Rare sight: Something good at Penn State

Both of your authors at An 'Eye and an 'Eer despise Penn State. But there are a number of things the students do well at PSU and this is one of them—THON, a student-run charity that raises money for childhood cancer research at Penn State. This is not small potatoes as THON raised almost $8 million.

This group of Nittany Lions players showed some skills and even included a white boy who rivals the 'Eer's dancing skills. And if you want to see another great video from the event check out Tucker doing Boom Boom Pow.

(HT: Black Shoe Diaries).

Cryogenically preserved JoePa

Not that we meant to go back-to-back on the JoePa posts, but after reading this cover how pissed is Bobby Bowden right now? Probably not as mad as his wife.

Are Penn State fans pleased with this proclamation? They can't be surprised. Seriously, the guy is kept alive through some crazy cryogenic lab in State College anyways, so who's to say he won't be coaching at 100.

Start the bidding at ...

Does anyone really need to (or want to) see the world through Joe Paterno's eyes besides JoePa? Then why would anyone want to see it through a pair of his glasses?

According to reports, Joe and his wife have donated a pair of the coach's signature thick glasses for an auction put on by PSU's public broadcasting. The auction takes place Feb 20 ... in case you want to make a bid.

To whet your appetite a bit more, JoePa autographed the glasses with a Sharpie. On second thought, the glasses might look good next to my Jerry Tarkanian towel and Bum Phillips cowboy hat.

I'll start the bidding at ...

Capital One embarrassment

Trying to watch any of the Capital One Bowl today was painful (almost as bad as watching Cincinnati's performance against Florida). Everyone involved with organizing that game should be embarrassed by the field conditions that Penn State and LSU were forced to deal with.

Bowl games are supposed to be a memorable experience, and not resemble the movie Hard Rain with Christian Slater. We already witnessed earlier in the week when Miami's Graig Cooper suffered a nasty injury because of the miserable field conditions. This should not have happened and it needs to be remedied before they play another bowl game here.

The above image is from Penn State assistant Jay Paterno's Twitter feed (Hat Tip: Dr. Saturday).

No class Nittany Lions

I'll say it again ... Penn State fans are classless.

Bowl Preview: Capital One Bowl

Capital One Bowl
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando
LSU vs. Penn State
Date: Jan. 1
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: ABC
Line: Penn State -2

About Penn State (10-2): Joe Paterno will claim his greatest victory after Friday's game, having outlasted that dastardly Bobby Bowden. Paterno, 145, will coach again next year unless someone forgets to recharge his animatronic soul over the summer. The Nits are okay. Decent defense but the offense struggles to run the ball which puts too much on Darryl Clark at quarterback.

Intangibles:
Non-conference schedule: -3
White Out: +1
Isn't anything involving students at Penn State a "white" out?: -2

About LSU (9-3): Les Miles is quickly wearing out his welcome in Baton Rouge, losing three games this year (including one in stunningly stupid fashion.) LSU is all over the place inconsistent. Sometimes they can run the ball, sometimes they can't. Sometimes they play great defense, some times they don't.

Intangibles:
Tiguh Bayyt: -2
Game clock, Les: -3
The Hat: +3

Impact player: Penn State RB Evan Royster. PSU has to run the ball. HAS TO.

Bowl slogan: "Citrus? Pfft. This country was founded on high-interest debt for people who can't afford it!"

Little known fact: I attended the 1993 Citrus Bowl. Somewhere in that little lake outside the stadium probably still reside some possessions of mine.

Watchability (1-5): 4.3

The pick: LSU 24, PSU 17

Penn State proves BCS worthiness through video

Apparently Penn State wants to play in a BCS Bowl ... badly. Since the Nittany Lions aren't guaranteed a spot, but are eligible the university has created this nifty video to tout its great fans to the men (and women) who decide at the Orange, Sugar and Fiesta bowls.

Iowa may deserve the spot, but Penn State is right on this one. Money and fans are what drive the system. Sorry Hawkeyes, but Penn State is probably headed to the Orange or Sugar.

Podcast: Episode 47

How dedicated are we? Both Phil and Tom are down and out with the flu, but we didn't want to postpone an episode of An 'Eye and an 'Eer.

So naturally we had to talk about Brandon Spikes' eye-gouging moment against Georgia, but more importantly the inconsistent discipline being handed out for such incidents (hey folks, Urban Meyer is not he choir boy he plays on TV).

How damaging was Michigan's loss to Illinois for Rich Rodriguez' future in Ann Arbor? His life expectancy may have been shortened from four years to three because of it. RichRod better hope for that sixth win soon and a bowl bid.

How about Oregon's shredding of USC last weekend? Does this mean Boise State could screw up the whole BCS thing? Probably not. But it does mean we could have four or five undefeated teams at the end trying to stake a claim. A couple other tidbits from the show: Phil doesn't see how Ohio State can win at Penn State, while Tom thinks this is the year a player from a non-BCS school could win the Heisman Trophy.

Poor sportsmanship by the Gopher

Minnesota's mascot, the Gopher, wasn't showing great sportsmanship as he mocked Penn State DE Jerome Hayes, who was saying a prayer before Saturday's game. This seems to fly in the face of the Big Ten's public service announcements.

AEAAE Top 25 (Week 3)

The pollsters at An 'Eye and an 'Eer are still shuffling teams around based on weekly performance. It seems the top-ranked Gators are the only team who has any security in our rankings.

So here are the AEAAE rankings:

Team (LW) Record
1. Florida (1) 5-0
2. Alabama (3) 6-0
3. Texas (2) 5-0
4. Cincinnati (5) 5-0
5. USC (10) 4-1
6. Iowa (8) 6-0
7. Virginia Tech (14) 5-1
8. Boise State (7) 5-0
9. Ohio State (13) 5-1
10. Miami (16) 4-1
11. TCU (6) 5-0
12. LSU (4) 5-1
13. South Florida (15) 5-0
14. Kansas (9) 5-0
15. Oregon (18) 5-1
16. Penn State (17) 5-1
17. Georgia Tech (19) 5-1
18. Nebraska (22) 4-1
19. Oklahoma State (20) 4-1
20. South Carolina (24) 5-1
21. Notre Dame (NR) 4-1
22. Brigham Young (NR) 5-1
23. West Virginia (23) 4-1
24. Oklahoma (NR) 3-2
25. Pittsburgh (NR) 5-1

Others receiving votes: Utah, Houston, Auburn, Wisconsin, Arkansas

No panache at Penn State

When ESPN's Game Day comes to town there is a lot of pressure on the student body to be rowdier and funnier than whatever campus Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso (oh yea, Desmond Howard is on the trailer now) went to the week before.

Penn State's fans this past weekend were up to the task, even as inclement weather approached. But then folks spotted the Erin Andrews sign. No not the one that says "Erin Andrews for Heisman." No the other one. Just look down a little to the left ... you'll see it.

Real classy Penn State.

The best part of that entire day for Nittany Lions fans was when senior meteorologist student Drew Anderson does the weather report during Game Day.

(Hat tip: Penn State Clips)

Erroneous, erroneous ...

Indiana University's recent decision to sell a 2010 home game against Penn State to the Washington Redskins and FedEx Field is a great example of what's dragging down the Big Ten.

Teams in elite leagues can't take from its fans one of the best games on the schedule and give it to the highest bidder. Certainly the league office had to sign off on this deal. So conference officials are just as guilty of bringing down its own reputation.

Could you see Bobby Knight negotiating away a Hoosiers home basketball game when he coached at IU? Didn't think so.

So why would Indiana's Director of Athletics Fred Glass (left) agree to this? Seems a $3 million payday is more than the Hoosiers make for a home game.

"We're a PT boat in a conference dominated by aircraft carriers," said Glass, referring to conference big wigs Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. "It's incumbent upon me to be creative and look for reasonable ways to close that revenue gap. I feel like this is a small step in that direction."

So what's next?

Make a deal with Michigan to play at Ford Field in Detroit? Maybe face Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium? Neither scenario is much different than the deal in DC. Penn State has a large alumni base in the Virginia/DC/Baltimore area, so this is basically a home game for the Nittany Lions.

Phil and I have discussed this frequently on our podcast, and each of us agree it's time for the lower half of the Big Ten programs to step up financially. That doesn't mean selling off home games, instead committing the dollars necessary to attract top coaches and develop the facilities that will bring in top recruits.

Apparently Indiana didn't get the memo.

Bringing boring football practice into your living room since 2008

The Big Ten Network has had its share of detractors (ahem, yours truly), but even I will admit that the preseason traveling show "Big Ten Tour" has sucked me in. (I'm not sure if that's more of an indictment of my lack of personal life or that I'm just excited for football. I will neither confirm nor deny that I'm currently watching a Purdue pass rush drill.) The show itself is standard fare Big Ten Network clatter - cliche-filled coach interviews, cliche-filled player interviews, cliche-filled analysis. BUT, if you're a fan of a program that locks down preseason practice like it's a CIA black ops (I'm looking at you, Jim Tressel) it's a rare chance to see players in action. If it were up to Tress, I'd imagine the non-conference games wouldn't even be televised just to keep Big Ten opponents from discovering he enjoys running the Power O on first down.

So, rock on, Big Ten Network.

And for the love of God, Revsine, put on some damn socks.

Show Temple some respect

After winning five games last season Temple may be ready to make a run in the Mid-American Conference in 2009. The Owls, who got booted from the Big East, needs to improve on defense to be taken seriously.

Temple should open with a win against Villanova, but then the Owls travel to Penn State. The Nittany Lions should be just fine.

Wait a second. Am I writing about Temple? I guess I just got excited because there's actually video of Temple and that anyone would care. Anyone know where I can get video of Arkansas State?

12 Heismans in one day

That's right. I met 12 Heisman Trophy winners today. OK, I actually paid to get their autographs, but it was a great day. I recall watching each play (except two) and for a mere four bills I added each one to a full-size Heisman helmet I've had for about eight years.

Today's haul:

1. Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, 1972
2. Eric Crouch, Nebraska, 2001
3. George Rogers, South Carolina, 1980
4. Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, 1999
5. Mike Rozier, Nebraska, 1983
6. Tim Brown, Notre Dame, 1987
7. Billy Sims, Oklahoma, 1978
8. Steve Owens, Oklahoma, 1969
9. Chris Weinke, Florida State, 2000
10. John Cappelletti, Penn State, 1973
11. Jason White, Oklahoma, 2003
12. Gino Torretta, Miami, 1992

All 12 were friendly and enjoyed meeting their fans. But of the group I met today, there were three that really stood out. First, was George Rogers. He laughed, told stories and posed for photos with anyone and everyone. Next was Billy Sims. He never sat down and enjoyed mixing it up with the fans. And then there was Steve Owens. He covered all kinds of topics. He chatted with a man from Detroit about the Red Wings. He talked with another man about Penn State and JoPa. With me, he talked about WVU's pasting of his alma mater at the 2008 Fiesta Bowl and how much he loved Owen Schmitt.

So all in all, it was a great day.

2009's worst non-conference matchups

About two weeks ago I gave you my picks for best non-conference matchups for 2009. Now I'm taking a look at the worst non-conference games. Selecting the best was so easy because there are so few good ones and they are games most college football fans would want to see.

In selecting the worst matchups, my criteria was a bit different. Simply I was looking at how embarrassed the BCS team should be for making its home fans sit through this game. So here we go.

1. Charleston Southern at Florida (Sept. 5): I get it SEC fans. Really I do. The SEC schedule is so tough that you can't expect teams like Florida to schedule tough non-conference games. But this one will be ugly so fast that even the pre-game drunk won't make this one fun. Hope it's easy to sneak the Jack Daniels (or is that not SEC enough) into The Swamp.

2. Eastern Illinois at Penn State (Oct. 10): If the Nittany Lions want anyone to seriously consider them a BCS title contender they must stop schedule weak games like this one to pad Joe Paterno's victory total (we all know Tom Bradley should be getting credit for these wins). Eastern Illinois, who went 5-7 last year, will enly the pay day and start getting ready for the Ohio Valley Conference schedule. Hope the PSU fans have plenty of frozen marshmallows for this one.

3. Idaho State at Oklahoma (Sept. 12): Count on the Sooners having one Idaho State on the schedule every year. How ugly will this one be? Consider the fact that WAC cellar dwellar Idaho beat the Bengals by 15 last year. Will someone tell me why Oklahoma is considered a premiere program?

4. Eastern Kentucky at Indiana (Sept. 3): The Hoosiers need all the victories it can schedule. What happens when you lose? That could happen in this one.

5. Indiana State at Louisville (Sept. 5): It's amazing how far and fast Louisville has fallen. The Cardinals should open the season 1-0 under third-year coach Steve Kragthorpe. When and where he'll get the second win of 2009 remains to be seen.

6. Elon at Wake Forest (Sept. 19): Maybe this will develop into a great North Carolina rival. OK, probably not. Heck, I didn't even know Elon had a football team. The Phoenix actually play in the extremely competitive Southern Conference and are ranked in the FCS preseason polls.

7. Idaho State at Arizona State (Sept. 5): Not trying pick on Idaho State, but when BCS schools are tripping over themselves to schedule you there's a problem. The $1 million or more its receiving to play ASU and Oklahoma is probably worth two embarrassing losses.

8. Jacksonville State at Florida State (Sept. 12): The only thing of interest in this game is to watch former LSU star Ryan Perrilloux start at QB for the Gamecocks. Perrilloux started all 11 games last season and threw for more than 2,300 yards. Does he have enough magic in him to pull the upset?

9. Southeastern Louisiana at Ole Miss (Sept. 19): Isn't SE Louisiana where Bobby Boucher was the waterboy? The Lions could use him in this contest. Ole Miss should be moritified by its non-conference schedule.

10. Eastern Washington at California (Sept. 12): In fairness to Cal, the Golden Bears play home against Maryland and on the road in Minnesota's new stadium. So Jeff Tedford's boys have a tough start to the season. Lucky for them they cushioned it with Eastern Washington.

Podcast: Episode 32

Does the NCAA have any backbone left? We don't think so. With the weak penalties being handed out to Alabama and Florida State, USC shouldn't be too concerned about the Reggie Bush fiasco. Phil and Tom also discuss how Penn State is waxing the floor with Pitt in its own backyard and snatching top recruits from the WPIAL. We are also wondering how the Big Ten has three of the top 10 revenue-earning programs in the nation, but still suck. Sorry, but we also broke our own self-imposed rule about not talking about Notre Dame. We just can't help ourselves.

UConn prepares for Big Ten

UConn is the new Penn State.

According to a story at nesn.com, Connecticut coach Randy Edsall has given the OK to a new-look for 2009 that will simplify the Huskies uniforms in the style of Penn State. The new duds were crafted by the geniuses at Nike, which gave us these unis.

Now I doubt the new uniforms look exactly like the one I posted above, but it may not be too far off base either. However, by simplifying things UConn is either letting the Big Ten know it is prepared to join the conference once it decides to expand, or Edsall is trying to let Penn State officials know he's interested in replacing JoePa once he retires.

Pomposity of Penn State

This video is just more proof of how overly inflated the egos are at Penn State and how utterly untalented the student body really is. However, I'm starting to see a correlation between the students and the football team. High self worth, but really overrated.

Nice video, weak schedule

I guess if you have this weak of a home slate you have to put together a video to promote it. I guess Iowa and clearly Ohio State are good games. But some of these other ones are embarrassing.

Don't stretch yourself too much to start the season ... Akron (Sept. 5), Syracuse (Sept. 12) and Temple (Sept. 19) Really Penn State. You can't fit Pitt into the schedule Pitt? It would be a much better match up and rebuild the rivalry.