Penn State has a moral obligation to accept a bowl invitation

The Penn State scandal has rocked and shocked the college football nation. Speculation on why the university would cover up such heinous crimes continues to swirl. The lack of explanation from anyone involved, who hasn’t molested a child, has become frustrating for millions around the nation. 

Throughout last week, numerous sports analyst and public figures, outraged and inflamed by the nature of the scandal, verbosely suggested the Nittany Lions should not play against Nebraska last Saturday out of respect for the victims. They even went as far to say that players and fans should boycott the game if it remains scheduled as planned. The pressure was building and all eyes around the country were focused squarely on Happy Valley.

Saturday came and went, the game was played, players showed up, and so did nearly 110,000 fans. The Penn State faithful were unified and dressed in blue to show their support for the victims affected by Jerry Sandusky. They were there to show their support for a community that is deeply intertwined with Penn State football.  A community filled with parents and kids who cheered for Penn State, while the university was protecting a scumbag who was molesting their children and their children’s friends. 

They were there to support the children who had their innocence stolen well after Mike McQueary walked in on “rhythmic slapping” in a Penn State locker room shower in 2002--when the university had their second clear cut opportunity to put a predator behind bars.

The fans were still there in support of their school after the board of trustees was forced to fire, by phone, the most unfireable coach in the history of sports due to his failure to act when his right hand man was accused of molesting children.

After all of this, the community and fans were still there to support their university.

As the facts stand now, Penn State officials could’ve stopped a predator from harming children throughout their community, but instead covered it up. The motives of the former President, Vice President, Athletic Director, and Coach to cover up this scandal remain unconfirmed. It’s hard to fathom a reason an institution would want to hide or allow such appalling acts for any period of time. 

The bottom line is a child abusing monster was able to use the Penn State football program to lure in his prey similar to the way a regular pervert, who doesn’t have ties to Joe Paterno and can’t coach a defense, would use candy at the playground in the park. 

After the Sandusky allegations, Penn State continued to leverage and expand their national platform using one of college football’s most legendary icons as the front man. Since 1998, the Penn State official’s (including Paterno) first priority was to ensure Nittany Lion football and the legend of Joe Pa remain unscathed. Rather than protect children, they sacrificed them and their well-being for Penn State football.

Some things never chance as it seems the university’s concerns continue to be about their public image. Rumors are swirling Penn State would refuse any invite to a bowl game this season to help get out of the scandal ridden spotlight as quickly and quietly as possible. 

The thought of the school believing a bowl ban is an appropriate punishment for their inaction is both laughable and egocentric.  Refusing a bowl invitation would be more of a slap in the face for the innocent Sandusky victims, rather a punishment for Penn State. 

Penn State should absolutely accept ANY bowl invitation they are offered this post season.

Penn State University has committed crimes and it’s time for them to participate in community service like any other criminal.

Penn State is currently projected to be invited anywhere from the Gator Bowl to the Little Caesar’s Bowl and the payout they could receive ranges anywhere from $750,000 to $2,700,000. Does Penn State deserve this money? 

Hell No. However, they should provide the service for it.

Penn State should donate all the revenue from the bowl game to worthy organizations such as the Central Pennsylvania victims of child abuse and charitably match that figure in a donation of their own. Nonprofit organizations are always in need of funds to help continue their mission for betterment of our communities and it’s time for the university to show remorse and financially provide for the community that supports Penn State football every Saturday.

They neglected child rape to assure the football program’s prominence and post season success. They shouldn’t all of a sudden neglect the money can earn from it just because it’s dirty.  Leaving that money on the table, instead of worthy causes’ pockets, would be asinine. 

The results of this scandal are a severe tragedy and no amount of money is ever going to replace what the victims taken from them. Youth and innocence are priceless. However, providing funds to nonprofits or charities that could help prevent these types of crimes in the future and enable them with more resources needed to fight the good fight. The concept of this donation would be a good start on the path to redemption for Penn State. 

Also, raising $2 Million dollars on a publicly promoted platform has much more value to an organization compared to raising $2 Million dollars by private donors. The impact is far more prevalent and people that would not initially be interested or concerned are drawn to pay attention to it because of the national stage it’s being presented.

National media outlets everywhere would be promoting and reporting on the issue, which raises awareness of the subject. This is the exact reason why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is so heavily promoted. This is the same concept on how Penn State should represent these victims in their bowl game.

The Penn State story is not going away anytime soon, which means neither are the eyeballs fixated on Happy Valley. The ratings for the Penn State/Nebraska game on Saturday were twice what they normally are for its time slot. People are going to tune into Penn State football the rest of the season, it’s a lightning rod. A bowl game is another national stage and opportunity to raise awareness about child abuse to a large audience.

The effort of the team, coaches, and fans to wear blue at the Nebraska game was commendable last Saturday- I give them props. However, for the bowl game Penn State should step it up and make a huge statement.  As well as the Blue jerseys, the Nittany Lions should wear blue, pants, socks and shoes in honor of child abuse victims. Their typical helmets should remain classic white, but with a commemorative blue ribbon on the sides like a logo. It’s obviously a small and simple gesture, but uniforms get so much publicity these days in college football that it would go longer way than people expect.

Raising awareness to millions by creating conversation about an uncomfortable and taboo topic is more important than any type of donation these causes could receive. Penn State should put their embarrassment and shame aside and be a martyr for the cause.

To be clear, Penn State should not accept any bowl invitation if their intentions aren’t to fully donate all revenue or to promote their university rather than a charitable cause. 

For Penn State, playing in a bowl game should not be about winning a football game, either. Frankly, they don’t deserve to win, which is a completely unfair statement to the current and past players of Penn State Football. They sacrificed far too much to try and ensure they win on the field.

It should be about playing for the victims of Jerry Sandusky. Penn State now has a moral obligation to raise awareness about these types of horrendous injustices, specifically because they allowed them to occur for the sake of protecting football fortune. 

It is impossible the amount of money and awareness raised through one bowl game will ever be enough to resolve the inaction of Penn State officials. Five million bowl games wouldn’t be enough. 

However, it’s time for Penn State to be leaders and turn a negative situation into a positive for the community.

Criminal acts deserve criminal resolutions and a monetary probation coupled with community service seems like the appropriate fit in Happy Valley. It’s hard to say how many games would be appropriate for this issue, in fact it’s impossible.

However, one thing that is for certain is that Penn State University shouldn’t coward away from their situation because it’s dishonorable. They should own up to it and do the morally profound thing by helping those who they’ve allowed harm.

We Are..?

Well, that remains to be seen.

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2011 Big 10 Preview: Analyzing the Odds

In the past year, the Big 10 has been on a re-branding campaign, adding Nebraska to the B1G Conference and placing them in the Legends division. What? It’s true; times are changing in the Big 10.

With the season upon us, we no longer have to discuss why the Big 10 has twelve teams and Big 12 only has ten. Instead, it’s time to determine who will be playing each other in the Big 10’s first ever conference championship game. This is should be a very competitive year in the Big 10 as it features nine teams that went to a bowl game in 2010.

***If you place a wager, please wager responsibly. Do NOT place a wager that is outside your financial means. If you can’t afford to lose that amount, then it is outside your means. There have never been and never will be a LOCK on any particular game. Anything can happen inside the lines on any given day, like a 36 point underdog in Stanford beating USC on the road in 2007.

Now that you plan to wager responsibly, let’s take a look at some Vegas odds on the B1G Conference

Legends Division

Projected Winner- Nebraska (-165): It’s easy to understand why Nebraska is such a huge favorite to win their division in their first season in Big Ten play, as they return one of the country’s best defenses, led by Jared Crick. The big question for Nebraska will be on offense, mainly at the Quarterback position. We know how electrifying Taylor Martinez can be running the ball, but the key to Nebraska’s offensive success will hinge on his ability to throw the ball, which he struggled with last season.

Nebraska has the hardest schedule of any team in the Big 10. Minus Minnesota, their schedule consists of seven bowl teams from 2010, who happen to be the seven betting favorites (behind Nebraska) to win the Big 10. They start conference play @Wisconsin followed by a home game against Ohio State, a very tough back to back. After a bye week and a game @Minnesota, they then rattle off games against Michigan State, Northwestern, @Penn State, @Michigan, and Iowa. What a truly brutal stretch.

Without a doubt, Nebraska will be one of the best teams in the Big 10 this season. However, given the uncertainty at the quarterback position coupled with their daunting Big 10 schedule, I can’t find any reason to lay that type of juice on this team to win their division.

Value Wager- Iowa (+800): Iowa must replace a plethora of talent from last season, which includes Ricky Stanzi, Adrian Clayborn, and Christian Ballard. With only eight true starters returning from a team that went 8-5 last season, there should be little room for optimism, right?

Actually, this team could be every bit as talented, if not better, than the team they had last season. They return the core of their offensive line, which includes both tackles. This should bode well for Marcus Coker who, at times, looked like he is a future stud in the making. If James Vandenberg can be an efficient game manager, their offense should be in very good shape in Big 10 play. Iowa must replace three players in their defensive line they lost to the NFL last season, which will be the key for the defense. If they are able to find a consistent pass rush, things will be looking up in a hurry for the Hawkeyes.

The schedule is where you have to love the division odds for this team. They begin Big 10 play with a very winnable road game at Penn State, a team who seems offensively confused and questionable. They then get Northwestern, Michigan, and Michigan State at home, which is favorable. The rest of the schedule fills out with games where they must avoid slip ups against Indiana, @Minnesota, and @Purdue. If they take care of business, their last game at Nebraska could be meaningless as far as the division goes.

Given their schedule and the fact you could be getting 8-1 on your money their last game of the season at Nebraska, I think a small value wager on Iowa could be justified.

Why Not

Michigan State (+450): Last year, Michigan State took advantage of a favorable schedule to finish 11-1 in the regular season.  In 2011, they aren’t as fortunate with road games at Ohio State, Nebraska, Iowa, and Northwestern. The road games at Nebraska and Iowa put them in an unfavorable position in any tiebreaker scenarios for the division.

Michigan (+775): They were extremely close to being my dark horse for the division, but I couldn’t pull the trigger based on their schedule. Road games at Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa, and Illinois are all practically toss up games for Big Blue. Finishing the season with Nebraska and Ohio State back to back could be tough for a team that lacks experience in the depth chart. I think Michigan is going to surprise some people this season, but I just couldn’t see them taking the division in 2011.

Northwestern (+950): It's just weeks before the season and Dan Persa is still ailing from off season Achilles surgery which is cause for concern. On top of that, I’m not sure Northwestern has the defense to contend consistently in Big 10 play. I like them for an upset or two, but not the division.

Minnesota (+5300): They finished strong last season with a two game winning streak, but it’s too bad it only bumped their win total to three. They have a long ways to go before they are contending.

Leaders Division

Projected Winner- Wisconsin (+130): Wisconsin was projected to be a pretty good team again this season and that was before they landed Russell Wilson at quarterback. Now they are projected to win the division and possibly be a national title contender. Wilson now gives Wisconsin a legitimate offense to go with, what should be, a legitimate defense. This is probably the most complete team in the Big 10.

They have a bit of a tough schedule that includes road games at Michigan State, Ohio State, and Illinois, even though they should be a favorite in all of them. If they can take care of business at home against Nebraska and Penn State, they will be in great shape to win the division.

Looking down the line at a discombobulated Ohio State and an uncertain Penn State, it’s easy to see why Wisconsin is the favorite to win the division. I think there is another BCS bowl in Wisconsin’s future and even at low odds, they should be worth a wager.

Value Wager- Illinois (+1200): Last season, Nathan Scheelhaase emerged as a capable signal caller for new offensive coordinator Paul Petrino’s offense. They had some up and down moments last season, which were growing pains for a relatively young team at its core. This season, both units should be vastly improved and possibly ready to take the next step in conference play.

Upon the team’s improvement, the true value in Illinois lies in their schedule. They get most of their tougher opponents at home (Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin) and yield road games to lesser opponents (Indiana, Purdue, Penn State, and Minnesota). If Illinois has taken that next step, this schedule is by far one of the more manageable ones in the conference.

Realistically, this is probably going to be a middle of the pack Big 10 team. However, they do get Ohio State and Wisconsin at home which gives them some help towards their cause concerning any division tie breakers. Since Ohio State and Penn State are a little bit down heading into this season, it could be the perfect storm of  Zook magic to challenge Wisconsin for the division. It’s worth a small wager, but I wouldn’t go too deep into the pockets for it either.

Why Not

Ohio State (+240): Considering they get Wisconsin and Penn State at home, it was really hard not to pick the Buckeyes as the division winners. Ohio State should still have one of the best defenses in the Big 10 and could finish the season strong once they get players back from suspension. It’s hard to overlook this off season and feel comfortable putting my hard earned cheddar on such a tumultuous situation like the one in Columbus.

Penn State (+260): I’m not sure what Penn State is going to bring to the table offensively this season. Their odds are too short to take a chance that the QB situation could get settled and an effective offense could emerge. I have them at eight wins tops.

Purdue (+3500) or Indiana (+5000): The Colts or the Irish would be the only teams in Indiana with a chance to win this division. Since one is in the NFL and the other is out orbiting the college football universe, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Big Ten Champion

Nebraska (+175)

Wisconsin (+250)

Ohio State (+525)

Penn State (+600)

Michigan State (+1250)

Iowa (+1900)

Michigan (+1900)

Northwestern (+2500)

Illinois (+2900)

Purdue (+10000)

Indiana (+13500)

Minnesota (+16000)

Both divisions could easily come down to tie breaker situations- that’s how competitive the B1G should be this year.

UPSET ALERT: I believe the championship game will feature the Wisconsin Badgers against the Iowa Hawkeyes, leaving the newly added Cornhuskers out in the cold.

Wisconsin and Iowa match-up in very similar ways, but I have to give the edge to the Badgers as they are far better at the QB and DL positions.

Projected Winner: Wisconsin (+250)

Value Team: Iowa (+1900)

Questions and comments are always encouraged.

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Doomsday: A Super Conference Scenario

As discontent and concern with the Texas Longhorn Network’s programming arise, so do the rumblings of a doomsday scenario for the Big 12.

The Big 12 soap opera, starring the Texas Longhorns, continues to build towards the finale of Season 2: Conference Instability. 

And no, the Longhorns do not intend to air this on their network.

Disgruntled Texas A&M isn’t showing their cards and it is unsure if their threats of bolting for the SEC are legit or if they are playing the part of a grounded child threatening to run away.

Lets pretend the Aggies do run away from home and this allows Texas to go independent. Where would the rest of the Big 12 realign and would this trigger riot like robbery of other BCS conferences to create “Super Conferences?”

In the end, I came up with a preamble to a true Super Conference scenario.Lets take a look.
 

SEC (14)	BIG 10 (16)	Big East (12)	PAC 12 (12)	ACC  (12)
Florida	Iowa	Pittsburgh	California	Boston College
Georgia	Michigan	West Virginia	Oregon	UNC
Kentucky	Michigan State	Rutgers	Oregon State	NC State
South Carolina	Minnesota	Cincinnati	Stanford	Virginia
Tennessee	Nebraska	Syracuse	Washington	Virginia Tech
Vanderbilt	Northwestern	UCONN	Wash State	Wake Forest
Missouri	Purdue
	Wisconsin
Alabama	Illinois	Louisville	Arizona	Duke
Arkansas	Indiana	SFU	Arizona State	Clemson
Auburn	Ohio State	TCU	Colorado	Florida State
LSU	Penn State	Kansas	UCLA	Maryland
Miss State	Oklahoma	Kansas State	USC	Georgia Tech
Ole Miss	Oklahoma St	UCF	Utah	Miami
A&M	Texas Tech
	Baylor

Naturally, Texas A&M makes the first move and jumps ship to the SEC. This is a good move for the SEC, who can now claim a share in the Dallas and Houston TV Markets.

Not only are they getting TV ratings, but they would be adding one of the top football programs in the nation. Texas A&M has one of the largest stadiums in College Football (approx. 83,000), top notch facilities, and a plethora of tradition and pride in their program. They even claim to be the “Alabama of the West.”

Next the SEC would try to court the Oklahoma Sooners and add another national powerhouse to the conference. This could become a very sticky situation because the SEC is stuck in their current TV deal.

OU comes paired with Oklahoma State. I do not see a financial advantage for the SEC by adding Oklahoma State and having to split their pie even further. 

If Oklahoma State comes, then the conference would almost have to add a 4^th team to make divisions even for competition purposes. Basically, Oklahoma equals three pieces of the pie and I think the value of the current conference makeup outweighs adding Oklahoma and two friends.

In this situation, the SEC should look to add one more team. I think they would turn their focus to Florida State and pursue them vigorously, only to be spurned by the Seminoles. 

So what now?

Missouri was ready to bolt from the Big 12 conference last summer and was pining for an invite from the B1G  (that’s Big Ten and yes spellcheck , B1G is a word). 

For reason’s unknown, the invite never came and Missouri’s desire to escape from the Big 12 was duly noted by many around the country.  If the Big 10 didn’t want Mizzou, why would the SEC? 

On top of being a quality football program, Missouri offers the SEC potential to tap into the Midwest TV market and they are also the best available fit to even out the divisions in the SEC. 

I think Missouri is expecting a Big 10 invitation in a few years when the conferences TV deal with ABC/ESPN is up in 2016. However, if the SEC were to send them an invitation, even in the form of a tweet, I think Mizzou would accept without hesitation.

Now that Oklahoma has spurned the SEC, this becomes a great opportunity for the Big 10. Jim Delany has to be looking at the Pac 12’s new TV deal, less than a year after expansion, and wondering what the Big 10 could get in 2016 if they expanded.

If the Big 12 begins to crack, I would not be shocked to see Jim Delany make an aggressive move towards expanding the conference with Oklahoma as the centerpiece and Oklahoma State. 

I believe the “Big 12 South” group would stick together and the Big 10 would take Texas Tech and Baylor, with the consolation that at least they are tapping into the Texas recruiting pipeline and TV markets. If the Big 10 wants to expand South, they almost certainly would have to stomach adding Baylor even though they would probably prefer TCU.

Now equipped with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Baylor, they will be salivating to start negotiations in 2016. 

Rumor has it they will finally change their name from the Big Ten Conference to the Big Ten National Bank once the deal is finalized. No word yet on the new logo. 

I think the Big East is a considered a candidate for invasion due to the national perception of an overall lack of elite competition in the conference. Take the 2011 coaches poll as an example - ZERO Big East teams ranked in the Top 25.

However, I think the invasion of the Big East would come in “Phase 2” of Super Conference alignment when four conferences of 16 are created. For now, they will be in a great position to pick up some pieces to strengthen the overall quality of the conference.

The Big East made a very quiet and opportunistic move last summer by adding TCU to the conference beginning in 2012. They add a pipeline in the Texas market, as well as a program that finished ranked 7^th, 6^th, and 2^nd in the final AP Poll from 2008-2010.  A great football move for the conference.

Next, the Big East can recruit some Big 12 leftovers, Kansas and Kansas State. Kansas had some recent success with a BCS Bowl victory in 2007 and Kansas State was wildly successful under Bill Snyder in earlier years, so there is some level of respect that comes with these programs.

The Big East is widely considered the best brand of College Basketball and bringing in Kansas and Kansas State certainly will help their cause in that aspect (especially Kansas).

The last addition was between a handful of C-USA teams and in the end I chose Central Florida. They are a natural fit for the conference and their recent bowl win our Georgia also gives them credibility on the field.

Adding these teams and remaining opportunistic increases the conferences stability and certainly helps them increase their revenue for their upcoming TV deal in 2013.

 

At this point, I couldn’t see the PAC 12 making a move to add four more teams to the conference. Yes, they made a huge push last summer to add teams, but they also had negotiations of a new TV deal on the horizon.

Now that they have secured a monster deal and each conference member will be paid handsomely. It’s hard to imagine them wanting to share that revenue further, especially when it seems they are ahead of the curve for now.

I went back and forth on where the Big 12 South teams would fall. At this point, I did not feel it made financial sense for the PAC 12 to add four more teams. It was hard to dismiss them as a landing spot since Larry Scott has the reputation of someone who will look at every angle and opportunity. 

One angle I came across with the PAC 12 was, IF the College Football landscape did shift to four super conferences, where would they find four quality teams like the Big 12 South? Geographically and traditionally, there are few teams that would make sense for the conference that would be left over (assuming BYU and Texas remain independent).

I could see Larry Scott making the move to protect the conference’s future in a super conference scenario, but in the end I couldn’t pull the trigger.

The only scenario I could see playing out where the ACC added teams was if the Big East dissolved. Since this did not happen, no teams were added.

I did tinker with a scenario where the SEC was able to steal Florida State and Miami away from the conference, but the more I researched I felt this was very unlikely for the time being.

I think the next step in this situation would happen if the SEC poaches teams from the ACC like Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, or Virgina Tech. If that were to happen, then I think the Big East would get raided.



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