It's my guess that the world will be watching - and if not then the world will see the highlights.

I would love to see OUr team do something special in tribute to the victims. Maybe that should have been done last year by Penn State - maybe they did - but I think it's an opportunity to show the world that some football programs aren't bigger than the university.


 

Paul Myerberg of the NYT came out with his season preview of Penn State today:

http://www.presnapread.com/no-51-penn-state/

This year he rated Penn State # 51. The Bobcats' name still hasn't been called yet and it won't be called tomorrow either (there's an Up Next? clue at the bottom of the page).

Three things I noticed in the article that have me excited:

1. Matt McGloin will be the starting QB. My opinion from watching him play is that he's a very average quarterback. Not of the same caliber as Tettleton and not a threat to run.
2. They're only returning one reciever with "extensive game experience". The new guys will have to go up against OUr secondary which is a big strength this year.
3. They wil have 4 new DBs, and because of the new coach they will have to learn new coverage schemes (hopefully TT can take advantage of some inevitable "rookie mistakes")

All things considered, I like OUr chances in this one. Just to throw out my prediction, 24-13 Green and White.

  Should have been 13-1?  Did you mean to say we could have been 13-1? Many of the games were nail biters down to the last drive or minute. We "could have" won probably a game or 2 more (NIU for sure comes to mind), but we could have just as easily dropped another game or two-(Temple-BG-USU).

If we get to play and I think there is some question as to whether the game will or should take place, I hope we just show up and play.  This isn't about us showing the world anything.  That in my opinion would be a cheap self-promotion.  The best thing that any team who plays PSU next year can do is show up prepared and play with sportsmanship.  Let the talking heads promote themselves.  A well played game speaks for itself.

Al and BobcatBob.  I couldn't agree more with what you both said in your last posts. 

What about ice cream?

This game is looking less and less likely to me.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-20/penn-state-urged-to-shut-football-before-ncaa-sandusky-penalties.html 

On a related note, the massive irony of ESPN's condemnation is not lost on me. They have talking heads frothing at the mouth for blood at Penn State while they’re also producing daily shows covering the minutia of Arkansas’ offense or LSU’s chances for a national championship and deifying Nick Saban… in July. I'm not saying that they molested kids, but they helped create the conditions that allow an athletic department to totally dominate a university. They’re addicted to the beast they helped create and are now condemning.

It’d be nice if this scandal actually changed the culture of these semi-pro programs, but I don’t think it will. Too much money at stake. The rise of cable, Tivo, and the ever-growing importance of live sports coupled with the nation’s love of college football is an intoxicating mix. At least 30 programs in the country have the correct conditions to allow something like this to happen, and I don’t see that changing until the financial stakes change.

Just in case, I presume Schaus is looking for a backup alternative. My suggestion - line up a "just in case" game with Iowa on October 20th. It will be tough to find a team with a bye week on September 1, since it's opening week. Ohio might be able to find some FCS school with that week off, or who can buy out whoever it is they are supposed to play, but that would mean 2 FCS games. Ohio has a bye on October 20th, and Penn State is scheduled to play at Iowa on the 20th, so if the Penn State season is cancelled, Iowa will need a replacement game for the 20th.

The one negative with putting a game in in the 20th, particularly a challenging one, is that a long rest there would be handy, since the 'Cats play a lot of games on short weeks immediately after that. After Miami on Saturday the 27th, then they face EMU on the following Thursday, November 1, only five days rest. As if that weren't enough, they play again six days after that, with BG on the next Wednesday.

In all honesty, I don't think that Penn State will get the Death Penalty THIS season.  For one, It's way too late into the offseason for teams that scheduled against Penn State to go look for a replacement game.  It's punishing not only Penn State, but Ohio, UVa, Navy, and especially Temple, who already have a shorten 11 game schedule this season, to scramble an extra game in a month and a half.

It's also not fair for the Big Ten this season, because now not only do certain teams have a hole in their schedule that they need to fill and others don't, they only have 11 teams, which means that they won't have enough teams to compete in the Big Ten Championship game.  Which would in turn cheat out Lucas Oil Field, who spent an ungodly amount of money bringing that game to their stadium.

I can see a postseason ban this year, followed by a death penalty type of punishment following the season, that would in turn allow to let players transfer out with no eligibility penalty.  But I find it highly, HIGHLY unlikely that they will cancel their up coming season this late due to unfair collateral damage for other programs that are simply bystanders, like us.

The previews Myerberg gives of other teams can be interesting. For example he is the first writer on the national level who I have seen mention that Temple never defeated a MAC team with a winning record.

The game will be on but for some reason if its called off I'm sure we could get an FCS team in and make a petition to the NCAA to allow 2 FCS wins this year.

As we sit here in July, I don't think we'll need to count any 1AA wins toward bowl eligibility this year.  Penn St was 9-4, Norfolk St. was very good last year (9-3) and Terd was 7-6, but beyond that there isn't a team on the schedule with a winning record, and only one (BSU) that had a .500 record vs. 1A opponents (EMU had two 1AA wins).  Barring a complete breakdown or major injury problems, this team -- with the current schedule -- should win 9-10 games this season at least.