First Look '09: Eastern Illinois Panthers

When Penn State hosts Eastern Illinois this season, it will be the third FCS (formerly I-AA) opponent since 2006. Many upset fans have pointed to this game as a major reason Penn State's non-conference schedule has been mocked by everyone in the main stream media. But the game is here to stay, so we can only hope Penn State uses it wisely to fine-tune its attack and rest up during the thick of the Big Ten slate.

The problem with FCS opponents is that they are not covered in any substance by the ESPNs or SIs of the world. There's not a whole lot of in-depth information floating around; so you have to go by stats and records. To top it all off, FCS teams rarely have a blog dedicated to them. As we dive into Eastern Illinois, let's see what we can find out about Penn State's most enigmatic 2009 opponent.

Two decades of consistency - Head coach Bob Spoo has shown he can win at Eastern Illinois, with a 140-114-1 record since taking over in 1987. Spoo has led his team to 12 winning seasons and nine playoff appearances. His EIU teams have always displayed a remarkable capability to put out a balanced attack, even during down seasons. In 2008, a 5-7 year, the Panthers still put out a 143/160 rush/pass ratio, and holding opponents to 189/173 ratio. Two seasons ago, an 8-4 playoff-bound team, EIU had a 191/191 rush/pass ratio, holding opponents to a 143/210 ratio. Spoo's Panthers might not win in flashy blowouts, but he's proven that winning is the ultimate goal, flashy or not. Sounds like a coach we all know in State College.

Lost, but not irreplaceable - The Panthers lose some key players from 2008, but all is not lost, as several younger athletes should step up and play well. Running back Travorus Bess is gone after rushing for 1,086 yards, but backups Chevon Walker and Desmin Ward have every chance to make up for the loss of Bess. Ward scored a team-high 11 touchdowns, but rushed for only 322 yards, which indicates that he's most likely the go-to guy at the goal line, ala Michigan State's Jehuu Caulcrick a few years back. In the pass game, quarterback Bodie Reeder returns with his top target, Charles Graves. If the air attack can keep opponents from crowding the line, it should give Ward and Walker some space in the run game.

On defense, two of the top four tacklers, including the tackle leader from '08, are gone, but all is not lost. Defensive backs, Seymour Loftman and Rashad Haynes both return after combining for 130 tackles last year and seven interceptions. What could prove to be the biggest issue for the Panthers is the loss of two stars on in the front seven. Donovan Johnson and Pierre Walters combined for 30 TFL and 10.5 sacks last season, with no one else coming close to their production. If the front wall cannot fill those holes, then the back seven could be in deep trouble.

Tough road ahead - Eastern Illinois has to travel to six of its 11 games this season, including the sure-loss in Happy Valley on Oct. 10. The Panthers are coming off their first losing season since 2004, having gone 9-3, 8-5 and 8-4 prior to 2008's 5-7. With such a tough schedule in 2009, things might not get any better. After hosting Illinois State in the opener, the Panthers must play three consecutive away games, then two home games sandwiching the Penn State trip. The good news is that the Panthers could end on a nice note, with two home games to end the year. I wouldn't count on a playoff appearance this year, but Spoo is a clever guy who knows how to get the most out of his teams.

For more on Eastern Illinois:

EIU 2009 Schedule
Full Team Roster
Spring Game Review

More from First Look '09:

Illinois Fighting Illini
Iowa Hawkeyes
Temple Owls
Syracuse Orange
Akron Zips

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Red meat Monday: PSU's non-con schedule

Penn State's non-conference schedule is bad this year. So bad that it's pretty much taken over the message boards and bar stools. Two MAC teams, the worst team in the Big East, and an FCS (I-AA) team will earn Penn State all the ridicule it gets. As we've heard analysts and media types call Penn State's non-conference schedule one of the worst, if not the worst, we can't help but agree. Actually, the Penn State fan base was the first to call out Tim Curley for such a weak 2010 schedule.

But is it the worst?

Matt Hayes of Sporting News doesn't think so:

1. Mississippi: at Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana, UAB, Northern Arizona
2. Penn State: Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois
3. Rutgers: Howard, FIU, at Maryland, Texas Southern, at Army
4. Kansas State: Massachusetts, at Louisiana-Lafayette, at UCLA, Tennessee Tech
5. Indiana: Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, at Akron, at Virginia

Ok, so this is nothing to be proud of. Penn State should never be in the top-anything when it comes to easy scheduling. I always felt the MAC was the Big Ten's own heavy-duty FCS, which nullified any reason to schedule non-FBS opponents. And that brings up an interesting idea: What if three of those four teams stayed, but Eastern Illinois were swapped out for a BCS opponent, even a bad one?

We might not even be discussing this right now.

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Game times announced... crap, crap and crap

I get it. Penn State plays a creampuff non-conference schedule. But to relegate Penn State-Syracuse to the Big Ten Network? Wow. Although I must say this is a major coup for the BTN, and I respect them for getting the game. This game will generate more local buzz in the New York Metro Area than even the Ohio State -USC game (yes, I actually said that), due to Penn State's and Syracuse's HUGE alumni presence in the northeast.

More on this below the fold.

GoPSUSports.com: The Nittany Lions are playing their initial four games of the season in Beaver Stadium, starting with the Sept. 5 opener with Akron. One week later, old rival Syracuse will make its first visit to Happy Valley in 19 years, followed by a visit from Temple on Sept. 19. Penn State begins Big Ten play on Sept. 26, hosting Iowa for an 8:00 p.m. kick on ABC or ESPN.

With the announcement of the three season opening kickoffs, the start time for six of Penn State's contests this fall have been determined. The Nittany Lions will host Minnesota for Homecoming at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 on ABC/ESPN. On Oct. 31, Penn State will visit Northwestern for a 4:30 p.m. ET kick on ESPN or ESPN2.

I apologize for not elaborating on this topic today. It's deadline day, so I'm pretty swamped. I just happened to check the internets and saw the kick times announcement.

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UNC wants home-and-home

North Carolina head coach Butch Davis said in an article today that the Tar Heels have sent letters to numerous high-profile programs, expressing interest a home-and-home agreement. One of those recipients was the Lasch Building.

"We have sent letters to Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oklahoma," Davis said. "We've tried to reach out and get a future home-and-home series."

Although this isn't stop-the-presses big news, it sure is interesting. We've been hearing for months now that Penn State is looking for some decent competition from the Southeast, particularly the ACC. The problem is that the article went on to mention that the earliest opening for a home-and-home would be in 2012. Still, I'd take that.

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Boston College rivalry could renew

The word around Penn State is that Boston College could be the next BCS school added to the Lions' future non-conference slate. I haven't heard many details (none, actually), but people are saying that it could be a full-blown renewal of the old rivalry.

I would love to see this happen. Not only does this show that Tim Curley and the athletic department might have a set after all, but it would firmly replant the blue and white flag in the Northeast.

Plus, I'm still pissed off at the two losses I had to watch live during my sophomore and junior years. If you remember those games, particularly the 2004 edition, as well as I do, roughing the punter makes you sick.

*Have something to say about this post? Let your voice be heard, in the ZN Message Forum!

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Rutgers series made official

A mere half hour after I announced that this will happen, Penn State has officially released that the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights of Rutgers will renew its series in 2014. It will be a home-home slate. Although, I'll admit, I think this should be a longer series, particularly since Rutgers isn't the doormat it used to be. New Jersey has always been a stronghold for Penn State in not just recruiting, but in its fan base. Next to Pennsylvania itself, New Jersey has one of the most visible contingents of Penn State alumni and fans you'll see. Also, the magnified exposure gained from playing directly under the umbrella of New York City media (even more so than usual for PSU), will always be a plus for Penn State.

This was a good decision. Now, we need more of them from the athletic department.

*Have something to say about this post? Let your voice be heard, in the ZN Message Forum!

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Penn State football schedule to add Rutgers

That's right folks. From what I hear, we should expect an announcement later today. I did not know this, but Nebraska has apparently backed out of its agreement for those two seasons, opening the door for another BCS team to fill right in.

Some of you will I'm sure grumble, spouting out the customary New Jersey jokes. Fine, but beware. I'm not only from New Jersey, but North Jersey, real Jersey. So watch it.

*Have something to say about this post? Let your voice be heard, in the ZN Message Forum!

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Wednesday linkage: Powell, Wallace and Miami

Turns out Chaz Powell is fine, but that doesn't mean everything's hunky-dory. Apparently, AJ Wallace can't get away from the hamstring injury that's been nagging him for what seems like forever, and Joe Paterno is "concerned" about this team's cohesion. Nothing new, but because we haven't had football in four months, everything lately is magnified. Here's the mid-week linkfest.

• The Nittany Line broke out the PSU threat level chart, one of the most original ideas I've seen. You have to go and see it to truly appreciate it.

"The fact that no one else has stepped up enough for Joe to even mention means it's time to raise the Nittany Lion Panic level."

• The Collegian has the Wallace hamstring story. Not the kind of news any of us want to hear right now. But hey, at least it's still spring practice, and not summer workouts.

"I'm very concerned about it," Joe Paterno said of the secondary. "A.J. Wallace pulled a hamstring the other day, and I hoped he would be really one of the outstanding kids."

• Over at PittsburghLive.com, it appears that Paterno is worried about the same thing everyone else is worried about. I don't think we needed a teleconference to figure this one out.

"Paterno's concern — at least in one area — appears to be well-founded. He told reporters during a Big Ten Conference football coaches teleconference that his secondary is particularly troubling to him."

• In other news, Hawkeye Nation, part of the Scout.com network, talked about Iowa's upcoming night games in 2009. We all know about the Hawk's trip to Happy Valley, but the writer wanted to give a little background on Iowa's recent trips to Penn State. Notice the last few words... is it a real typo, or are the Hawkeyes just trying to torture us by making us think about what really happened in 2008?

"It just gets real, real loud in there, with over 100,000 fans packed into the stands. Iowa won there in 2002, 2004 and 2006 before losing in 2008."

• Will Penn State and Miami meet again? Possibly. I hope this works out. I'm also hoping Tim Curley realized that Penn State has gotten the short end of the stick recently with OOC scheduling. But of course, there's also the reports of really, really strong BCS teams from "south of the Mason-Dixon line," that are in talks with Penn State, according to BWI.

• And finally, your Wednesday video:



Have a great rest of your hump day!

*Have something to say about this post? Let your voice be heard, in the ZN Message Forum!

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Top 2009 OOC BigTen Games

◊ ZN's 2009 Penn State Football Preview - BigTen Outlook

Just as I did last week for the conference schedule, today we'll look at the BigTen's top non-conference games for 2009. Sure, there's always the duds like Michigan State vs. Montana State and Iowa vs. Northern Iowa. But there's also those fantastic marquee matchups like Ohio State vs. USC, and very good games like Iowa vs. Arizona and Illinois vs. Missouri. Which ones can we look forward to this season? Let's find out.

Sept. 5:

Missouri vs. Illinois - After the last few years, Illinois is licking its chops at the 2009 season opener. No more Chase Daniel, but Juice Williams remains, along with Arrelious Benn. The Tigers are a bit down, but they still have great talent. The Illini should be able to pull this one out in front of a national audience, which they (and the whole conference) desperately need.

Western Michigan @ Michigan - The Wolverines hit rock bottom last season when they lost to Toledo in Ann Arbor. This time, a MAC team with actual talent comes calling in the season opener. If we all tune in for no other reason, just the minute possibility of another flop will be worth staying on the couch. The BigTen really, really needs Michigan to look good in this game.

Sept. 12:

USC @ Ohio State - You would hope the TV people would tone down their "Game of the Century" talk that comes around, well, every single week of the season. But will they for this one, considering last year was such a flop? No way, Jose. You can bet your bottom this will be hyped up starting in August, and all the pressure is going on the Buckeyes. But it's really a no-win situation, as USC will be called "down" should OSU win, and if OSU loses... well, it'll be bad.

Notre Dame @ Michigan - The Irish should be better. Michigan should be better. Which one really is better? We'll find out. Notre Dame still doesn't look like a great football team, but Michigan could be going through the same exact thing the Irish did the last two seasons. This game is still worth its weight in name-brand tradition.

Purdue @ Oregon - This sounds crazy, but it's not like Oregon hasn't lost to worse teams. Indiana went into Autzen Stadium in 2004, and left with an improbable win. The Boilermakers nearly beat the Ducks last season in West Lafayette, but blew it late. Oregon is a very, very good team going into this year, while Purdue is going through a big turnover phase.

Sept. 19:

California @ Minnesota - You can't complain about Minnesota's scheduling. The Gophers open at Syracuse, host Air Force and then welcome the Cal Bears to Minneapolis. Tim Brewster has something good cooking up north, and can stick a fork in the first course with a win over this really good BCS opponent. This will be Minnesota's first chance to get their new stadium in front of a big time audience, and big time recruits.

Arizona @ Iowa - The Wildcats are hotter than the Arizona desert right now, but Iowa can douse those flames with a win. This game could come down to the quarterbacks: Iowa has one; Arizona doesn't. Iowa can set a loud tone for the rest of their season by beating a not-so-bad BCS team.

Notre Dame @ Michigan State - Ok, so just mark town all the BigTen vs. Notre Dame dates. Michigan State is one of the toughest teams in the BigTen, even if they're not the most talented. The Irish are very talented, but have lacked any sort of cohesiveness to put that talent to use. This game could give a very clear indicator as to where Michigan State is right now as a program, and how much farther they have to go.

Nov. 21:

Fresno State @ Illinois - Whatever you do, don't think this is an easy game. We all saw what the Illini did last season against Western Michigan, and it could happen again if they're not careful, really careful. Fresno loses a few key players, but they shouldn't be anything near a punching back this season. The Illini might need a big, comfy win here to secure a better bowl bid. Plus, who wants to go out on Senior Day and lose to a team like Fresno State?

Nov. 28:

Wisconsin @ Hawaii - If Wisconsin blows this one, Bret Bielema is as good as gone. But I doubt it'll happen. Hawaii may be a little better this season, but they're far, far from the 2007 BCS buster. Even with the loss of Travis Beckum and PJ Hill, Wisconsin is a talented team that should have no problem against these lower opponents. You'll watch this game, just because it's the last regular season game for the conference.

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USC 2008... Overrated

This week's ZN Top 25 has drawn some criticism from readers, particularly where I ranked USC, No. 8 behind No. 5 Penn State and No. 7 Ohio State. I'll try to explain, as best I can, why USC it ranked too high in the polls this year.

Let's begin with facts, shall we?

Team(Record)	Rank(BCS)	Opp.Record	Opp.Win%	Rank(1/119)
USC(10-1)	No. 5	62-63	0.492	No. 71
PSU(11-1)	No. 8	57-57	0.500	No. 68
OSU(10-2)	No. 10	66-45	0.594	No. 11
Iowa(8-4)	NR	57-54	0.513	No. 53
OrSU(8-4)	NR	69-53	0.565	No. 19

Ok, now that you've taken a good look at where the three teams are, think about it. What's one thing you've heard from every talking head: "Yeah, but who have they played?" For once, I agree with the main stream media's argument, that strength of schedule is very important towards ranking teams this late in the season. It's not like the preseason polls, or even when the BCS first come out in October. No, this is the final week of the college football season, and we know which teams are good, bad and fake. USC is one of those "fake" teams.

Outside of the pure SOS for each team (which USC is last of the five teams, at No. 71), let's look at a few other reasons why USC is currently ranked higher in the polls that it deserves.

USC beat a Beanie-less Ohio State, in the afternoon in Los Angeles on the second weekend of the season. Penn State beat a Beanie-ful Ohio State, at night in Columbus, almost two months into the season. Penn State had the better win.

Penn State lost 24-23 at Iowa, in very inclement weather. USC lost 27-21 at Oregon State, but the Trojans were down 21-0 to the Beavers at halftime, and never once led during the game. USC had the worse loss.

Comparing common opponents is relatively easy. However, you get bogged down in comparing which common opponents those common opponents played. Yeah, head spinning yet? But there's an easier way to compare how strong teams' schedules are. Let's take all of the teams on Penn State's, Ohio State's, and USC's schedule this year.

Penn State: Coastal Carolina (FCS-49), Oregon St., Syracuse, Temple, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State. Average SOS: 31

Ohio State: Youngstown St (FCS-27), Ohio, USC, Troy, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan St, Penn St, Northwestern, Illinois, MIchigan. Average SOS: 55

USC: Virginia, Ohio St, Oregon St, Oregon, Arizona St, Washington St, Arizona, Washington, California, Stanford, Notre Dame, UCLA. Average SOS: 57

Also to note, the two FCS teams played numerically-tougher and weaker schedules (in terms of opponent records) than the average. So even if you were to eliminate that number from the average, it would only raise Penn State's and lower Ohio State's opponents' average SOS. That would only widen the gap between Penn State, and Ohio State and USC.

So, looking at it from that way, one could say Penn State's opponents had overall tougher schedules, which mean they're most likely better than their records indicate. USC and Ohio State's opponents played about the same level of competition. If anything, Penn State should be above USC, while Ohio State should be a hair above USC.

That's why I ranked Penn State No. 5, Ohio State No. 7, and USC No. 8 in this week's ZN Top 25.

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Oregon State BEATS USC, 27-21

So, is Penn State's non-conference schedule still soft? I thought Oregon State was part of the "weak opponents" Penn State has run all over. Well, not so anymore. When your team beats the team that ends up beating the consensus No. 1 team, your team's win looks a whole lot better.

Why wasn't I surprised at this win? Well, maybe it's because Oregon State has been notorious for upsetting USC in Corvallis. I remember watching the Beavers hand USC its first regular-season loss in two years, back in 2006. This is a fantastic win, not just because USC blew it, but because now Oregon State is considered a much stronger opponent than it was after Penn State blew them away 45-14 on Sept. 6. Yeah, that's directed at you, poll voters. Keep this in mind when ranking Penn State next week.

What the MSM has to say (note how many times Penn State's 31-point beatdown of OSU is mentioned):
-Trojans can forget about national title - Michael Ventre, NBC Sports
-Big 12, Big Ten, SEC teams benefit from USC loss - Mark Schlabach, ESPN.com
-USC no longer Pac-10 bully - Arash Markazi, SI.com
-Excuses, excuses: USC blows title hopes against another inferior opponent - Dennis Dodd, CBS Sportsline
-USC throws snake eyes in college title crapshoot - Dave Curtis, The Sporting News

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Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable :: The Rebound

Lake the Posts asks the questions in week’s Big Ten Bloggers Round Table.

1)The national media is using the Big Ten Conference as a punching bag in 2008 ranking us somewhere between the Big East and the MAC. Based on Ohio State's no-show, Purdue's "APPLE!!!" and Michigan's debacle, it is redemption week in Big Ten Country. However, several teams have very respectable, yet no-name teams (ie. Troy, Central Michigan, Ball State). Tell us how the Big Ten will respond this week in the final week before conference play.

ZN: This will be the most underrated week of the season. (See schedule, right) Practically every Big Ten opponent has gotten a headline this year. Ball State has remained quiet, but they did get some preseason hype in the MAC. Easiest Game this week: Temple @ PSU; Toughest Game this week: CMU @ Purdue; Big Ten MUST WIN: Iowa @ Pitt. Best case scenario: 8-0; Worst case: 2-6. I think the Big Ten comes out to play this week before conference openers.

2)The conference standings look like someone took the 2007 results and flipped it upside down.  Which of the undefeated teams are contenders and which are pretenders (another way of saying which teams have put lipstick on a pig)? Recalibrate your preseason rankings and tell us who the conference favorites are now.

ZN: Contenders: Penn State, Wisconsin; Pretenders: Indiana, Minnesota, Northwester; Could go either way: Iowa. The jury is still out on the Hawkeyes, but that’s probably due to their lack of media coverage. In two weeks or so I’ll let you know on that one. But I must say, EVERYONE called me crazy for picking Michigan No. 10 for 2008 (See my preseason predicted finish, right). While the Wolverines aren’t going to fall that far (I think ND was a fluke, even though I called that upset, thank you very much), currently they are DEAD LAST in the Big Ten. But if I had to change it, I would say Wisconsin would bump up to No. 2, and Ohio State down to No. 3. Purdue would move a bit lower, maybe to No. 7. However, overall I think I hit the nail on the head this preseason.

3)Javon Ringer has emerged as the early season best-bet Heisman hopeful from the Big Ten.  Real deal or non-conference smoke screen?  Does anyone from the Big Ten have a prayer for the Heisman, or is it too late?

ZN: I think Ringer is the best running back only when getting his 30-35 carries per game. If you asked me, right now, to name the top-three Big Ten rushers: No. 1 Evan Royster - Sorry folks, you whether you like it or not, Royster leads the conference’s starting RBs with a ridiculous 8.1 ypc, and only a handful of his 38 carries were after halftime. PJ Hill has 70 carries so far, and Ringer has 104. If Royster had those carries, he would have 567 and 842 yards, respectively. I’m not knocking Ringer or Hill, as they are two of the premier backs in the entire nation. But I think Royster hasn’t gotten due credit, just because Joe Paterno takes him out right after halftime. Check it out for yourself:

To address the Heisman race, I don’t think a running back will win it at all this season. Quarterbacks are the sexy pick, and with guys like Chase Daniel, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford, guys like Ringer, Royster and Hill have no shot. They could place, but not win.

4)After three weeks it is time to give your team a new slogan.  What is it and why is it what it is?

ZN: “I should have been playing football, but I got high...” - If you don't know what that means, you aren't a college football fan.

Or for a more serious one...

“So what?” - So what? Everyone called us dead after Sean Lee went down, Chris Bell, Phil Taylor, Chris Baker were kicked off the team, and Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma got a few games to think about what they've done. Not to mention that confidence in the new offense was very low, and that we were just benefiting from a weak non-conference slate. So what?

5)By now, you've likely adopted a favorite non Big Ten team to watch.  Flex your football worldliness by convincing your fellow Big Ten kool-aid drinkers to watch your "other" team. 

ZN: I really like Missouri. But I put so much effort into the first four questions, I don’t really feel like giving it my all for this one. Chase Daniel is the man, and should he keep it up, will win the Heisman. The rest of the offense is incredible, and the defense is vastly underrated. Plus, if you like big games, just wait until the Big XII Championship game, when Mizzou will most likely face off with Oklahoma. They could be two top-five teams at that point. Whoa.

So that’s it for this week’s Big Ten Bloggers Round Table. Go State.

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BCS Conference Strength

What better way to pass the time than dissecting other bloggers' dissection of college football? As we are only ankle-deep in the 2008 football season, there's not much to talk about other than roster changes, a few sprinkles of info from Spring practices, and maybe a "Our conference is better than yours" argument or two. And that's where we have it. Even though it's not really defending or attacking a particular conference, Bears Necessity made quite a splash with its Which Conference Proved They Were the Strongest? post this week.

"The Big 10 did not defeat a single team above .500 from the big conferences. Not one. Not any. No no no."

I realize that this post was about OOC schedules. Fine. But the entire argument is null and void if you don't include bowl games to the OOC opponent list. Michigan beat Florida and Penn State beat Texas A&M, both teams coming in with .500+ records. I know, teams don't plan who they'll play in the bowl, but don't those games count towards which conference is better? OK though, I'll go along with the regular-season OOC games only. But what about other conferences, like the Pac-10?

"...both USC and Arizona St. had two weak schedules this year, but at least the Trojans had to go on the road for two of them (and the Nebraska game did seem like a toughie to begin with)."

Oh, so it's OK for USC to not completely blow the doors off (not right away, at least) of Nebraska because the Huskers were supposed to be better? Naha. If you want to play that card, then you have to give Penn State credit for playing a Notre Dame team coming off of two straight BCS appearances, 10-win seasons and was supposed to finish somewhere around 6-6. Or what about Ohio State's win over Washington in Seattle? The Huskies were 2-0, just off upsetting Boise State. At that point, they were supposed to be a decent team, possibly in bowl contention. If you're going to make an argument, first be careful how much ammo the other side has.

"After LSU beating Virginia Tech, no other team defeated a Division I opponent with more than eight wins. Again, the SEC’s accomplishments were internal (beating up on each other) rather than external (11-1 against the Sun Belt! POWER LEVEL RISING!)"

Finally! Someone outside of the Big Ten calling out the SEC for playing glorified high school teams OOC. I don't care what the SEC schedules are like in 2008 (many more teams are traveling a good distance for OOC BCS games), the SEC has still been the absolute worst conference when it comes to playing OOC games away from the Confederate States of America.

"Florida State had to go to Boulder (and won), play the Tide (and won) along with getting beaten by the Gators. Thanks to their glorious past, the Seminoles will not be having any light schedules anytime soon."

Colorado lost to Iowa State, Alabama and let Nebraska torch them for 51. (Even though CU won 65-51) Alabama lost to Louisiana-Monroe... 'nuff said there

"Cal beating Tennessee was mighty impressive, but it’s always tougher to go into SEC country and win it. South Florida took advantage of Tiger mistakes and blasted their way to victory. Cincinnati obliterating Oregon State was a close 2nd."

This was part of the Big East analysis, but of course a Cal win over an underachieving Tennessee team was "mighty impressive" according to this Cal homer. But for South Florida, the win at Auburn was one of the most underrated games in 2007. At first, everyone was shrugging it off as a fluke. Then USF got to No. 2, and lost to Rutgers. Out came the "Ah ha! I knew they were fake!" arguments. No, and no again. The Big East will never gain respect for what its done the last few years. I can't really explain it. It's just one of those oddities in college football that will never be solved. But now for the topper:

"...the Big 10 looks like a total embarrassment in terms of the opponents they face. It’s almost hard to believe why they’ve performed so badly during BCS season–they never look totally prepared for what’s coming to them."

Fared so badly, indeed. The Big Ten has sent seven different teams to the BCS: Ohio State (4-2), Michigan (1-3), Illinois (0-2), Wisconsin (2-0), Penn State (1-0), Iowa (0-1), Purdue (0-1). The SEC has had only six different teams represent the conference in the BCS: LSU (4-0), Florida (3-1), Georgia (2-1), Tennessee (1-1), Alabama (0-1), Auburn (1-0). The Big Ten is 8-9, while the SEC is 11-4. But if the SEC is so wonderful--not saying that the author of Bears Necessity is saying the SEC is better; it's just the most common conference comparison in football, BT vs. SEC--then why hasn't it sent more teams to the BCS on a regular basis? With 12 teams, you'd think there would be a different pairing every year, like the Big Ten had in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (OK, I know, Illinois shouldn't have been there, but they were, so shut up about it already) And if you want to throw a little dirt in their Johnny Reb eyes, just bring up the whole Georgia beating Hawaii thing from last season.

No conference is better than the other. You can't gauge something like that in college football, when teams rarely play common opponents, never mind playing teams from Division I-A. But it sure is fun to argue, isn't it?

- - - -

Just a side note, RUTS just brought it to my attention that Penn State has released its official Spring 2008 roster. I'll take a look at it and give some thoughts.

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EIU added to 2009 schedule

Well, you thought PSU would man up and avoid a FCS (I-AA) opponent for its Oct. 10 open date in the 2009 football season. Think again. The Journal Gazette/Times Courier Online, of Charleston/Mattoon, IL announced that Eastern Illinois has finalized an agreement to play a football game versus Penn State in Happy Valley, Oct. 10, 2009. This is pathetic. Penn State has dropped down as far as it could possibly go. It's not like Syracuse is good, or Notre Dame. Why not schedule a big-time game with someone like West Virginia or FREAKING PITT!!! Then wait until the schedule allows for a return date. The PSU athletic department's logic on this one is just crazy. Maybe PSU just likes beating up on teams called "the Panthers."

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Stop lying and schedule Pitt

At his weekly press conference, Joe Paterno talked about everything, from TE Andrew Quarless to the Penn State kicking game, Buffalo to... Pitt? That's right, the old question came up, again. Will Penn State ever play Pittsburgh? According to Paterno, not in his coaching lifetime.

Look, I wasn't around the Penn State program long enough to enjoy the Nittany Lions' most hated rival. I've only come to love this school since Larry Johnson exploded for 2015 regular season yards. But I do know what the rivalry means to this institution, Pitt and the entire state of Pennsylvania.

College football needs Penn State versus Pitt. College football has descended into a 120-team (not including the many, many, many I-AA opponents still on schedules) clusterf*ck, where every one of those teams (at least those in the "in crowd," i.e. the BCS conferences) are constantly trying to impress the voters, while still avoiding the challenges of a quality schedule. What ever happened to playing teams regardless of whether or not it was a guaranteed win?

In an age when good, old rivalries like PSU/Pitt, Texas/Arkansas and Miami/Florida are few and far between, fans are constantly missing out on what college football should be. What separates college and professional football? No, not the money. Trust me, college football makes plenty of that. No, not the playoffs. Although, it's not a bad idea.

It's the tradition. That's all it's ever been. College football has been played since 1869, decades before professional teams hit the field. What's special about bowl games? Not everyone gets to go? No, because there are way too many freaking bowls now. But they are unique in that they have been played for far longer than the Super Bowl. In fact, I bet if you went up to people on the street, they wouldn't realize that the Super Bowl just means "really, really, amazingly, freaking awesome 'bowl' game."

Anyone in Penn State's athletic department, who tells you that there's no chance to play Pitt, is a liar. The most common excuse is that Penn State could not get enough home games if a home-home series with Pitt were played. In the words of Eric Cartman, that... is... bullcrap!

I leave you with this. The following is an outline of the next three seasons. I only know the Big Ten schedule until 2010, so I didn't go further. Regardless, I felt these three years proves my point well enough.
2008---------------------2009---------------------2010
Coastal Carolina-------Eastern Michigan------TBA (Home, Pitt – great opener)
Arkansas St.------------Syracuse----------------@Alabama
@ Syracuse-------------Temple------------------TBA (Home*)
TBA (Home, Pitt)----------Iowa--------------------@Iowa
Illinois------------------@Illinois---------------Illinois
@Purdue----------------TBA (@Pitt)-----------TBA (Home*)
@Wisconsin------------Minnesota--------------@Minnesota
Michigan----------------@Michigan-------------Michigan
@OSU ------------------@Northwestern-------Northwestern
@Iowa------------------OSU---------------------@OSU
Indiana------------------Indiana-----------------@Indiana
MSU--------------------@MSU-------------------MSU

*These dates should be home games. I'd love to see more eastern rivals, like WVU or Maryland, but it's more likely they would be cupcakes. Still, this all proves it can be done.

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The whole TCU in '08 thing

Will they come? Or won't they come? From what I've heard, TCU wants a pretty hefty payout to travel to Happy Valley. Rightfully so, I say. Who wants to come play in Beaver Stadium on a voluntary basis? No teams I know. Syracuse agreed to come when PSU sucked, so you can't blame them. Alabama was also in that boat. Then they backed out until '14-'15. The only team I have to ask "what do you think you're doing?" is UVA, who just recently agreed to a home-home series with PSU.

Fine, so PSU still maintains the idea that if it doesn't have seven home games per year, it will be a financial disaster. Uh huh, right. Well, then what's the excuse, Joe? In case you've forgotten, PSU (and every other D-IA school) now plays at least 12 games each season. That means PSU gets to work with three OOC opponents at home, and one away, while still keeping the seven home dates.

You're telling me that those geniuses in the Athletic Department can't come up with a plan to coordinate opponents to get the most high-profile teams on the docket each season? There is absolutely no reason for PSU to play more than two OOC cupcakes in any season, nevermind three in one year.

Temple is a traditional "rival" and I'll give them credit for trying, but FIU? Buffalo? Get real. Try talking to Shiano at Rutgers, who has admitted he wants to get a PSU-RU series going. What ever happened to Maryland? or WVU?

At his press conference, Joe said he would like to play Notre Dame more often. Well? Do it. You're Joe Freaking Paterno!

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Shitt on Pitt (Not really, this time)

The Penn State - Pitt rivalry should be resuscitated anytime now! Well, at least that's what former players and coaches said this week at a charity golf tournament. Everyone from Shane Conlan to Jackie Sherrill gave their two cents to support renewing one of the greatest college football slug-fests of all time.

Even Heisman Trophy-winner Tony Dorsett stressed the importance of the rivalry, saying in the article that if the powers that be want it "they can make it happen."

So true, Tony.

Next to the eight consecutive losses to Them, the sour taste of the 12-0 loss to Pitt in 2000 lingers in Happy Valley. And now that Penn State is competitive again, there is even more pressure to schedule BCS schools for the non-conference slate each year.

If Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno want to get the respect in the polls Penn State has been missing the last few years, they will have to accept the fact that only one quality BCS team won't get the job done in the minds of voters.

Imagine if Penn State landed Notre Dame on the schedule in 2005, a year earlier, instead of South Florida, Cincinnati or Central Michigan. Better yet, think of this. Alabama was originally on the schedule for a two-game series in 2004-2005. What if there was no chickening out by the Tide, who requested the games be rescheduled for 2013-2014? Depending on the outcome, that should-have-been 2005 match up would have had voters and fans looking back saying "Wow, that game helped shape the entire season."

And it would have. What if Penn State lost? No BCS, plain and simple. What if 'Bama lost? No SI cover shot a few weeks later after waxing Florida.

With the increase to 12 games, the BCS conferences have really no excuse for their paltry scheduling decisions. Back before the conglomeration of college football in the 90s, teams could schedule teams that would give them the best chance of winning over the hearts and minds of voters.

It was all about the polls. Not no more it ain't.

Now, the goal is to schedule maybe one tough non-conference game to get the early season TV time, and hopefully make it out with the league title and the automatic BCS bid.

The competition on a national scale is long gone. Penn State used to play Miami (Fla.), Alabama, Notre Dame, North Carolina State, Pitt, Syracuse, Maryland, Southern California, Army and Nebraska every or nearly every season. Those games brought in a national telecast almost every time and would have fans from, let's say, Nebraska talking about eastern football.

Actually, if it wasn't for those games Penn State used to play, the upcoming series with Alabama, Syracuse, and the past games against Nebraska and Notre Dame would hardly have such meaning.

Bottom Line: Don't wuss out when it comes to taking on a few big boys each year outside of the conference. Even better - oh no, I'll actually say it - go on the road to play in front of 80,000 roaring fans! Then you'll never have to use the "you don't respect us" line again.

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