Are you comparing apples to apples? Didn't they play less games back then?
But we also play better competition nowadays for the most part, so it kind of evens out.
Playing in the Big 10 is tougher than being independent when you look at week to week. We might not have the big OOC games but with a tough conference schedule, we don't need them.
column complaining about PSU's schedule, saying that always playing Temple and BC and the other Eastern Independents was a bad idea. This is when we were playing ND, Bama, and other intersectional games each season (Horvath is a genius, dontcha know). He suggested we schedule some of the mid-to-bottom Big Ten teams, like Indiana, Purdue, etc, for the simple reason that since they were in a conference, they had legitimacy. His brilliance somehow overlooked that all conferences at that time had one or two great teams and one or two good teams, and a mess of mediocre-to-bad teams. The 'Big Two / Little Eight' designation was created for a legit reason. The Eastern Indies were no different. In any given year, PSU and at least one other team were dominant, then there were a couple of pretty good teams, and then some real horror shows. Same with the SWC, the Pac 10, etc. of that time. Hick actually wrote that, guessing that others would be as intuitive as he is and not see the obvious similarities between swapping out 80s Temple for 80s Indiana, etc. (Wow! PSU beat Indiana 47-3. Impressive.... they're a Big Ten team, ya know). Agree.
The better competition era-vs-era argument is a tough one to make and rationalize. The B1G is a tough conference, but we have our Rutgreses and Illinoises and the like each season, too. The SEC has a bottom tier, as does every conference. Over the long run, the level of relative competition stays fairly consistent. The limit of 85 scholarships has helped created the tilt toward a more level playing field, as have the rules changes favoring the passing game, but there are always great, good, and bad teams in each conference.
In the late 80s, our buddy Hick Norvath wrote a magically brilliant
Play the schedule that is in front of you, which hopefully is the result of a carefully planned OOC scheduling approach that gives the best chance for maxing out the expectations for the team and program as a whole.
So.... please dump Idaho in '19 and get us a tough, winnable game against a good program to open the season, even at a neutral site. Let's play North Carolina in Charlotte, or play TCU in Atlanta, or some such.
I was responding to a post listing 71-73 as our highest three year total....were we independent then? Might want to reevaluate your statement.
You did not have the parity then that you do now with the scholarship limitations, TV appearances, bowl game appearances, etc. There was a big gap between the haves and have nots, so most teams outside of the top 10 or so would rarely beat one of the big dogs. Nowadays you have a team like UCF who could give anyone a game. Winning games is harder today than back in the good ole days.
Was the "moron" comment necessary? Yes, you addressed his point in your post and he obviously missed it. It happens. I don't see the need for the invective.
