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It's Wednesday and the Blue-White Roundtable continues to roll through the offseason. Run Up The Score graces us with his presence and offers the questions this week. You can bet The Nittany Line is playing along. TINNOMJ says he might be too busy. Rookies.
Butch Davis says that he wants his North Carolina program to schedule road games against big-name schools in key recruiting areas. The UNC athletic department recently "sent letters inquiring about future games with several schools, including Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. If Penn State ever decides to stop picking on teams like Temple, Buffalo, and Florida International, what regions would you like the Nittany Lions to infiltrate for recruiting purposes?
I've never been convinced that playing a game in another region helps recruiting in that region. Beating the Hurricanes in Miami in 1999 didn't exactly lead to a flood of Florida recruits coming north. But everyone says playing in a region helps recruiting there so maybe I'm wrong. I guess getting on television in the area would help. But you better be careful who you play. You better make sure it's a high enough profile team to get noticed, but you better make sure it's a game you can win. Going into southern California and getting whooped 44-10 at the hands of USC probably won't help recruiting on the west coast. But beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill probably wouldn't even make the Sports Center highlights. (At least now...maybe in the few years though.)
I think it's more important to protect your home turf. In recent years Penn State has lost their grip on New Jersey and recently some Pennsylvania recruits have started to view Pitt as a reasonable alternative to Penn State. I think it's more important that Penn State beat down local rivals like Pitt and Rutgers to make sure the locals know which rooster rules the hen house. Maybe then branch out a little bit and play Maryland, Syracuse and West Virginia to claim the surrounding states. I think these games would go a whole lot further for recruiting. Playing teams like Texas, Oklahoma, or USC could provide a boost in national recruiting provided you can get those games on prime time and win them, but I don't think they have much impact in the specific area where the game is played.
Every season starts with concerns about certain players and positions. This year, someone has to fill the linebacker spot vacated by Paul Posluszny. Everyone knows that. Which position battle, currently flying under the radar, should Penn State fans be concerned with?
My biggest concerns are on the offensive line, specifically left tackle. Gerald Cadogen had a tough time beating out Robert Price at left guard last year. Now he's moved to tackle and tasked with protecting Morelli's blind side. I think Cadogen is going to make or break this offense this year.
The Big Ten Network promises to show 600 hours of Penn State athletics, including at least three football games. Out of 600 hours, how many will you actually give a crap about? Do you think the conference will get a deal done with Comcast in time for the season opener against FIU?
I think they will get a deal done, and I think the BTN will end up on Comcast's extended digital package. Comcast holds all the cards here. They can give Jim Delany the finger and go back to milking the cash cow that is America's addiction to television. Delany isn't going to let his network be seen by just a few million people nation wide. He'll give in and get his network on Comcast. He won't get as much money as he would if it were on basic cable, but Big Ten fans will buy it, and something is better than nothing.
Michigan's generally regarded as the conference favorite heading into this season. Who will be the worst team in the Big Ten?
I think Indiana is in for a really disappointing season. With the loss of Hoeppner we could see a really uninspired team go out and fall flat on their face much like Northwestern did in 2006. Besides that they have some serious depth and talent issues. I think they'll be finishing in the basement this year with Minnesota and Michigan State as dark horses to be last.
Awww, did you get frozen out of season tickets this year? Don't worry, you can always be a gate attendant, parker, or usher! If you don't have tickets, would you take one of these jobs just to get inside the stadium?
Can you show up drunk after tailgating all morning? No? Then I think I'll pass.
Lightning Round
Who are your favorite college football play-by-play and color announcers?
Who doesn't get chills hearing Steve Jones say, "Touchdown Penn State"? I like Kirk Herbstreit too. He conveys his football knowledge but doesn't try to impress you with witty one liners or tired clichés.
Lee Corso: Blight on the football world or coy, lovable jackass?
He's a lovable jackass. He gives his opinions in an entertaining fashion. And he's willing to laugh at himself and doesn't come across like a know-it-all like some of the other pompous buffoons like Mark May, Trev Alberts, Terry Bowden, and Lou Holtz.
Which non-Penn State, non-Big Ten game would you seriously consider selling a kidney to attend?
I would like to some day see a rivalry game in the south. Maybe Alabama-Tennessee or the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
That's all for this week. Go check out the other guys.