Paterno Wants a 12th Big Ten Team
National media often find it easy to poke a jab at Joe Paterno and his old style of thinking and when he does think outside the expected box he still seems to be an outsider at times.
For instance, take the fact that Joe Paterno wants the Big Ten to expand to twelve teams. As you likely know at this point, a 12th team in the Big Ten would qualify the conference for a conference championship game (MONEY!) and help to ease the criticisms the conference receives due to the long lay off from the end of the regular season and the bowl games.
ESPN’s Ivan Maisel reports that Paterno spoke out about expansion in the Big Ten Thursday night at a booster meeting. Paterno points out the major fallacies of the Big Ten when compared to most of the BCS schools; no games for six weeks and no conference championship game to bring in a payday from television rights. He later would go on to say that he has recommended to league officials to seriously consider bringing in a 12th team and mentioning Rutgers, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse by name as options from the northeast.
But as ESPN’s Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg explains, Paterno seems to demonstrate just why Penn State is viewed as an outsider in the Big Ten;
His comments somewhat reinforce Penn State’s place as an outsider in the Big Ten, though that’s a debate for another day.
“You know, it’s a conference that’s dominated by a couple of people,” Paterno said. “If I start talking, they’re polite, but they snicker. They don’t know I know they’re snickering, but they’re polite. …I wish I were younger and going to be around [more] 20 years.”
Let’s brush aside the idea that Paterno won’t be here for another 20 years (we all know he’ll be coaching the grand kids of Jerry Collins, future grandson of Kerry, some day. Once again, Paterno is right about the Big Ten. The conference is one of the most tradition laden in the sport of college football and seems to refuse that expansion would be a good thing over all.
The Big Ten may have explored possibilities of expansion after Penn State joined in 1993, but how seriously have they investigated it? The ideal scenario will always be the day when Notre Dame sucks it up and realizes they need to be in a conference (and the Big Ten would be the most logical fit), but we all know that the Irish will never do that.
Paterno always wants to do what is best for college football it seems, but he is always trying to sell his ideas to the wrong group. Paterno once tried to build an all eastern football conference from scratch but was shunned by some of the current Big East schools who believed that they could not compete in a conference with Penn State (guess what – they would have been right) and now Penn State finds themselves in a conference that probably still uses typewriters in their offices and cranks their cars to get to work.
Will the Big Ten ever add a 12th team? Perhaps, but it will not be anytime in the near future. Should Paterno continue to speak out about expansion? Yes.
Paterno is an icon in the sport and when he speaks, people do listen. This isn’t some old man complaining about things and how they should change. This is Joe Paterno addressing growing concerns for the Big Ten.
I’m a little new around here, so I am curious as to what your opinion on Big Ten expansion is. For it or against it? Who would you add (throwing Notre Dame out of the mix); Pittsburgh, Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse, anyone else? Or are you like me and wish Penn State would buy their way out of the Big Ten all together? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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Ideally I’d like for the Big Ten to add Pittsburgh. It gives us a closer opponent, one that was a hug rival less than a decade ago (though it feels like it has been longer). However, I’d be up for anyone. Adding the 12th team would allow the championship game, as you mentioned, thus keeping us in the spotlight and always having a true conference champion.
“Or are you like me and wish Penn State would buy their way out of the Big Ten all together?”
I’m Interested Kevin to hear what you’d like Penn State to do? If they would ever leave the Big Ten, where do you see them going? Big East? ACC? Independent?
First off I am speaking my personal ideal conditions. For me I would prefer for Penn State to be in a Big East with the “traditional” rivals but I would also like one more genuine power to be in the mix (Miami, Va Tech coming back or maybe Notre Dame).
The Independant road would be dismal. Penn State has a poor enough OOC schedule as it is. Imagine a full season of teams like that. Sure, the chances to play Notre Dame would be easier to come by, but they would also be filling up on cream puffs like Navy, Temple, Villanova, Slippery Rock, Shippensburg, and Rowan for most of the year.
Penn State’s best fit geographically is in the Big East, although if the conferences were to hold a fantasy draft I would bet the ACC would be interested.
Just my extended thoughts.
no way Kev. PSU is a big ten team, through and through. The Big East is a basketball conference, man. We have traditionally more in common with Michigan and OSU than Syracuse and Pitt.
As much as I would like for Pitt not to reap the benefits of the Big Ten, they would probably be much more likely than Notre Dame who would be the best fit.
Although, I can also understand why the Big Ten would be adverse to adding just anyone other than Notre Dame. Let’s not forget this conference has been rock solid with the addition of Penn State being the only real major shift in the conference.
So if they can’t get their perfect 12th team, they won’t bother looking anywhere else at all.
Penn State sucks – consigned to second-rate bowls as long as they’re in the Big Ten, with the excpetion of every 6 years and a BCS bowl to be shellacked by the likes of USC. And, Paterno is an old fart, and I hope he stays and coaches as long as he’s alive because it makes Penn State look even more ridiculous. Your fans suck, your teams suck, your school is faceless without football. Eat it!
And what school do you root for?
Hahaha, probably Pitt.
I’d add one of: Missouri, Cincinnati, Iowa State, or Va. Tech.
Navy will be in a BCS bowl game this year….mark my word! u creampuff!
I would like to see Pitt, WVU, Va Tech. any of these teams would strengthen all of the Big Ten's schedules and would really help with the BCS saying that Penn State's doesn't play anybody OSU, Mich. no matter what always make out better with the BCS then Penn State does. Pitt or WVU would be my favorite picks since ND. is out.
I would like to see Pitt, WVU, Va Tech. any of these teams would strengthen all of the Big Ten's schedules and would really help with the BCS saying that Penn State's doesn't play anybody OSU, Mich. no matter what always make out better with the BCS then Penn State does. Pitt or WVU would be my favorite picks since ND. is out.