The last bastian of big time college football

[Alphalion75]

..in the northeast, Penn State, is wavering. Will Penn State decline to the depths of Boston College, Syracuse, the service academy etc etc.? There really aren't any relevant College football schools in the NE except PSU. But it seems to be getting tougher to keep pace with the teams in the south with recruiting, facilities and competing on the field. I'm not sure the will is there to keep pace.

 

[Nashville Lion]

well, I know you are upset but I think this is a little bit overly dramatic. I say that with respect...not trying to be an ass. I don't think we are going to turn into BC or Syracuse. I do think you are on to something however and that is this. We are not going to be elite again....not like the big dogs in SEC like Alabama, Georgia, or LSU. We can't keep pace with the SEC. It appears only Ohio State is able to do that.

I can't quite figure out why but it may be that kids are just not interested in the small town, the climate, etc. I think we can continue to be a decent program but elite is not happening anytime soon. Sad truth.

 

[fkkkjm]

Keep sending your kids to play lacrosse then packing the stadium lamenting how nobody plays football in the Northeast. It’s a cultural shift. Football is still a way of life down there. Up here it’s a CTE nightmare competing with field hockey, liberal moms in pants suits and soccer. Couple that with a lukewarm administration and there you go. OSU sells its soul for athletics and are the only B1G team following the Deep South blueprint.

 

[AWS1022]

well, I know you are upset but I think this is a little bit overly dramatic. I say that with respect...not trying to be an ass. I don't think we are going to turn into BC or Syracuse. I do think you are on to something however and that is this. We are not going to be elite again....not like the big dogs in SEC like Alabama, Georgia, or LSU. We can't keep pace with the SEC. It appears only Ohio State is able to do that.

I can't quite figure out why but it may be that kids are just not interested in the small town, the climate, etc. I think we can continue to be a decent program but elite is not happening anytime soon. Sad truth.

And I don’t think the university is willing to do what it takes to compete at that level. Then throw in the loss of steel mill, coal mines, and many manufacturing jobs and you don’t have the tough kids that used to make up NE football.

 

[Obliviax]

well, I know you are upset but I think this is a little bit overly dramatic. I say that with respect...not trying to be an ass. I don't think we are going to turn into BC or Syracuse. I do think you are on to something however and that is this. We are not going to be elite again....not like the big dogs in SEC like Alabama, Georgia, or LSU. We can't keep pace with the SEC. It appears only Ohio State is able to do that.

I can't quite figure out why but it may be that kids are just not interested in the small town, the climate, etc. I think we can continue to be a decent program but elite is not happening anytime soon. Sad truth.

Agreed....we all knew if SC got hurt we were ****ed. That's what has happened and the staff has zero confidence in anyone else. SC had a 17.8 QB rating for that game. I mean, Marshall could have played QB and gotten a similar rating. Hell, put 44 back there and run the shit out of the ball.

 

[bdgan]

..in the northeast, Penn State, is wavering. Will Penn State decline to the depths of Boston College, Syracuse, the service academy etc etc.? There really aren't any relevant College football schools in the NE except PSU. But it seems to be getting tougher to keep pace with the teams in the south with recruiting, facilities and competing on the field. I'm not sure the will is there to keep pace.

I disagree. PSU recruiting has been as good as anybody in the BiG except OSU. Facilities might not be top ten but they're close. Fan support has definitely been top 10. I don't expect PSU to drop to the level of Syracuse anytime soon.

That said, I think PSU is in the middle of a rebuilding cycle. The majority of our best players will be gone after this year and the only chance we have to compete for the BiG title is with portal transfers. That's a big ask.

 

[Big 0]

Ohio State is in a big city, which many athletes prefer to go to, not a “camping trip” small town hours away from big cities. Columbus is a financial capital city with insurance company headquarters, etc. and lots of money flowing around, some of which is making it to the athletes in one way or another. The local TV and radio sports broadcasts are about duhOSU football 24/7 365 days a year. Obviously more attractive to many athletes, especially those now interested in NIL money.

 

[bourbon n blues]

..in the northeast, Penn State, is wavering. Will Penn State decline to the depths of Boston College, Syracuse, the service academy etc etc.? There really aren't any relevant College football schools in the NE except PSU. But it seems to be getting tougher to keep pace with the teams in the south with recruiting, facilities and competing on the field. I'm not sure the will is there to keep pace.

We’re not in the top 25 for football facilities in some surveys . We either play minor league ball like the others ( guys still go to class , grades must be met) or we hope for 9-3 and s big upset now and then.
This has been going on for a generation now and I put the blame on the school and Joe Paterno for failing to step into the modern world .

 

[bourbon n blues]

Ohio State is in a big city, which many athletes prefer to go to, not a “camping trip” small town hours away from big cities. Columbus is a financial capital city with insurance company headquarters, etc. and lots of money flowing around, some of which is making it to the athletes in one way or another. The local TV and radio sports broadcasts are about duhOSU football 24/7 365 days a year. Obviously more attractive to many athletes, especially those now interested in NIL money.

Osu is THE warm weather team and has advantages we can’t match . The best we could do is have them move to the west division and that won’t happen.

 

[Obliviax]

I disagree. PSU recruiting has been as good as anybody in the BiG except OSU. Facilities might not be top ten but they're close. Fan support has definitely been top 10. I don't expect PSU to drop to the level of Syracuse anytime soon.

That said, I think PSU is in the middle of a rebuilding cycle. The majority of our best players will be gone after this year and the only chance we have to compete for the BiG title is with portal transfers. That's a big ask.

Agreed. We lost to ILL, who certainly hasn't out recruited us. Hell, the QB that was on the field and threw the winning TD was their second team guy. Their 2nd team QB outplayed out 1st team Qb.

 

[fkkkjm]

Agreed. We lost to ILL, who certainly hasn't out recruited us. Hell, the QB that was on the field and threw the winning TD was their second team guy. Their 2nd team QB outplayed out 1st team Qb.

they threw for 30 yards. That was pop Warner crap and it was clear to me that MY and CJF spent most of the bye week recruiting. They didn’t take the game seriously, while the Goodyear blimp on the other side schemed a great game plan. Mr potato head, in typical fashion, sat with his arms folded looking befuddled. Maybe he should spend a little less time on his effing helicopter and a little more time blowing a whistle.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Agreed. We lost to ILL, who certainly hasn't out recruited us. Hell, the QB that was on the field and threw the winning TD was their second team guy. Their 2nd team QB outplayed out 1st team Qb.

Osu , our nemesis , has advantages we don’t. You need a lot to overcome it. One god send that would help would be osu in the west.
We could try to upgrade facilities and play off the small town family vibe.
But you still have a more unified state with Ohio vs Psu. We can go into demographics such as population changes in Pa, ESPN effect ( we all get all the games now and kids might not grow up as much psu here as they did before).

 

[manatree]

well, I know you are upset but I think this is a little bit overly dramatic. I say that with respect...not trying to be an ass.

Agreed. There are several Bastians left.

 

[Nitt1300]

"College" football is now a business- loyal fans and tradition mean far, far less, and revenue (for programs, coaches AND players) is paramount.

Do you want to be a part of that when we already have an NFL?

Increasingly I do not.

 

[MacNit07]

We’re not in the top 25 for football facilities in some surveys . We either play minor league ball like the others ( guys still go to class , grades must be met) or we hope for 9-3 and s big upset now and then.
This has been going on for a generation now and I put the blame on the school and Joe Paterno for failing to step into the modern world .

That Paterno was the problem all along - I knew it!

 

[Cosmos]

Keep sending your kids to play lacrosse then packing the stadium lamenting how nobody plays football in the Northeast. It’s a cultural shift. Football is still a way of life down there. Up here it’s a CTE nightmare competing with field hockey, liberal moms in pants suits and soccer. Couple that with a lukewarm administration and there you go. OSU sells its soul for athletics and are the only B1G team following the Deep South blueprint.

So lacrosse isn't played in Columbus and that city is bereft of soccer moms and Hillary pantsuit-wearing wannabes? Sorry, but I could not resist.

I don't think it's a case of "selling your soul" to the SEC football Beelzebub. Rather, I believe PSU has a culture problem. That it's too big to fail. That the coach there can make a litany of excuses for not executing. That stakeholders will tolerate it so long as they can return a few weekends in the fall, waxing reminiscent about the good old days. I believe Sandy is banking on it.

They say the hallmark of the good poker player is he knows when to release a $hitty hand. Sandy is under no such obligation. She is playing with house money... your money. Franklin knows this, too. And he'll continue to drain the bank account so long as you're willing to accept 8-4 and 7-5 seasons as "success."

 

[nits74]

"College" football is now a business- loyal fans and tradition mean far, far less, and revenue (for programs, coaches AND players) is paramount.

Do you want to be a part of that when we already have an NFL?

Increasingly I do not.

Agree. That said, it would be nice to play the academic card, but Penn State can't even do that these days. Our ratings continue to plummet, and I recall seeing that Ohio State has passed us by there also. Great administration running this University.

 

[dmaw]

well, I know you are upset but I think this is a little bit overly dramatic. I say that with respect...not trying to be an ass. I don't think we are going to turn into BC or Syracuse. I do think you are on to something however and that is this. We are not going to be elite again....not like the big dogs in SEC like Alabama, Georgia, or LSU. We can't keep pace with the SEC. It appears only Ohio State is able to do that.

I can't quite figure out why but it may be that kids are just not interested in the small town, the climate, etc. I think we can continue to be a decent program but elite is not happening anytime soon. Sad truth.

Penn St is not investing in football at the same levels as the SEC teams you just mentioned.

 

[psuro]

And I don’t think the university is willing to do what it takes to compete at that level. Then throw in the loss of steel mill, coal mines, and many manufacturing jobs and you don’t have the tough kids that used to make up NE football.

Sweet black Jesus. The fallacy of “tough kids” from steel mill towns continues to drag on

Dude this is 2021. Not 1921.

 

[AWS1022]

Sweet black Jesus. The fallacy of “tough kids” from steel mill towns continues to drag on

Dude this is 2021. Not 1921.

Well, whatever you say but PA HS football ain’t what it used to be.

 

[delcoLion]

At

When we joined the B1G things were pretty much even with OSU, and Michigan was the program we were looking up at.

So I'm not sold that OSU has some kind of built-in advantage. Tressel put together a powerhouse and Urban amplified it. I'm still not sure if Ryan Day is a Tressel/Urban or if he is a Larry Coker.

Ohio State has been playing at the top of the college football world for more than 80 years, has a tremendous tradition, all time great coaches like Paul Brown and Woody Hayes. They have unwavering support of their home state. They demand and expect success.
If that’s not a big advantage, I don’t know what is.