It is quite possible that there are more seatbacks than fans at Ryan Field

Northwestern’s Ryan Field makes the very bottom of our list. There was quite some debate as to who would make the bottom of our Toughest Venues list, but unfortunately Ryan Field barely lost out to two other venues in the Big Ten.

ATTENDANCE: 1

As the only private institution in the Big Ten conference, Ryan Field’s empty seats can barely intimidate the Evanston High football team. Even when the Wildcat football team is doing well, they can barely fill the 47,130 seats at Ryan Field. Don’t believe me? Average attendance for the last 5 years peaked at 32,527 during the 2005 season. That’s more than 14,000 seats left available in what is already the smallest venue in the Big Ten.

TRADITION/HISTORY: 2

Lets not kid ourselves here. Though the Wildcats might have a Rose Bowl appearance in the past, they have historically been a bottom feeder in the Big Ten conference until Indiana and Illinois dethroned them from that spot recently.

Until this day, they still hold the all-time records for Division I-A losses, longest losing streak (32), points allowed, and negative point differential. To top it off, the 2006 Michigan State-Northwestern game marks the biggest comeback in history by the Spartans as Northwestern blew a 35 point lead midway through the third quarter.

When you hold more negative records than winning ones, you know this program has less historical success than a pet rock. But hey, at least they are smart. The students still carry on the tradition of ringing their keys claiming that the opposing team will be parking their cars one day.

FANS: 1

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Apathetic. There are plenty of well versed Wildcat fans, but football will always play second fiddle to academics at Northwestern. When you have the most passionate Northwestern fans skip games to prepare for an exam, you know they have their priorities straight. But unfortunately, that will register as a 1 in the Fan category.

VENUE: 2

During Penn State’s Orange Bowl run in 2005, the road took the Lions into Ryan Field for an epic Robinson-Williams comeback in the fourth quarter. Though this should leave me with fond memories of Ryan Field, I left extremely happy but highly unsatisfied with the venue. When you play Big Ten football, you are playing with the big boys. The Big House, Beaver Stadium, the Horseshoe, Camp Randall and even Ross-Ade pack fans in like sardines.

At Ryan Field, you will always find available tickets at the counter without ever having to deal with scalpers. There is often more fans of the visiting team than Wildcat fans and thats not only limited to conference games either. And for a Big Ten venue, that is downright embarrassing. Though I understand the uphill battle the athletic department faces in putting butts in the seats (we have the same problem with basketball at Penn State), there is no reason why you can’t pack the smallest stadium in the Big Ten especially when big time conference programs make a visit every two years.

This isn’t the Big East, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State and Iowa are big draws when they play non-conference games away from their stadiums, theres no reason why fans shouldn’t flock to Evanston just to see them play as well.

While it might not be Michigan, there is still an abundance of Northwestern fans

Then theres the curved stadium and semi-open endzone design that just doesn’t aid the already dwindling crowd with noise. For teams like the Buckeyes, Wolverines, Badgers and Lions that are used to playing in hostile crowds week in and week out, Ryan Field actually offers a reprieve and allows these teams to almost take a breather that week.

WIN/LOSS RECORD: 3

The Northwestern football team has actually held a winning record at home overall during the last 5 years. To make things even better, they have also beaten 3 ranked conference opponents that ventured into Ryan Field. This is far better than some of their other conference members. Unlike in decades past, Northwestern has actually consistently been a middle-of-the-pack conference opponent than a bottom feeder thanks in large part to the new direction of its head coaches.

One would expect that with more wins, more fans would flock to Northwestern games. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been true at Northwestern. And until that happens, Ryan Field will continue to sit in last place on our Toughest Venues list.

TOTAL: 9 OUT OF POSSIBLE 55

Did you make it out to Ryan Field for a game? Share your experiences with us. Your memories of the venue might differ greatly from our perspective and we would like to know.

We have reached the 105 day countdown mark until Penn State kicks off the 2008 football season against Coastal Carolina. And to commemorate, we will be running the Toughest Venues series for the next 11 days.

NittanyWhiteOut.com has compiled and ranked the toughest venues to play at in the Big Ten. There are a few basic ground rules:

• The data compiled is only based on the last 5 seasons (2007-2003).
• The win/loss factor is only one part of a much larger equation. Like the BCS, we are highly subjective and oftentimes make no numerical sense, but we will try our best to make our case.
• Neutral site games, and bowl games are not included. Though neutral site games can fall into the away column, does an Illinois game in Missouri, or a Wisconsin game in Green Bay really count as an away game? Bowl games are excluded because of the prolonged time available to teams to prepare for these games.

Before we begin with our easiest Big Ten venue, below is a table of data we collected that aided us in making our decision. But as I mentioned above, not everything is based on the win/loss numbers.

The overall ranking will be based upon points awarded in 5 categories. The points will be based out of 11 with 11 being the highest, and 1 the lowest.

ATTENDANCE:

It is no coincidence that the 4 most successful Big Ten programs over the last half-decade is also the ones with the highest attendance. But then we have to ask, is the football team good because of the number of fans in the stands or are the number of fans in the stands the result of the football team doing well? We believe it is the former because even during the waning years of some football programs, the fans continue to flock to the stadiums making their presence known. And you simply can’t talk about the Big Ten conference and ignore the fact that as a conference we are a mainstay in the top 25 most attended stadiums in the nation. 3 of the 5 largest stadiums belong to the Big Ten with Michigan carrying the banner for the largest stadium in the nation.

TRADITION/HISTORY:

How is it that a team down in the fourth suddenly get the lift to march down the field on its very last play when it was unable to do so for the previous 3 quarters? You can’t deny the influence a Jesus mural on the exterior of the library, or the words of a legendary coach, or the simply aura that surrounds some of the venues in the Big Ten has on the home team.

FANS:

This is the big one. With passion running rampant in the Big Ten. Who exactly has the best fans in the conference? From Jump Around at Wisconsin, to the White Out at Penn State, students have definitely made their mark and changed the culture of college football in the Big Ten. This category will most surely be the most criticized one, but it isn’t hard to pinpoint the most intimidating fans in the Big Ten.

VENUE:

The fans can hoot and holler as loud as they want, but if the venue is simply not built to hold noise, it barely makes a difference. Then there are those stadiums that are built to intimidate. Even with less fans, they can amplify a crowd of hundreds into one of thousands.

WIN/LOSS RECORD:

The home win/loss record is indicative of how well a team plays at home, but we have also added the record against ranked teams in each particular venue. Some venues can be defined as simply a graveyard for ranked teams, while others are highly successful against all other competition except ranked opponents.

So without further ado we begin with the easiest venue in the Big Ten…

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.

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.

Thanks to the following for taking part in the Blue and White roundtable. I had many a laughs reading their responses. So here goes with my attempt to compile most of their answers into one post.

nwoemblem

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

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 not be out following this season. There is no doubting that, but some might argue that he should for recruiting/stability sake. “The story needs to end when Joe says it’s over” sums up the position pretty much in a nutshell. But hey, there are those out there who wasn’t even aware that Joe had a contract until 1994, thats 28 years since he began in 1966!

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?

Anyone remember the number of coaches Nebraska has gone through since Tom Osborne? Or Michigan after Bo Schembechler? The list can go on with the legends that have graced the lucky few programs. But there is simply no easy way to follow a legend. Especially one like Joe Paterno who defined Penn State football.

But there is one common rallying cry for almost all Penn State fans. Whoever the new coach is, in-house or not, Jay Paterno must be purged without hesitation from the staff. Whether it be an in-house hire with Bradley, LJ, and Vanderlinden or an outsider like Greg Schiano, Al Golden, Larry Coker (just trying to plug my candidate in there), or simply anyone who is innovative and charismatic, I’m hoping for someone who will be the next future face of Penn State football. Not another 5 year temp we can expect to bolt for the NFL when the seat gets too hot.

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?

Two fold.

Kids today are simply not as disciplined as they once were. “If you’ve ever been to the Penn State sports museum, when it first opened (I don’t know if the display’s still there) there was a huge photo on the wall of students in Rec Hall in the 1950s or 1960s watching a sporting event in suits and ties.” TUWB points out exactly what’s wrong in this MTV generation where songs about “Superman’ing that Hoe”, “crunking” and “getting low” are widely accepted and promoted.

Then theres the technology argument. “Nowadays when a player gets in trouble there is someone there with a cell phone to take a picture. Then they go home and fire up their laptop. In a matter of minutes they are telling a thousand people on the message boards about a fight they just witnessed or heard about. Or they are telling their facebook group of 3000 people they just heard in English class that player X was pulled over for DUI.”

If I didn’t know any better, Penn State football is a pedophile charge away from chaos.

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?

You know when you’re the black sheep of the family, you tend to make a big fuss out of everything? Thing’s around the house are always just not good enough, family members aren’t treating you fairly, you always get the short end of the stick, type deal?

Well, “the reason the Big Ten doesn’t seem to fit us is because we haven’t yet made an impact on it. We’ve beat Ohio State once in the last six tried. The Michigan streak has gotten so long I honestly don’t know what the number is anymore. Wisconsin has become more consistent than us. We plain sucked from 2002 right up until the Ohio State game of 2005.”

So where do we go from here? Do we hide our tails and run, or do we turn around and give the Eastern schools the finger for screwing us earlier in the century? Let’s say we do leave the Big Ten which most are opposed to simply because we’re basically married to it at this point (think kids, a yard and a house) where a divorce would simply be too ugly, we could always join the ACC!

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.)

I HAVE to point this out before we continue with this question. Big 11th points out “ND has lost the last six by 154 points (for you math majors that’s an average of over 25 per game)!” proving that rivalries can be about money and TV ratings. Hahahah! 154 points!

Ok back to business. Almost everyone agrees there is no tradition rival for us in the Big Ten with BSD going as far as to dub Penn State as the “pimple-faced Star Trek nerd that can’t get a prom date.” But common guys, we’re less than 20 years old in the Big Ten, that DOES make us the pimple-face teenager who is still too shy to make a move on any of our older conference brethren.

But there were those that did call out fellow Big Ten teams:

The Nittany Line hates Wisconsin;

“I’ll throw a curveball in and say it’s slowly becoming Wisconsin. The Badgers and Lions usually play a close, hard-nosed game and some have gotten a little chippy – anyone remember Zack Mills and Michael Robinson playing the role of punching bag? I know, I know it makes me queasy as well. Wisconsin is also similar to Penn State in that they both usually have a decent defense and a couple good players on offense that can score but neither offense is going to make defensive coordinators lose sleep at night.”

But the biggest surprise of the day was from Tangled Up in White and Blue who claims, Indiana is our biggest rival. He actually makes quite a compelling case for it and I am slowly warming up to that idea considering my brother attends IU and I would love nothing but to laugh at him on an annual basis.

“Why? The 1994 Nebraska betrayal, which was mentioned in question 4, is the reason. The only reason we were in the position to be betrayed is because of Bill Mallory’s Indiana Loosiers and that bleepity bleeping @$$hole Lee Corso, his ESPN mouth piece.”