How many of you would prefer the PSU football records the 20 years before Franklin to his 10 year record.

[ryoder1]

You’re assuming all things remain constant if PSU had joined the B10 earlier. If, all things remained constant by changing one variable, then yes you’re right. However, all things rarely, if ever, remain constant if one variable is changed.

I guess so but you are also assuming that it all gets worse for us if we join the B10. Other things change but does that mean the team is not as good? Joe can't coach as well, we don't get Warner, whatever.

 

[PSUSignore]

I may be totally off but IMHO The (football) mistake was joining the Big 10. Back then I saw nothing good football wise coming of it. Before then Paterno was competing for a national championship every 3,4,5 years and would have made the playoff quite a few times if there was a playoff. I didn't think he was going to be able to out recruit or even keep up with OSU and Michigan.

Joining the Big 10 is one of the smartest things PSU has ever done and the program's future is secure as a result.

 

[Mufasa94]

No, I am saying that the method of picking the CFB champion is ridiculous, and the Rose Bowl tie-in made it more difficult for B1G teams to play the right opponent to be named the champion (as we saw in 1994). That is why there were no national champions from the B1G between 1970 and 1997, while somehow BYU and Georgia Tech were able to win national titles in the same period.

The reason no Big 10 team was awarded a MNC in the 70s is because tOSU kept losing Rose Bowls. In ‘70, ‘75, and ‘79 they entered the game with a perfect record and just needed to win. In ‘72, they entered with 1-loss and likely would have been crowned had they won, but they lost to an unbeaten behemoth USC team, so no bad mouthing of that beyond they had an opportunity.

Michigan could have received the PSU voting treatment in ‘71 when entering with a perfect record, but they lost to 3-loss Stanford.

In the 80s, neither team made a great choice in replacing their aging head coach.

 

[Mufasa94]

Joe would have regularly made Rose Bowls from the late 60's through the mid 80's if we had been in the B10. That would have been a negative though because for example in '78 we would be stuck playing USC out in Pasadena and not Alabama. And guess what, both of us would win and no chance PSU gets even a split NC.

Actually no. PSU was #1 and would have remained there had they beaten a 1-loss USC team. The other possible outcome would have been USC would have ended up #1 had they beaten PSU. USC beat Bama earlier in the year and did get the coaches title.

We obviously lost the game so moot point but the same thing would have happened in '82
and '86.

This is correct with PSU not having an opportunity vs. #1.

Also '85 but we lost that one also.

Well, PSU was #1 entering bowl season, so it would have been up to them to beat a 8-2-1 UCLA team to be crowned MNC.

Our entry into the B10 coincided with the back end of his career and really after about '97 or so he should have retired.

In hindsight, that would have been a great time. The right replacement with that defense…

 

[Mufasa94]

In regards to post ‘94

He also would have had several appearances in the final 4, and those were in his supposed over the hill later years.

2005, 2008, and probably 2011, and that's post dark years.

Based on what would they have made it in ‘08? Both human polls had them #6, and the BCS had them #8. They lost their shot vs. Iowa.

And “probably” in ‘11? They spent the year squeaking by mediocre opponents outside their loss to Bama. It’s also a mighty leap to assume they would have won out had things not happened as they did. There isn’t a probably, only an unlikely possibility.

 

[hoflane]

I guess so but you are also assuming that it all gets worse for us if we join the B10. Other things change but does that mean the team is not as good? Joe can't coach as well, we don't get Warner, whatever.

Very valid point.

 

[saturdaysarebetter2]

LOL. You mean like they “pounded” on Alabama from the 1 on 4 straight times in the 1978 National Championship game?

Actually, it was just twice from the one. See the video. Paterno wanted to throw but got talked out of it by his assistant coaches. You know, if we can't gain a yard we don't deserve to win macho mentality.