You guys want to play Ohio State every year for example? No thanks. We could still end up playing them in the B10 championship with no divisions anyway.
Am I the only one who is glad that we have no protected rivalry?
- Thread starter PSUWrestlingFanSince2011
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I don't think anyone is upset about it. Sparty was the forced "rival" but, you know, land grant trophy and all. Nobody cared beyond the normal B1G game. USC or UCLA would have been fun but aren't rivals in any historical way. MD and Rutgers are both unexciting in football. So, yeah, I like the flexibility and diversity we have available to us in scheduling.
I like the no strings attached to fairy tale games of insignificance and grandeur based on hype.
I would rather play Ohio State every year because it's a fun matchup and it would be nice to know they are coming to Happy Valley every other season. Other than that, I would prefer more variety over being tied to any particular team so I don't particular care about annual matchups with Rutgers, Maryland, Michigan St, etc.
But it seems most of the griping from PSU fans isn't about wanting a specific outcome but over a perceived idea of being "treated poorly" since no other school did not have a locked game. But I don't think the admin at PSU cared or even wanted one. Or if they requested one, I bet it was Ohio State only (and the Buckeyes declined to play both UM and PSU every year for competitive reasons); I am extremely doubtful that PSU wanted multiple locked games and just was denied it.
But it seems most of the griping from PSU fans isn't about wanting a specific outcome but over a perceived idea of being "treated poorly" since no other school did not have a locked game. But I don't think the admin at PSU cared or even wanted one. Or if they requested one, I bet it was Ohio State only (and the Buckeyes declined to play both UM and PSU every year for competitive reasons); I am extremely doubtful that PSU wanted multiple locked games and just was denied it.
I'm good with it. F the B2G.
Time for Penn State and USC to start winning and minimize the importance of the current big two darlings.
My initial reaction was,this stinks, but after consideration, I'm good with it. Perhaps like others have stated, it could ease the path to the expanded CFP.
I agree, should allow us to rotate through the schedule with different match ups every year.
I agree. Use this to schedule a SEC, Big 12, or an independent. Just not Pitt.
My biggest grievance is the lack of interesting opponents non-conference in upcoming years. WVU and Syracuse are fine but Auburn was much more interesting. I know VA Tech backed out due to the 2020 schedule, but we need to get some interesting teams scheduled. We can start by cancelling the stupid Temple series and then adding a team for 2025/6 and then adding other name teams for after the Syracuse series.
Who fumbled the ND series?
Huge for NE football.
I have zero interest in LSU/Bama.
Somebody should be fired.
Huge for NE football.
I have zero interest in LSU/Bama.
Somebody should be fired.
I’m glad they aren’t forcing some made for TV rivalry on us. At the same time, I am sorry we don’t have a rivalry game. I don’t care what sport we’re talking about, rivalries are fun.
The MSU ‘rivalry’ was a pathetic attempt to create one. The only true rivalry we would have is O State as it is our neighbor, shared recruiting targets, and our games are always close and hard fought. Rutgers and Maryland aren’t even close to being rivals.
And O state wasn’t going to agree to having both us and Mich as annual rivals when they will also being playing other powers every year.
So I am very glad we didn’t get another forced ’rival’ just to make the B2G and their marketing department happy.
They are afraid of the Beast of the East..that the pussy 10 screwed in 1994 and then screwed again jumping on the BS Paterno knew band wagon...
But the Beast will never die.
But the Beast will never die.
Wow. Never thought I’d see the day where PSU fans openly admit they are afraid of playing a big boy program and is therefore satisfied with PSU becoming a 2nd tier program.
I would love to play O State every year. But they don’t want us and Mich every year along with the other major players in the new B2G
Not trying to be difficult but can you provide a link to an article quoting OSU coach Ryan Day or the OSU Athletic Director admitting what you have stated?
A brief history lesson about Penn State’s Football legacy for those fans wanting a back-door, easy path to the playoffs in 2024.
In 1981, our famed Penn State Nittany Lions took on all big boy programs across the country. JoePa didn’t duck strong teams and seek only the weak 2nd tier teams to play.
The regular season schedule consisted of:
- Nebraska (when Big Red was a dominant program)
- Alabama (6th ranked)
- Miami
- Notre Dame
- Pittsburgh (the number one team in the country during the 1981 season)
If you want to get better, you have to play the best. Only cowardly 2nd tier programs seek to avoid the strong and seek to play only the weak.
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End of divisions and 12-team playoff are both good for PSU. It required something pretty close to perfection to get to a 4 team playoff from the B1G east with Ohio State going almost every year. Franklin has a much greater chance of having a special team, seeing a little bit of luck and running the table now.
I have no longer playing Pitt, as long as they are coming to Penn State twice, for every game we play in Pittsburgh.
Agreed. I see no point in playing Penn State when it’s not a rivalry game and it doesn’t do anything for our program.
That's fine, but if I'm not mistaken, Penn State ended the 1981 regular season with two losses and ranked #7, which probably would not have translated to qualifying for a 4-team playoff.
**note -- loved those 1981 and 1982 teams, just making a point about how a very difficult schedule can cause problems in qualifying for a 4-team playoff.
It did far more for Pitt then us. First, it gave Pitt two nationally televised games, not common for Pitt back then. And nothing helps recruiting like nationally televised games with sellout, fired up crowds.
Second, that was a lot of money for the athletic department. TV revenue, gate money, licensed t shirt/hat sales with other SWAG.
Worse, Pitt refused to sell single tickets to our game so people had to buy season tickets. Which boosted both sales and attendance that season.
And the upset of a team with limited scholarship players gave Pitt cred and momentum. Those two games could have been the catalyst to Pitt returning to respectability.
I would love to play Pitt occasionally if and when they deserve it. Those games are a ton of fun. But until Pitt sells out 80% of their games without us we should not help them again.
The 4 team playoff format changes to a 12 team format for the 2024 season. So, a 2 loss team who plays a demanding schedule is highly likely to make a 12 team playoff based on strength of schedule.
Yeah, I know that.
The question for now is whether the 2023 team can put together a 1-loss or undefeated season which will get them into the (last for now) 4-team playoff. The 2023 schedule is probably not as strong as that 1981 schedule, but it's a big challenge to gain the playoff invite.
Respectfully, I don’t think Pitt needs to “deserve” any series with Penn State. After all, we have more wins the previous three seasons (26) than PSU (22).
Now unfortunately, I think the time of the game serving a purpose has passed. We have four open dates on our schedule; two of those are reserved for our rivals (WVU and Notre Dame*), a cupcake, and one other big non-conference game like Tennessee. Playing Penn State doesn’t do as much for our recruiting as, say, an SEC school does, and it’d put us at a disadvantage to play 11-12 P5 programs in a single season.
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When you're not in a conference, you can schedule splashy names each year.
Notre Dame had a schedule a few years back...USC, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, BYU...they really scheduled the big boys, didn't they? Impresses you, doesn't it?
Well, USC was 7-6, Michigan 8-5, Miami 7-5, Michigan State 7-6, BYU 8-5...and then they went to the national championship game and got disgraced.
Being in a conference, you play mostly the same strong programs every year. Not splashy...but still difficult. And difficult is what the name of the game is these days.
Ask Washington in 2016 whether they wished they'd have scheduled a decent OOC foe or an FCS team. They did the latter, had one less blemish on their record and made it to the playoff as a 12-1 conference champ over PSU as an 11-2 conference champ.
That's a bit disingenuous. You don't play WVU, ND, and a "big game" like Tennessee every year. You play two cupcakes. Two P5 non-con. For a grand total of 10 P5 opponents...just like PSU. And that's exactly what you should do to be nationally respected.
I would like Pitt on the schedule twice every eight years. It's a fun part of our history. But we're in a conference now and those yearly opponents (or even opponents we play every 3 or 4 years) are reserved for our conference mates.
Four in a row was too much. But not having you guys on the schedule for the foreseeable future is sad to me.
We have been talking about strength of schedule which has been a contributing factor in determining National Champions for more than 100+ years in College Football regardless of conference or independence status.
Again, check the historical records. Penn State’s most successful years in college football were during periods where they played and defeated many powerhouse programs.
1982 Championship Year
Big Boy programs played: Nebraska, Alabama, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Georgia (bowl game)
1985 PSU finished 3rd in the country
Big Boy programs played: Alabama, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma (bowl game)
1986 Championship Year
Big Boy programs played: Alabama, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Miami (bowl game)
I agree; we should only have ten P5 opponents on our schedule which is why I just have a hard time finding a place for Penn State. You all likely feel the same way. We can’t do 11 P5 opponents every year like we are this season.
We already have at least one P5 opponent scheduled for the next 13 years and I’d love to see more SEC teams on the schedule in the years that West Virginia *and* Notre Dame aren’t on. With where we’re recruiting at the moment, I think having as many southern teams on schedule as possible is beneficial for us, whether that’s SEC or Big 12.
True but we also played Syracuse, Boston College, West Virginia, and Temple back then instead of Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
Every program avoids the strong to play the weak, since record is what gets you into the playoffs. And back in 81, we didn’t have to play two of the top programs in the country every year along with Michigan State and at least one of the other stronger programs from the other division. Then a conference championship game. You’re comparing apples and oranges.
I don’t really care about having a rival, but I’m not quite sure how Iowa can have three when their real rival isn’t even in the conference.
The days of teams trying to BYU their way to a title are not possible anymore. Loading up a schedule with weaklings and inferior programs will hurt a team’s chances of making the play-offs.
I disagree that “every program” is loading up on the little sisters of the poor opponents.
Penn State‘s schedule in the early to mid 1980s was 2x more difficult than any B1G schedule they have now. Think about it, at max Penn State plays only 2 teams with a pulse during the regular season. Ohio State and Michigan.
None of the other B1G teams recruit on the level of Penn State and they definitely don’t have the same resources and support (except for Nebraska which has underperformed).
2 teams with a pulse?
That's an exaggeration -- Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin all have had some good seasons in recent years; Pitt has been a difficult opponent in some years, and Auburn was down last year, but they're certainly a traditional football school.
Blair, below is your final 4 non-con opponents and PSU. Wow, what a huge difference in strength of non-con schedule for the playoff teams. The days of PSU playing bad Eastern teams are over. They had to schedule Alabama, Nebraska, ND and such to have any relevance.
Georgia (Oregon, Sanford, Kent St)
Ohio St (ND, Arkansas St, Toledo)
TCU (Colorado, Tarleton, SMU)
Michigan (Colorado St, Hawaii, UConn)
PSU (Auburn, Ohio, Central Mich)
Georgia (Oregon, Sanford, Kent St)
Ohio St (ND, Arkansas St, Toledo)
TCU (Colorado, Tarleton, SMU)
Michigan (Colorado St, Hawaii, UConn)
PSU (Auburn, Ohio, Central Mich)
Um, those bad Eastern teams as you called them have been replaced by bad B1G teams. Using your base year 2022, Penn State played those powerhouse B1G programs named Rutgers, Indiana, Maryland, and Northwestern.
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