For the ages... PSU v Texas '69 or kNU 1994?

[N&B4PSU]

Talk about trying to pick one... maybe because I was younger then, but I put my vote on psu - texas. Maybe because Nixon was an ass. maybe because if i have to hear one more time about the "BIG" bad longhorns i might hurl... i loved that 94 team, but a win over texas in 1969 might have changed the course of cfb history.

For the record, WE were physically bigger than texas. End of story. When you go back over the rosters, it is striking how much bigger we were. Then you look at the talent. Simply speaking, texas had no one like harris or mitchell or reid. Zero. As good as worster was, he wasn't even an nfl talent.

Everyone saw in 1971 how easily we figured out the wishbone and destroyed what was supposed to be a pretty good texas team in the second half (6-3 tx turned into 30-6 psu). No, they weren't the same teams, but the same principles applied. The coaches adapted and totally shut them down. In '69, Texas likely scores an early FG or TD... then, lights out.

anyway, that's my take. I can make countless arguments for why we should have played kNU in 1994... but for me (and age really is a factor, I think), I pick 1969.

Now it's your turn.

 

[No Name all Game]

I would pick the Texas game to prove Eastern football was for real. Besides everyone knew the 94 team was the best that year but the fix was in to give Osborne a championship

 

[Nitt1300]

Texas, easily. If game had been played and we'd won, it would have given instant credibility to what Joe was doing. Win that, and he probably wins three or four more Nattys than he did.

 

[psuro]

We lived in the heart of Lion Country in 1969 - first Danville, then Lancaster. Although I was 4 years old, I remember the disappointment that parents of my friends had when Nixon anointed the winner of the Texas-Arkansas game as the National Champion.

 

[DJ_MackDaddy]

Talk about trying to pick one... maybe because I was younger then, but I put my vote on psu - texas. Maybe because Nixon was an ass. maybe because if i have to hear one more time about the "BIG" bad longhorns i might hurl... i loved that 94 team, but a win over texas in 1969 might have changed the course of cfb history.

For the record, WE were physically bigger than texas. End of story. When you go back over the rosters, it is striking how much bigger we were. Then you look at the talent. Simply speaking, texas had no one like harris or mitchell or reid. Zero. As good as worster was, he wasn't even an nfl talent.

Everyone saw in 1971 how easily we figured out the wishbone and destroyed what was supposed to be a pretty good texas team in the second half (6-3 tx turned into 30-6 psu). No, they weren't the same teams, but the same principles applied. The coaches adapted and totally shut them down. In '69, Texas likely scores an early FG or TD... then, lights out.

anyway, that's my take. I can make countless arguments for why we should have played kNU in 1994... but for me (and age really is a factor, I think), I pick 1969.

Now it's your turn.

Penn State was better than Bama in 1979, too. Who won that game?

 

[john4psu]

Agreed on the sentiments above and no one mentioned that as talented as Lydell and Franco were the '69 team had All-American tailback Charlie Pittman and an All-American def back in Neil Smith 9 ints, and a two-time All-American linebacker in Dennis Onkotz and Jack Ham as well. The '71 team shut down Texas' wishbone in a virtual home game for the Longhorns and kept them without a touchdown for the first time in ages! As good as the '71 team was it's not even mentioned or compared to the '68/'69 teams.




http://media.attcottonbowl.com/resource/history/1972/rsrc/1972-Classic-Recap.pdf

 

[phillybillyreprise]

11 and 0, Twice in a row!

 

[PSUMATT85]

Talk about trying to pick one... maybe because I was younger then, but I put my vote on psu - texas. Maybe because Nixon was an ass. maybe because if i have to hear one more time about the "BIG" bad longhorns i might hurl... i loved that 94 team, but a win over texas in 1969 might have changed the course of cfb history.

For the record, WE were physically bigger than texas. End of story. When you go back over the rosters, it is striking how much bigger we were. Then you look at the talent. Simply speaking, texas had no one like harris or mitchell or reid. Zero. As good as worster was, he wasn't even an nfl talent.

Everyone saw in 1971 how easily we figured out the wishbone and destroyed





what was supposed to be a pretty good texas team in the second half (6-3 tx turned into 30-6 psu). No, they weren't the same teams, but the same principles applied. The coaches adapted and totally shut them down. In '69, Texas likely scores an early FG or TD... then, lights out.

anyway, that's my take. I can make countless arguments for why we should have played kNU in 1994... but for me (and age really is a factor, I think), I pick 1969.

Now it's your turn.

Penn State -Ohio State - 1968

 

[Mister Magoo]

I know this won't be popular. But, didn't we turn down the chance to play UT in 69? That kind of diminishes our outrage doesn't it? Not saying we weren't better. Just kind of limits my outrage.

The 94 snub was a sham caused by our move to the Tiny Ten We were clearly the better team. It's a shame the writers and coaches were too stupid to see it.

 

[Nitt1300]

I know this won't be popular. But, didn't we turn down the chance to play UT in 69? That kind of diminishes our outrage doesn't it? Not saying we weren't better. Just kind of limits my outrage.

The 94 snub was a sham caused by our move to the Tiny Ten We were clearly the better team. It's a shame the writers and coaches were too stupid to see it.

The team chose the Orange Bowl before tOSU lost to Michigan that year, thinking they had no path to get to #1 (everyone expected tOSU to roll Mich). When tOSU lost it was too late- they had already committed to the Orange. It was a huge mistake, obviously.

 

[N&B4PSU]

Others probably recalls this mess better than most, but I think there were some issues in play re the cotton bowl.. which, if you aren't playing for the mnc, is not a pretty holiday place to play (vs, say, miami

osu was pretty much a lock to be #1 (many considered them the best CF team ever -- to that point in time)... so do you play Texas/Ark winner in 48 degree weather (game time temperature) or celebrate your season in warm miami with girls in bikinis? [side note, the december weather in 1969 leading up to nyd was well above average at 84 degrees versus the mean of 76... so those of us dealing with "hot" south florida in 2016 should feel better.. lol]

i guess it can be argued that we should have taken up the quest to be #2, but mizzou was hardly a slouch and likely handles either texas or ark... not that anyone really cared. obviously, with benefit of hindsight (ahem), the cotton bowl would have been the "right" choice.

here is an interesting read, with specific mention of mike reid. those who did not see him play missed something special. [forgot to mention jack ham last night... we had mitchell, harris, reid, ham.. who the hell did texas have? i count bertelson... anybody else?]

http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2016/07/penn_state_football_1970_orang.html

 

[N&B4PSU]

i wish there was some way in the poll to assign age to the vote.. i'd wager those of us pulling for the texas game are the older set. lol