Fix the Fan Line

Iowa 24 - Penn State 23

I guess you could say that I’m crawling out of the hole.  I had to take a nearly one week hiatus from even thinking much about college football.  But, now it’s time to take a deep breath, reflect, and move forward.

The Fan Line has been busy for nearly a week talking about every aspect of the Penn State @ Iowa game last weekend.

What is the Fan Line’s response to Iowa defeating the Nittany Lions?

Blame The Officials

“The officials gave the game to Iowa.” - November 9, 2008

No, they didn’t.  There were some questionable calls, especially in the last few minutes, but Penn State did not play well enough that they could expect to defeat Iowa.  Officiating didn’t help their cause down the stretch, but the game never should have come down to the final 3 minutes to begin with.

“Bob Flounders, the only thing questionable about the pass interference call is your eyesight. And I’m a Penn State fan. Give credit where credit is due. The better team won, no excuses. Considering what that football team went through this year, with the flooding and all, God bless them.” - November 11, 2008

The pass interference call was very questionable.  It wasn’t necessarily a good call.  It wasn’t necessarily a bad call.  It was certainly questionable, but again, Penn State can’t blame their loss on that call.  To give credit where credit is due, Iowa played well enough to keep themselves in the game.  While Penn State played poorly enough that they didn’t deserve to win the game, you cannot say that the better team won.

Here’s the interference video.  What’s your take?

“The roughing the kicker call against Iowa was one of the worst I’ve ever seen in college football.” - November 9, 2008

Personally, I’m not a big fan of the way roughing the kicker is called.  If a defensive player even lays a finger on the kicker/punter without blocking the ball, roughing will be called every time.  Many times, it seems as though the punter will actually kick his foot towards a defensive player in effort to draw the flag.

Regardless, there really wasn’t anything “bad” about this call.  Roughing the kicker is in the rulebook and that’s the way it’s called.

You obviously  haven’t watched much college football if that’s one of the worst calls you’ve ever seen.

Blame The Coaches

“Derek Williams and his teammates played a great game. They deserved a better play-calling game from their coaches.” - November 9, 2008

Yes, Derek Derrick Williams played a great game.  It’s hard to say what else he could have done to help the Nittany Lions win at Iowa.  His teammates, however, did not play a great game.  Good play-calling or bad play-calling, the on-field execution was just not there.

“That’s great, Paterno. You play a quarterback who isn’t healthy when you have a competent backup to play.” - November 13, 2008

To some extent, I’m in this club.  I think Pat Devlin should have played for a least one series.  At the very least, this would have provided a change of pace.  Maybe it would’ve caught the defense off guard.  Clearly, our offense needed some form of spark, and I don’t see any reason that Devlin didn’t see at least a few snaps.

“I hope when the grades come out for the Penn State coaches, they get an F.” - November 10, 2008

The overall coaching performance was disappointing.  Starting the game with three consecutive passes into the wind (especially if they were concerned with Clark’s health) is surprising.  Not giving Devlin any snaps was questionable.  Clock management in the final minutes of the game was poor.  There’s no reason that we couldn’t have used our timeouts ensure that we’d see more than 1 second with the ball.

“I wish David Jones and Bob Flounders would write it. With Joe Paterno sitting in the press box, he was hindering the offensive coaches from calling the right plays.” - November 10, 2008

Here’s what I don’t know (I feel like I haven’t known this for years), and I’m guessing that a lot of PSU fans are in the same boat.  Who’s really calling plays?  Who’s really making strategic decisions (substitutions, clock management, etc).  Did any of the coaches suggest giving Devlin a shot?  Did Paterno veto that decision?  There’s not much way of knowing.

The one thing that you’re certainly wrong about is your notion that Paterno is hindering the offensive coaches any more (or less) because he is in the press box as opposed to being on the field.

“I’m 17 years old and all my life I’ve been raised to live and die on Penn State football. How awful it is to have your championship season thrown away by the coaches. Thanks, Tom Bradley!” - November 10, 2008

See above.  Who deserves the most blame? Bradley? Hall? Jay? Joe? etc, etc, etc.

Blame The Players

“Who was that team in Iowa Saturday? They didn’t show up.”  - November 10, 2008

You’re right.  The boys in blue and white didn’t show up.  They came out flat, without fire, and things never improved throughout the game.

“Daryll Clark, don’t get down on yourself. It was a team loss. There was enough blame to go around. You proved you are a man. You weren’t like yellow-belly Morelli. You came out and faced the media afterwards.” - November 11, 2008

Yeah, it was a team loss.  As I said above, Derrick Williams (and I guess, Kevin Kelly) are probably some of the only people who can look back on that game without much regret.

Listen to Some Kind Advice

“Listen, Penn State got beat. No big deal. Do you realize one-third of the top 25 teams in the country lost? The fact that you were one of them is unfortunate, but you will be in a big time bowl and probably win it because you can’t give Joe Paterno a month to prepare. Just ask Texas A&M, Tennessee and Florida State. You had a good season and will be Big Ten champs. Losing to Iowa is no big deal.” - November 11, 2008

…slowly… stepping…back…from…the…ledge….

Other Randomness

“You have 100 guesses where Tyler Thigpen, the Kansas City quarterback that almost upset San Diego, went to college and the first 99 don’t count. It is Coastal Carolina. He is the new quarterback sensation and almost pulled a monumental upset. They went for the win and didn’t get it, but the kid is from Coastal Carolina. What a shock.” - November 11, 2008

See.  Penn State’s non-conference schedule isn’t that bad.

“I think the Eagles should get rid of Donovan McNabb and send Andy Reid with him.” - November 11, 2008

That’s a shocker.  From here, I can almost hear Charlie Manuel and Ryan Howard giggling right now.

“I’ve been watching Joe Paterno coach, or at least try and coach, for 45 years. If Penn State had a coach, they would go 13-0 and win the national championship.” - November 11, 2008

If you’ve watched him coach for 45 years, you’d know that he’s the winningest coach in D1 history.  He’s had five undefeated teams, and “2 National Championships.”  Get off his back.

“Life is so sweet. Pitt wins and Penn State loses to an unranked team.” - November 10. 2008

Cough!  Bowling Green.  Cough!  Rutgers.

“So, Iowa beats Penn State. Pitt beats Iowa. What does that say, Penn State fans?” - November 10, 2008

It probably says the same thing as this.  Pitt lost to Rutgers and Bowling Green.  Those teams lost to: Fresno State, North Carolina, Navy, West Virginia, and Cincinnati.  Going further down the line, we get losses to: Nevada, Louisiana Tech, Hawaii, and more.

“Pitt would destroy Iowa right now. The passing game has finally taken off. They have as much talent on that team as anybody else, and I mean anybody. They’ll finish strong this year and have one heck of a 2009 season.” - November 13, 2008

Pitt has shown us that they are capable of losing to anybody (and I mean anybody) this season.  They can hang their hat on a nice win at South Florida, but I can’t take Pitt seriously after losing at home to both Bowling Green and Rutgers.

“Penn State should have played at least one other Top 10 team in the first half of the season if they wanted to be ranked at the top. They needed a touchdown to get a win at Ohio State.” - November 9, 2008

Believe it or not, sometimes even Penn State needs a touchdown to win.

The Clincher

“You take the two top teams in each conference and you have a playoff system. It will never be done because it’s too simple and newspapers wouldn’t have anything to write about.” - November 5, 2008

Okay, our first two-year-old has stepped up to the plate.  You think you have a simple solution on your hands?

Do you mean just the BCS conferences?  That makes a 12-team playoff.  That doesn’t work out evenly into bracket format, so who gets the byes?  What about Utah?  They’re undefeated and ranked #8.  Shouldn’t they get a chance to play for the National Championship?

If you don’t mean just the BCS conferences, that makes a 24-team playoff.  Again, who gets byes?  How are you going to find the time to play all of those games?  Will fans travel to each round of the playoffs?  Where will the games be played?  Troy is the 2nd place team in the Sun Belt Conference.  They’re currently 5-3.  Do they really deserve a chance to win the National Championship?

What about Notre Dame?  Do they need to finally join a conference?  Are they always included in your tournament?  Never included in your tournament?

Finally, since the Big 10 is “super-weak” this year, does 2nd place Ohio State / Michigan State really deserve a shot at the National Championship, when Oklahoma (3rd place in the “super-strong” Big 12 conference stays at home?

What about the bowl games?  The Rose Bowl still wants to exist, and they would really prefer to see a Big 10 team and a Pac 10 team square off.  Have you taken them into consideration?

There’s really nothing simple about it.

“It is ridiculous to make any suggestions that Beanie Wells was the same football player last Saturday that he has been for the last two years. He was a shell of himself against the PSU defense.” - October 31, 2008

BREAKING NEWS: The Ohio State football player wearing the #28 jersey in the Buckeyes’ game against Penn State was indeed Chris “Beanie” Wells.

The back’s inability to effectively run the ball against the Nittany Lion defense led many Fan Line contributors to believe that an impostor may have taken Wells’ place.

The Buckeyes repeatedly tried to give Wells the ball, hoping that their Heisman hopeful would eventually break through for “the big one.”  The big one never came, as Wells rushed the ball 22 times for 55 yards.  His longest run was an 8 yard gain.

Many Fan Line contributors believe that it was a toe injury sustained by Wells in the Buckeyes’ opening game against Youngstown State that caused Big Beanie to be so ineffective.  However, those Fan Line Faithful don’t have an explanation for some of Beanie’s more successful games following the injury.  14 carries for 106 yards against Minnesota.  22 carries for 168 yards against Wisconsin.  22 carries for 94 yards against Purdue.  31 carries for 140 yards against Michigan State.

It seems that Wells’ lackluster 55 yard performance against Penn State came out of nowhere.  Or maybe, just maybe, that 6th-ranked Penn State defense, allowing just 266 yards-per-game, isn’t too shabby after all.

I’m fully aware that I haven’t been posting near as frequently as I was a month ago.  With Penn State continuing to win and now with the most-recent BCS polls having been released, it seems that all the Fan Line can talk about is the rankings and why they’re right or why they’re wrong.

They’re Right!

“All Penn State had to do was schedule a decent opponent that wasn’t Coastal Carolina or Temple. They would be No. 1 if that would have happened.” - November 4, 2008

We’ve killed the strength of schedule point on here.  Everybody plays their “cupcake” (where has that term gone?).  Oregon State is in the hunt to win the Pac 10.  Ohio State was BCS #9 when Penn State played the Buckeyes.  Michigan State could quite possibly be Top 15 in the BCS by the time Penn State plays that Spartans.

“How could Penn State be No. 3? Oklahoma could put their second-string team in and beat them handily.” - November 4, 2008

Maybe they should have played those second-stringers against Texas?

They’re Wrong!

“These BCS rankings are a joke. The Big 12 cannot play defense, and USC always seems to lose their focus and are never a major player. Penn State should be ranked No. 2 in these rankings ahead of an offensively minded Texas Tech squad.” - November 4, 2008

It really doesn’t matter right now.  If Texas Tech didn’t jump Penn State, but then proceeded to beat Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and win the Big 12 Championship game… they would have jumped Penn State eventually.  Why not now?

“How can you possibly jump five spots in the rankings ahead of a team that is undefeated, just because that team was off?” - November 4, 2008

See above.

“I cannot believe that Texas Tech jumped from 7 to 2 after barely beating Texas at home. Penn State should be No. 2. The BCS just made a big mistake.” - November 4, 2008

See above.

“Congratulations to Texas Tech for beating Texas in an instant classic. That, however, does not justify their jumping of five spots ahead of Penn State.” - November 4, 2008

See above.

“Alabama has only one win against a ranked team this year, the same as Penn State. The only reason they are ranked ahead of them is because of an opening win against a highly overrated Clemson team. These rankings are garbage that make no sense.” - November 4, 2008

Good job.  Somebody read their Black Shoe Diaries.

“I am done with college football until a playoff system arrives.” - November 4, 2008

Don’t hold your breath.

“A 2-year-old could make a better system for determining a national champion.” - November 4, 2008

OK.  Then what’s your system?

They Don’t Matter!

“As a Penn State fan, I would like to thank the BCS for keeping us ranked No. 3. This guarantees that we will not be playing in a trap game, rather, the team will be playing their hearts out on every play for the rest of the season.” - November 4, 2008

“Guarantees” scares me, but in general, I agree.

On this note, I received this statement in an e-mail from the Penn State Alumni Association yesterday: “Official Penn State Bowl Tour” Planned - With the Nittany Lions’ hard fought victory over the Buckeyes, Penn State fans know JoePa’s 2008 team is going to a BCS bowl-and hoping that it will be the BCS Championship Game. But whether it’s Miami on Jan. 8, Pasadena on Jan. 1, or somewhere else, the Penn State Alumni Association is already planning the “Official Penn State Bowl Tour.”

Do we really know that? Hmmm.

“Penn State fans need to realize that the rankings right now do not mean much. It is where you are in another month. That is when it matters.” - November 4, 2008

Thank you.

You’re Wrong!

“Penn State fans, you should be lucky that the BCS doesn’t factor in strength of schedule anymore. Penn State would be ranked No. 5 if that were the case.” - November 4, 2008

Strength of schedule is in there, my friend.  It’s built into the computer rankings, and that’s why Penn State is ranked No. 4 (computers) instead of No. 2 (humans).

I can’t wait for tomorrow!  Bring on another day of endless and meaningless BCS banter, strength of schedule arguments, hypothetical bowl game matchups and outcomes, and additional nonsense.  It’s going to be great.

“Penn State’s No. 3 ranking is completely bogus. They have played no one, and the Big Ten is one of the weakest conferences in college football.” - October 31, 2008

Here were my predictions for key arguments from the Fan Line following Penn State’s win over Ohio State.

“The Big Ten is still super-weak this year.  Penn State got lucky that Pryor fumbled.  How can Penn State be ranked #3 when they haven’t played anybody respectable other than Ohio State?  Ohio State is just another cupcake.  Paterno is a manager, not a coach.”

This call covers two of my predictions.  I had a hunch that Ohio State would qualify as another “nobody.”

As far as strength of conferences, don’t let ESPN brainwash you too much.  The Big 10 is actually one of the strongest conferences in college football.  I calculate it as 3rd strongest.

Big 12 - 5 teams in the Top 25.  4 of them ranked in the Top 10.
SEC - 4 teams in the Top 25.  3 of them ranked in the Top 10.
Big 10 - 4 teams in the Top 25.  1 ranked in the Top 10.
ACC - 3 - teams ranked in the Top 25.  Florida State leads the charge at #16.
Mountain West - 3 teams ranked in the Top 25 (Utah, TCU, and BYU)
Pac 10 - 2 teams ranked in the Top 25.  USC is ranked #7.  Otherwise, this is an empty conference this year.
Big East - South Florida is the only ranked team (#24), and they’ll be exiting the polls next week.  The UConn/West Virginia winner should enter the Top 25, and Cincinnati may have a shot, and Pitt could have a shot with a win over Notre Dame.
WAC - Boise State is coasting through the WAC.  Only their game against Fresno State will stop them from running the table.
Mid American - Ball State is coasting through the MAC.  Only their game against Central Michigan will stop them from running the table.
CUSA - Tulsa is still undefeated in Conference USA.  Can they survive Arkansas this weekend?

“This Ohio State-Penn State game is one of the most boring I have ever seen” - October 27, 2008

Saturday night’s game was a great football game between two of the Top 10 teams in the country.  Defense is the reason that you didn’t enjoy the game.  Go back to watching the Big 12 if you don’t like it.

“Let’s tell it like it is — it took a fumble by a rookie quarterback and two penalties for Penn State to squeak by Ohio State.” - October 27, 2008

Okay.  What’s your point?  According to Jim Tressel, Terrelle Pryor is Ohio State’s best quarterback, so he’s that quartback that was used.  Penn State forced Pryor to fumble in the fourth quarter, and the fumble turned out to be a turning point in the game.  Turnovers and penalties are a part of every football game, and they’re often difference-makers in close games.  Thanks for your analysis.

“Remember the two-pronged attack in the paper this week — for Penn State, not Ohio State.  Well, that’s exactly what happened.  Pat Devlin is as good as any quarterback in college football.  He doesn’t have to take a back seat to anybody.  Not taking anything away from Daryll Clark, but they had his number.” - October 27, 2008

Sigh.  First, it really wasn’t a two-pronged quarterback attack on Saturday night.  Daryll Clark suffered a concussion late in the 3rd quarter, and Pat Devlin came in off the bench as a result.

Secondly, I don’t mean to take anything away from Pat Devlin, but before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s put his Saturday night performance into perspective.  Devlin didn’t attempt a single pass.  He did a nice job coming in off of the bench, and he showed some gutsiness in the quarterback-keepers, but to say that he’s as good as any quarterback in college football might be a bit premature and unmerited.

Finally, Ohio State had Daryll Clark’s number?  12 of 20 for 121 yards, no interceptions, and 8 carries for 39 yards.  Not a bad outing considering the game was a 60 minute defensive struggle.

“It’s now obvious Joe Paterno is no longer coaching at Penn State.  There’s no way he makes a quarterback change in the fourth quarter of a game like that.” - October 28, 2008

Here’s a general rule of thumb: when a player suffers a concussion, you replace him.  I don’t think that has any bearing on Joe Paterno’s overall coaching involvement.

Penn State - 13

Ohio State - 6

The Patriot News printed their Sunday Fan Line before the Penn State @ Ohio State game was over, so there was no commentary from the people.  Now, we can only sit back, wait, and wonder… what will be wrong with this win???

Let’s recap with a few unfortunate last-words from this past week.

“Oh, Penn State fans, you better throw a lot of hot dogs on the grill, because this week you’re gonna get your fill of Beanie.” - October 22, 2008

Forget the hot dogs, I need some help with this one.  Is this a reference to baked beans?  Regardless, the Penn State defense sure did get their fill of Beanie.  22 carries for 55 yards, with a long of 8.  He was the preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, right?

“If they played two weeks ago Penn State would have had a chance. But Saturday night at The Shoe, Penn State won’t stand a chance.” - October 25, 2008

Given your logic, I’d like to see how the game would’ve turned out two weeks ago.  Thank goodness that the game wasn’t scheduled for two weeks from now.  On October 25, 2008, not only did Penn State stand a chance, but they were victorious in “The Shoe.”

“I wonder what all the Penn State fans are going to do when Penn State is blown away on Saturday night and their whole world comes tumbling down around them.” - October 25, 2008

Sorry to break your heart, Chicken Little, but the sky hasn’t fallen yet.

“If you look at all the fluff that Joe Paterno has on the schedule, it’s pretty hard not to have a decent season. Even though they will lose to Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin, his schedule is set up for a bowl game.” - August 31, 2008

Strike One, Strike Two, and Strike Three.

Predictions for the Monday Fan Line: “The Big Ten is still super-weak this year.  Penn State got lucky that Pryor fumbled.  How can Penn State be ranked #3 when they haven’t played anybody respectable other than Ohio State?  Ohio State is just another cupcake.  Paterno is a manager, not a coach.”

Penn State 46

Michigan 17

“If you look at all the fluff that Joe Paterno has on the schedule, it’s pretty hard not to have a decent season. Even though they will lose to Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin, his schedule is set up for a bowl game.” - August 31, 2008

Two down.

“For a team that was No. 1 in defense and offense in its division, Penn State lost the first half hands down. In fact, the way they played, they would have been taken to the cleaners by a lot of teams.” - October 20, 2008

Lost the first half, hands down…. by a final score of 17-14.  Penn State still ranks #8 in the country (#1 in the Big 10) in defensive yards-per-game.  Penn State still ranks #11 in the country (#2 in the Big 10) in offensive yards per game.

“I’m a Penn State fan but Ohio State’s offensive and defensive lines could be the difference in next week’s game. Michigan dominated the line of scrimmage for half of the game and they’re not nearly the team Ohio State is.” - October 20, 2008

Michigan did not dominate the line of scrimmage for half of the game.  Starting with 13 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter, Michigan rushed for a total of 92 yards.  47 of those yards came in the final 2 minutes of the game, with score well out-of-reach for Michigan at 46-17.  Michigan was also sacked three times in that time frame, once for a safety.

“I’m watching the Penn State-Michigan game. Looks like Michigan left at halftime. That’s why Penn State is winning.” - October 20, 2008

Who told them to leave?  I’m aware that Rich Rodriguez has a bit of a history of calling it quits before the fat lady sings, but even he should know that games are 60 minutes long.

“Penn State is undefeated and still has not beaten a team currently ranked in the top 25. In fact, I wonder if any of the teams they’ve beaten have a winning record at this point. Don’t go beating your chests, Nittany Lions fans.” - October 20, 2008

Illinois is 4-3.  Oregon State is 4-3.  Three of Penn State’s last four games are against teams with the following records: 7-1, 5-3, and 6-2.

“Yes, Penn State fans. Whether you want to admit it or not, but the Big Ten is down this year. Penn State has a good team, but not a great team. You will find that out when you play teams outside the Big Ten.” - October 19, 2008

There aren’t too many opportunities for that, now are there?  At this point in the season, bowl games are the only non-conference games that remain.  Joe Paterno is a record 23-12-1 in bowl games.

Penn State 48

Wisconsin 7

First, for good measure…

“Nearly every game Penn State has lost the last few years can be traced to the fact that its offensive line got pushed around. Just wait until Penn State travels to Ohio State and Wisconsin this year. Both of those games will be decided by the offensive line, and you can guess which one will come out ahead.” - July 1, 2008

Hmm, let me guess.

“If you look at all the fluff that Joe Paterno has on the schedule, it’s pretty hard not to have a decent season. Even though they will lose to Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin, his schedule is set up for a bowl game.” - August 31, 2008

One down.

“Penn State’s weak nonconference schedule coinciding with a weak Big Ten guarantees them eight or nine wins. Unfortunately, they will lose to Ohio State and Wisconsin and be left playing in a bowl game that means nothing.” - September 9, 2008

Unfortunately, you’re wrong.

“With the exception of possibly Wisconsin, the Big Ten does not have a legitimate top 25 team.” - September 15, 2008

So, Wisconsin is “legitimate,” right?  See below.

“Play someone, guys. Your time is coming. You play Wisconsin [tonight] and Ohio State later on. You shouldn’t have to wait until the middle of the season to play someone.” - October 11, 2008

So, Wisconsin is “someone,” right?  See below.

“How did Penn State get in the Top 25? They haven’t played anybody with a winning record.” - October 11, 2008

At the time of this call, Illinois was 3-2.  Now they’re 3-3.  For what it’s worth, Coastal Carolina was 3-2 at the time of this call.  Now they’re 3-3.

“Army, Navy, Air Force and Appalachian State could probably beat half of the teams on Penn State’s schedule.” - October 11, 2008

Temple 35 - Army 7

“I’ve been watching these college football games today and I would like to know how these announcers can say Penn State is the team to beat in the Big Ten when Penn State hasn’t played anybody who is ranked. How in the world can you get the rankings these guys get? They haven’t played anybody.” - October 12, 2008

See how teams rise in polls.

“Good job, Penn State, on the win. But, once again, this shows how weak the Big Ten is. The Big 12, by far, is the best conference in college football.” - October 12, 2008

A few weeks ago it was the SEC.  What happened?  Remember that many Big 12 teams still have pretty records because the Big 12 just started their conference schedule last week, while the SEC teams have been beating up on each other for 3 weeks now.

Hello, Penn State fans. Don’t get excited about beating Wisconsin because Wisconsin won’t be ranked again. There will be one ranked Big Ten team besides Penn State and that will be Ohio State. Illinois? Real tough game. They lost to Minnesota. The Big Ten is the weakest conference outside the Sun Belt that I’ve seen. - October 12, 2008

How about the Pac 10, Big East, and ACC?

Next weekend, Michigan travels to State College.  But “don’t get too excited Penn State fans.”  Michigan is just another cupcake, and the Big Ten is horrible, and just wait until they play Ohio State, and Wisconsin and Illinois were terrible opponents, and Joe Paterno isn’t even coaching so it doesn’t matter that he’s in the press box, and there’s no reason that Penn State should be ranked in the Top 5, and the SEC and Big 12 are awesome, and why isn’t BYU ranked #1 anyways?  So, don’t get too excited Penn State fans.