly something wrong with the Penn State program.

But the real reason does not lie solely with Penn State, but with the type of players we recruit and the modern recruiting process itself. Since the scholarship limit has been enforced by the NCAA, schools are forced to recruit the select few and the competition has not only bred 18 year old high school divas, but the misconception that the individual is more important than the team. Need proof? Just look at the increasing number of announcements by high school seniors on ESPN, the Army All Star game and in front of packed gyms. Then there are those who play commitment games with big name programs with no intention of attending only to recommit somewhere else. No wonder these kids enter college with an ego that rivals their skill on the gridiron.

Just this past year at Penn State, its been the same names that continue to make headlines indicating the existence of these ‘bad seed’ divas that just can’t seem to get their act together. Bell was involved in the HUB fight and suspended for academic reasons prior to pulling a machete on a fellow teammate. Baker took part in both the Meridian and HUB fights. Andrew Quarless was arrested twice, once for underage drinking and a second time for DUI. Willie Harriott has also been arrested twice for alcohol related offenses. Basically, a few bad seeds are ruining it for everyone.

Joe Paterno is not off the hook on this one either. He has clearly lost the control he once had over his past teams. It is no secret that he prefers working from home than the office Penn State has provided for him. How do you keep a constant watch over an entire team when you barely make it to the office in a consistent manner.

Combine that with an increasing number of volatile 18 year olds recruited out of high school, you have a sure recipe for disaster. And that is exactly what we’re seeing.

4. After 14 years in the Big Ten, Penn has not dominated the conference in football as most presumed when we joined winning only 2 Big Ten titles in that span. In 1994, Joe Paterno’s undefeated Nittany Lions were also backstabbed by its Big Ten breathern when most conference members voted for Nebraska instead of Penn State. Is the Big Ten the right home for Penn State? Or would Joe Paterno’s dream of an all-eastern conference be a much more ideal conference for the Nittany Lions?

Penn State and the Big Ten are a match made in heaven. Penn State might not be dominating in football as most assumed they would, but Penn State competes in 28 other sports in the Big Ten. Since their entry into Big Ten play in 1991 (football joined in 1993), Penn State has amassed 38 regular season conference titles and 9 tournament titles. That’s 2 conference titles a season.

Then there’s the 33 national championships (excluding 2 football titles), that Penn State brings to the Big Ten conference. The next closest haul would be by the Michigan Wolverines with 32, then Wisconsin with 25 national championships. So there is no doubt the Big Ten benefits from Penn State’s participation despite their lackluster record on the gridiron.

But football reigns king in this conference and Penn State does not seem to hold up its end of the bargain. 2 conference titles in 15 years is frustrating to a proud fan base, but we have to remember that we are no longer playing the patsies of the northeast like we once were. Week in and week out, Penn State is now forced to play a grind it out, competitive, conference schedule with no pushover team in between.

Give it time, and eventually Penn State will win more titles. For all the talk about Penn State’s inability to beat Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan, only the Buckeyes and Wolverines have the hardware to prove their dominance in a conference they have inhabited for 96 and 112 years respectively. Wisconsin and Purdue, both 112 year old charter members of the Big Ten can only boast 11 and 8 Big Ten football titles for all those years.

So 2 titles in 15 years is a disappointing, but not insignificant achievement by the Penn State football program. In 15 years, the Lion football program has already accomplished what Indiana has to show for 109 years of Big Ten football play. Its good to aim high, but let’s not aspire to accomplish so much that we begin to seem greedy. Big Ten titles will roll through Happy Valley. We are a relatively young member in a tradition rich institution.

The only problem I ever had with our Big Ten affiliation was when our fellow conference members snubbed us in 1994 for Nebraska, handing Tom Osborne his only national title despite an undefeated Nittany Lion team. No Big Ten team has ever gone undefeated and not won a national title, so why was Penn State the first? Aside from that, I can live with all the officiating controversies, the alleged Big Ten bias and mediocre football record.

To claim that an all-eastern conference would benefit Penn State would be taking the easy way out. To be the best, you truly have to beat the best. An all-eastern conference with Syracuse, Temple, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Maryland and Virginia as possible members would simply be a conference of patsies. While it would maintain most of our traditional rivalries, the conference would only serve to hinder Penn State’s progress as a football program. The Big Ten not only fits academically, but athletically as well. Even if the following schools do decide to regroup into some form of an eastern conference, the Nittany Lions will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

5. With the lack of our traditional rivals in the Big Ten conference, and our unwillingness to reschedule any of them in any consistent manner, which teams are emerging as Penn State’s chief rivals in the Big Ten? (USC-Notre Dame proves that rivalries aren’t all about geographic significance.)

Pittsburgh is not part of the Big Ten, so scheduling them would serve no purpose but to cater to their needs. We can drop the panthers from the picture right off the bat. Even when Joe Paterno leaves the program, there is no need to cater to Pittsburgh’s needs or wants. We don’t need them and there are plenty of teams out there that can easily take their place. So with that said, Ohio State is clearly our emerging conference rival.

Let’s put aside the almost even record (11-12, advantage Ohio State) between the two teams, the juggernaut that is Ohio State only holds a 2-5 3-5 record in Happy Valley. The home team has won 12 of the 15 conference matchups since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Then theres the schedule factor. Of the two teams that will never rotate off of Penn State’s conference schedule, Ohio State is one of them, Michigan State the other. Think that’s tough? Ohio State will never rotate Penn State AND Michigan off of their schedule.

With the exception of the 2007 loss, four of the last six meetings prior to 2007 were decided by seven points or fewer, including margins of 1, 2 and 6 points. “But Michigan will always be Ohio State’s main rival” most argue. That’s true. But those two schools have a 111-year history between them with the first game played in 1897. Give it time. Penn State has only played Ohio State 23 times and the rivalry is already heating up. Imagine a 100-year history of annual battles between the Lions and the Buckeyes. Rivalries fester and blossom over years, they aren’t created overnight.

Just this past year, EA Sports listed Ohio State as a ‘rival’ of Penn State, despite no official trophy or distinction from the Big Ten indicating so. People are slowly warming up to the ‘Border War’ rivalry. Its only time before a pointless trophy is created to honor the winner.

Bonus question: Are you going to the Blue White Game

Absolutely. Forecast calls for rain on Saturday in the morning as well as afternoon, but I’m hoping that they are wrong. Even if they aren’t, I’ve attended many rainy Blue and White games and there is no reason why I should break tradition this year.

Go State!

Releated Posts:

1. Blue and White Roundtable: Wolverine Edition
2. Blue/White Roundtable: Take Two
3. My First Blue White Roundtable
4. Blue/White Roundtable: Week 4
5. Fall of the Blue Empire