We’ve got to earn it back. It’s tough partially because of Tressel and OSU reaching for their ankles anytime they’re on the big stage. But it’s also because we never get any credit…from the other B10 teams or the voters. The way we’ve played for the past decade hasn’t helped our case either.

It’s going to have to be another 2005 season, only we’ll definitely have to end up undefeated. If we take even 1 loss we’re not getting a NC shot. OSU has squandered any capital we had with the voters, and if a two loss SEC team or Big 12 team comes out as the champs of their conferences they’ll get in before us. It’s going to be USC vs. somebody, and that somebody won’t be OSU or a 1 loss Big Ten team. The media, the public, everyone considers the Big Ten to be entrenched as the 4th best conference because our flagship pair of schools continue to drop turds. It’s Penn State’s job to fill that void and shut some people up.

And I’m a little surprised with Cowherd, considering for the last couple years he’s been the driver of “TEH BIG TENN SUX11!” bandwagon. But then again, he is in the business of getting ratings and nothing gets ratings like hopping off and on bandwagons.

the SEC championship game would only be the national championship game if the SEC champ goes on to win the NC. As we could see with OSU & UofM a couple years ago, I think the voters are pretty hesitant about putting 2 teams from the same conference into the National Championship (and the fact that OSU got blown out of the water by Florida further validates this, since clearly the best team in the country wasn’t from the Big 10, let alone the best 2 teams.

I would imagine that if Penn State (or any other Big 10 team) goes undefeated, and there aren’t more than 2 undefeated teams in the country, then they’d get the nod to go to the national championship game. Of course I’ve been tricked into thinking people will act reasonably before.

Of course I could just see Penn State going undefeated, but getting snubbed from the National Championship game, which decides to face undefeated USC off against 1 loss Florida. Maybe then the gears will be set in motion to implement an actual playoff, just like getting snubbed in ’94 was one factor in creating the BCS, and the awful calls against PSU in 2002 costing us a couple games leading to instant replay in college football.

Call it a gut feeling, but I see them losing a game or (gasp!) 2 this year. It’s college football, and if we’ve learned anything, it should be that anything can happen on any given day…ANYTHING!

and with a dominating performance against Ohio State still might not get PSU a shot at the MNC. An undefeated USC, Miss, Okla, or even a one loss SEC team, would likely get the nod over PSU. Such is the lack of respect for the Big Ten. Joepa undefeated, untied, and uncrowned once again. Zero chance that Joe would get a sympathy vote ala Tom Osbourne.

Has one undefeated season since joining the Big 10.
Plays in a shit conference.
What’s your point?
Are you really trying to dispute the success of Pete Carroll?

Pete Carroll has his “2” National Championships, but one of them was an AP National Championship during the BCS era. I know USC and Carroll could make claim to other “unofficial” National Championships, but so could Penn State and JoePa. (and trust me, I hate the BCS, but it is at least better than the system that was around in 1994).

“Has one undefeated season since joining the Big 10” and has zero national championships to show for it. Carroll has one undefeated season since joining the Pac-10 and has 1 (or 2 if you wanna twist things around) national championships. Carroll plays in an arguably shallower and weaker Pac-10, and granted he only has about 1/6 of the head coaching time as JoePa, he also only has 1/5 the undefeated seasons.

Also, Pete Carroll took USC, a historic powerhouse in sunny south California and made it a national powerhouse, while JoePa took a “cow college” and made it a national powerhouse. That is like saying Carroll microwaved the leftovers he found in the fridge, while JoePa made cooked a meal from scratch.

“JoePa also coached in a time where you could have as many scholarship players as you wanted”…well yes, but JoePa also coached in the same times as Carroll, and it could be argued that limited scholarships is almost a benefit to USC since where would you rather pay to go to college, sunny SoCal, or State College, PA?

Anyway, come back when USC (or even Oregon State, for that matter) have as many unrewarded national championships for undefeated and 1 loss seasons as Penn State has.