'First Look' coming next week

Last year, I thought the First Look series went over really well, so I'm bringing it back this year. In 2008, each First Look was released on a Monday, but I'm going to have to change that to Thursdays this summer, mostly due to my work schedule. First Look will also kick off a week later than 2008.

Here's the First Look schedule for 2009:

AKRON -- June 11
SYRACUSE -- June 18
TEMPLE -- June 25
IOWA* -- July 2
@Illinois* -- July 9
EASTERN ILLINOIS(I-AA) -- July 16
MINNESOTA*^ -- July 23
@Michigan* -- July 30
@Northwestern* -- August 6
OHIO STATE* -- August 13
INDIANA* -- August 20
@Michigan State* -- August 27

Any other comments or suggestions about this year's First Look series, send me an email. Also, look for more opposing team blogger participation. I was in contact with a few of them over the winter and spring, and there was enough interest to do it.

P.S. I know U.

I wasn't sure about this series last year, and I'm still not sure this year. It was long, tedious, and didn't really contribute enough bang for the buck. I might scrap it, but I might not. Again, any thoughts from readers are welcome.

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Official prime time schedule released

We all had a clue last week that Penn State would play Iowa at night, along with an early evening kickoff in Evanston against Northwestern. But since it's all been made official today, here's the earliest announced kickoff times for 2009:

PENN STATE IN PRIME TIME 2009

Sept. 26 -- IOWA at PENN STATE, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN

Oct. 31 -- PENN STATE at NORTHWESTERN, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2

Get the full release from the Big Ten site.

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

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Rundown

Ok, so I haven't been around as much. What are you going to do, shoot me? I'll make sure we're all caught up this week, though. Here's what I'm thinking will come the next few days...

• Short Heisman commentary.

• Bowl previews, part 1: EagleBank Bowl - Holiday Bowl.

• Bowl previews, part 2: Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - BCS National Championship Game.

• NO Rose Bowl preview this week. I'll do it closer to the game.

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Coming up

Hope you all had a good holiday. I was down in Kentucky most of the week, then slogged through the Redskins-Giants game yesterday (as a Giants fan, thank you very much). So I'm a little beat.

I promise I'll get all caught up today and tomorrow. I'll post "Penn State in the Polls," as the Lions actually moved up this week. Also, I'll post my top 25, and a few other things.

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2008 Penn State Football Schedule/Results

This page has moved HERE. So change those bookmarks!

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Big Summer Ahead

I don't know about you, but I'm getting revved up. June is when all those great preview magazines come out, and the projections, predictions and the opinions start flying. ZN will view this upcoming month no different. Beginning June 2 (this Monday), I'll start the weekly countdown to the season opener. Every Monday I'll post a new preview, running down Penn State's 2008 schedule. Here's how it'll look:

June 2: Coastal Carolina
June 9: Oregon State
June 16: Syracuse
June 23: Temple
June 30: Illinois
July 7: Purdue
July 14: Wisconsin
July 21: Michigan
July 28: Ohio State
August 4: Iowa
August 11: Indiana
August 18: Michigan State
August 25: Bowl Game prediction.

And that will take us to the week before opening day. Of course, these won't be the only posts from now until the end of August, but it's the only definite schedule I'm going to keep.

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2008 Big Ten Primetime Football Schedule Released

Via BigTen.org:

The Big Ten Conference office released the game times and television plans for five home football contests today to appear during prime time on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. A Big Ten contest will be featured during prime time in at least five of the nine weeks of intraconference play, including four appearances by Penn State, a pair of games for Ohio State and Wisconsin and one contest each for Illinois and Michigan.


The Big Ten home schedule will hit prime time during the opening weekend of conference action on Saturday, Sept. 27, when Penn State hosts Illinois at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Fighting Illini defeated the nationally-ranked Nittany Lions last season on the way to their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1984. PSU collected at least nine wins for the third straight season after winning the Valero Alamo Bowl, giving head coach Joe Paterno his NCAA-record 23rd bowl triumph.

The conference's nighttime slate continues with a pair of Wisconsin home games the following two weekends, with the Badgers hosting Ohio State on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and Penn State on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN or ESPN2. Wisconsin is coming off a fourth straight season with at least nine wins, the longest streak of success in school history. The Buckeyes are aiming for a fourth straight Big Ten Championship and an unprecedented third consecutive outright crown after reaching the BCS National Championship game the last two seasons.

Nighttime games will continue on Oct. 18 when Penn State hosts Michigan for a 4:30 p.m. ET game to appear on ESPN or ESPN2. The Wolverines welcome new head coach Rich Rodriguez for the 2008 season after Lloyd Carr ended his time on the sidelines with a victory in the Capital One Bowl. The Big Ten's final prime-time outing on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 will feature Penn State at Ohio State on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. ET.

The Big Ten will hold the 2008 Football Media Days and 37th annual Kickoff Luncheon on Thursday and Friday, July 24-25, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, featuring all 11 head coaches and some of the conference's top returning players. The 113th season of Big Ten football kicks off on Saturday, August 30, with 10 of 11 schools in action.

2008 BIG TEN PRIME-TIME FOOTBALL GAMES ON ABC/ESPN/ESPN2

Sept. 27 - ILLINOIS at PENN STATE, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 4 - OHIO STATE at WISCONSIN, 7 p.m. CT, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 11 - PENN STATE at WISCONSIN, 7 p.m. CT, ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 18 - MICHIGAN at PENN STATE, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2

Oct. 25 - PENN STATE at OHIO STATE, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2

*I'll take a better look at this later, so stay tuned. I'll also have a take on the most recent Blue White Round Table.

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2007

Every game preview for 2007.
Sept. 1 - W 59-0, FIU; BTN, 12 PM
Sept. 8 - W 31-10, ND; ESPN, 6 PM
Sept. 15 - W 45-24, UB; BTN, 12 PM
Sept. 22 - L 14-9, @ UM; ABC, 3:30 PM
Sept. 29 - L 27-20, @ Illinois; BTN, 12 PM
Oct. 6 - W 27-7, Iowa; ABC, 3:30 PM
Oct. 13 - W 38-7, Wisconsin; ABC, 3:30 PM
Oct. 20 - W 36-31, @ Indiana; ESPN, 12 PM
Oct. 29 - L 37-17, Ohio State; ABC, 8 PM
Nov. 3 - W 26-19 Purdue; ESPN, 12 PM
Nov. 10 - W 31-0 @ Temple; ESPN-U 12 PM
Nov. 17 - L 35-31 @ Michigan St.; ABC, 3:30 PM
Valero Alamo Bowl:
Dec. 29 - W 24-17 @ Texas A&M; ESPN, 8 PM

BCS National Championship Preview
Ohio State, 24 vs. Louisiana State, 38 - Jan. 7; Fox 8:30 PM

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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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