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Nittany Nation, it is time

ShoreLion85

Well-Known Member
Oct 17, 2016
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Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
 
Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
Things can change, look at Tenn.
 
Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
Well......I guess that is it then. I am packing up my PSU gear as I type. Was a nice ride. But it’s all over. We will never be relevant again. It was been written.......
 
Well......I guess that is it then. I am packing up my PSU gear as I type. Was a nice ride. But it’s all over. We will never be relevant again. It was been written.......
No, but we must face reality, and the 2nd tier status of the PSU football program is now reality. I wish it were otherwise. It isn’t. What you and anyone else decides to do because of that reality is of course your business. I would never be so presumptuous as to tell any alum/fan what they should do with regards to the current 2nd tier status of the football program. As for my reaction to this discomfiting reality, I am watching every minute of every game in spite of it, and hoping for better days.
 
Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
You forgot about the incessant blaring hip-hop music being blasted all the time. If you feel you need this to ramp up the crowd, you have no on-field product.
 
No, but we must face reality, and the 2nd tier status of the PSU football program is now reality. I wish it were otherwise. It isn’t. What you and anyone else decides to do because of that reality is of course your business. I would never be so presumptuous as to tell any alum/fan what they should do with regards to the current 2nd tier status of the football program. As for my reaction to this discomfiting reality, I am watching every minute of every game in spite of it, and hoping for better days.
I guess I am not quite so jaded. There are a lot of promising players on the field during that game. And for three quarters they took it to OSU. However, they should have been prepared for the quick count that led to the TD. In fact we should have been using a quick count. I also think that should have been using a blocking back to lead our RB's into the line or around the end on sweeps. We all think Urban is the answer. Remember we did beat Urban. I also still do not understand the loss of Larry Johnson to OSU.
 
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As I see it, we have a great chance of finishing 10-2 and going to a good NY6 bowl. That's a lot better than most on this board saw at the beginning of the year.
 
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No, but we must face reality, and the 2nd tier status of the PSU football program is now reality. I wish it were otherwise. It isn’t. What you and anyone else decides to do because of that reality is of course your business. I would never be so presumptuous as to tell any alum/fan what they should do with regards to the current 2nd tier status of the football program. As for my reaction to this discomfiting reality, I am watching every minute of every game in spite of it, and hoping for better days.
I think that is about right. I sometimes watch and always hope for a win. But I don’t expect a win against ranked competition. I also tend to do other more important things on football Saturdays now that I’m nearing the age of 60.
 
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As I see it, we have a great chance of finishing 10-2 and going to a good NY6 bowl. That's a lot better than most on this board saw at the beginning of the year.
and as reality sees it, we lost the only 2 games that matter, one in embarrassing fashion, and once again will not compete for the conference title. The very definition of a tier 2 program. 10-2 is a pipe dream anyway - Coach Mirage has lost the locker room again, and a 3rd loss is almost a foregone conclusion. 10-2 is only meaningful in that it’s better than 9-3. It is as hollow as Coach Mirage’s PSU overall record. The real record is 4-14, 1 for 9.
 
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Where you been? The program is just about where it's been since about 1997. If you're tired of that, fine. But your state of the program speech is either delusional or disingenuous.

it’s both.

we haven’t won back to back contests against osu since beating them in 1978 and again in 1980.

we’ve won the big ten 4 times in 30 seasons.

this idea that not competing for the big ten championship year in and year out is a recent development isn’t grounded in reality. The only program that can say they have over the last two decades sits in Columbus.
 
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Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
Reality is we are going to finish 10 - 2 and go to a NY6 bowl in a rebuilding year. If we play an ACC cupcake in the bowl like many experts think, then we will finish 11 - 2 and be set for an even better year next year.

We are certainly a top 15 program. Maybe top 10. After the Sandusky debacle, we could have tanked and become a putrid program like pitt's. We have a lot to be proud of.
 
Reality is we are going to finish 10 - 2 and go to a NY6 bowl in a rebuilding year. If we play an ACC cupcake in the bowl like many experts think, then we will finish 11 - 2 and be set for an even better year next year.

We are certainly a top 15 program. Maybe top 10. After the Sandusky debacle, we could have tanked and become a putrid program like pitt's. We have a lot to be proud of.
Unlikely and unremarkable at this stage.
 
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Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
It took you that long to figure this out?
 
Reality is we are going to finish 10 - 2 and go to a NY6 bowl in a rebuilding year. If we play an ACC cupcake in the bowl like many experts think, then we will finish 11 - 2 and be set for an even better year next year.

We are certainly a top 15 program. Maybe top 10. After the Sandusky debacle, we could have tanked and become a putrid program like pitt's. We have a lot to be proud of.
Stop saying "rebuilding year"--this is NOT a rebuilding year. Those don't exist in college football.
 
Things can and will change, but not anytime soon because Franklin is apparently incapable. We could get to the playoffs as early as next year perhaps if we had the coaching. We do not but the coaching is out there. Bill O'Brien is the best pro-style offensive mind at the college level. The pieces are there on offense, we just need a coach to assemble them and put them in position to win. Defensively, things are a bit tougher given the lack of talent in the front seven but even then, there are pieces for the right coordinator to work with. It can be done, sadly, Franklin has shown he can't do it.
 
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BOB was here 10 yrs ago and seemed like possibly he was the answer

but he turned out to be a bit of a jerk and now he is a coordinator

it's 10 years later and he is 10 years older

i think we need to find someone who is in their 40s right now and will be the next great coach on the level of Saban or Swinney
BOB got more out of less than any other PSU coach.
 
No, but we must face reality, and the 2nd tier status of the PSU football program is now reality. I wish it were otherwise. It isn’t. What you and anyone else decides to do because of that reality is of course your business. I would never be so presumptuous as to tell any alum/fan what they should do with regards to the current 2nd tier status of the football program. As for my reaction to this discomfiting reality, I am watching every minute of every game in spite of it, and hoping for better days.
Things change. O$U is at a high mark but Day will not be there forever and they will get their come uppance. Also it is likely we finish 10-2. This type of season gets us into the expanded playoff. No matter how hard you huff and puff about the only thing that matters in the universe is beating scUM and O$U we can make the playoff with seasons like this, assuming a likely 10-2 finish. Then we get another shot at these elites and anything can happen. Nevertheless, as frustrating as not beating them is you cannot can a coach going 10-2. Get a grip on that and stop being a drama queen that the program is in shambles, you undermine your PSU football IQ which I surmise to be fairly high.
 
Things change. O$U is at a high mark but Day will not be there forever and they will get their come uppance. Also it is likely we finish 10-2. This type of season gets us into the expanded playoff. No matter how hard you huff and puff about the only thing that matters in the universe is beating scUM and O$U we can make the playoff with seasons like this, assuming a likely 10-2 finish. Then we get another shot at these elites and anything can happen. Nevertheless, as frustrating as not beating them is you cannot can a coach going 10-2. Get a grip on that and stop being a drama queen that the program is in shambles, you undermine your PSU football IQ which I surmise to be fairly high.
Dude. This season is not over. We could lose to any of tbe teaming games 4 teams…without blinking.
 
and as reality sees it, we lost the only 2 games that matter, one in embarrassing fashion, and once again will not compete for the conference title. The very definition of a tier 2 program. 10-2 is a pipe dream anyway - Coach Mirage has lost the locker room again, and a 3rd loss is almost a foregone conclusion. 10-2 is only meaningful in that it’s better than 9-3. It is as hollow as Coach Mirage’s PSU overall record. The real record is 4-14, 1 for 9.
Of course, have (or if) we lost another game, that would also suddenly go into the "game that mattered" category...
 
Penn State is a good football team. But for me it’ll never be as good as I want it to be.
 
As I see it, we have a great chance of finishing 10-2 and going to a good NY6 bowl. That's a lot better than most on this board saw at the beginning of the year.

I agree that this is indeed ahead of the record I projected. But, the way we lost to the two top teams in our division leaves a hollow feeling.

Sitting up in NAU yesterday I watched us street fight our way to stay in the game despite numerous miscues by players and coaches along with some missed opportunities. Very much like Michigan but with better overall play.

From our vantage point you could easily see the OSU offensive schemes. On most passing plays they had two options, and many of our "stops" were missed throws by Stoudt. I think he is the next in line of their "system" QBs who rarely get hit, have open passing lanes and are very adroit at finding the easiest play to make in order to move forward.

IMO he will not be a great pro for the same reasons Braxton Miller, Terrelle Pryor and apparently Justin Fields did: they have all the time in the world to make their reads and rarely get their uniforms dirty or punched in the mouth. He doesn't have to run like the others, and has better touch, but McCord likely could've subbed in and made the same plays. That said: Stoudt doesn't make big mistakes. That's part of their success.

I appreciate everything that Sean Clifford has done for us and how he represents our school values. But I felt walking down the ramps yesterday and feel really strongly that he should have thrown his last pass for us. Maybe let him throw one TD to his brother early in a game,..but otherwise we will not improve for the future and this 10-2 will be like kissing your sister.

Time for Allar and Veilleaux to get the snaps. I'd trade two wins this year and a NY6 bowl in order for those guys to grow. I'd also be more excited sitting in the stands. Leaving the stadium yesterday felt awful, but was predictable, and more of the same old, same old.

James needs to develop his young talent to keep our interest and, possibly, his job.
 
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Unpleasant as it is to face, face it we must: due to a confluence of events (Paterno getting too old, horrendous assistant coaching hires like his son wrecking our Ohio recruiting, the Sandusky scandal, the hiring of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson at OSU, scholarship reductions, etc.), our beloved Penn State football program is now no longer a “blue blood”. This is reality.

We are a 2nd tier program. Sorry (very sorry), but that’s the facts. We are good, nothing more. The program, and I mean in its entirey as currently constructed, managed, and operated, will never contend for anything meaningful, such as the playoffs, the national championship, or even a conference championship. It is now a program somewhat akin to a Wisconsin, or a Maryland - capable of 8 to 9 wins, and a second level, meaningless bowl. Again, this is reality, and it is time to face it.

What is more predictable than yesterday’s result against an actual elite program? That our 6th YEAR QB would trip over his crank and have 4 turnovers? That our Head Coach would make baffling 4th down decisions? That our assistant coaches, in their “depth mania” would have 2nd and 3rd string players on defense in a very pivotal moment of the game? And finally, that PSU would lose?

It is not just the Head Coach, or the QB, or the OL - it is EVERYTHING! The PROGRAM has deteriorated over the last 10-11 years to this point. We are what we are- completely incapable of pulling off an upset, and often bad enough to be upset. Having said that, Coach Franklin has proven himself over and over of being a mirage: he is now 4-14 vs UM and OSU. His QB is 0-4 vs OSU, and could quite possibly be the worst choker in big games PSU has had in my lifetime. No one with a functioning brain had or has any confidence in him in important games - and that includes the players. He makes Anthony Morelli look good in comparison.

That’s our program, gentlemen. How do you like it?
Did you sleep through the late 90s and 2000’s? It been that way for almost three decades. The last 10-11 year that a joke.
 
Things can and will change, but not anytime soon because Franklin is apparently incapable. We could get to the playoffs as early as next year perhaps if we had the coaching. We do not but the coaching is out there. Bill O'Brien is the best pro-style offensive mind at the college level. The pieces are there on offense, we just need a coach to assemble them and put them in position to win. Defensively, things are a bit tougher given the lack of talent in the front seven but even then, there are pieces for the right coordinator to work with. It can be done, sadly, Franklin has shown he can't do it.
If O’Brien is so elite why has Alabama’s offense struggled at times with more talent then anyone. With such an elite mind how could Alabama lose three games with him?
 
Reality is we are going to finish 10 - 2 and go to a NY6 bowl in a rebuilding year. If we play an ACC cupcake in the bowl like many experts think, then we will finish 11 - 2 and be set for an even better year next year.

We are certainly a top 15 program. Maybe top 10. After the Sandusky debacle, we could have tanked and become a putrid program like pitt's. We have a lot to be proud of.
I respect your input, but we are not a top 10 team.
 
it’s both.

we haven’t won back to back contests against osu since beating them in 1978 and again in 1980.

we’ve won the big ten 4 times in 30 seasons.

this idea that not competing for the big ten championship year in and year out is a recent development isn’t grounded in reality. The only program that can say they have over the last two decades sits in Columbus.
Wait. So you extend a good (not great ) coach 10 years and say 9-3 / 10-2 is the expectation? Even wisky fired their coach with the same expectation.
 
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Things change. O$U is at a high mark but Day will not be there forever and they will get their come uppance. Also it is likely we finish 10-2. This type of season gets us into the expanded playoff. No matter how hard you huff and puff about the only thing that matters in the universe is beating scUM and O$U we can make the playoff with seasons like this, assuming a likely 10-2 finish. Then we get another shot at these elites and anything can happen. Nevertheless, as frustrating as not beating them is you cannot can a coach going 10-2. Get a grip on that and stop being a drama queen that the program is in shambles, you undermine your PSU football IQ which I surmise to be fairly high.
The problem is that OSU has only had 2 losing seasons since the mid 1960s. One in 1989 and the other in 2011 under interim Luke Fickell.
 
Stop saying "rebuilding year"--this is NOT a rebuilding year. Those don't exist in college football.
Amen...CFB is not what it was 3 years ago. You can catch lightning in a bottle for a season like Tennessee but with the current set up we aren't competing for a national title on a yearly basis anytime soon. Unfortunately I think the new reality of CFB has past us by.
 
Amen...CFB is not what it was 3 years ago. You can catch lightning in a bottle for a season like Tennessee but with the current set up we aren't competing for a national title on a yearly basis anytime soon. Unfortunately I think the new reality of CFB has past us by.
They didn't catch lightning in a bottle.
They went out and got difference makers in the portal, not ivy league linemen or undersized injury prone edge rushers.
 
Wait. So you extend a good (not great ) coach 10 years and say 9-3 / 10-2 is the expectation? Even wisky fired their coach with the same expectation.
And they’ll prob live to regret it for 1-2 decades like every other school that has fired a coach over winning “only” 9-10 games a year.
 
Where do you put PSU then?
Technically right now we're not a top 10 team. That's hope they prove you (and me) right by winning out and finish in the top 10 but right now we're 16th with our best win being....Ohio? Purdue?
 
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