IUP Football 2021

[EdinboroFB]

To Nation's argument the fact Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Iowa won the big ten in the early/ mid 90's shows it was in an ACC type period atleast for a few years at that time. But I think OHio St was already trending up with John Cooper before Penn state came in and beat PSU in 93 and 95 around that 94 season.

MIchigan tho if I'm remembering right only had two close losses in 88' to Miami and Notre Dame the two best teams in the country. And blew a big lead on Miami at home.

And I just looked 91' Michigan only lost to FSU and Washington (split National Champs)

[EdinboroFB]

Those were the Gino Torretta years, right?

94' was Frank Costa the end of the QB run at Miami. Torretta was started 91-92. I think Frank Costa was from St. Joe's Prep if I'm remembering right. But the defense in 94' was Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

and Pitt still stinks.

Pitt doesn't stink this year. Granted, they had their 'Pitt Moment' this year, but ... that's a pretty good team.

Tell you what ... if they survive Lane Stadium on Saturday ... they have a chance to run the table (including the ACC Championship game). Yes, Clemson still comes to Heinz Field ... but old Dabo's team is a shell of its former self right now.

[EdinboroFB]

I'd jump in but I don't even know what we are arguing about at this point. LOL. For real. I'm lost.

I do agree, though. You'd be insane to leave football-is-bigger-than-God PSU for the Miami job. Now, LSU and USC ... you can sell me on making those moves.

Ya, I skimmed mutiple posts and jumped in. LOL. Not sure either

[IUPbigINDIANS]

No way you leave Penn State for Miami. I'm a Miami fan and the program is terrible. South Fla kids the 5 star and most 4's go SEC now. Miami plays off campus and hasnt been good in almost 20 years. You wont get 100k at a Miami game. Miami and FSU are in similar situations except Miami is the private small school with a NFL off campus stadium.

Bill O'Brien could recruit to Penn St because it was Penn St....no other reason. If he took over Rutgers in that situation he couldnt of recruited there. So whoever you want to give credit for building Penn st from the 60's on might have some credit there.

Other arguments in this Penn st thing......how many National titles has Penn state won since joining the big ten? Last one was 86'? in a game Miami had 6 turnovers and still had a chance to win. 94' they werent the best team. I wouldve loved to see them play Miami as the 2 vs 3 game in a 4 team playoff because I wouldve taken Miami.

I'd jump in but I don't even know what we are arguing about at this point. LOL. For real. I'm lost.

I do agree, though. You'd be insane to leave football-is-bigger-than-God PSU for the Miami job. Now, LSU and USC ... you can sell me on making those moves.

[Fightingscot82]

No way you leave Penn State for Miami. I'm a Miami fan and the program is terrible. South Fla kids the 5 star and most 4's go SEC now. Miami plays off campus and hasnt been good in almost 20 years. You wont get 100k at a Miami game. Miami and FSU are in similar situations except Miami is the private small school with a NFL off campus stadium.

Bill O'Brien could recruit to Penn St because it was Penn St....no other reason. If he took over Rutgers in that situation he couldnt of recruited there. So whoever you want to give credit for building Penn st from the 60's on might have some credit there.

Other arguments in this Penn st thing......how many National titles has Penn state won since joining the big ten? Last one was 86'? in a game Miami had 6 turnovers and still had a chance to win. 94' they werent the best team. I wouldve loved to see them play Miami as the 2 vs 3 game in a 4 team playoff because I wouldve taken Miami.

Those were the Gino Torretta years, right?

[EdinboroFB]

No way you leave Penn State for Miami. I'm a Miami fan and the program is terrible. South Fla kids the 5 star and most 4's go SEC now. Miami plays off campus and hasnt been good in almost 20 years. You wont get 100k at a Miami game. Miami and FSU are in similar situations except Miami is the private small school with a NFL off campus stadium.

Bill O'Brien could recruit to Penn St because it was Penn St....no other reason. If he took over Rutgers in that situation he couldnt of recruited there. So whoever you want to give credit for building Penn st from the 60's on might have some credit there.

Other arguments in this Penn st thing......how many National titles has Penn state won since joining the big ten? Last one was 86'? in a game Miami had 6 turnovers and still had a chance to win. 94' they werent the best team. I wouldve loved to see them play Miami as the 2 vs 3 game in a 4 team playoff because I wouldve taken Miami.

[IUPNation]

I join any Penn State discussion by treading very carefully. But I'll say this, I don't ever actually think the sanctions hurt Penn State. I agree with your points your making. Nothing IUPNation is saying is making even the smallest sense relative to the Big Ten. Penn State isn't Ohio State. They never were.

To IUPBigIndians' point, they are probably lucky they still have a program up there. That said, the real hero for the Penn State football program was Bill O'Brien. Build a statue of that guy, not Joe Paterno. No other coach would have saved that program. I'm not a Penn State fan, but I know it was long time for Paterno to no longer be the head football coach anymore. With the Sandusky scandal, he was out. The next year, BOB was in. He was the right guy for that situation at the right time.

Recruiting never actually suffered under the sanctions. In fact, under O'Brien it got better compared to Paterno. That was with reduced scholarships, players being allowed to leave freely, the stain of the Sandusky scandal, etc. He got big time commits to go there. He made it abundantly clear he had next to zero interest in staying at Penn State. He wanted to show he could be a head coach and leave for the NFL at the first opportunity. He told recruits, "Come play for me. I've coached in the league for years. I'll get you there." And they came. With the wrong guy at the helm, Penn State football would have hit rock bottom. O'Brien was the best thing that ever happened to that program.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Why wouldn't you? I'm not sure I honestly agree. I guess, if you're not going to the NFL, what's the end game as a college coach? They all have egos, so somebody believes they'll get it done at Miami. Is your goal to win a national title? It's probably an easier path to the college football playoff in the ACC than it is in the Big Ten East having to play Ohio State and Michigan every year in divisional play.

I can make a great case that Franklin had the best two teams he'll ever assemble in 2016 and 2017 with Barkley and he didn't crack the playoff in either. He was close, but his team wasn't better than Ohio State, or Clemson or Bama either year for that matter. I'm not sure how much better he can recruit at Penn State (he can't). He's getting dawgs there. Guys Penn State has never gotten before. But he's unable to beat Ohio State. Or if he does, he can't beat Iowa on the road. He's in a tough division. Miami is a clearer path. They get huge recruiting classes every year. Miami's problem is always getting those guys to stay focused and play to the level of their talent.

If Miami can pony up the money, I think he'd be stupid to not leave Penn State for that job. Tremendous recruiting territory, great campus, tradition filled program, etc., but most importantly, it's easier to win the ACC Coastal than it is to win the Big Ten East. And winning your conference is a huge step towards making the CFP.

That's part of it, though. They do have massive egos. The ACC has become the P5 stepchild. Miami draws like Pitt.

I don't know. I know the Hurricane lore. Grew up with it. But, some things died in the 80s.

[IUP24]

Yeah. I didn't mean to derail the thread. But I agree. I travel for work and have found that the further away from State College, PA you get, the more you find that people look unfavorably at that fan base, school, program, etc. There are a lot of people who believe that they are lucky to still have a program.

BOB saved football there. The NCAA cut the sanctions and penalties short. And the national media helped to build the program back up after they beat Ohio State on that blocked field goal. College football just wouldn't be the same without Chris Fowler being able to say, "organized full-stadium White Out game" 12 times fast on a primetime broadcast LOL. To BigIndians' point, it's amazing how one play can change the trajectory of a program.

Franklin was also probably the right guy to go there after BOB. I'm not sure he's a great "coach," but he's a great recruiter. And with the level of talent he's bringing in, that's good for 10 wins a year in the regular season. It's the game against Michigan or Ohio State, or the other fluky close game or two they play every year, that he actually needs to coach is where things go south for him.

[IUP24]

If Big Game James Franklin didn't block that FG against Ohio State that night ... he may not have survived that season. Many people of power wanted him out entering that OSU game.

Fast Forward and now the question will be if he stays this off-season. The only two jobs that could probably lure him out of there would be either LSU or USC. Both very attractive and both will open the check books.

USC is already open and Ed O. is walking the plank in Baton Rouge. Miami will also open soon but you'd never leave Creepy Valley for that job.

I saw yesterday PSU's star DL is out for the season. They aren't saying much on Clifford. If he doesn't come back they are toast this year.

Why wouldn't you? I'm not sure I honestly agree. I guess, if you're not going to the NFL, what's the end game as a college coach? They all have egos, so somebody believes they'll get it done at Miami. Is your goal to win a national title? It's probably an easier path to the college football playoff in the ACC than it is in the Big Ten East having to play Ohio State and Michigan every year in divisional play.

I can make a great case that Franklin had the best two teams he'll ever assemble in 2016 and 2017 with Barkley and he didn't crack the playoff in either. He was close, but his team wasn't better than Ohio State, or Clemson or Bama either year for that matter. I'm not sure how much better he can recruit at Penn State (he can't). He's getting dawgs there. Guys Penn State has never gotten before. But he's unable to beat Ohio State. Or if he does, he can't beat Iowa on the road. He's in a tough division. Miami is a clearer path. They get huge recruiting classes every year. Miami's problem is always getting those guys to stay focused and play to the level of their talent.

If Miami can pony up the money, I think he'd be stupid to not leave Penn State for that job. Tremendous recruiting territory, great campus, tradition filled program, etc., but most importantly, it's easier to win the ACC Coastal than it is to win the Big Ten East. And winning your conference is a huge step towards making the CFP.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I join any Penn State discussion by treading very carefully. But I'll say this, I don't ever actually think the sanctions hurt Penn State. I agree with your points your making. Nothing IUPNation is saying is making even the smallest sense relative to the Big Ten. Penn State isn't Ohio State. They never were.

To IUPBigIndians' point, they are probably lucky they still have a program up there. That said, the real hero for the Penn State football program was Bill O'Brien. Build a statue of that guy, not Joe Paterno. No other coach would have saved that program. I'm not a Penn State fan, but I know it was long time for Paterno to no longer be the head football coach anymore. With the Sandusky scandal, he was out. The next year, BOB was in. He was the right guy for that situation at the right time.

Recruiting never actually suffered under the sanctions. In fact, under O'Brien it got better compared to Paterno. That was with reduced scholarships, players being allowed to leave freely, the stain of the Sandusky scandal, etc. He got big time commits to go there. He made it abundantly clear he had next to zero interest in staying at Penn State. He wanted to show he could be a head coach and leave for the NFL at the first opportunity. He told recruits, "Come play for me. I've coached in the league for years. I'll get you there." And they came. With the wrong guy at the helm, Penn State football would have hit rock bottom. O'Brien was the best thing that ever happened to that program.

If Big Game James Franklin didn't block that FG against Ohio State that night ... he may not have survived that season. Many people of power wanted him out entering that OSU game.

Fast Forward and now the question will be if he stays this off-season. The only two jobs that could probably lure him out of there would be either LSU or USC. Both very attractive and both will open the check books.

USC is already open and Ed O. is walking the plank in Baton Rouge. Miami will also open soon but you'd never leave Creepy Valley for that job.

I saw yesterday PSU's star DL is out for the season. They aren't saying much on Clifford. If he doesn't come back they are toast this year.

[Ram040506]

I join any Penn State discussion by treading very carefully. But I'll say this, I don't ever actually think the sanctions hurt Penn State. I agree with your points your making. Nothing IUPNation is saying is making even the smallest sense relative to the Big Ten. Penn State isn't Ohio State. They never were.

To IUPBigIndians' point, they are probably lucky they still have a program up there. That said, the real hero for the Penn State football program was Bill O'Brien. Build a statue of that guy, not Joe Paterno. No other coach would have saved that program. I'm not a Penn State fan, but I know it was long time for Paterno to no longer be the head football coach anymore. With the Sandusky scandal, he was out. The next year, BOB was in. He was the right guy for that situation at the right time.

Recruiting never actually suffered under the sanctions. In fact, under O'Brien it got better compared to Paterno. That was with reduced scholarships, players being allowed to leave freely, the stain of the Sandusky scandal, etc. He got big time commits to go there. He made it abundantly clear he had next to zero interest in staying at Penn State. He wanted to show he could be a head coach and leave for the NFL at the first opportunity. He told recruits, "Come play for me. I've coached in the league for years. I'll get you there." And they came. With the wrong guy at the helm, Penn State football would have hit rock bottom. O'Brien was the best thing that ever happened to that program.

[IUP24]

You're all over the map. Penn State entered the B1G ahead of whom? Nobody but Maryland, Rutgers and Nebraska that I know of. Penn State did not win the conference the first two years they were in it, so I don't know what growing liability had to do with that. What put Penn State on second tier for a few years was the Sandusky scandal and the loss of numerous scholarships. They went into last Saturday ranked in the top five and likely win that game if their QB isn't knocked out. I'd hardly call that second tier. What Penn State discovered, as have most independents who have joined a conference, is that it isn't as easy to play in a conference as it looks from the outside.

I join any Penn State discussion by treading very carefully. But I'll say this, I don't ever actually think the sanctions hurt Penn State. I agree with your points your making. Nothing IUPNation is saying is making even the smallest sense relative to the Big Ten. Penn State isn't Ohio State. They never were.

To IUPBigIndians' point, they are probably lucky they still have a program up there. That said, the real hero for the Penn State football program was Bill O'Brien. Build a statue of that guy, not Joe Paterno. No other coach would have saved that program. I'm not a Penn State fan, but I know it was long time for Paterno to no longer be the head football coach anymore. With the Sandusky scandal, he was out. The next year, BOB was in. He was the right guy for that situation at the right time.

Recruiting never actually suffered under the sanctions. In fact, under O'Brien it got better compared to Paterno. That was with reduced scholarships, players being allowed to leave freely, the stain of the Sandusky scandal, etc. He got big time commits to go there. He made it abundantly clear he had next to zero interest in staying at Penn State. He wanted to show he could be a head coach and leave for the NFL at the first opportunity. He told recruits, "Come play for me. I've coached in the league for years. I'll get you there." And they came. With the wrong guy at the helm, Penn State football would have hit rock bottom. O'Brien was the best thing that ever happened to that program.

[IUP24]

Such irony ... of all schools to cry about conspiracy theories. Lucky they still have a program after the crap that went down up there.

I'm catching up. But this. Absolutely. The fact that they weren't given the proverbial death penalty sure was something. The fact that they were let off on good behavior is another topic as well.