It’s laughable when you consider that this request comes from a program who has benefited like no other from college football’s unwillingness to make strength of schedule a factor in qualifying for BCS bids.

Of the 2 BCS appearances by the Broncos, they were by far the team with the weakest strength of schedule both in 2009 and 2006. In fact, it wasn’t even close.

Team’s strength of schedule in brackets ( ).

So how does Boise State AD, Gene Bleymaier react to a question about scheduling as the Broncos and other mid majors have exploited this proverbial loophole in BCS qualification? By complaining about it, asking for increased NCAA involvement in the one lax aspect most responsible for propelling the Broncos to the position they are at today. Somehow riding schedules containing 1 or 2 legitimate opponents a year while coasting through the WAC to a coveted BCS spot is somehow equated to getting the short end of the stick because their only legitimate opponents refuse to travel back to Boise.

“There is a fairly compelling case to be made that the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10 over the years have controlled the scheduling. All the large conferences … There’s an overwhelming number of home games for the big guys but no home-and-home. … We want to propose to the NCAA a mandated home-and-home scheduling arrangement for I-A non-conference football games. Why should Boise State go to Georgia, but more than likely they’re not going to return it?”

You’ve got to be joking.

Aside from the mere financial consequences of forcing major programs to return a trip to Boise State’s 32,000 seat stadium, should the NCAA mandate home and homes, it would mean the death of guaranteed games altogether, the lifeblood of numerous football programs around the country. Goodbye Florida International, Georgia State, North Texas, Chattanooga, and just about most of the 120 I-A teams that currently exist. When just 68 of the 120 I-A schools reported turning a profit on it’s football programs, the impact of eliminating guaranteed games on the 52 other FBS schools that reported median losses of $2.7 million last fiscal year will be catastrophic.

Now back to the simple numbers behind it all. When Boise State played at Oregon, Georgia, Washington, and Arkansas, they were playing in stadiums averaging crowds of 93,963 fans, 92,746 fans, 64,356 fans, and 65,112 fans. Merchandise and concessions aside, that’s still 93,963 / 92,746 / 64,356 and 65,112 tickets sold on any given Saturday. For those teams to return a road game to play at Bronco Stadium, capacity of 32,000 is simply not worth it when compared to playing a road game at most AQ conference stadiums. In fact, Boise State’s average home attendance of 32,782 last season is ranked 70th out of the 120 I-A programs recorded by the NCAA. A road game to Boise might not even cover travel expenses.

So you can forgive the Michigans, Penn States, Ohio States, Tennessees, and Alabamas of the world for not wanting to travel to that hideous blue turf for a home and home. With average crowds of 108,933 / 107,008 / 105,261 / 99,220 and 92,012, even the prospect of splitting the profits evenly from 32,000 tickets sold is just not financially sound.

So the next time you feel the need to bite the hand that fed you, Gene Bleymaier, figure out a way to consistently sell out your 32,000-seat stadium instead. When schools like Colorado, from the Big 12 (soon to be Pac-10) who averaged 50,088 fans a game last season is eager to earn $1.4 million just to visit Columbus with no return visit, it is ridiculous for Boise State to even broach the subject altogether.

Should Bleymaier feel the need to take up another crusade for competitive fairness, how about requesting that a minimum strength of schedule be set for teams qualifying for a BCS bowl. Didn’t think so.

Same old talking points, same old arguments. But, if you really want some nonsensical fireworks, take a peek at their forums for a quick laugh or two.

You almost have to wonder if simple math is even a requirement at Pitt. The ability to schedule Pitt or any other blockbuster out of conference opponent once Nebraska joins the Big Ten is that much harder when you move to a 9 game league schedule. Put aside the question as to whether Penn State would even want to schedule Pitt and consider that with a 9 conference game schedule, Penn State will be alternating between 4 home conference game every other year and only have the flexibility of 3 non-conference games instead of the 4 we have now. In order to reach the 7 home games required to remain in the black, all 3 non-conference games during those seasons would need to be hosted at Beaver Stadium.

Sure there are those alternating years when Penn State will have the luxury of 5 home conference games and only need to schedule 2 of the 3 non conference games at home, but then you have to ask yourself whether you would prefer to watch Penn State take on Notre Dame, Alabama, Miami, Syracuse, Rutgers, Navy, in subsequent home and home series or the revival of a increasingly insignificant rivalry with a program whose media and recruiting market Penn State already has a strong foothold in. Nostalgia aside, the recruiting and exposure benefits of Penn State barnstorming New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, South Bend and Tuscaloosa far outweighs Pitt hijacking a possible Penn State game at Heinz as an opportunity to sell a required 3 game ticket combo just so Nittany Lion fans can watch their alma mater a mere 3 hours away.

I can barely wait until we can talk about this some more next offseason. Moving on.

• Quick Hits… A D1 Penn State hockey team could very well shake up the college hockey landscape. You can bet the financial opportunities of a Big Ten hockey conference is not lost on Jim Delany. That’s even more blockbuster programing the Big Ten Network can add to it’s repertoire. … The preseason AP poll has been released and Penn State sits at #19, a full 5 spots lower than in the coaches poll. I don’t even know why the AP still bothers releasing a Top 25 poll ever since they opted out of the BCS formula in late 2004. Interesting tidbit though, although USC is barred by NCAA sanctions from appearing in the Coaches Poll, no such restriction is placed on the AP ballot where they appear at #14. There exists a possibility of USC ending up #1 in the AP poll but not the Coaches and without the BCS trophy. May the mayhem begin. … Fall sports kick off as men’s soccer rallies for a win over Hartwick in exhibition play. … Linebacker-U gives you a quick run through football practice as the team finishes off two-a-days. 9 more practices to go. … Freshmen took part in Penn State’s annual Be A Part from the Start pep rally last night.

And may the premature panic commence!

It’s funny how quickly fans forget the conference leading, #10 nationally ranked class Penn State just pulled in this past off-season. Much of the outrage directed at our coaching staff over Jarrett’s decision were assumptions that Jarrett was big on Penn State early on during his recruitment and thus Pitt simply outworked Penn State for Jarrett.

Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Just turn the clock back 14 months. Part of last season’s stellar class were Miles Dieffenbach and Tom Ricketts, 2 recruits both fans and analysts considered Pitt locks. Dieffenbach grew up a Pitt fan and his father was the women’s tennis coach at Pitt, Rickett’s father also attended Pitt and played for the Panthers eventually becoming a first round NFL draft pick. So you can imagine the shock when both recruits ended up committing to Penn State.

Instead of descending into a fit of rage and irrational hysteria, acknowledge that there is a limited number of scholarships to offer in this year’s class, and that there is plenty of time remaining before signing day. Visiting recruits have even yet to experience game day at either campuses and who knows, recruits may actually realize it would be far more exciting to play before the White Outs at Penn State than the Yellow Outs at Pitt.

Plenty of time left, just dial down that panic just a tad.

• And then there were 3 [Pittsburgh Post Gazette]

Penn State’s QB race whittles down to 3 as Paul Jones decides to redshirt. Somewhat surprising since Paul Jones outplayed his counterparts in the Blue/White game going 5 of 8 for 67 yards and 2 TD, the only touchdowns of the day. But this does confirm the reports coming out of practice and leaves McGloin, Newsome and Bolden as the finalists. Paul Jone’s decision to redshirt could either be very discouraging when you consider that McGloin has been in the system for 2 years, and Newsome, a year and a half, have not distinguished themselves on the field from Bolden who just enrolled this summer, or extremely exciting that a recruit of Bolden’s caliber is actually as good as advertised.

Robert Bolden would complement Penn State’s track record of success with dual threat QBs. Since 2005, Penn State has been 20-4 in conference play, 33-5 overall with a dual threat QB under center. Unfortunately, Michael Robinson [11-1 (7-1)] only had 1 season left before his eligibility expired, Daryll Clark [11-4 (13-3)], just 2. Should Bolden end up with the starting job, just consider the possibility of Penn State utilizing the same dual threat quarterback for 4 straight seasons.

• Quick Hits… Bradley is not campaigning for the head coaching gig, although he merits some serious consideration. … Penn State verbal Shyquawm Pullium will be enrolling at Kiski School for one year before attending Penn State. Penn State recruited Pullium with the intention of him matriculating in 2011, although holding out hope that a spot would open up for 2010. Kiski might not be bad for Pullium considering Penn State greats Curtis Enis, Daryll Clark and Shaine Thompson all attended Kiski. … Penn State women’s field hockey team received a commitment from Jame Monroe standout Taylor Harold who revealed the news to the Lions coaching staff by driving to University Park with ‘Taylor is going to be a Nittany Lion’ painted on the back window of her car. Football recruits, take notes!

Anyone excited yet?!

Tim Curley and Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced today that Nittany Lions and Midshipmen will meet on Sept. 15, 2012 in Beaver Stadium resuming a traditional rivalry that has been dormant for 35 years. In addition to the away game matchup with fellow Automatic Qualifying conference opponent Virginia scheduled for the previous weekend, this marks the 2nd quality AQ opponent for Penn State in the 2012 season.

Temple was originally scheduled for that weekend, but has since been reschedule to the following Saturday on September 22nd, 2012.

The Nittany Lions and Midshipmen have met 37 times in the past.  The two teams met on 12 occasions between 1961-74, with Navy serving as Penn State’s season opener 8 times. Although the Lions hold a 7-3 advantage when playing in State College, they are just 18-17-2 all-time against the Midshipmen. A surprising tough series.

Even the last game between the two ended in heartbreak when Navy coach and former Penn State assistant George Welsh led the Midshipmen to a 7-6 upset over the #8 Nittany Lions in State College. And as always Navy will be no pushover, as Ohio State has learned in last season’s opener when the Midshipmen nearly upset the #6 Buckeyes at home, when a 2-point conversion with just over 2 minutes left in the game which would have tied the game at 29 was picked off and returned by Ohio State’s Brian Rolle for the eventual 31-27 victory. Let’s also not forget the 23-21 victory over #22 Notre Dame last season, the 24-17 victory over #16 Wake Forest in 2008 and the 46-44 thrilling victory over Notre Dame in 2007 that ended a 43 game losing streak to the Fighting Irish.

You can expect Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo to pull out all the stops against the Nittany Lions when the traditional rivalry resumes in 2012.

This should really come as no surprise however considering the limited number of scholarships Penn State has available for the Class of 2011 f0llowing the blockbuster conference-leading recruiting class last season. Jordan Kerner’s commitment leaves the coaching staff with even fewer spots remaining for the 2011 Class.

Listed at 6’5″, 225 lbs, Kerner also holds a 3.81 GPA through the end of his sophomore year making him a great addition to the Nittany Lions. At the time of his commitment, the 3 star recruit held full scholarship offers from Maryland, Boston College, Rutgers, West Virginia, Iowa and Minnesota. He eventually narrowed down his finalists to just Iowa and Penn State before selecting the Nittany Lions.

Welcome to the Penn State family Jordan Kerner!

All the cool kids are doing it.

Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M are just a few among the long list of recent neural site game participants. Nittany Lion fans can look forward to joining that list.

Penn State announced today that the New Meadowlands Stadium will be host to the Penn State Nittany Lions and Syracuse Orange starting in August 31, 2013 for the first of a rare 3 game series in 2013.

Penn State has faced Syracuse 70 times in the program’s history, including 46 straight from 1944 to 1990, the 2nd most of any opponents faced by Penn State. The Nittany Lions own a 42-23-5 record in the storied rivalry. The two last met for a 2 game series in 2008 and 2009 both ending in blowout victories (55-13, 28-7) for Penn State.

This neutral site series marks a pattern that began with the announcement last season that this season’s Penn State / Indiana matchup will be relocated to FedEx Field. With more than 40,000 registered alums in the immediate DC/Maryland/Virginia region, and the close proximity to State College itself, it is essentially a home game forfeited by Indiana primarily for financial gain. The Hoosiers stand to make $3 million by playing at FedEx Field, the largest venue in the NFL, a significant increase when they are averaging less than $1 million for home games at Memorial Stadium.

The CEO of New Meadowlands Stadium Company Mark Lamping has to virtually guarantee a significant increase in revenue for Penn State to give up a non-conference home games in the 2013 season, especially when they already have  a game against BCS opponent Virginia scheduled.

And much like Penn State’s ‘neutral’ site game against Indiana at FedEx Field, don’t be fooled into considering this an actual neutral site game. Although the Meadowlands is located in New York, home of the Syracuse Orange, metropolitan New York City area is home to over 40,000 Penn State alums alone. The bigger question will be how the new Meadowlands Stadium with a listed capacity of 82,500, the third largest in the NFL, will accommodate all the fans that commonly packs the much larger Beaver Stadium in addition to the home town Orange fans. The 4 hour, 240 mile drive between State College and Meadowlands Stadium should only be a mere hindrance for the 107,282 fans that pack Beaver Stadium every Saturday.

Despite the capacity issues, the new venue is nice. Real nice.

The New Meadowlands Stadium sets the standard for venue excellence, with state-of-the-art technology, comfort and amenities. With a full seating capacity of 82,500 the New Meadowlands Stadium is the third-largest stadium in the National Football League. Highlights include four massive 30′ X 118′ HD video display boards in each of the stadium corners; a 48″ X 1810′ ribbon board that circles the interior bowl; 2100 + HD Monitors throughout the stadium; and 20 HD video pylons ranging in size from 20′ X 40′ to 20′ X 60′.

Outside the stadium, a 350,000-square-foot outdoor plaza will boast fan-centric activities and pregame entertainment zones. The new stadium will have numerous restaurants, wider concourses and more HD square footage than any other stadium in North America. A signature amenity of the stadium is the brand new rail line that drops off passengers directly in front of the stadium.

The Nittany Lions are no strangers to playing neutral site games at the Meadowlands having compiled a 8-3 record against USC, Nebraska, Texas, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Temple and Syracuse in previous matchups. In fact, the first game Penn State participated in at the Meadowlands was against the Syracuse Orange in 1979.

This announcement marks another in a series of high profile matchups Penn State has scheduled for the upcoming season including the 2 game series against Alabama starting this season, Virginia in 2012-13, and Rutgers in 2014-15.

Since ESPN took over the reigns of the BCS bowls from FOX this year, college football has seen FedEx drop it’s 21-year long sponsorship of the Orange Bowl (longest partnership for any BCS game), now it also seems as if the Grand Daddy of them All will also be looking for a new corporate sponsor.

ESPN’s four-year $495 million deal to carry BCS games through January 2014 also allows them control over selling all marketing and advertising inventory around college football most lucrative bowls. A fact not lost on ESPN who has been on the market for four months now with a new and more expensive package for the four BCS games.

The new package put together by ESPN has been reported to be just shy of $20 million a year, a substantial 33 percent higher than FOX’s rate just last season. And if the cost increase wasn’t challenging enough, the package also comes with an entire list of restrictions over where and when sponsors would spend its money and full-season commitments which was not required by FOX. Doesn’t exactly scream cost effective during a time of recession.

Although FedEx’s rejection of the new Orange Bowl package was to be expected amidst declining attendance, ratings and ticket sales, the Rose Bowl is perennially one of, if not the highest rated and most expensive ticket among traditional postseason bowls. The pageantry, tradition and matchups are just unparalleled. Which is why Citi’s decision to split with the Grand Daddy of them All is disappointing.

During Citi’s 7 year partnership with the Rose Bowl, they have enjoyed a level of success unlike any other. In the 7 years since Citi’s decision to take on the Rose Bowl presenting sponsorship from Sony Playstation in 2004, they have seen their corporate logo and brand splashed across the highest rated, and most attended traditional postseason bowl game for 5 consecutive years. Even the lowest rated Rose Bowl game during that reign was a blockbuster 11.11 earned by the 2008 USC / Illinois matchup. But it still represented the most watched bowl game that season and a substantial 3.41 ratings point difference between it and it’s closest competitor.

For the better part of the last decade, fans could identify FedEx with the Orange (the colors even match), Citi with the Rose and Tostitos with the Fiesta (the word Tostitos is larger than the Fiesta Bowl itself). Allstate with the Sugar? Maybe not so much. Those brands have integrated themselves so seamlessly most of us barely notice when we name the corporate sponsors with their respective bowl games.

Citi’s decision not to renew its deal mainly was based on flexibility and price, sources said. One of the main reasons why it decided to drop the game is because of ESPN’s restrictions over when and where it would spend its money as the Rose Bowl’s lead sponsor.

It is a shame corporate sponsors fans have gotten used to associating with the biggest bowl games are getting squeezed out due to simple greed by ESPN. Don’t get me wrong, the Rose Bowl should have very little problems in locating their next sponsor, the strength of the Rose Bowl brand alone will be enough to have potential suitors beating down their doors. Jokes aside, it has already been reported that ESPN is negotiating with original Rose Bowl presenting sponsor, AT&T to take over for Citi. Guess it’s time for the grounds crew to toss out that Citi logo and search the basement for that missing AT&T stencil.

The Rose Bowl, origins dating back to 1902 did not even have it’s first corporate sponsor until 1999 when AT&T took the first lead sponsorship. But if corporate sponsors are going to be part of the equation, there should be enough stability for it to become part of the tradition. McDonalds and Coca-Cola have done it quite successfully with the Summer Olympics.

But when the sponsors are being changed every few years, it makes that almost impossible. ESPN spent close to $500 million (about $125 million per year over 4 years) to outbid rival FOX (whose max bid was just $100 million a year) for the rights to broadcast BCS games through January 2014. They are clearly determined to secure that investment.