7-5 Season?

by doctadas on Apr 13, 2008 11:14 AM EDT

Todd Mcshay (or however you spell it) says that after the loss of Sean Lee, the 2008 Nittany Lion team would be successful if it could win SEVEN games... Call me a kool-aid drinker, but I definitely think that we can still make a run at the Big 10 title. This is what the country, or at least the top "analysts" at espn think of this team: 7-5. How messed up is that? Losing Sean Lee hurts, but i think this team can still pull it together and make something special happen. Any thoughts?

Poll

What will our season record be (before a potential bowl game)?

We're doomed

1 votes

12-0

4 votes

11-1

11 votes

10-2

24 votes

9-3

18 votes

8-4

8 votes

7-5

1 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I'd like to know

What he thought our record would be before the Lee injury. I don't like losing Lee is going to be the reason we go from, say, 10 wins to 7 wins.

Get up State.

by speedomike02 on Apr 13, 2008 11:48 AM EDT reply actions

Todd McShay

All I have to say to that guy is we're @#$&ing Linebacker U. We're a factory. I'm betting 2-3 guys step up this year and prove themselves and keep the tradition going.

I'd like to know who he thinks we're going to lose to to get to 7-5.

Heres how I see the season from a reasonable perspective.

Coastal Carolina-Win
Oregon St.-Though they are no pushover, this game is at home, in the east. Win.
Syracuse-Win
Temple-Win
Illinois-Should have won this game going away last year if it wern't for #14 handing them the ball 5 times in their end. They're losing Mendenhall, and the game is at home. Win.
Purdue-Win, plus, even if we lose, it won't be because Sean Lee wasn't playing. Purdue throws a ton.
Wisconsin-Big physical team that will run the ball. Missing Lee will hurt, but, it will be game #7, so the learning curve hopefull won't hurt us that badly. We creamed these guys last year, but I'll give us our first loss here.
Michigan-Did anyone see their new QB yesterday? He was awful. Michigan is going to be awgful. The streak ends. Win.
Ohio St.-I've got no reason to think they won't humble us. Loss.
Iowa-Win
Indiana-Game is at home, and Hardy is gone. We've never lost to IU. Win.
Michigan St.-We'll get back the Land Grant Trophy behind talks that it might be JoePa's last home game.

By my count, thats 10-2. Other than Illinois, I don't see any games on here that I havn't already listed as losses that Sean Lee would make a difference in. Say we lose to Illinois, thats still 9-3, and Oregon St. makes us 8-4, but I don't see any game that we could possibly lose unless the entire team really screws up.

God Created the World Out Of Nothing, Paterno Built A National Superpower On Cow Fields...

by Adam Bittner on Apr 13, 2008 12:37 PM EDT reply actions

Yep

That's exactly how I have it, Fugi. Could we do worse? Possibly... if we take some teams lightly or simply don't show up for some games. Could we do better? Well, sure... we could definitely go 11-1 (understanding that OSU will probably take care of business in Columbus). But, yeah... 10-2 seems most likely.

By the way, I saw the "7-5" comment by McShay and he seemed pretty sure of himself. He wasn't cocky or anything... he wasn't trying to denigrate or insult Penn State like, say, Craig James or Trev Alberts (two morons)... but he was pretty convinced that we've suffered "too many losses at key positions" to have a successful year. I think he's just wrong... he hasn't yet done enough research on us to recognize that many of those "key losses" aren't really that key. Most of the injured guys (Hayes, Odrick, etc.) will be healed and ready to go... and some young guys (Green, Gbadyu, etc.) will step up their games with the increased playing time they get. 7-5 is just way off.

by BSM PSU 93 on Apr 14, 2008 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions

My prediction...

Coastal Carolina-W
Oregon State-W The Beavers will be in it until the 3rd quarter. Then the Lions pull away.
@Syracuse-W
Temple-W
Illinois-L Sorry guys, even without Mendenhall, the spread offense will give the defense fits like it did against Ohio State in 07.
@Purdue-W Purdue slings the ball. The loss of King will be felt here. The defense will give the offense enough chances for a close win.
@Wisconsin-L The Badgers will be too physical. They will pound the run and win. This is not the Penn State team of old that used to win big road games.
Michigan-W Only because Michigan will be in an absolute mess this year.
@Ohio State-L Possible blow out here. This could get ugly. Penn State has not won in Columbus since 1978. Ohio State is loaded, Penn State is not.
@Iowa-W No, I'm not crazy, but college football is a funny thing. Penn State will be down after losing to Ohio State...again. Will the Lions be down, or fighting mad?
Indiana-W This one won't be as close as it was in Bloomington in 07.
Michigan State-? Mark Dantonio is a good coach. Make no mistake about it, Dantonio will have this team winning games. Will the Lions blow another big second half lead? Like most of you, I'm hoping this is Joe Paterno's last home game. That may motivate the team for a big win.

So, until Joe quits, and other coaching changes are made, the Lions will continue to be an average team. Recruiting will suffer, like it has the last 4 years or so. Look for more 8-4 seasons, and maybe 9-3.

by BlueLionFan on Apr 14, 2008 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Fair enough...

... a bit pessimistic perhaps, but not at all unreasonable. I do think the loss of Mendenhall (who was a damn good RB), coupled with it being a home game, will lead to a victory over the Illini. Plus, I'm guessing OUR spread offense will likely take some teams by surprise, just like MRob's spread did in '05.

Anyway, yeah... it's a tough schedule and we've looked like crap on the road for the past decade or so. So, this won't be an easy season for a team breaking in a new QB or two. As I mentioned, we could easily "fail to show up" at a game or two, which would lead to the 8-4/9-3 season you're predicting, BLF. With that said, I think this year's team will be more close-knit than last year's squad, with better leadership and more focus, which should lead to good things for them.

by BSM PSU 93 on Apr 14, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions

My issue is this....

McShay and all these analysts like to throw around predictions like this without any specific reason. Ok Todd, so you think 7-5 would be a success? That's fine. But why? What specific games do you think Penn State is going to now lose because of the loss of Sean Lee? I didn't see what doctadas is referring to, but my guess is he didn't go that in depth.

Get up State.

by speedomike02 on Apr 13, 2008 1:07 PM EDT reply actions

You're Right

he didnt go into any depth whatsoever. He said, "Penn State loses too much (in regards to personnel) to be able to get over this hurdle." He really didnt say anything but a prediction, which is why it ticked me off. I hope, however, that all of the negativity surrounding this program lights a fire under everyone on the team. This is the same kind of "analytical thinking" that surrounded the 2005 orange bowl team and in effect, helped them surprise the whole country. Maybe (I'm hoping), this year will be a repeat.

by doctadas on Apr 13, 2008 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

McShay

has never been credible in my book. He should stick to evaluating specific talent than actually commenting on college football as a game.

JoePa is my hero.

by psuphiman80 on Apr 13, 2008 1:36 PM EDT reply actions

Season

I agree that this should be a 10-2 season. Ohio State should go undefeated and win the National Championship. They are beginning to pull away from the rest of the conference. We need a good, competitive year to improve recruiting. That and some sense of direction concerning Coach Joe's future.

Reg4

by Regulator4 on May 2, 2008 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions