ESPN blog on Penn State

[Class of 82]

Interesting ESPN article touting Penn State's chances in 2009: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-300/...he-Big-Ten.htmlHighlights:

The Lions lose three starting wide receivers, their entire starting secondary and three defensive ends, including two early departures (Maybin and Maurice Evans). Three-fifths of the starting offensive line is also gone

.But consider who the Lions bring back for 2009:* A first-team All-Big Ten quarterback in senior Daryll Clark * The league's top returning rusher in junior running back Evan Royster * One of the nation's most dominant defensive tackles in Jared Odrick * A first-team All-Big Ten linebacker in Bowman, who ranked fifth in the league in tackles for loss last fall (16.5) despite not starting the first three games * Bednarik Award candidate Sean Lee, who returns from a torn ACL to anchor Penn State's defensive midsection and complement Clark's leadership There likely will be growing pains at several positions, but Penn State has the schedule to withstand them. Unlike last fall, when the Lions visited both Ohio State and Wisconsin for prime-time kickoffs and made a fateful trip to Iowa City in early November, the slate looks extremely manageable.Penn State will be justifiably ripped for its flimsy nonconference schedule -- home games against Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois -- but the cupcake convention could allow the Lions to build confidence in areas like the secondary and the offensive line. The Lions also host their two primary competitors for the Big Ten title, as Iowa visits Beaver Stadium for the league opener Sept. 26 and Ohio State arrives Nov. 7.

[ZachTheZip]

We're the toughest team on their non-conference schedule. Amazing.

[vmd9]

We're the toughest team on their non-conference schedule. Amazing.

They do that every year...such a weak schedule and then everyone thinks they are so good because they only lost 1 game...

[bigham78]

We're the toughest team on their non-conference schedule. Amazing.

They do that every year...such a weak schedule and then everyone thinks they are so good because they only lost 1 game...

No they don't.They're defending Big 10+1 champions and came within a FG of going undefeated. They lost by two TD's to SC in the Rose Bowl.Alabama was supposed to be on this year schedule. But, Bama backed out and they filled the hole with Costal Carolina last year and Akron this year. It would have been Bama, Oregon St, Syracuse and Temple last year. But, instead remove Bama and insert Costal Carolina. Akron would not have been on schedule this year had Bama not backed out of the contract. Bama did reschedule the games for later. Bama replaced Penn St with Va-tech and their non conference slate looks like thisVa-TechFlorida InternationalNorth Texas ChattanoogaPenn St non conference slate in the past seven years has includedMiami Notre DameBoston College Nebraska In 2003 they played BC and Nebraska back to back week. Before you pick on Penn St non conference slate. I suggest you take a look most of the big boys non conference games. Please be sure to check out the SEC you know the conference that so tough conference games. That all the members decide their non conference slate is little sisters of the poor X 4 every year. You want talk about every year. Florida your defending National Champions has not played a non conference game outside of the State of Florida since 1992.

[vmd9]

We're the toughest team on their non-conference schedule. Amazing.

They do that every year...such a weak schedule and then everyone thinks they are so good because they only lost 1 game...

No they don't.They're defending Big 10+1 champions and came within a FG of going undefeated. They lost by two TD's to SC in the Rose Bowl.Alabama was supposed to be on this year schedule. But, Bama backed out and they filled the hole with Costal Carolina last year and Akron this year. It would have been Bama, Oregon St, Syracuse and Temple last year. But, instead remove Bama and insert Costal Carolina. Akron would not have been on schedule this year had Bama not backed out of the contract. Bama did reschedule the games for later. Bama replaced Penn St with Va-tech and their non conference slate looks like thisVa-TechFlorida InternationalNorth Texas ChattanoogaPenn St non conference slate in the past seven years has includedMiami Notre DameBoston College Nebraska In 2003 they played BC and Nebraska back to back week. Before you pick on Penn St non conference slate. I suggest you take a look most of the big boys non conference games. Please be sure to check out the SEC you know the conference that so tough conference games. That all the members decide their non conference slate is little sisters of the poor X 4 every year. You want talk about every year. Florida your defending National Champions has not played a non conference game outside of the State of Florida since 1992.

well florida's non-conference schedule included Miami, Hawaii, Citadel, And Florida State...with the exception of the Citadel those teams aren't bad, 2 ACC teams and Hawaii who went to the SugarBowl the previous season. I would say that Penn State's schedule would've been more respectable if they did have Alabama, but they had Coastal Carolina from the FCS. They also played in the Big10 which has really been a disappointment recently. The previous year they had Notre Dame, but opened against Florida International, but also played Buffalo and Temple. I still feel that they will always be overrated. If they would have played say Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, etc they would have lost by a lot, similar to the USC game. Even though the Big10 had a few ranked teams, their bowl wins show that it has been weak compared to other conferences.Maybe I'm a bit biased because I am from PA and HATE PennState because of their obnoxious fans and teams filled with criminals.

[bigham78]

We're the toughest team on their non-conference schedule. Amazing.

They do that every year...such a weak schedule and then everyone thinks they are so good because they only lost 1 game...

No they don't.They're defending Big 10+1 champions and came within a FG of going undefeated. They lost by two TD's to SC in the Rose Bowl.Alabama was supposed to be on this year schedule. But, Bama backed out and they filled the hole with Costal Carolina last year and Akron this year. It would have been Bama, Oregon St, Syracuse and Temple last year. But, instead remove Bama and insert Costal Carolina. Akron would not have been on schedule this year had Bama not backed out of the contract. Bama did reschedule the games for later. Bama replaced Penn St with Va-tech and their non conference slate looks like thisVa-TechFlorida InternationalNorth Texas ChattanoogaPenn St non conference slate in the past seven years has includedMiami Notre DameBoston College Nebraska In 2003 they played BC and Nebraska back to back week. Before you pick on Penn St non conference slate. I suggest you take a look most of the big boys non conference games. Please be sure to check out the SEC you know the conference that so tough conference games. That all the members decide their non conference slate is little sisters of the poor X 4 every year. You want talk about every year. Florida your defending National Champions has not played a non conference game outside of the State of Florida since 1992.

well florida's non-conference schedule included Miami, Hawaii, Citadel, And Florida State...with the exception of the Citadel those teams aren't bad, 2 ACC teams and Hawaii who went to the SugarBowl the previous season. I would say that Penn State's schedule would've been more respectable if they did have Alabama, but they had Coastal Carolina from the FCS. They also played in the Big10 which has really been a disappointment recently. The previous year they had Notre Dame, but opened against Florida International, but also played Buffalo and Temple. I still feel that they will always be overrated. If they would have played say Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, etc they would have lost by a lot, similar to the USC game. Even though the Big10 had a few ranked teams, their bowl wins show that it has been weak compared to other conferences.Maybe I'm a bit biased because I am from PA and HATE PennState because of their obnoxious fans and teams filled with criminals.

Penn St fans are no more obnoxious then any big schools fans. If, you really think PSU fans are so bad. You should try living down here in the heart SEC country for football and ACC for basketball. I went to PSU games for over 10 years when I lived in NE Ohio and I know PSU fans and they're no worst then any other rabid college football fans of a big program.As for team filled with criminals they're under 85 scholarships from all the suspensions and players kicked off team. Their headlines are no worst then what most programs go through these days with society current warts. The program has never been on NC2A probation for anything. You're more then a bit biased.As for Florida so called great Non Conference 2008 slate. I believe the final scores speak for themselves.Florida 56 Hawaii 10Florida 26 Miami 3Florida 70 Citadel 19Florida 45 Florida 15Hawaii got blasted in Sugar Bowl by UGA 44-10 proving what fraud they were and Miami and Florida St have been down as of late. That non conference slate of Florida for 2008 was about as creampuff as they come.Penn St is also 16-16 lifetime Vs the SEC and Michigan is 20-5-1 Vs SEC. A couple of recent losses by Ohio St hardly means the SEC is far superior to the Big 10+1.

[UA Fan]

IT'S GAME WEEK! Here's some more bulletin board material:http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dufres...0,5783425.storyWe are first base on PSU's "patsy grand slam"