If you want respect, schedule good teams, part 4 of 4

----Everyone argues that strength of schedule should mean everything in college football, until someone calls their team out on scheduling Directional Community College...

Part 3/4., Part 2/4., Part 1/4.

So this is it, the final installment of the Schedules series. I hope it wasn't too painful for you. I tried to take a serious look into what teams have done well and what teams haven't in terms of scheduling tough games. In part four, I'm going to run down which games I'm most looking forward to in 2008. These are all out-of-conference games, because I figure conference games always mean something and a team doesn't have a choice to play those games. These are games that teams chose to play. In no particular order, I give you the best OOC games in 2008.

***Not all of the schedules have been finalized, so I may do a revised version of this list in August.

Ohio State (11-2) at Southern Cal (11-2) – If this isn’t the top game in September; you’re not watching the right sport. While everyone will be calling the Buckeyes doomed before they even step into the Coliseum, USC loses a good number of excellent players. I don’t see this one as a blowout in either direction. This prediction means nothing right now, but: OSU 26-21

Georgia (11-2) @ Arizona State (9-4) – The Sun Devils were rolling right along until a late-season mediocre fest. If this game was to be played in Athens, it wouldn’t even really be on this list. However, Georgia will travel farther to Tempe than it did all of last season combined. With a guy like Dennis Erickson at the helm, you never know what can happen in the desert. This prediction means nothing right now, but: UGA 35-20

Missouri (12-2) vs. Illinois (9-4) – (In St. Louis) Chances are that you didn’t see last season’s edition of this game in St. Louis. I’ll also bet that you’ll make it a priority to see it in 2008. With the Illini coming off a Rose Bowl bid—as bad as it was—and the Tigers proving to be better than most BCS teams that leaped over them, this is appointment September viewing. This prediction means nothing right now, but: Ill 41-38

Kansas (12-1) @ South Florida (9-4) – South Florida shouldn’t have been at the No. 2 spot last season. But it was deserving of the praise showering it got after knocking off teams like Auburn and West Virginia. Kansas proved its worth by sticking it to Virginia Tech in one of the better BCS games in recent memory. I’m wondering which quarterback will have the better day, Todd Reesing or Matt Grothe? This prediction means nothing right now, but: KU 21-18

Auburn (10-3) @ West Virginia (11-2) – How much did Rich Rodriguez mean to the Mountaineers? With Steve Slaton moving on, can Noel Devine step in and become a real starter? Moreover, will Auburn’s experimentation with the spread offense finally kick start the point production? These are the huge question marks going into this game. How many of those will be answered? This prediction means nothing right now, but: AU 34-31

Appalachian State (13-2) @ Louisiana State (12-2) – If the Tigers beat the Mountaineers, Michigan fans will never hear the end of it. Actually, the entire Big Ten will somehow sink even lower in the minds of SEC fans. That aside, Appalachian State returns most of its national championship team, while LSU loses most of its own ring wearers. This game’s in Baton Rouge, so figure it will give LSU the edge it usually gets with the home crowd. This prediction means nothing right now, but: LSU 28-24

Michigan (9-4) @ Notre Dame (3-9) – Regardless of what the common folk think, this game is huge for both teams. It will be a test for both coaches, as Charlie Weis will try to show 2007 was a fluke, and Rich Rodriguez will try to show that Michigan 2008 will not become Notre Dame 2007. The Irish have beaten the Wolverines a couple times at home recently, so look for a much better showing this time around in South Bend. This prediction means nothing right now, but: UM 20-17

Bonus Game

Michigan (9-4) @ Penn State (9-4) – This one’s for me. For the last six years, I’ve been one of those people saying “If Penn State can’t beat Michigan THIS year…” So I’m hoping that will ring true in 2008. These games have been surprisingly close the last four meetings, with the Nittany Lions only a mistake or two away from pulling out a win. These are two teams heading in almost opposite directions. Michigan hasn’t looked this vulnerable, well, ever. We’ll see. This prediction means nothing right now, but: PSU 29-20

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For disappointing draft class in Michigan Football history, the winner is…

2008.

I don’t know if things can get much worse for this bunch. Although Chad Henne hasn’t really done much to hurt his draft status, he still isn’t the killer prospect everyone thought he would be during his days as a Wolverine. That doesn’t help the matter. But what is really solidifying this class as one of the most underachieving ever is the lack of production from its supposed star players in this year’s draft.

“Mario Manningham, WR Michigan
Six receivers ran 4.4 or better and 11 ran under 4.5. Manningham wasn't one of them. Rail thin at just under six-feet and 181 pounds, his biggest strength was supposed to be his speed, and then he came up with a 4.59 and a 4.62. While fine at the ball drills, he wasn't as polished as many will probably make him out to be. However, he caught the ball well and still showed enough skill to be among the top five receivers taken. While he'll get another shot back on Michigan's campus to show what he can do, he all but blew any chance of being a first round pick. – CFN.com”

Everyone at Penn State knew that Manningham wasn’t that great, compared to the Michigan wide outs that have ripped us in the past. In fact, he’ll be remembered for only one play when it’s all over. “The Catch” against Penn State in 2005. Outside of that, has he ever showed up in the games that mattered? Ohio State? Bowl games? Of course, he’s coming out early, and if he’d stayed another season, things might have been different. But if you want to look at the icing on this draft class’ cake, look no further than Mr. Mike “Talks-To-Much” Hart.

“Mike Hart, RB Michigan
At 5-9 and 206 pounds, he lifted well with 23 reps, but overall appeared scrawnier than expected, especially in his legs. The big problem was his lack of speed and burst in the quickness drills. The 4.65 and 4.75 40s were disastrous, and he showed little overall athleticism compared to the other smallish backs like Ray Rice and Steve Slaton. His problem will be the workload. Not a third down back or a role player, he's a runner who needs 25 carries and can be a workhorse. Now, it's doubtful anyone will ever think of him as a No. 1 back. – CFN.com”

I don’t know what’s sweeter; that Manningham won’t go in the first round, or that Hart may not even go on the first day. After all the loud-mouthing and constant crap flying out of his mouth, he’s still going to be remembered as a great college back. He’s a back that could will his team to victory—against everyone but Ohio State and three of four bowl game opponents—and pound out drives single handedly behind some of the best offensive linemen in college. But what will that get him? As of right now, not much; maybe he’ll get a nice paycheck every year, but no first-round dough, no instant starting job, and no pro-bowls. I’m not going to say that that last one is a lock, as other backs have defied all and made it to the all-star teams. What I will say is that for the last three seasons, Michigan hasn’t produced knockout pro-prospects the way it did for 35 years. In all seriousness though, I hope Hart and Manningham get playing time, so that they can meet the likes of true first-rounder Dan Connor, and Buffalo Bills starter Paul Posluszny. Have fun guys.

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Why THON Sucks

OH MY GOD! HE WANTS THE CANCER KIDS TO DIE!

No, that's not what I said. I think THON is a great and noble idea, in the beginning. Now, it's become more of a social event, instead of keeping it on task. I understand that the majority of participants and volunteers associated with THON are doing it for the right reasons, but far to many are doing it for the wrong reasons.

How many after-THON parties have we gone to? How many during-THON parties have we gone to? How many pre-THON parties have we gone to? Personally, none. In fact, I've never actually been in the room with the dancers, or at the parties before, during and after. My point is that one of the last true and honest things done by Penn State students has been taken down by the mighty Milwaukee's Best.

Shit, it's not even like these "THON Parties" are being held to raise money for the children. Would it kill people to charge a dollar to get in to their apartment party, with that money going right to THON? It may not be perfect--they wouldn't even have to say it was raised through underage drinking--but at least it would give those parties purpose, other than to say, "Hey, my place after THON!"

It's become more important for people to be seen at THON, rather than to just know they did something to help others. If you don't take a kabillion pictures of you and your friends--and of course the standard "Me with so-and-so, who has cancer" pic--at THON, then make it your first priority the next day (after you've thrown up twice to clear your head) to slap them all over Facebook.com, you apparently haven't done your job on THON weekend.

I've just gotten so frustrated with the event since I got to Penn State in 2002. At first, I thought it was cool like everyone else, but never ended up going. Then, I realized that unless you're an actual dancer--who really do work hard and can barely walk the next week--you're not doing a whole lot to help those kids with cancer. Sure the volunteers coordinate everything and work hard too, but people who show up for 20 minutes, scream across Rec Hall (Sorry, now I sound really dated, it's now in the BJC) at their friends, snap some pics and leave are no better than the people who just don't go. If they really want to help, without working for THON, go volunteer at a hospital's children's unit. Oh yeah, but that would take too long to get back in time for the parties.

So to all of you out there who are dancing or directly volunteering with THON, we love you. But to the rest of you, and you know who you are, just go get wasted and throw up behind the Phyrst, you're not doing anything "For the Kids." You're actually counteracting everything THON stands for. I hope you get liver cancer.



Sorry to be a downer today, but it's icing/snowing out and very gloomy. Plus, I really need some Penn State football. Looks like I've got a long wait ahead of me.

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200 strong, and growing

Although I don't feel quite as accomplished as Joe Paterno did on Sept. 5, 1987, I'm still amazed that this blog has held my attention for 200 posts. In spite of my readers' constant boredom with the content on this site, I plan to keep going for a long time. Count on even more dull analyses, unwitty commentary, and a constant defense of Penn State and college football against the Confederate States of-- I mean, the Southeastern Conference. Thanks for reading!

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If you want respect, schedule good teams, Part 3 of 4

3/4.

Part 2/4.
Part 1/4.

Everyone argues that strength of schedule should mean everything in college football, until someone calls their team out on scheduling Directional Community College...

As promised, here's the top five weakest schedules BCS bowl teams have played from 2003 through 2007. Here’s my criteria for selection:

-I-AA schools! Like in Schedules, Part 2 the addition of I-AA schools has a huge impact on the relative ease of a team’s schedule. Most of the teams on this list have at least one I-AA opponent on there. While some of those I-AAs are very good teams, and others are a close step up from high school ball, they are all a detriment to any pro-strength of schedule argument. Face it, if you want to get respect for your team’s schedule, then play teams in your own classification.

-Opponent records, looking back. Was a team hyped in the beginning of the year, only to fall flat on its face? Sure, beating Michigan State in September looks good, but how good is it when they’re in one of those patented late-season meltdowns. Even in the bowl games, beating a team that was thought to be unstoppable all year, then was blown out in its last regular-season game, seriously diminishes the significance of playing them in the bowl.

-Opponent conference affiliations. Think of this as a two-parter. If a team plays in the MAC or the Sun Belt, do you think its schedule is nearly as difficult as one from the Big Ten or SEC? I don’t care if a team plays five strong OOC games; if it doesn’t play more than half its schedule against strong competition, it’s not a strong schedule.

So here's what I came up with. THIS IS ALL IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

Just missed the cut. Close, but not easy enough...


Boise State started out 2006 with a real bang, playing a I-AA with a losing record. Oregon State was a nice win, but nothing real special. The Beavers are middle-of-the-pack Pac-10, so any decent team has a shot at beating them. Outside of the Fiesta bowl win over Oklahoma, the only other team with double digit wins was Hawai’i. Also playing seven teams with non-winning records won’t win any points with me.


If it wasn’t for the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, this schedule would have been a complete joke. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a thousand times better than the Mid-Majors’ schedules, but to only play three ranked teams the entire season isn’t very good. To top that off, only one of them finished with more than nine wins, and Oklahoma was blown out in the BCS national championship game. The second best regular season game was against Texas Tech, which won eight games.


So now that the SEC fans are laughing at the rest of the BCS teams, here it goes. In 2003, LSU won the BCS national championship, but didn’t have to work that hard to get there. It was a down year in the SEC, and LSU jumped at the opportunity. The first three wins were near automatic, and outside of the Georgia game, any good team should beat all of the remaining opponents. I know there are three games against top-10 opponents, but the two wins against Georgia is a glaring smudge on LSU’s credibility. This schedule is much less spectacular than the SEC fans want to think.

Now, for the top five easiest schedules among BCS bowl teams from 2003-2007...


I do love Kansas State. They usually follow right along with the other Big XII folks by telling I-AA “Come on down! We’ll give you lots of money to lose to us!” I know KSU played mostly teams with winning records, but when you have those two glaring I-AAs on there, you can’t expect to be taken seriously. The only reason this isn’t the clear-cut most horrible schedule is due to the two top-ten teams played late in 2003.


It must be a Kansas thing. Right on the heels of its state rival, the Jayhawks could sum up the 2007 schedule as nothing less than The Mediocre Express. I’ve never seen so many teams hovering around .500 in my life. Throw in Florida International—the Panthers won their last game of the year over North Texas to avoid going winless—and this schedule has a hard time using Missouri and Virginia Tech to compensate for the top 11 teams.


If I were to actually rank these schedules, I think this one would go right to the top. When the best team played is only ranked No. 25 at the end of the year, you’re in trouble. Utah’s 2004 schedule featured no teams with 10 wins or more. That’s rough, especially since the Ute’s BCS opponent lost four games. There’s not much more to say about this one. It’s pretty clear cut.


On the flip side, however, look at Pittsburgh’s 2004 schedule. Playing in a Virginia Tech and Miami-less Big East really killed all possible chances for this schedule to be considered tough. But then again, if those two were still in the league, Pitt wouldn’t have won the conference. Boston College was the best team on the schedule until the bowl, and the only other team to win more than nine games was I-AA Furman. The I-AAs strike again!


Hawaii was a good team in 2007, but its schedule cloaked the fact that the Warriors were still a far way off from competing at the BCS level. I’m still not really sure how people (I’ll admit it, I thought they had a change against Georgia) just looked past Hawaii’s schedule. I mean, for God’s sake people, more teams lost 10 games than won ten games. A MAC team could have gone undefeated playing Hawaii’s 2007 schedule.

Check out Schedules, Part 4, which should be out by next week. In that, I’ll go over which premier games I’m looking forward to in the next five seasons. Hope you enjoyed the “bests and worsts” of BCS bowl team schedules. Well, actually I don't really care if you enjoyed it. But thanks for reading anyway.

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"Schedules" update

I'll have Schedules, Part 3 up tonight or tomorrow morning. Promise. It was a rough weekend, and not in a good way. Thanks.

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Pretty soon, the commercials will have to take "Football Timeouts"

I realize this is almost old news at this point, so I won’t present it as breaking by any means. What I want to do is pick apart what exactly each of these rules would mean to college football, whenever they’re approved. Frankly, I hope sooner than later.

“… after a year of consideration, the committee proposed a 40/25 second play clock system to encourage a consistent pace of play. All rules proposals will be sent for membership comment and considered by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel before taking effect.”

What I think: This is a good step for CFB. But it’s being taken for the wrong reason. More on that later. But the idea of a 40-second play clock will help keep the game flowing, and allow NFL fans to easily transition to watching CFB.

“A main charge of the rules committee is to enhance the safety of our student-athletes,” said Michael Clark, chair of the committee and head coach at Bridgewater (Virginia) College. “In recent years, the committee has attempted to address head-down contact and dangerous helmet contact in general. The committee is directing game officials to strictly penalize head-down contact as well as players that target defenseless opponents.”

What I think: MICHAEL ROBINSON. I remember watching, live, M-Rob lowering his shoulder into Minnesota defensive back Brandon Owens, who decided to lower his own body—helmet first—into the tackle. Robinson never even hit the ground, but Owens crumbled like a rag doll. At the time, it was a great hit, but later turned out to be very tragic for Owens; he never played again. I have one question for Clark, just who would have been penalized on that play? Robinson lowered his shoulder into the tackle, Owens lowered his helmet into Robinson, but Owens ended up getting hurt? Would you penalize Owens, who was on a gurney a few minutes later?

“A proposal relating to the chop block rule... Another safety proposal deals with a dangerous tackle – commonly referred to as a “horse collar.” Any player will now be prohibited from grabbing the inside back collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling the runner down.”

What I think: This one’s not really much of an impact. Players will just have to learn how to properly tackle. That’s all.

“Two other major proposals deal with the pace of play. The rules committee passed a 40/25 second play clock system in an effort to standardize the pace of play. Unless the game is stopped for administrative reasons (e.g., change of possession, injury, etc.), the offensive team will have 40 seconds to snap the ball after it is declared dead.”

What I think: Already covered.

“Additionally, the committee made a change in the timing of the game after a play in which a runner goes out of bounds. Except in the last two minutes of each half, the game clock will start on a signal from the referee, rather than on the snap.”

What I think: This one’s huge. For years, everyone’s known that in CFB, you could completely stop the clock by going out of bounds. Not any more folks. But, as I said in the beginning, this is for the wrong reason. Why did it take so long for the NCAA to propose this, and seriously consider adopting it? Is it a coincidence that it comes right after the NCAA tried to cater to the telecoms by providing more commercial time, rather than actually shortening the game? This is about as transparent as Bush trying to protect the telecoms under the guise of national security (oops, sorry, but I couldn’t resist that one). I could be wrong (about the length of football games). I hope this really does shorten them, but if they are only three or five minutes shorter, you’ll know who to blame, and who is really responsible for deleting game time to insert commercial time.

“The committee also made the following proposals:
• In the rules relating to instant replay, plays where a fumble leads to an immediate recovery may be reviewed.
• In replay rules, a coach that challenges a play and is successful will retain the right to challenge one more time for a maximum of two.
• When a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team may accept the ball at the 40-yard line instead of the 35.
• The incidental five-yard face mask foul was removed. All face mask fouls (pulling, twisting or turning) will be a 15-yard penalty.
• A yardage penalty for sideline control was instituted.”

What I think about these: They’re all nice, simple rule changes. The one that sticks out is the face mask change. I hate the incidental. HATE IT. How many times have we sat through games, wondering why one team got the five-yarder, but the other didn’t? Just go by the personal foul variety. It makes it much easier.

But I’m sure all of this is truly for the benefit of CFB, right? Right.

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If you want respect, schedule good teams, Part 2 of 4

2/4.

Everyone argues that strength of schedule should mean everything in college football, until someone calls their team out on scheduling Directional Community College...

As promised, here's the top five toughest schedules BCS bowl teams have played from 2003 through 2007. In case you're already thinking of your team's "really, really tough [insert year here] slate," here's my criteria for selection:

-I-AA schools! If a team played anyone outside I-A, they're automatically out. A team should never be rewarded for playing those games. Frankly, I'd rather the NCAA force teams to take a bye that week instead of paying a couple hundred grand for a win. I realize that Florida International might get beaten nine times out of ten versus Appalachian State, but it doesn't matter. ASU is in I-AA. If they want to be considered on the same level as I-AA, then apply for that level and move up. If you want proof of my convictions, I would have left off Penn State's 2006 schedule in a heart beat if they made the BCS. Why? Youngstown State. If Penn State makes it to the BCS in 2008, they're not making the list either. Why? Coastal Carolina. If you want respect, play teams from your own division.

-Opponent records, looking back. Was a team good at the beginning of the season, only to implode and prove to be a bad team? Look at Ohio State's win versus Washington in 2007. The Huskies were coming off a victory over Boise State, 2-0 and a star quarterback in Jake Locker. Ohio State beat them handily, and everyone was praising the Buckeyes. Washington turned out to be a bad team, at 4-8. And what about Boise State, which lost in week to to Washington? That loss didn't look so bad when Washington was 2-0, but now that's considered a real bad loss.

-Opponent conference affiliations. OK, I know I'm one of the first to argue that the SEC is not the juggernaught its fans want to think it is, but it's still one of the top conferences each season. That being said, if a team like Notre Dame in 2005 convincingly defeats Tennessee, even thought he Vols finished 5-6, it still counts more that beating a 5-6 ACC or Pac-10 team. (By the way, that Vols team beat LSU in Baton Rouge) Beating a mid-level Big Ten or SEC team is much better than beating the Sun Belt or MAC champions.

So here's what I came up with. Debate all you want, but you're not going to be able to convince me your team's schedule was harder in the last five years. THIS IS ALL IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

Just missed the cut. Close, but not tough enough...

West Virginia's 2007 schedule was tougher than most think. Mississippi State proved to be a worthy opponent to at least eight teams, and East Carolina came on strong. Oklahoma, regardless of what happened in the bowl, was still a powerfull team in 2007:

I think Texas' 2005 slate was bolstered mostly due to the night game at Ohio State. If the Longhorns had played one more tough road game, or at least one more top-15 team, this schedule would have made the top five:

Sure, Miami played a lot of really good teams in 2003, but it also played in the Big East and a game against a pathetic ECU team. There were tons of somewhat tough games, but none that particularly stood out:

Ohio State put on a good show in 2006 until getting pantsed in the championship game, but that didn't take away from the strength of their schedule that season. Playing a night game away versus the defending national champ will always gain you brownie points, but too many teams on this schedule turned out to be mediocre:

I know what you're thinking, "How did Notre Dame even get consideration in the first place?" Well, I hate to burst your bubble. The Irish's schedule in 2005 wasn't out of this world, but it definately wasn't as easy as you thought. Just having USC on there brought it out of the depths, and playing a bunch of bowl teams gave it the edge over many others:


Now for The Top Five Toughest Schedules Played by BCS Bowl Teams From 2003-2007...

I bet you looked down before finishing this, noticed Michigan, and though "Yeah, right." Hold on there cap'n. Playing in Autzen Stadium has been the death of many great teams, and matchups against Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State and USC far outweigh the games against Indiana and Illinois. Add Purdue to that, and you have five ranked teams:

Why do you think it was such a big deal when West Virginia beat Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl? This is why. The Bulldogs faced only six bowl teams in the regular season, but three other teams were one win away from bowl eligibility. LSU was probably one of the top two teams in the nation, but no one knew it. I hate to admit it, but getting throught teh SEC is really hard to do:

Scream all you want about Oklahoma's struggles in the Fiesta Bowl lately, but the 2006 schedule was much harder than most thought at the time. Eight bowl teams, and a Washington team one win from eligibility, sets this slate a notch higher than it could be. Plus, losing to Boise State that year wasn't all that bad, even if the Sooners should have won. The two BCS OOC games did it for me:

Here's my top underrated schedule on this list. Ohio State played two bowl-eligible BCS teams OOC, and a ranked, MAC champion Bowling Green squad. Going up against ten bowl eligible teams--five ranked--isn't something you run into every day. I wasn't totally convinced with this schedule, until realizing that the Buckeyes didn't really get a break outside of the Indiana game:

Remember, this is in no particular order. So you SEC fans don't go thinking that I put LSU here because I think they had the hardest schedule since 2003. But if you want to find a great schedule, look at LSU's 2006 docket. I really think that the 2006 Tigers were better than the rankings indicated. I'd like to see your team go through five ranked SEC teams in one year, including the eventual national champ, Florida. Tulane and Fresno St. turned out to be quite cakie, but the rest of the teams more than made up for it:

So that's it. Sorry it took so long to get this up, but hey, I'm not getting paid to do this. I don't know yet when I'll have Schedules, Part 3 up, but I'll keep you updated as to its progress.

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The new, new plan

Ok, so I've already called a timeout and changed the play once, now I'm changing the play again at the line of scrimmage. I'll have Schedule, Part 2 up soon, but not covering the top five worst schedules since 2003. Rather, it'll be the top five hardest from 2003-07.

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A little whore bashing

There's quite a little tussle going on between M Go Blog and the rest of the Big not-Ten, especially BSD. I suggest you read it, preferably with an open, unbiased mind. To me, the Whores trying to defend anything Dick Rod does, is pretty much like Republicans saying they're the victims. It's just so rediculous that it's not even worth fighting about. So, instead of diving into that whole shitstorm, I'm just going to bring up something completely irrelevant to the situation, dug up from the distant past, just to pretend like it makes a difference whether or not it really even happened. You'll see...

As I was researching for Schedule, Part 2 I came across the game story for Washington's visit to the Pig House in 2002. While I realize Penn State fans won't feel better after reading this, at least we can take some comfort in knowing it's not just Penn State that continually gets screwed by refs when playing the Wolverines.

Before Brabbs' game-winning kick, the Wolverines got another big break on fourth-and-2 with 32 seconds left.

Officials ruled that the pass that went in and out of Braylon Edwards' hands and was recovered by teammate Tyrece Butler was a fumble, not an incomplete pass. Replays appeared to show that Edwards never had possession. Even Edwards didn't think he'd caught it, either, because he stood motionless while the ball was on the ground before Butler pounced on it.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr made no apologies for getting a favorable call.

"That game was won five or six times and lost five or six times, "Carr said. "And there's no question, when we look back on this game, the hustle play that Tyrece Butler made to come up with that ball won the game for us. It gave us a chance. Braylon on the other hand, he thought he dropped it. Thank God, Tyrece was hustling."

Right Lloyd, it was Tyrece's hustle that won the game. I sure wasn't the refs completely giving you the completion, when everyone and their mothers knew the pass was incomplete. You keep telling yourself that. Just like Tony Johnson's foot wasn't in bounds by like four inches on third down and long. Right.

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Okay, new plan...

I'll have Part 2 of "Schedule..." up today this week, but slightly different. Rather than go over what I think were the top five worst schedules of all the BCS teams since 2000--I really don't feel like going through all 70+ teams--I'm going to narrow down the criteria to the teams that actually made it to the BCS games, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange since 2003--the last five years. I'm also going to go over the BCS Championship Game participants from 2006 and 2007. That should be real fun (that is, not that anyone reading this blog should be having fun), especially once the SEC folk finally wake up from their moonshine haze. See you all then.

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Not so fast, my friend

So, I got pink eye. Don't ask how. It's really not that bad--a mild case compared to most. So, I'm not in the mood to even sit at the computer this long. Sorry, Part 2 of "Schedule.." will have to wait.

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When in doubt

If you're ever disappointed with Penn State football, frustrated with the losses, the off-field issues, or just anxious for the old man to leave (which I'm not, FYI), just sit back, and watch this video. I remember seeing it for the first time on the stadium's jumbo-tron in 2003. That was before we started losing--badly--all those games until 2005. So at the point this video was released as the official pre-game excitement generator, the fervor from 2002 was still strong. Ah, the images of LJ tearing off 40-yarders like it was backyard football, or Michael Haynes terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, or the still-standing record of 110,753 fans watching Nebraska--No.8 at the time, and still considered a power--having their asses handed to them. 2002 was my first season with Penn State football, and will always hold a special place in my heart. (cue the fake tear down the cheek) Just watch the fucking video.



I might take tomorrow off, unless something really good happens. So remember that on Friday I'll have Part 2 (of 4) of "If you want respect, then schedule good teams."

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The 2008 Penn State recruiting class: Always look on the bright side of life

Look, it’s not that bad. This is hardly a killer class, but what did you expect? There were three—3—classes in Scout.com’s top 25, and three—3—in Rivals.com’s top 25 for 2008, which signed fewer than 20 players. Ohio State, USC and Washington (Rivals.com only) and Pittsburgh (Scout.com only) all signed 19.

In the Scout.com rankings, PSU is an underachieving No. 41, but is that really lower than it should be? Outside of the top 25, No. 35 Tennessee and No. 30 North Carolina both signed 18. No. 43 Stanford is the only other top-50 class—excluding PSU—to sign 18 or fewer to its 2008 class. Just to put that into perspective, PSU signed 14 players. The next highest class, after PSU, to sign fewer than 18 is Texas Tech (15 signed), at No. 59.

And what about Rivals.com’s rankings? Not far off, as they ranked PSU No. 42, tied with Texas Tech. As for teams in the No. 26-50 range signing fewer than 20 players, Rivals.com has No. 29 Pitt, No. 32 Maryland, No. 34 UNC, No. 36 Tennessee, and No. 50 Stanford, which signed the lowest (17 signed) next to PSU and TTU.

I don’t want to hear it, that PSU is now on the same level as Texas Tech. That’s just not true. Had PSU been able to hand out more scholarships in 2008, you bet your ass that the class would have been better. What was PSU supposed to do, put all its efforts into signing four and five-star players and forget about the threes and twos? That’s just not good recruiting. Just to remind people, Jordan Norwood was a one-star, Deon Butler a two-star, Paul Pozluszny a three-star, Tony Hunt a three-star. For some weird reason, PSU is actually good at developing lower-ranked recruits into top-notch players. Too bad they can’t develop those blue-chippers more often.

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Is the whore getting uneasy?

I think Michigan fans are feeling a bit unsure of the "sure lock" Terrelle Pryor was, for either UM or Ohio State, a mere 48 hours ago. Although I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic about this Pryor deal, it's still nice to know PSU is scaring the shit out of OSU and UM fans. (I know, Oregon has been a distant fourth, but c'mon, they're not even close) The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had the story about Pryor's lack of commitment on the most important signing day in sports. To say it plainly, everyone west of Pennsylvania is shitting bricks, whether they admit it or not. Not to say I'm picking on the chief whore, MGoBlog, but when you're the best at what you do, you usually have to take the brunt of things like this. Just to be fair though, the whores aren't the only ones freaking out. Apparently, the Buckeye nation--the whores' pimp for six out of the last seven years--is just as nervous.

I know none of this will matter if PSU doesn't land Pryor. But isn't it still fun to make them squirm?

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Analysis of Penn State 2008 recruiting class

I'll have something up later about how PSU fared this recruiting season. So stay tuned. But for now...

Top get (in terms of unsure commits): D'Anton Lynn

Possible crushing loss: Michael Shaw (I don't even want to talk about you-know-who right now)

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Kirk Herbstr-- I mean Mike Farrell is doing some fine reporting on Pryor

This is getting rediculous. You'd think Terrelle Pryor got his first scholarship offer last week. He's running around, as if he's had no time to decide where to play football. To top it off--not that I have any simpathy for sports journalists--he's dickteasing guys like Mike Farrell of Rivals.com. I'm sorry, but in the modern landscape we have here, if you're going to leak something to a reporter, don't fucking go back on it the next day. (coughcoughLesMilescough)

From Mike Farrell"

Terrelle Pryor just called me a few minutes ago and said he's now not signing tomorrow. He said he's 100-percent sure he's not signing. He said he's going to take an official visit to Penn State for sure, hopefully a weekend visit, and might visit Oregon. He said he is just not sure of his choice as of right now.

He has had numerous discussions with his father who really likes the way Penn State has recruited Terrelle. Penn State has been to Terrelle's father's house numerous times and had done a good job making him feel comfortable that PSU is the right place for his son.

So as of now it's OSU, Michigan, PSU and Oregon for his services with no signing date set. He could change his mind again when he wakes up, so I am simply reporting what he's telling me.

Trust me, he is not doing this for the attention, this kid sounds as torn up about a decision as any I've covered. And he is aware of the reputation that some folks are pinning on him and to that he told me he has to do what is right for him and can't worry about public opinion. He and his family come first and this is an important decision that he's not going to rush for anyone.

Good news for PSU fans here no doubt.

Mike Farrell

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst
This post was edited on 2/5 10:15 PM by Sean Fitz/BWI

Scout.com has it's own "Christ man, we're all really getting sick of this bullshit you're pulling" story about Pryor.

By Bob Lichtenfels
Regional Recruiting Analyst
Posted Feb 6, 2008

Terrelle Pryor has maintained that he was uncertain about his future and whether or not he would sign a letter of intent on Wednesday. Scout.com has continued to report that and we have stuck by that. Here is the latest almost ten hours before his scheduled announcement time.

Scout.com has learned through multiple sources as of midnight Terrelle Pryor will not sign a national letter of intent. Pryor will address the media, but not to announce what school he is attending.
Per our source, Pryor and Jeannette head coach Ray Reitz will answer five questions from ESPN. The questions have been in the possession of Reitz for almost a week.

The pair will answer those five questions on camera and we are uncertain if they will field any other media questions.

The questions will be answered on ESPNU at 12:05 pm as part of their signing day coverage. With Pryor you never know what will happen, he could wake up Wednesday morning and change his mind, but this demonstrates to us that he is clearly undecided and needs more time.

A recent visit by Penn State coaches has put the Nittany Lions right back in the race. Remember, Pryor has visited Penn State more than any other school. We also expect he could take an unofficial to Ohio State so his confidant Charlie Batch can get a feel for the staff and see the facilities. Chip Kelly has been recruiting Pryor for a number of weeks and has Oregon in position to earn a visit.

Pryor also likes the Michigan offense, but talk has sputtered with the Wolverines as of late. We have learned that several family members would like to see him at Ann Arbor. Penn State assistant coach Tom Bradley has been recruiting Pryor since the beginning and the two have a very good relationship.

As we have stated previously, this looked like a done deal that Pryor was going to Ohio State and he still may, but things have gotten a lot more interesting over the past few days.

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Pryor will sign on NSD

BREAKING NEWS:

Ok, so it's not that breaking, as M Go Blog pointed out. But it's still worth putting out there.


From Rivals.com:

Terrelle Pryor, the nation's No. 1 prospect from Jeannette, Pa., was unsure if he'd be signing a Letter of Intent on Signing Day Wednesday. As of late last night, the 6-foot-6, 235-pound quarterback was still undecided despite published reports to the contrary. As of Tuesday morning, he's now decided.

"I just got a text message from Pryor saying he's going to sign tomorrow for sure," said Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Mike Farrell. "He said it's down to Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State and that Oregon is out. He's signing Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. EST on ESPNU."

Pryor said he still hasn't decided which school he'll choose but told Farrell it is pretty much down to two, although he wouldn't say which two. Ohio State has long been considered the leader for Pryor's services with Michigan making a late push following the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. However, Pryor has a great relationship with Penn State assistant coach Tom Bradley and met with head coach Joe Paterno last week.

Oregon had made a very strong push over the last few weeks and Pryor nearly delayed signing so he could take a visit our West to see the Ducks. However, after a couple of days of silence from coaches, he came to the decision to end the process on time as was his original plan.

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If you want respect, schedule good teams, Part 1 of 4

1/4.

Everyone argues that strength of schedule should mean everything in college football, until someone calls their team out on scheduling Directional Community College...

I don’t know the real reason Penn State pulled a U-ie by dropping Arkansas State from the 2008 schedule, replacing ASU with the Oregon State Beavers. But I know one thing; they didn’t do it for the jokes. Could it be that Tim Curley grew a set and went door to door, asking for any BCS school