Making a Case for Next Year's Home Schedule
by mundyscorner99 on Nov 24, 2009 10:44 PM EST
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When I first looked at the 2010 Home football schedule, it didn't seem like something that I would get that interested in. PSU could be in a transition year with a number of key starters departing that may cause us some second thoughts about being disappointed about this year's 10-2 season. Being a little bored, I wanted to see how the 2010 home schedule compares to the 2009 schedule.
I decided to assign an arbitrary numeric value of what I call the "buzz factor" in terms of interest level for each game from 1-10. This was done taking into account how we may have felt toward the games on the 2009 schedule AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. Here's my estimate for the 2009 Big 10 schedule, with my reasoning for this:
Ohio State (10) - expected to be the Big 10 game of the year, Terrell Pryor factor, we won at OSU last year, etc.
Iowa (8) - they crushed our national title hopes last year/revenge factor. I didn't rate it higher because (I may be in the minority about this) but I felt that we were a better team last year and I did this year, and I definitely didn't expect them to be undefeated until November.
Minnesota (5) - besides Decker and Weber not much there, Homecoming.
Indiana (2) - has there ever been a memorable moment from an Indiana home game?
Total = 25
For the 2010 schedule, these are my estimates:
Michigan (7) - for all the talent they get up there, they are bound to turn it around at some point. Plus the hate factor, etc.
Illinois (6) - the Zooker will be fighting for his job so I think they will have somewhat of a bounce-back season, Homecoming. (LATE ADD - Plus I think that this game will be chosen as the "white-out" game for next year - due to the fact that PSU likes to pick games in the first half of the season for the white-out because of the weather. In other words, students will dress up in only white T-shirts any time of the year, but "Mr. Big Time Alumni" who's 65 years old will likely not. This is what they have done in the past. Add that with it being the first B10 home game is the reason for the rating of 6, but this one is mostly speculation and is probably a little high.)
Northwestern (6) - back to back 8 win seasons under Pat Fitzgerald has helped Northwestern become somewhat of a gutty team and seem to be in pretty much every game.
Michigan State (6) - Senior Day, interest in # of time outs called by MSU, etc.
Total = 25
Now obviously you can dispute my estimates, but my point being is that, even though this year we had two very attractive B10 matchups, we also had two clunkers. And for 2010, all 4 B10 opponents bring something to the table, and based on our expected personnel losses, all of those games look to be very competitive.
And for the non-conference I think it will be very similar with our best home game being vs Temple. I would gladly trade one home game to watch PSU go to Alabama.
Any thoughts? Take it easy on me, first fan-post.
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I like your atttitude
But this is a little like me grasping at straws to name some memorable moments from this season.
Yeah I can see that
It may be a tough sell, but for me, the biggest concern is how we transition into the “Newsome Era”. We obviously haven’t seen enough of him to feel that confident about our chances for next season. If that doesn’t go well, then we could lose to all of those teams.
by mundyscorner99 on Nov 24, 2009 10:54 PM EST up reply actions
Disagree
I had Iowa and OSU pegged as 11s (This scale goes to 11.). Ohio State will always be an 11, but Iowa had a good (if not great, preseason expectation wise) team, but revenge+college gameday+white out? That’s a big game, bro. Minny was a 5 or 6 (I thought they’d be good) and Indy sucked.
Michigan next year? I’m not amped, though it’ll probably be the whiteout. Until Richrod proves something, Michigan is no better than Purdue in my eyes (sorta fun offense to watch, shitty defense, bad team), and the “years of torment” has run its course. Maybe a 4, though whiteout will make it a 6. Northwestern? Good team, but we don’t have anything resembling a rivalry with them. They’re not good enough to worry about, and not quite good enough to chalk it up as a W. Is Kafka coming back? 4 or 5. Even if they’re better than us next year, they’re still JUST Northwestern. Illinois for me is about a 2: awful team losing lots of good pieces, and will suck just as much in 2010. MSU is the biggest game, by far, in terms of opponent, but I won’t be there, probably. A 7 or 8, tops.
3 good games doesn’t come close to the excitement of 2 AWESOME ones (in hype, not actuality) and in 2011, when we get Alabama, OSU, Iowa, and Wisconsin…I’ll be creaming my pants before more than half our home games. And I’ll be a senior. BS I’ll be sitting in the same EA seats I get now. F’ing Curley.
NittanyWhiteOut.com. Arguably the second best Penn State blog I know of.
PSEUDO THREAD JACK!
How do I get 2011 season tickets? With all this STEP crap, I better be able to get these tickets. Those three (four – Wisconsin, meh) games will be enough.
In the alternative, who is already in the market to sell their 2010 Michigan tix? I’m lookin…you’ve got 9 months to think about it.
by Jeff Junstrom on Nov 25, 2009 12:10 AM EST up reply actions
Good points
A few comments on what you said:
Iowa – Even though they beat us last year, I don’t think the HATE is there for Iowa vs what it is for OSU and Michigan – at least not yet. (We say we hate them now, but in a few years when they go back to being mediocre, we will go back to not caring about them again.) Plus, pretty much all of the experts had us and OSU as the top two teams in the B10 coming into this season – with Iowa a notch below. And, not to get too technical, but at this time last year, we didn’t know they would be a white out or a gameday game, so I think i’m fine with an 8 for them.
Northwestern- maybe this has to do with me being a Pat Fitzgerald guy, because I think he does a great job with not that great of talent, but I think that should be a good game. We were tied in the 4th qtr this year and if Kafka doesn’t get hurt it could’ve been a different game.
Michigan – for me – this is the team that I hate the most in the Big 10. Even with this year’s UM team a 5 or 6 is a rating just on pure hate for me, plus the whole “they have no where to go but up” factor brings them up to a 7 for me for next year. They can move the ball on me, but the defense is just plain awful.
Illinois – probably the toughest sell. They should be the worst of the four B10 games, but I’m doing a little speculation on an improved team plus Homecoming had me rate them where they are. I guess I’m just trying to stay positive on the schedule for next year.
by mundyscorner99 on Nov 25, 2009 9:27 AM EST up reply actions
That was supposed to say for Michigan
They can move the ball on PEOPLE not on me…
by mundyscorner99 on Nov 25, 2009 9:33 AM EST up reply actions
Agree re: Northwestern this year
They totally would have beaten us if we hadn’t knocked Kafka out. It’s an underappreciated (well, maybe not underappreciated, but seemingly under-reported/written about) asset of a defense: the ability to remove an offensive player/star via injury. USC did a fine job with that against Royster and Green (tho Mays failed in similar efforts vs. Norwood). NW did the same against Stanzi & Iowa this year. And, yeah, we saved that 4th quarter by removing Kafka.
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
Our offense was going to score on them at some point. And, as I recall, they moved the ball pretty well with that freshman.
"I don't know. I don't know. [waves hand dismissively] First, you'd have to tell me what a 'BCS' is. I don't know."
by ReadingRambler on Nov 25, 2009 2:26 PM EST up reply actions
I know you said this was your first fanpost, but...
the Zooker will be fighting for his job so I think they will have somewhat of a bounce-back season
…I must warn you to not trust Ron Zook. And the above is what they said this year.
"I don't know. I don't know. [waves hand dismissively] First, you'd have to tell me what a 'BCS' is. I don't know."
The Zooker can't hear you...
"In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Yeah
The Illinois game will be the toughest sell but I’m speculating a bit here and the fact that it is the first B10 home game and Homecoming may have people interested. How we do before that will have a lot to do with it though.
by mundyscorner99 on Nov 25, 2009 9:31 AM EST up reply actions
Nice Try
- Iowa deserves a ranking way higher than an 8. Game was in prime time and was a revenge game.
- Minnesota was coming off a bowl season and a 7-5 record, plus the aforementioned Decker and Weber was supposed to provide the biggest challenge our secondary would face all year
- IU – um yeah what else are you gonna say
As for next year:
- Michigan – With each passing crappy year for them and each lopsided victory for us the hate dissipates. How can Michigan next year get a 7 in your system yet Iowa this year gets an 8? Makes no sense.
- Illinois is the equivalent to IU at this point.
- NW and MSU are probably the 2 best games on the home schedule.
In my mind this year’s home schedule you had two heavyweight opponents, a middle weight and a light weight. Next year you have 3 middle weights and a light weight.
With each passing crappy year for them and each lopsided victory for us the hate dissipates.
Before next year’s game, I’m sure Mike will have several posts causing arrogant UM fans to emerge from the woodowork. And before our game with Michigan, read some of the comments on MGOBLOG. “We beat an overrated Notre Dame team! We’re back! We own Penn State even though we lost to them last year!”
No, sir, the hate will never die.
"I don't know. I don't know. [waves hand dismissively] First, you'd have to tell me what a 'BCS' is. I don't know."
by ReadingRambler on Nov 25, 2009 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
See my post above about UM
I just don’t think the HATE is there for Iowa like it is for Michigan. We have a few more years of beating them before the hate dissipates enough for me.
by mundyscorner99 on Nov 25, 2009 9:29 AM EST up reply actions
you significantly undervalue
the absurdity of UM’s fanbase and most of our inate hatred for their program. Also, each passing year? Seriously, we’ve beaten them twice. that doesn’t quite wipe away the 9+ years that occured before. Let’s not get too excited about the streak.
We are not normal. We are legends.
by NittanyAlum02 on Nov 25, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
It doesn't wipe away the 9+ years
But the fact is that these are two totally different programs and the losing streak is in the past. Just like everything else Michigan fans hang on to.
"I don't know. I don't know. [waves hand dismissively] First, you'd have to tell me what a 'BCS' is. I don't know."
by ReadingRambler on Nov 25, 2009 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
"the absurdity of UM’s fanbase and most of our inate hatred for their program. Also, each passing year? Seriously, we’ve beaten them twice. that doesn’t quite wipe away the 9+ years that occured before. Let’s not get too excited about the streak."
It’ll be a LONG time before my hatred for the wolverines dies out. And my hatred for Iowa is blossoming in more and more radiance each year.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
What About Temple?
Same Record as OSU and Iowa!!
OWL BE DAMNED!
Elizabeth, the only person on earth working at the same job longer than JoePa.
by joefromboalsburg on Nov 25, 2009 6:59 PM EST up reply actions
You lost your cherry!
Welcome to adulthood, dude. And, altho not sure what the lucky woman might say, I’ll proffer that this was a fine first effort. Here’s your shiny new bicycle!
But, yeah, I’d swap a few of those ‘buzz’ values around. Illinois’ program is dead (I said as much this past offseason, and the onfield results validate) with Zook at the helm. His career will soon go the way of John L. Smith and Ed Orgeron. So, I’ll definitely quibble with a 6buzz for those jokers, maybe a 3 really: they’re kinda like Purdue now for me. Meatchicken is fun to beat down, we’ve found these past two years. They’re programmatic pride is just so….begging for a faceslap. And although they’re Illinois-bad right now, I’ve gotta believe they’re going in a different direction (even if I only gotta believe this to make me feel better about beating them), so I’ll agree on your 7buzz. NW….I’m a Fitzgerald fan too and they do things the right way. It’s just that their lack of fans makes them so otherwise forgettable. But they’re getting better. Still, it’s buzz we’re talking about. So, no, they don’t get a 6. I’ll borrow your rosey glasses, tho, and give them a 5 instead of a 4.
Douchetonio, now there is a buzz getter! Now at the top of the class of Big Ten Villains, his douchey presence alone has breathed life into that trash heap of a trophy. I’ll go a few better than you on him and grant Sparty a 7buzz if they’re a typical 5loss team by the time we face em. But if they’ve managed to squeak out only 3 or fewer losses by gametime, like they did last year, then this gets bumped to an 8 or even 9, depending on our performance.
In sumrecapation, I give our ’10 B10 home skej a 23buzz:
Sparty: 8
Meatchicken:7
NW: 5
Zookers: 3
"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69
Michigan's an 8
Michigan is always an 8. They should be marginally better too.
"I don't know. I don't know. [waves hand dismissively] First, you'd have to tell me what a 'BCS' is. I don't know."
by ReadingRambler on Nov 25, 2009 3:43 PM EST up reply actions
The real test of hate
I have a theory that if you hate a team, you should be willing to trade a win against that team for a loss against other teams.
For example, would you take a loss against Michigan if you could get a win against every other team on the schedule? If you say yes, your hate isn’t very deep.
Michigan and Ohio State are both at least 10 to me. I would prefer to win against Michigan and OSU, and lose all other games (2-10) than vice versa (10-2). If I see more blocked punts or safety shenanigans from Iowa they will be there too.
"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! I invented the piano key necktie, I invented it!" - Mugatu
YES!
Are you kidding? Next year, we’ll be lucky to go 9-3. 11-1 with a loss to Michigan? Where do I sign?
NittanyWhiteOut.com. Arguably the second best Penn State blog I know of.
Oh, that's a tough one
But I think I agree. As much as I hate Michigan, winning against very tough teams in Iowa City, Tuscaloosa, and Columbus would be too much to resist.
"I don't know. I don't know. [waves hand dismissively] First, you'd have to tell me what a 'BCS' is. I don't know."
by ReadingRambler on Nov 26, 2009 4:53 PM EST up reply actions
Hell, 11-1 with our only loss to a UM team who SHOULD be bowl eligible
Including wins on the road at those mentioned place could very well puts us in a MNC hunt. How many times recently has the champion had a loss (or even 2).
Black Shoes. Basic Blues. No Name. All Game.
"Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth."
Home Schedule
It’s ok. I can’t hate jNW. My future brother-in-law is an Ill. grad, so it is fun to bust his chops about them. I can always hate scUM – especially trying to get the streak to 3. I really wish Sparty were consistently good. It would make the season ending game so much better and the hate that much stronger.
Never mistake effort for achievement.
by Esteban d' Amur on Nov 26, 2009 9:44 AM EST reply actions
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