Penn State at Alabama: Game Time Announced

alabama football bryant denny 300x182 Penn State at Alabama: Game Time AnnouncedThe game time for the Penn State at Alabama game has been announced.  The kickoff time will be 7 pm EST, which is 6 PM CST or local time in Tuscaloosa (also known as T-Town).  I think this is a perfect time, this gives everyone plenty of time to primed up for the big game, but also provides the ability for the partying to resume at a reasonable hour after the game ends (around 10:30 pm local time).

So what should a Penn State Fan expect from Bryant-Denny Stadium, the home location of the Alabama Crimson Tide?  This stadium will complete this year their seventh expansion project, the new official capacity is 101,000, which is an increase from 92,000+ from the last few years.   The stadium opened in 1929, but considering the commitment the Tide have to football, the stadium has been kept up to date for the most part.  The surface of the stadium is good ole grass, none of this fake stuff which some schools use these days. Read the rest of this entry »

No Surprise, ESPN.com Says Penn State vs Alabama is “Top Opportunity” for Big 10

penn state alabama logo 150x65 No Surprise, ESPN.com Says Penn State vs Alabama is Top Opportunity for Big 10The World Cup only has 10 or so days left, we have a few big golf tournaments left, and soon all this LeBron soap opera will be history.  Not many obstacles are in the way before August is here and pre-season practices starts for major college football.

Anyway, the blogging will do nothing but pick up steam, and here is one that caught my eye on ESPN.com.  Adam Rittenberg the Big 10 blogger has posted up his top 5 opportunities for the Big 10 to earn some respect out of conference, and the #1 game is no surprise:  Penn State vs Alabama.

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Big Ten 2010 – 2011 Bowl Schedule: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

big ten logo circle 150x150 Big Ten 2010 – 2011 Bowl Schedule: The Good, Bad, and the UglySomewhat lost in all the conference re-alignment news (and rumors) this off-season is some other changes in the college football landscape important to fans, including Penn State fans.

The bowls games and teams which the Big Ten will be playing this coming bowl season are going to be pretty different than what we have seen in the past.  Here is a detailed breakdown of where Big Ten teams will be heading late in 2010 and early in 2011.

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Nebraska v. Penn State: Instant Rivalry

nebraska huskers logo 150x93 Nebraska v. Penn State: Instant RivalryFor those that don’t remember, and considering most reading this blog are Penn State fans how can you not, but Nebraska won the 1994 National Championship (pre-BCS) rather than Penn State.  Instantly, the vast majority of the Nittany Nation had deep animosity towards the children of the corn.

Now, of course it is not their fault, it was the fault of the sports writers, who decided National Championships prior to the BCS.  But the Nittany Nation had to blame someone for not winning a National Championship after another undefeated season, including a Rose Bowl win (where may I remind you, even though the #2 Lions played a #17 Oregon Ducks team, we covered the 17 point spread), they were left with nothing to show for it (oh, except the New York Times National Championship).

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Alabama Game Preview – From an Alabama Insider

While Penn State and College Football Fans struggle to get through the long, dead portion of the sports calendar, we bring you a guest post from a true Alabama insider.  Get geeked up for the Penn State vs Alabama game in September by reading his take on Alabama football, the Bama gameday scene, and the PSU vs Bama match-up.

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penn state alabama logo 300x130 Alabama Game Preview   From an Alabama InsiderFor those who have never been to Alabama, you are in for a real treat.  Alabama has an interesting place in SEC lore.  Obviously, it is the most successful program in SEC history.  Due to this, it is, at a minimum the #2 rival for every SEC team it regularly plays, if not its #1 rival.  Auburn and Tennessee both consider BAMA their number 1 rival.  With LSU, it is probably their #1.  For others, it is their #2 (Florida, Georgia and S. Carolina don’t play Alabama enough to consider it a major rival).

This is something that I have noticed about Michigan.  Everyone in the Big 10 (Mid 11 as it is called in the south – we may be slow down here, but we can still count) consider them a big rivalry.  So, everywhere Alabama goes in the SEC, there are strong opinions about it.  If you get a perspective of Alabama from one of those teams, expect for it to be heavily slanted. Read the rest of this entry »

Big Ten Expansion: All About Money

big ten map expansion usa 300x206 Big Ten Expansion: All About MoneyAll this talk of the Big Ten expansion has me very excited for several reasons.  First, it is about time the Big Ten had a championship game providing the conference some relevancy during early December.  Second, it is nice to think that what the Big Ten does in the next few months could shake-up the entire landscape of college football (and all college sports for that matter).  And Third, it gives us all one more excuse to think and discuss football during the slow summer months.

So who will eventually join the Big Ten?  Based on the officials from the conference, the general consensus is that it will come down to several factors, location, TV market, academics, and 'fiscal potential'.  Let's be real honest though, this all comes down to one thing and one thing only, who can make the Big Ten the most money and on the other side of the coin, who can make the most money by joining the Big Ten. Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Babb is closer to home at Iowa State? What does this mean for 2011?

chris babb penn state 300x191 Chris Babb is closer to home at Iowa State?  What does this mean for 2011?After a rough men's basketball season to say the least, a few players decided to transfer and leave the program.  I presume they either 1) left on their own, as they no longer wanted to be part of a program which seems doomed for failure or 2) were forced/encouraged to leave, since Penn State really did not have any scholarships available if the entire roster stuck around; and this team needs some fresh blood, it is pretty obvious that the same group of players in 2011 would not fair much better than they did in 2010.

So this week, we get news as to where one of those transfers ended up.  Chris Babb, from Arlington, TX said he left Penn State to be 'closer to home'.  I guess Iowa State is closer to home, but it is not like his parents or he himself will be driving the 750 miles between Arlington and Ames, IA on a regular basis, if ever.  I guess the flight time is shorter and he/his parents can get a direct flight, but come on, 'closer to home'. Read the rest of this entry »

Will JoPa Leave Penn State?

Joe Paterno's JoesUnless you've tuned completed out of all sports media outlets in the last few days, you've been bombarded with stories, talking-heads, and banter about LeBron James and his possible departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers.  I suspect that we will continue to hear about this for weeks, probably months especially during this dead period, when even his own league's playoffs and championship can't out play it in the media.

I have to admit, while I'm pretty indifferent to the NBA and don't follow Cleveland sports in the least, it is somewhat of an intriguing story because its the mega version of a classic sports theme that we've probably all experienced with one of our sports teams.  Does a hometown hero stick it out with where he began, in a seemingly good and lucrative situation.  Or does he leave for all the potential of greater riches, wins, but also risks?

On the other side of that equation, there seem to be fewer and fewer examples of premier sports athletes or coaches who are sure fire bets to never leave their teams.  You probably know one of them.

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Your Map-Based Guide to the Conference Expansion Season

big ten logo map 300x215 Your Map Based Guide to the Conference Expansion SeasonAs we've blogged here a few times, we are into the 'dead zone' in sports especially college sports.  The most attention capturing thing going on right now for Penn State fans is likely the conference expansion happenings.  This is especially true since the Big Ten seems to be driving this boat (for now), and when you let your imagination run with the scenarios, implications, and benefits to Penn State and the Big Ten, it is truly unbelievable.

While on a forum recently, someone had a link to a simple map of Div-I college football schools across the US.  It was very helpful in terms of contemplating further conference re-alignment scenarios.  So when I decided to Google up more similar maps, I was amazed to find some really cool things. Read the rest of this entry »

Battle is Not Entering the NBA Draft

talor battle senior 150x100 Battle is Not Entering the NBA DraftTalor Battle has decided to come back for his senior year and once again lead the Nittany Lions, but lead them where is the bigger question.  But let's concentrate on Mr. Battle for this blog.  Talor is undoubtedly one of the top players in the Big Ten, over the past 2-3 years, but would his game translate to the NBA?

As for the positives, he is very quick, has very solid ball handling skills and can create his own shot, all things the scouts like to see.  As for his 'development' areas, to me there are many, he is not a leader (but admittedly that is not required of every player), his outside shot is not consistent and while he has good ball handling skills sometimes he tries to do too much and makes more turnovers than a scout would like to see.  Read the rest of this entry »

Wannstedt at Pitt Offers no Clues on Big Ten Expansion; Illinois Game Set for Noon

pitt logo 150x75 Wannstedt at Pitt Offers no Clues on Big Ten Expansion; Illinois Game Set for NoonIts the 'dead zone' in regards to sports as far as I'm concerned (sure there's NHL and NBA playoff, college baseball, and some golf - but those are niche sports to me).  That means college sports fans continue to be consumed with expansion talk.  I'd say this off season it has hit DEF CON 'critical' as the moves being contemplated are the ones that have always talked about making all the dominoes fall in terms of conference structure.

For Penn State fans, an intriguing chess move sub-plot to all this is if Pitt could possibly end up in the new Big 10 (aka Big 16), thus adding their instate rival back to the schedule.  Take it for what its worth, but Pitt's head coach says he's heard nothing on it.

Also, the homecoming game for 2010 is set.

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Penn State to Play in Primetime in 2010

penn state beaver stadium night 150x112 Penn State to Play in Primetime in 2010If playing at Alabama in week 2 was not enough spot light for Penn State already, it was announced today that Penn State will play two of their games this upcoming season during primetime, starting at 8pm.  The first game will be October 2nd at Iowa, a place where Penn State has had plenty of trouble coming away with wins.  This will be the Nittany Lions first Big Ten game of the year and they should come into the game with 3-1 record.

But the surroundings of Iowa City should not be too intimidating for a Penn State team that will have already traveled to Alabama earlier in the year, where some think they will also play a night game. Penn State has not had too much recent success with Iowa, who have beaten Pen State 5 of the last 6 times, coach Ferentz really seems to have JoePa's number as of late.  Iowa returns a strong team this year, and should compete very well in the Big Ten. Read the rest of this entry »

Penn State Blue White Game: Nothing New

Penn State football spring game 150x94 Penn State Blue White Game: Nothing NewSo what did we learn from Saturday's Penn State Blue White game, nothing in my humble opinion.  It looks to me that 2010 Penn State Season will be just like so many other years in the past, the success of the team will be predicated on the effectiveness of the five offensive starters in the trenches, the 0-line.  Even with 3 returning starters and some new starters who have previous playing time, one might think going into the summer the fall starters would already be set.

But is seems obvious that this coaching staff will be 'tweaking' this 0-line well into the season.  Ok, the QB position will also be a key component to defining success in 2010, but if the o-line figures out a way to establish a good ground attack and an ability to provide a little protection during passing plays, the QB play will be just fine.  A good to great offensive line can make any QB look pretty darn good.   Read the rest of this entry »

Penn State Blue-White Game: On-Site Report

penn state spring game 150x124 Penn State Blue White Game:  On Site ReportWhat started as a beautiful day for tailgating and football ended a little sloppy weather wise and on the field.  For those that have not attended a Blue White Game in a while, you would be pleasantly surprised by the changes that have taken place over the years.  It has become more of a celebration of spring in Happy Valley, and a glimpse into the football crystal ball, more than an important football event to used to predict the future.

The University has really catered the event to the family experience for  Blue White Weekend, including events such as “Penn State Idol”, “Wingfest", and a fairly large carnival that brings in folks from all over the area.  Of course it was a beautiful Friday so in most folks eye this may have been the star of the show.

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Big Ten Expansion: What is Best for Penn State?

big 10 logo 150x86 Big Ten Expansion: What is Best for Penn State?With reports from the Chicago Tribune that the Big Ten is increasing the pace on conference expansion, with something happening in as soon as 2011, what situation is best for Penn State?  The biggest gain, other than adding Notre Dame, might be adding the old time rival in Pitt.  At the end of the day, right now Penn State does not a consistent year to year rival.

While we might think it is Ohio State and/or Michigan, we know they view one another as a rival and Michigan drops off our schedule every so often.  The only other potential 'rival' might be Michigan State, the team Penn State plays every year at the end of the regular season.  But the Spartans don't view Penn State as a true rival that would either be Michigan or Notre Dame.  So adding Pitt, maybe even a game Thanksgiving weekend, would be an opportunity to put Penn State into the spotlight during one of the biggest rivalry weekends of year. Read the rest of this entry »

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