The Penn State Football Show

As the college football season progresses into the final month, the BCS puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. Like they say, "You remember what happens in November." As the season rolls on, we will hear fans ignorantly bitch, moan, and debate over the validity of the current BCS system. Everyone will give you their "perfect playoff" scenario: a 6-team playoff, an 8-team playoff, a 16-team playoff similar to D-IAA, II, and III. All of these are valid arguments and potentially could happen.

If you are a college football fan, you have probably shed your opinion on this matter at some point and you cant help but get caught up in the debate. And if you're like "Rulebook" Albright, you have gone as far as sending letters to Joe Paterno and the NCAA outlining your proposal. Say what you want about the business aspects and how the bureaucrats control the system, but in terms of football and the product on the field, the BCS might not be all that bad. Not too long ago, I too was one of those clamoring for a playoff system, but as my wisdom continues to expand at an exponential rate and i invest more time and interest into college football, my thoughts have slowly changed to the contrary. Here is why...

As Jim Mora would say, "PLAY-OFFS? PLAY-OFFS? PLAY-OFFS!?!?!?" I am beginning to agree with the notion that a playoff system will significantly de-emphasize the importance of many of the regular season games (I mean, PSU fans need some reason to get all jacked up for Eastern Illinois, right?). Case in point: Florida and Alabama will meet in the SEC championship game ranked #1 and #2. As the BCS system currently works, this game will essentially be a semi-final matchup for the National Championship...winner is in and loser is out. With an 8 or 16-team playoff system in place, this game would be far less important. Yes, they would be playing for an SEC Championship, but the loser would probably only drop to #6 or #7 and still be seeded in the playoff, taking the National Title implications off of this game. The only people with any vested interest in this game would be fans of the respective schools.

This late season matchup was also the case back in 2006 when #1 Ohio State played #2 Michigan, both undefeated, on the final weekend of the Big Ten season. Another semi-final to the National Championship. With so much riding on this game, it lead to one of the most exciting games in recent college football history. Again, if a playoff system were involved, this game would not have had as much of an impact nationally. It would have merely determined playoff seeding. Note: I understand the importance of a #1 or #2 seed in a playoff system, but that does not grant playoff immunity. In one game in football, anybody can win.

Take the 2008 Penn State season as another example. After the big win at Ohio State, Penn State would have had to win two out of the last three games to win the Big Ten and be placed in a playoff system. If this were the case, would we all have been hanging on the edge of our couches as Ricky Stanzi drove Iowa down the field in the 4th quarter? Probably not as much. The loss at Iowa would not have been as devastating and Penn State would not have been in a must-win scenario until after this loss. And to go one step further...would USC or Oklahoma fans have cared at all about our loss?

As a result of the situations described above coupled with a playoff system, teams will begin to employ strategies similar to the NFL, i.e. resting players for the playoff run and essentially throwing end of season games because they "don't matter." I do not want to see this in college football. This is why college football is so much more exciting than the NFL. There only are 11, sometimes 12 games. EVERY game should be meaningful. I don't really care about the NFL till about week 10 when the playoff picture begins to take shape and the games mean something.

Frankly, I think a playoff system promotes too much post-season parody...much like the NFL where Wild Card teams end up winning the Super Bowl and much like college basketball where the best teams going into the tourney often get knocked off before the final (it's not a coincidence that only once have four #1 seeds met in the Final Four). Should a college football team who goes 12-0 in the regular season be subject to a first round playoff loss? Or, do we really want to see a 9-3 West Virginia team playing a 10-2 Virginia Tech team in the title game while two 12-0 teams sit at home because they got bumped in the first round? The parody should arise throughout the regular season, not the post-season, which is evident in the current BCS system.

The current BCS system is not perfect by any means, but it's almost a playoff system in disguise. On any given year, there are probably three or four teams who, at the end of the year, truly deserve to play for a National Championship. Furthermore, every year there are always late season, intra-conference matchups between two highly ranked teams that can determine the seasons of the respective teams, ala Penn State-Ohio State, LSU-Alabama, Oregon-USC, Texas-Oklahoma and so on. Aren't these games kind of like playoff games...lose and you're out? At season's end, does the sixteenth, or even eighth ranked BCS team truly deserve an equal opportunity at a National Championship as the #1 or #2 teams? NO!

Ideally, I think a +1 system would be then next step and probably would be sufficient. Teams would be re-ranked following the four BCS games and #1 and #2 would then match-up for the Championship. Therefore, an undefeated non-BCS school such as Boise State/TCU/Utah (2008), who had not yet beaten anyone of respective quality, gets an opportunity to show they are for real and belong in a title game.

The bottom line is the BCS is good for college football. It is always a topic for discussion and the discussion brings college football to the forefront of the sports world. Only time will tell what happens, but I don't think the BCS is as big of a disaster as the average fan believes.

A couple thoughts on the Bowden retirement: It is clear that the University kind of forced him out, which is unfortunate. He said after his last game that he wanted to return next year, and then a few days later he announced he’s retiring. He’s done so much for the school, you don’t want to see him go out like this. Florida State was not a competitive football program before Bowden arrived. He turned them into a national powerhouse.

Drew’s post says “Paterno wins.” Personally, I think it’s Penn State that wins, because the school has allowed Joe to go out on his terms and is handling Joe Pa with the respect he deserves, which make the University look good, especially compared to Florida State. Granted they asked him to step down a few years ago, but when he refused, they listened to him and didn’t force him out. I’m not going to get into the whole conversation about whether or not Joe should go. I can quickly sum up my own thoughts on the matter by saying I think he should retire, but he has earned the right to stay as long as he would like.

The whole “Bowden vs. Paterno” race is something that gets way more attention than it deserves. First, you will hear a lot of people say that they think Joe will now retire because he knows he has the record over Bowden. The people that think Joe has been holding out until Bowden retired are completely clueless. There is no way that has ever, or ever will, factor into his decision to retire. I’m not saying Joe doesn’t care about having that honor. I went to nearly every press conference Joe had in my four years at Penn State and can tell you the man definitely has an ego. I’m just saying the race with Bowden has nothing to do with his decision to stay in football this long.

More importantly though, in my opinion, there never has been any race between the two. Bowden’s first 31 wins came at Howard, a Division IAA school. I’m not saying these wins don’t count. I have no problem counting these wins. But if we count these wins, then you have to count ALL of Eddie Robinson’s wins at Grambling (also DI-AA). Robinson had 408 wins in his career, which is more than both Paterno and Bowden.

So there are only two ways you can look at it. Either you count all NCAA wins, or you count only Division I wins. Either way works for me because they both make sense. Under the first scenario Robinson holds the record. Under the second scenario, Paterno holds the record and Bowden is pretty far back. Either way, there really is no significant race between Paterno and Bowden.

It just doesn’t make sense to count Bowden’s 31 IAA wins toward this “record” but disregard Robinson’s entire career. It’s all or nothing. I don’t know why more people don’t realize this.

What is the deal with the media reporting that things that are going “to be announced tomorrow?” What the hell is that? If the Bottom Line on ESPN says “Adam Schefter reports that Bobby Bowden will announce his retirement tomorrow,” didn’t Adam Schefter just announce Bowden’s retirement for him? Now what is there for Bowden to say?

In the specific case of Bowden, I feel sorry for him that it leaked out before he could announce it himself (assuming he does indeed go on to announce his retirement). The man has been coaching for a long time, and when he decides he wants to hang it up, it should be him telling it to the world, not Adam Schefter.

Drew/Albright: Does this qualify as an acceptable hate card?

The battle of crotcheny old S.O.B's for most career wins appears to all belong to Joe Paterno as sources say FSU coach Bobby Bowden will retire. Although Paterno claims this record means nothing to him, pride doesn't escape any of us. Although it would not suprise me to see Bowden try to coach again at a crappier D-1 school. With coaching turnover these days, I think this record will be up there with Joe D's 56 game hit streak as one that will not be broken. Congratulations to JoePa and Penn State fans everywhere.

After stuffing my face with mounds of turkey and taters and collecting my emotions in preparation for Tim Tebow's collegiate finale, I finally have some time to post about the Michigan State game, the BCS debate, and the upcoming Penn State bowl game.

It was great to see the Lions finally put it all together up in East Lansing and deliver the performance of the season with a pounding of Sparty. Lots of good things to take from this game as we head into the Bowl Season. I thought Penn State was finally clicking on all cylinders and, despite a few errant throws in the first quarter, Daryll Clark redeemed himself for some of his previous week's disappointments. Good way to end the season.

With the conclusion of the regular season, I feel it necessary to recognize some of the outstanding players and moments of the season. In other words, this is my Penn State Football Show version of the Dundies! Feel free to give them a unique name!

• Offensive MVP: Daryll Clark...A football team lives and dies with its QB and Penn State mostly lived and lived luxuriously with DC17 this season. Aside from a lousy 4th quarter against Iowa and the Ohio State game, Clark put up big numbers for this offense and the success of the offense was mostly on Clark's shoulders. The fact that he ranks, statistically, among PSU's best in only two seasons of play is a testament to his ability and leadership.
• Defensive MVP: Sean Lee-Navorro Bowman-Josh Hull...The nastiness of all three of these guys took a lot of pressure off the reconstructed secondary and was the place where opposing running games went to die. I think this is one of the few positions at PSU that re-loads rather than rebuilds so hopefully the loss of these three will not be as devastating, but you gotta give some props to the careers of these three.
• Top Newcomer: D'Anton Lynn...This kid stepped right into an athletically demanding position with almost no experience and proved to be on his way to being one of the better corners in recent PSU history. He likes to hit and he can tackle in the open field, something our corners are notorious for lacking. I envision a very successful career for DL8.
• Top Freshman: Curtis Drake and Stephon Morris...Correct me if I'm wrong, but this was the first year since 2005 that true freshmen have gotten significant playing time. Both of these kids are extremely athletic and played nothing like 18-year-olds in their first semester away from home. Drake brings versatility on offense and Morris is a tough corner who can go stride-for-stride with anybody and probably didn't get the recognition he deserved coming out of high school because of his size. Either way, I cant wait to watch these two develop and play over the next three years.
• Player who will be missed the most: Andrew Quarless...The obvious choice here would be Daryll Clark but its against PSFBS policy to win more than one award. I think Quarless' presences in the passing game as well as the run blocking often went undernoticed and will be greatly missed. LB's cant cover him and attention from DB's opened things up on the outside for the recievers. He finally shook his childish habits and was just coming into his own this season. I think he will get even better if given a shot in the NFL. I don't know if/when we will see another TE with the physical presence and abilities of AQ10.
• Mr. Hustle: Patrick Mauti...A career special teams player, PM84 seemed to always be around the ball on punts and kickoffs. A WR by trade, I don't know if he ever caught a pass as a Lion but his work ethic is unparalleled.
• Best Moment/Play...60-yard TD pass from Clark to Quarless at Michigan that started the romp of the Wolverines.
• Worst Moment/Play...TD pass from Terelle Pryor to DeVier Posey vs. Ohio State that basically put the game out of reach.

Drew and Pete, I understand that Iowa beat us, but they lost two games in November. They had the opportunity to take care of business, and they didn't do it. They most likely will still get the nod ahead of Penn State, but if not, they can only look at their November performance. Meanwhile, Penn State ended its season with its best played game of the year. Iowa beat Penn State early in the season and bowls look at who will provide a competitive game. Do you think that Penn State could hang with TCU or Oklahoma State? I think that's a no doubter. Alabama/Florida will be in the Sugar Bowl and will not play a Big Ten team. The next selection from the bowls will go to the Fiesta, and they will most likely select a Big Ten team with their first pick to ensure that they will get a team that travels well. That means that they won't get another pick until the Orange and Sugar select (my feeling is that Orange will select Big East champion if Big Ten is already claimed) and that leaves Oklahoma State, Boise and TCU to be selected by the Sugar and Fiesta.

So why does PSU deserve this? Its because they have won 10 games, because they have earned this standing over the past century, because people care about Penn State, and because their last game of the season was an impressive knockout of a legitimate opponent on the road. Meanwhile Iowa had the chance to crush an inferior Minnesota team, and what do they do? They compile 171 yards of total offense, convert 1 of 13 third downs, and get a PAT blocked. Sure they beat Penn State and Wisconsin on the road, and played Ohio State tough, but who provides a better game against TCU? Iowa's starting QB is injured and might return in time for the bowl game, and that's a tough break. Penn State has proven over the years that they play well in bowl games, and money is a consideration, but would you honestly want Penn State to decline the invitation? What kind of message does that send to your fan base, to you players who have worked hard all season for the opportunity to play in a BCS game? This isn't like Penn State was given a win because of a referee's error that gave them a fifth down. Penn State won 10 games. Iowa won 10 games.

If Penn State was in Iowa's position, I can see myself arguing your points, saying oh, we beat them, we should go over them. But my parents have told me since I was 3 years old that life isn't fair. Iowa could have made this decision easy by putting away Minnesota, but now they've left it in the hands of the bowl committees. Iowa has screwed us over in football the last two years, and even basketball last year. Now it's our turn....and we can do it without even playing them, but by using the tradition of excellence and coaching that has defined Penn State. It's a tough situation, and maybe Penn State doesn't deserve the BCS bowl, but hey, remember those undefeated seasons when we were not declared National Champions? You gotta catch a break sometime, and maybe this is it.

Plus everyone from Iowa lives like 10 hours from an airport that has planes with jet engines...how are they gonna get to Arizona/Florida?

I'm sure everyone remembers when Colorado got 5 downs against Missouri to score a touchdown that would later launch them to a National Championship. Then coach Gary DiNardo thought it would be unfair to his kids to forfeit the game because of how hard they worked. The same thing also happened in a game between Army and Susquehanna some 70 years back with Army winning on their fifth down. When Army discovered this the next day, they immediately forefeit the game. Why do I mention this? Penn State should not accept a BCS bowl bid. Its an invitation, and if facebook has taught us anything, you can either attend, not attend, or await to reply. Penn State should not attend and leave a wall post to explain why.

We don't have the most national championships at Penn State, but we do have our pride. We boast a clean program, low coaching turnover, sportsmanship, and graduation. I think it would go against everything we stand for to take this away from Iowa. On top of that, if we make it and play a second place SEC team, I don't think we stand a chance against Florida or Alabama.

If you're really hard up, go back about 10 pages and read everyones pre-season predictions. I tried to copy and past a link but not working for some reason. Good reading.

-Is forefeit the past tense of forefeit?