To get your blood boiling, a look back into the archives- The story of how PSU joined The B1G

[PSU95alum]

I've always loathed the Big Ten, and as we enter conference play tonight, I thought I'd post an article to remind some people (and newly educate others) on how Penn State was treated upon our entry into this shitbackwards conference.

This article was originally published on June 22, 2010.

Since making the big announcement last week that Nebraska will join the Big Ten as their twelfth member, the entire conference has joined hands and sang Cumbaya over the news. Just about every university president, athletic director, and football coach released a statement praising the decision, which was approved by unanimous vote of the Big Ten presidents and chancellors.

"By unanimous vote, the Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to the Big Ten Conference," said Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon ...........

Rainbows and lollipops for everyone!

The addition of Nebraska has been universally praised by everyone, and rightfully so. They are a tremendous program with a proud tradition. Adding a twelfth member should have happened 15 years ago, but it's finally here and now we are on the cusp of a new and exciting era of divisional play and Big Ten championship games. Big Ten football will never be the same, and it is better for it.

But 20 years ago there weren't many puppy dogs and man hugs when Penn State was extended an invitation to join the league.

Click here for the entire story

 

[jimjim47]

LOL "the good ole boys from the big Ten were against PSU because they were worried about being dominated"!!! Temple and Holy Cross might have been happy!

 

[SR108]

It’s water under the bridge at this point, but the ACC might have been a better fit. On the other hand you can’t argue with the revenue success and whether they, (big ten), would admit it or not, Penn State has a lot to do with that success.

 

[FHSPSU67]

The BIG 10 was not that good before PSU joined and I believe they'd still be that way if PSU had stayed independent or joined the ACC.

 

[Beachwineguy]

Back at that time, the ACC was a weak football conference. No FSU, no BC, no Miami, Pitt, Virginia Tech or Syracuse. It was a basketball conference that also played football. Clemson was not what it is today. There was little reason to join the ACC.

 

[CF LION]

PSU against the world.....always been that way and probably always will.

 

[BlueBand]

Back at that time, the ACC was a weak football conference. No FSU, no BC, no Miami, Pitt, Virginia Tech or Syracuse. It was a basketball conference that also played football. Clemson was not what it is today. There was little reason to join the ACC.

Yes, and if anyone thinks this “Yankee” football school would have been welcomed with open arms by basketball playing southern schools, you are truly delusional. Ask other schools about the “Carolina mafia” and their officials. LOL

 

[Nitwit]

The Big 10 at the time was against breaking their tradition by allowing any other teams to join them. Adding Penn State was considered a radical move for the conference. Even now, does Nebraska vs Maryland sound like a Big 10 match up? It takes a while for the new teams to be considered legitimate members of the conference.
My view is get over it. I’d rather play against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin than any other conference matchups. It’s big time football in big stadiums against nationally ranked opponents. We are geographically adjoined to the Big 10 fan base and we have a lot in common with many of the Big 10 State University members. It’s the conference we belong in.

 

[PSU95alum]

The Big 10 at the time was against breaking their tradition by allowing any other teams to join them. Adding Penn State was considered a radical move for the conference. Even now, does Nebraska vs Maryland sound like a Big 10 match up? It takes a while for the new teams to be considered legitimate members of the conference.
My view is get over it. I’d rather play against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin than any other conference matchups. It’s big time football in big stadiums against nationally ranked opponents. We are geographically adjoined to the Big 10 fan base and we have a lot in common with many of the Big 10 State University members. It’s the conference we belong in.

I hear what you are saying, but I’ll just reply with this....
If I still lived in PA, I’d much rather make late fall road trips to VA, NC, and FL rather than OH, MI, and WI. Plus, how many alumni are moving to the Midwest vs the southest?

 

[BlueBand]

I hear what you are saying, but I’ll just reply with this....
If I still lived in PA, I’d much rather make late fall road trips to VA, NC, and FL rather than OH, MI, and WI. Plus, how many alumni are moving to the Midwest vs the southest?

While I understand the appeal of a road trip for a few thousand alumni, if that’s the main criteria when selecting a conference to join...

 

[CJF_Said_The_Great_Joe_Paterno]

I've always loathed the Big Ten, and as we enter conference play tonight, I thought I'd post an article to remind some people (and newly educate others) on how Penn State was treated upon our entry into this shitbackwards conference.

This article was originally published on June 22, 2010.

Since making the big announcement last week that Nebraska will join the Big Ten as their twelfth member, the entire conference has joined hands and sang Cumbaya over the news. Just about every university president, athletic director, and football coach released a statement praising the decision, which was approved by unanimous vote of the Big Ten presidents and chancellors.

"By unanimous vote, the Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to the Big Ten Conference," said Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon ...........

Rainbows and lollipops for everyone!

The addition of Nebraska has been universally praised by everyone, and rightfully so. They are a tremendous program with a proud tradition. Adding a twelfth member should have happened 15 years ago, but it's finally here and now we are on the cusp of a new and exciting era of divisional play and Big Ten championship games. Big Ten football will never be the same, and it is better for it.

But 20 years ago there weren't many puppy dogs and man hugs when Penn State was extended an invitation to join the league.

Click here for the entire story

Let's not forget that these scumbags illicitly stole several years of bowl revenues from us as well and still have not given it back.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

The Big 10 at the time was against breaking their tradition by allowing any other teams to join them. Adding Penn State was considered a radical move for the conference. Even now, does Nebraska vs Maryland sound like a Big 10 match up? It takes a while for the new teams to be considered legitimate members of the conference.
My view is get over it. I’d rather play against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin than any other conference matchups. It’s big time football in big stadiums against nationally ranked opponents. We are geographically adjoined to the Big 10 fan base and we have a lot in common with many of the Big 10 State University members. It’s the conference we belong in.

They weren't really breaking a tradition; Michigan State was not an original member. They joined about 35-40 years before discussions started with PSU. A long time, but not forever. Some B1G staff may have even been around for both expansions. I would also guess that expansion was discussed other times between 1950 and the late '80s.

The antipathy towards PSU was based on paranoia that we would challenge the Big 2. Because, Ohio State had not been very good for a while at the time PSU joined. Michigan was pretty good at the time. Ironically Michigan seemed to oppose us more than OSU.

 

[BUFFALO LION]

I've always loathed the Big Ten, and as we enter conference play tonight, I thought I'd post an article to remind some people (and newly educate others) on how Penn State was treated upon our entry into this shitbackwards conference.

This article was originally published on June 22, 2010.

Since making the big announcement last week that Nebraska will join the Big Ten as their twelfth member, the entire conference has joined hands and sang Cumbaya over the news. Just about every university president, athletic director, and football coach released a statement praising the decision, which was approved by unanimous vote of the Big Ten presidents and chancellors.

"By unanimous vote, the Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to the Big Ten Conference," said Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon ...........

Rainbows and lollipops for everyone!

The addition of Nebraska has been universally praised by everyone, and rightfully so. They are a tremendous program with a proud tradition. Adding a twelfth member should have happened 15 years ago, but it's finally here and now we are on the cusp of a new and exciting era of divisional play and Big Ten championship games. Big Ten football will never be the same, and it is better for it.

But 20 years ago there weren't many puppy dogs and man hugs when Penn State was extended an invitation to join the league.

Click here for the entire story

I don't know. After the way Pitt, Boston College, and Syracuse stuck a knife in Joe's back initally, and the way the rest of the Big East treated us like rancid pond scum later on, I think the Big Ten embraced us like blood brothers.

 

[TenerHallTerror]

IIRC the real push to join the Big Ten was access to their academic facilities.

 

[BlueBand]

I think the B1G haters seem to fall into a couple of camps, primarily: 1.) those who think road games that are easier to drive is a prime consideration, and 2.) those who prefer the old days when we had better facilities, more resources, and a bigger stadium than all of our opponents and it was easier to claim superiority. We were the equivalent of Texas (until recently), among eastern independents—consistently better, and able to dictate terms on a variety of matters. They kissed our ass, so to speak. They needed us more than we needed them. Until they got tired of it and took their ball and went home to the Big East without us. The ACC looks attractive because some seem to think things would go back to that. The B1G, with two heavyweights like OSU and Meatchicken, plus a revenue share model that treats everyone the same, while glad to have us, wasn’t going to kiss our ring like the eastern schools did. That seems to bother some people.

 

[BlueBand]

IIRC the real push to join the Big Ten was access to their academic facilities.

I think on the academic side, we’ve been welcomed bigly. LOL It’s the athletic side that caused some angst with some traditional, resistant to change people at certain schools. The athletic landscape was very different back then. People forget how big of a deal us joining the conference was, not just for us, but nationally.

 

[TenerHallTerror]

I think on the academic side, we’ve been welcomed bigly. LOL It’s the athletic side that caused some angst with some traditional, resistant to change people at certain schools. The athletic landscape was very different back then. People forget how big of a deal us joining the conference was, not just for us, but nationally.

well fortunately back then, we had this really popular football coach who ran the ENTIRE STATE, and he valued academics over wins.

 

[nits74]

I think on the academic side, we’ve been welcomed bigly. LOL It’s the athletic side that caused some angst with some traditional, resistant to change people at certain schools. The athletic landscape was very different back then. People forget how big of a deal us joining the conference was, not just for us, but nationally.

And that has done what for our academic profile? And i don't want to hear about just research $$. It's a myth that Penn State was nothing but a cow college before joining the Big ten.

 

[BlueBand]

And that has done what for our academic profile? And i don't want to hear about just research $$. It's a myth that Penn State was nothing but a cow college before joining the Big ten.

Uh, have you been paying attention to our academic profile since joining the B1G? We weren’t a cow college, but I know back in the 80’s we didn’t have nearly the same prestige as we’ve had in the past 15-20 years.

 

[CJF_Said_The_Great_Joe_Paterno]

And that has done what for our academic profile? And i don't want to hear about just research $$. It's a myth that Penn State was nothing but a cow college before joining the Big ten.

This dude's specialty is "myth" and made-up bullshit in regards to PSU and joining the b1g shizhole....a veritable "one-trick pony" in that regard.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

And that has done what for our academic profile? And i don't want to hear about just research $$. It's a myth that Penn State was nothing but a cow college before joining the Big ten.

It's a myth that joining the B1G opened some kind of academic treasure chest. The B1G has the CIC, now called the BTAA, which saves schools money through pooled library subscription costs, joint procurement, and shared fiber optic infrastructure costs. Deep in the BTAA annual reports they quantify the actual savings, which are around $20 million per year on average across the whole B1G. So each school gets around a $1+ million per year benefit from this arrangement.

The B1G has always tried to sell this as a big deal, but it is not a big deal.

There has long been some kind of belief that the CIC/BTAA produces untold billions of dollars in benefits for PSU. If it was, you'd hear about it outside of football message boards. It is simply absurd. Our academic ranking is about what it was when we joined the B1G, and actually slipped in recent years which is sad to see after the modest gains in the 90s and 2000s.

 

[10 Years After]

I think the B1G haters seem to fall into a couple of camps, primarily: 1.) those who think road games that are easier to drive is a prime consideration, and 2.) those who prefer the old days when we had better facilities, more resources, and a bigger stadium than all of our opponents and it was easier to claim superiority. We were the equivalent of Texas (until recently), among eastern independents—consistently better, and able to dictate terms on a variety of matters. They kissed our ass, so to speak. They needed us more than we needed them. Until they got tired of it and took their ball and went home to the Big East without us. The ACC looks attractive because some seem to think things would go back to that. The B1G, with two heavyweights like OSU and Meatchicken, plus a revenue share model that treats everyone the same, while glad to have us, wasn’t going to kiss our ring like the eastern schools did. That seems to bother some people.

You forgot #3....those of us who hate being constantly treated like red headed stepchildren.

 

[Aardvark86]

All i remember is, in the year before entry, seeing an RV at a PSU game that had a large sign saying: "START EARLY! HATE MICHIGAN NOW!"

 

[T J]

Let's not forget that these scumbags illicitly stole several years of bowl revenues from us as well and still have not given it back.

How much was that? PSU didn’t ask for it back, did they?

To put it into perspective - Consider that PSU took the high road on the $60 Million and didn’t ask for it either. Penn State took the high road and demonstrated that it was “not about the money.”

In the mean time, BT revenue for PSU and other longstanding members jumped from something in the 20s-30s to what may now be over $50 Million Per Year!

The net result is CJF took charge and is soaring on the high road. He is rebuilding a strong program and is promoting and upholding standards of excellence on and off the field.

In the grand scheme of things, Penn State focusing now on maintaining higher values is the right thing to do.

Your mileage may vary...

 

[BlueBand]

It's a myth that joining the B1G opened some kind of academic treasure chest. The B1G has the CIC, now called the BTAA, which saves schools money through pooled library subscription costs, joint procurement, and shared fiber optic infrastructure costs. Deep in the BTAA annual reports they quantify the actual savings, which are around $20 million per year on average across the whole B1G. So each school gets around a $1+ million per year benefit from this arrangement.

The B1G has always tried to sell this as a big deal, but it is not a big deal.

There has long been some kind of belief that the CIC/BTAA produces untold billions of dollars in benefits for PSU. If it was, you'd hear about it outside of football message boards. It is simply absurd. Our academic ranking is about what it was when we joined the B1G, and actually slipped in recent years which is sad to see after the modest gains in the 90s and 2000s.

If you talk to the eggheads, it’s not about saving money, although the CIC/BTAA does that. There’s the collaboration across universities in terms of research, library access, etc. that’s the real benefit. The B1G never did a good job explaining the academic benefits and there was too much emphasis on the saved money aspect. Maybe they thought that was an easier sell.

The recent drops are concerning. The gains in the 90s and aughts was greater than I think you’re giving credit for, however. We were really strong in certain fields. But we were really weak in some and really average in others. We’ve improved in many of those fields of study. We had strong research dollars because of military and government contracts.

 

[BobPSU92]

F*ck the big ten.

 

[JJTopp99]

PSU against the world.....always been that way and probably always will.

Well, fck'm all (but ESP tUOS, SCUM, Pitt, and N.D.). An exception to this for Alabama (IMO).

 

[NittPicker]

How much was that? PSU didn’t ask for it back, did they?

To put it into perspective - Consider that PSU took the high road on the $60 Million and didn’t ask for it either. Penn State took the high road and demonstrated that it was “not about the money.”

The university is recouping the Sandusky related financial expenses by quietly raising the percentage of out-of-state students. The difference in annual tuition is slightly over $15,000. Accepting 1,000 out-of-state students instead of 1,000 PA kids nets an extra $15 million per year. Do that and maybe accept an extra 500 out-of-staters you'll get an additional $16.8 million. That's and extra $31.8 million an annual revenue off the backs of people who live somewhere else. Accept more out-of-staters and it'll be even more.

So the university didn't bitch too much about $60 million because there was a way to get the money without raising the price of anything.

 

[JWB389]

On the field/court, I would rather be in the BIG than any other conference. It's the BIG administration and treatment we get from our conference brethren that I don't like.

I'm not sure that, when considering Sandusky, we would be in any better shape in the ACC right now. Just guessing that we're probably better off financially than we would have been in we were in the ACC. IMO, we're where we belong.

It's too bad our gutless leadership never stood up in the face of adversity.

 

[Bob78]

I think on the academic side, we’ve been welcomed bigly. LOL It’s the athletic side that caused some angst with some traditional, resistant to change people at certain schools. The athletic landscape was very different back then. People forget how big of a deal us joining the conference was, not just for us, but nationally.

Agree completely that it was a huge deal nationally.

PSU joining the B1G was the first domino in what would be a series of conference creations and evolutions. Once we left the loosely constructed Eastern Independents in football, the other traditional Eastern Indy football schools were on the outside looking in. The move to the B1G strengthened the position the conference had wrt TV, too. Now all of a sudden a football Big East was a great idea, but they needed some help from Va. Tech and Miami to be noticed. That proved to be a somewhat transient conference not long after its formation. Other conferences formed (C-USA and others), others evolved in other directions (the WAC), and being an independent in the early college football TV explosion era wasn't going to be easy.

PSU's move really started the whole thing. One of the big reasons I admire JVP so much was his forward thinking, whether about a conference or about the need for a playoff or about academic standards, etc. And his Xs and Os innovations on the defensive side were adopted and used for decades by other coaches.

 

[Option Bob]

Funny how all those other dominoes were able to get scheduled into conference play right away, while the "original" domino had to wait 3 years to play. Yeah, nothing odd about that.

 

[Art]

If you talk to the eggheads, it’s not about saving money, although the CIC/BTAA does that. There’s the collaboration across universities in terms of research, library access, etc. that’s the real benefit. The B1G never did a good job explaining the academic benefits and there was too much emphasis on the saved money aspect. Maybe they thought that was an easier sell.

The recent drops are concerning. The gains in the 90s and aughts was greater than I think you’re giving credit for, however. We were really strong in certain fields. But we were really weak in some and really average in others. We’ve improved in many of those fields of study. We had strong research dollars because of military and government contracts.

The benefits to PSU is the areas of research collaboration are minimal. Look at the funding profiles of all conference schools. The largest funding source for twelve is HHS/NIH by multiples over the next source. For PSU, it's DoD, by a significant multiple over the next largest source. PSU is not similar enough to other schools in the research it conducts for the alliance to matter.

Oh, and if you were wondering about the fourteenth school, it's MSU where the largest funding source is DoE.

 

[PSU95alum]

While I understand the appeal of a road trip for a few thousand alumni, if that’s the main criteria when selecting a conference to join...

No, my first criteria would be to be treated fairly.

 

[Lion84]

I think the B1G haters seem to fall into a couple of camps, primarily: 1.) those who think road games that are easier to drive is a prime consideration, and 2.) those who prefer the old days when we had better facilities, more resources, and a bigger stadium than all of our opponents and it was easier to claim superiority. We were the equivalent of Texas (until recently), among eastern independents—consistently better, and able to dictate terms on a variety of matters. They kissed our ass, so to speak. They needed us more than we needed them. Until they got tired of it and took their ball and went home to the Big East without us. The ACC looks attractive because some seem to think things would go back to that. The B1G, with two heavyweights like OSU and Meatchicken, plus a revenue share model that treats everyone the same, while glad to have us, wasn’t going to kiss our ring like the eastern schools did. That seems to bother some people.

There is a difference between kissing our asses and taking a dump on our heads - it’s the Big2 and no one else. Yeah the money and exposure are great but these tools didn’t really want us in the first place and just like Rutgres it’s all about the money - our money $60 million f’ing dollars of it - screw them.

 

[Art]

There is a difference between kissing our asses and taking a dump on our heads - it’s the Big2 and no one else. Yeah the money and exposure are great but these tools didn’t really want us in the first place and just like Rutgres it’s all about the money - our money $60 million f’ing dollars of it - screw them.

Not that it makes a difference, but the $60mm fine was imposed by the NCAA.

 

[Bob78]

Funny how all those other dominoes were able to get scheduled into conference play right away, while the "original" domino had to wait 3 years to play. Yeah, nothing odd about that.

Back then, a function of the way football gets scheduled years in advance with significant financial clauses in the contracts vs. the way bball and wrestling and field hockey etc. do, I suppose. I would guess the way the dynamics of those contracts are handled in light of the more recent conference moves has changed. Once a team stated they intended to leave a conference, they want a clean break for the most part. Just guessing out loud.

If our dreams come true and Rutgres leaves, maybe we'll get to see those wheels in motion! The AAC would welcome them with an almost open arm, I'm sure.

 

[Art]

Back then, a function of the way football gets scheduled years in advance with significant financial clauses in the contracts vs. the way bball and wrestling and field hockey etc. do, I suppose. I would guess the way the dynamics of those contracts are handled in light of the more recent conference moves has changed. Once a team stated they intended to leave a conference, they want a clean break for the most part. Just guessing out loud.

If our dreams come true and Rutgres leaves, maybe we'll get to see those wheels in motion! The AAC would welcome them with an almost open arm, I'm sure.

Rutgers ain't leaving. The money is too good and they aren't even collecting a full share yet.

 

[Bob78]

Rutgers ain't leaving. The money is too good and they aren't even collecting a full share yet.

Way to shatter a feller's dreams, ya big galoot.

Yeah, I know they aren't going anywhere. For some reason, them being in the B1G bothers me more than Maryland being in does. And wifey is a Rutgres grad, and many good friends are also. I don't tell them how I feel about it. But man, they cannot lose enough in conference for my liking.
The only games I hope they win are when they play Michigan. Then it's R! U! Rah! Rah! all damn game. Well, maybe until they are hopelessly out of it, like 5 or 6 minutes in.

 

[Art]

Way to shatter a feller's dreams, ya big galoot.

Yeah, I know they aren't going anywhere. For some reason, them being in the B1G bothers me more than Maryland being in does. And wifey is a Rutgres grad, and many good friends are also. I don't tell them how I feel about it. But man, they cannot lose enough in conference for my liking.
The only games I hope they win are when they play Michigan. Then it's R! U! Rah! Rah! all damn game. Well, maybe until they are hopelessly out of it, like 5 or 6 minutes in.

Rutgres was a semi-mistake on the Big Ten's part. Nowhere near the magnitude of Nebraska, but a mistake nonetheless. Delany is a lazy turd and simply goes after the low-hanging fruit..

 

[Lion84]

Not that it makes a difference, but the $60mm fine was imposed by the NCAA.

MY bad them - it was the Bowl Money - right? So again f’them.