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There are 2 ways to look at this season - both valid

ShoreLion85

Well-Known Member
Oct 17, 2016
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1. PSU has won 10 games, and considering the past two seasons, that is a big improvement, especially since most of the punditry and fans had predicted 8-4 (including myself - I’ll own it, I saw 8 wins as the ceiling for the Franklin/Clifford combo);

2. No season is a “success” where PSU gets trucked vs UM, and loses at home to OSU.

I think either viewpoint is perfectly reasonable, subscribe to viewpoint 2, but take no real issue with those that hold viewpoint 1.

in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it would be nice if we could disagree without being disagreeable. I’m noticing several instances of name-calling, and even profanity directed at various posters. Let’s all agree that we all love PSU, and to elevate the discourse. I’m going to take my own suggestion, too - if I’ve gotten out of line with anyone before, you have my apologies.

Back to football - I’m hoping for the Cotton Bowl for one reason: we will have several opt-outs, and G5 opponent will be more beatable than an SEC or PAC 12 opponent. Surely there will be other opinions on that!

Regardless - I hope all had a blessed Thanksgiving.

R,

ShoreLion85
PSU Class of 1985 (and proud of it!)
 
The is a third way to look at this season. Simply put: a preseason ranked outside the top 25 teams in the country ends the season in the top ten while preparing a host of talented freshman and redshirt freshman with incredible talent for upcoming seasons than any I have seen.


The only loss that troubles me is the loss to OSU because that loss came at the hands of one player having a bad day and really a bad qtr.

10, 11, 13, 15, 31, 3, 5 so many similar numbers to get excited about on this team... It has been a good year with better years to come.
 
It’s been a great year considering… 2020 was a wash as no two CFB teams were on equal playing fields due to CoVid and how their state and school handled it. Pa and PSU handled it bad and results showed it. Heck did they even practice as a team? Throw it out.

Last years team was talented enough to win 10+ games until Clifford got hurt in game 6.

This years team deserves a NY6 bowl which is a just reward. I want the Rose and we have to hope for TCU or USC to lose their conference championship fo O$U to slip in.
 
1. PSU has won 10 games, and considering the past two seasons, that is a big improvement, especially since most of the punditry and fans had predicted 8-4 (including myself - I’ll own it, I saw 8 wins as the ceiling for the Franklin/Clifford combo);

2. No season is a “success” where PSU gets trucked vs UM, and loses at home to OSU.

I think either viewpoint is perfectly reasonable, subscribe to viewpoint 2, but take no real issue with those that hold viewpoint 1.

in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it would be nice if we could disagree without being disagreeable. I’m noticing several instances of name-calling, and even profanity directed at various posters. Let’s all agree that we all love PSU, and to elevate the discourse. I’m going to take my own suggestion, too - if I’ve gotten out of line with anyone before, you have my apologies.

Back to football - I’m hoping for the Cotton Bowl for one reason: we will have several opt-outs, and G5 opponent will be more beatable than an SEC or PAC 12 opponent. Surely there will be other opinions on that!

Regardless - I hope all had a blessed Thanksgiving.

R,

ShoreLion85
PSU Class of 1985 (and proud of it!)

Well said on all counts.

I'm in Group One myself but don't take personal offense at those who hold a differing opinion.

I happen to agree with you on the Cotton and would be perfectly happy with that bid. One thing for sure: there is not much upside to playing a 4-loss SEC team in the Citrus.
 
If it were any other team that did it, many on here would be pointing to that team’s coach as the type of coach we should have and would be saying that person is a better coach than Franklin. Some on here are way tougher on Franklin and this team than they are on other coaches and teams….to the point of hypocrisy. That’s one thing that drives me crazy. The other is blaming the coaches for every single loss, but if we win, it’s because the other team sucks. Which is why these posters will never be happy with any coach we have.
 
We’re the only team that will have played two of the top 5 from the final cfp ranking. Sucks we could t get over the hump but no one thought this was a top 5 team. 11-1 would have been better but considering the last 2 years 10-2 is successful. A lot of the same people bitching about the 2 losses had the team pegged for 7 or 8 wins at best.

As far as the cotton bowl, playing Tulane would be a downer in my mind. My wife’s an alum and we were down there for a game a few weeks ago. They’d already started printing shirts commemorating the “2022 bowl season” since they’d just hit 6 wins. Meh.
 
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Which perspective you take has more to say about one’s personality than the actual state of the team or quality of the coaches.

Are you grateful for your blessings in life? Do you appreciate the small successes on the way to your larger goals?

OR

Are you typically pessimistic? Do you complain frequently, often finding fault while neglecting to consider the positives in any situation? Are you an all-or-nothing, perfectionistic thinker?
 
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Which perspective you take has more to say about one’s personality than the actual state of the team or quality of the coaches:

Are you grateful for your blessings in life? Do you appreciate the small successes on your way to your larger goals?

OR

Are you typically pessimistic? Do you complain frequently, often finding fault while neglecting to consider the positives in any situation? Are you an all-nothing, perfectionistic thinker?
I don't think that's true
I think a lot of people have different standards for sports than other aspects of life
 
That is different. They are spoiled as they have had the greatest dynasty run in the history of college football.
But, it's still 10-2 right? They just have higher expectations and that's where we need to get to. We need to expect division and conference titles to the point where 10-2 with double digit losses at Michigan and at home against Ohio State aren't acceptable. I'm already there--hopefully others get there soon because I hope it doesn't turn into 9-3 with losses to Michigan Ohio State and USC should make us happy. JMO
 
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By all measures it’s been a very good year. Far exceeded expectations of everyone. And if things fall right we could end up in the top five.

What bothers me most about the ones that say this year is not great is the way they look down on anybody that thinks differently. So sad that this attitude carries over to just about every issue. Shame we have lost respect for others point of view.
 
By all measures it’s been a very good year. Far exceeded expectations of everyone. And if things fall right we could end up in the top five.

What bothers me most about the ones that say this year is not great is the way they look down on anybody that thinks differently. So sad that this attitude carries over to just about every issue. Shame we have lost respect for others point of view.
Don't worry. You have an entire generation coming up that can not carry a two minute conversation.
 
By all measures it’s been a very good year. Far exceeded expectations of everyone. And if things fall right we could end up in the top five.

What bothers me most about the ones that say this year is not great is the way they look down on anybody that thinks differently. So sad that this attitude carries over to just about every issue. Shame we have lost respect for others point of view.
Isn't it the other side that's truly the problem. We get into "you're not a real fan" nonsense simply because people have higher expectations.

And I strongly disagree we "far exceeded expectations"...we met them
 
Isn't it the other side that's truly the problem. We get into "you're not a real fan" nonsense simply because people have higher expectations.

And I strongly disagree we "far exceeded expectations"...we met them
I don't think most of you were expecting 10-2. I saw many saying 7 or 8 wins.
 
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I don't think most of you were expecting 10-2. I saw many saying 7 or 8 wins.
But why were they saying 7 or 8 wins? That's what I don't understand. We were favored in every game but 2. We did a great job beating the teams we were supposed to beat and only lost to elite/great teams. It's a very solid/good season that we can build on.
 
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1. PSU has won 10 games, and considering the past two seasons, that is a big improvement, especially since most of the punditry and fans had predicted 8-4 (including myself - I’ll own it, I saw 8 wins as the ceiling for the Franklin/Clifford combo);

2. No season is a “success” where PSU gets trucked vs UM, and loses at home to OSU.

I think either viewpoint is perfectly reasonable, subscribe to viewpoint 2, but take no real issue with those that hold viewpoint 1.

in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it would be nice if we could disagree without being disagreeable. I’m noticing several instances of name-calling, and even profanity directed at various posters. Let’s all agree that we all love PSU, and to elevate the discourse. I’m going to take my own suggestion, too - if I’ve gotten out of line with anyone before, you have my apologies.

Back to football - I’m hoping for the Cotton Bowl for one reason: we will have several opt-outs, and G5 opponent will be more beatable than an SEC or PAC 12 opponent. Surely there will be other opinions on that!

Regardless - I hope all had a blessed Thanksgiving.

R,

ShoreLion85
PSU Class of 1985 (and proud of it!)
Being completely honest with myself I am actually both. When I look around the country I don't see many 10 win teams as such I'm grateful my beloved alma mater is one of them. That said, when we joined the Big Ten I had hoped we would be regularly part of the conversation for the top dog in the conference, it simple hasn't happened and now I feel frustrated that we are just part of the other teams in the league, the old Big Two and little eight from yesteryear has returned except it is now the Big Two and little twelve. I will say right out I am jealous and frankly envious of what Michigan and Ohio State have. This has been rivalry weekend with all types of great matchups and meaningful games - ours was simply another game on the schedule. Nowhere did our highlights show up at the national level. We are a top team in the country by record yet totally irrelevant - that is for me what hurts. All of that said, who I really feel bad for is our players and staff. They worked their tail off to win 10 games and had second half leads against the two juggernauts in our own division but nobody around the country seems to care. Grateful for the program we have. Just wish there was a way we could win a few games that truly matter. Peace.
 
Don't you think Ohio State has those standards? Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma?
Michigan Penn State Texas USC should all be there as well.
We're not Northwestern or Vanderbilt. We're not even Michigan State
We should always expect 10+ wins--we met that this year now build on it.
 
The next two years will tell.

10-2 is an excellent start if next year is 11-1. with real competitiveness vs OSU and MICH

10-2 is a bad result if next year is 9-3 or worse, with continued line issues.
 
Don't you think Ohio State has those standards? Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma?
Michigan Penn State Texas USC should all be there as well.
We're not Northwestern or Vanderbilt. We're not even Michigan State
We should always expect 10+ wins--we met that this year now build on it.
For the most part the southern schools +OSU and USC have had different “methods” in the past to achieve success. And not to mention none of those schools dealt with Sandusky. I am very impressed with Michigan’s current run. I believe they are doing it the right way.
 
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For the most part the southern schools +OSU and USC have had different “methods” in the past to achieve success. And not to mention none of those schools dealt with Sandusky. I am very impressed with Michigan’s current run. I believe they are doing it the right way.
Seems that way, as intolerable as Michigan fans can be.
 
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For the most part the southern schools +OSU and USC have had different “methods” in the past to achieve success. And not to mention none of those schools dealt with Sandusky. I am very impressed with Michigan’s current run. I believe they are doing it the right way.
We can't still use Sandusky as an excuse. Accusing other teams of cheating doesn't mean we should have lower standards. Their is no "right" way
 
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We can't still use Sandusky as an excuse. Accusing other teams of cheating doesn't mean we should have lower standards. Their is no "right" way
Of course Sandusky is a mitigating circumstance for those running the program today.

But it diminishes each year.
 
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We can't still use Sandusky as an excuse. Accusing other teams of cheating doesn't mean we should have lower standards. Their is no "right" way
They were paying a number of the players in those other schools prior to NIL…. Different rules. NIL may be the great equalizer in that regard and I have come around to embrace it. And Sandusky obviously sent us backwards with a stain that will be on the rep for decades as it gradually diminishes.
 
Multiple ways also to evaluate Sean Clifford’s career, but I though it was worth listing all Penn State QBs that started on two or more double-digit winning teams:

Chuck Burkhart; 1968 & 1969
John Hufnagle; 1971 & 1972
Tom Shuman; 1973 & 1974
Chuck Fussina; 1977 & 1978
Todd Blackledge; 1980, 1981 & 1982
John Shaffer; 1985 & 1986
Kerry Collins 1993 & 1994
Daryll Clark; 2007 & 2008
Trace McSorley; 2016 & 2017
Sean Clifford; 2019 & 2022
 
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They were paying a number of the players in those other schools prior to NIL…. Different rules. NIL may be the great equalizer in that regard and I have come around to embrace it. And Sandusky obviously sent us backwards with a stain that will be on the rep for decades as it gradually diminishes.
Yeah, we just disagree--no worries though
 
There is no such thing as a bad 10-2 season. Be happy fellas.
It's all about the details and respectfully, I think saying 10-2 in a vacuum, is ignoring important details.
I'd be fine with a 10-2 season if PSU was competitive in the 2 losses, but they weren't and PSU has an abysmal record under JF against UM and OSU.
And, based on 8 yrs of evidence, it's demonstrably true that JF gets out coached regularly. JF coached teams win on talent, struggle against teams of similar talent, and are awful against teams with more talent. As an Xs/Os coach, JF does not help his players win football games.
 
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1. PSU has won 10 games, and considering the past two seasons, that is a big improvement, especially since most of the punditry and fans had predicted 8-4 (including myself - I’ll own it, I saw 8 wins as the ceiling for the Franklin/Clifford combo);

2. No season is a “success” where PSU gets trucked vs UM, and loses at home to OSU.

I think either viewpoint is perfectly reasonable, subscribe to viewpoint 2, but take no real issue with those that hold viewpoint 1.

in the spirit of Thanksgiving, it would be nice if we could disagree without being disagreeable. I’m noticing several instances of name-calling, and even profanity directed at various posters. Let’s all agree that we all love PSU, and to elevate the discourse. I’m going to take my own suggestion, too - if I’ve gotten out of line with anyone before, you have my apologies.

Back to football - I’m hoping for the Cotton Bowl for one reason: we will have several opt-outs, and G5 opponent will be more beatable than an SEC or PAC 12 opponent. Surely there will be other opinions on that!

Regardless - I hope all had a blessed Thanksgiving.

R,

ShoreLion85
PSU Class of 1985 (and proud of it!)
In hind sight the loss to Michigan is not so demoralizing considering what the did to the Bucks yesterday.

With that said, we should have beat TOSU, and had them at home. Tired of losing games like that.
 
For the most part the southern schools +OSU and USC have had different “methods” in the past to achieve success. And not to mention none of those schools dealt with Sandusky. I am very impressed with Michigan’s current run. I believe they are doing it the right way.

At one time, I did not hate Michigan at all. Then we had the misfortune of joining this league and after a few years of observing how the conference operates (and being victimized by it), I began to hate Michigan for that reason mostly.

But historically MIchigan runs a good and clean program. Harbaugh, who took a lot of heat before finally appearing to have restored Michigan to its former elite status, is not at all popular here and can sometimes be an asshole. But he also has displayed notable acts of character that go beyond the game itself.

Yesterday, for example, he was standing with McCarthy when approached by the Fox sideline reporter for the standard post-game, bask-in-the-glory-of-victory interview, but abruptly left the scene telling the discombobulated reporter: Here's the guy (McCarthy) you should talk to...not me. It was a very gracious gesture on his part to deflect the spotlight onto the kid who actually played the key role in the Michigan upset.
 
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