Penn St. vs. Temple - Counterpoint to A-Hole O' Day

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I think local columnists just like to gripe. After our buddy at Pitt complained about I-AA scheduling, the folks at Penn St. are are griping about a new series with Temple (http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/sports/colleges/pennsylvania_state_university/11650278.htm).


You knew, you just had to know, that when the NCAA voted to allow its Division I-A football playing schools to add a 12th game to their seasons, Penn State would go looking for its long lost friend and doormat to fill that opening.

Instead of breathing life into the dormant rivalry with Pitt, or going after an attractive inter-sectional opponent (like, say, your Patriot League friends over in Bethlehem, Easton or Lewisburg - LFN), Penn State looked eastward where it found a willing partner in Temple.

I'm upset by this since it makes it harder for Lehigh to schedule a I-A game against *2* potential opponents - Temple and Penn St. I was really hoping for something in the future against Penn St., but it just really seems unlikely that State would schedule both Temple and Lehigh in the same year.

I'm guessing here that since Temple is able to offer a home-and-home (in the Linc no less, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles) was what made this more attractive to State, rather than a 2-game deal with guarantees in Happy Valley. Furthermore, Temple will probably be an easier team to beat, and Happy Valley will probably sell out anyway.

Moral of the story: the 12th game will make it easier to schedule I-AAs, but local considerations will always prevail. And whatever happens, the sportswriters will always complain.

[Marcus Garvey]

Well, I can see Temple playing Lehigh, but you're deluding yourself if you think Penn St. will play a I-AA opponent. As long as Paterno is around, that won't happen, no matter how crappy they Lions become. The columnist makes a good point however that Penn St. should be playing Pitt. Hopefully, when Joe Pa is gone (sooner, rather than later), that rivalry can be resumed.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Well, I can see Temple playing Lehigh, but you're deluding yourself if you think Penn St. will play a I-AA opponent. As long as Paterno is around, that won't happen, no matter how crappy they Lions become. The columnist makes a good point however that Penn St. should be playing Pitt. Hopefully, when Joe Pa is gone (sooner, rather than later), that rivalry can be resumed.

I think they won't schedule Pitt because they're afraid they're going to get their brains beaten in. Of course, Penn State these days might also have a tough time with Lehigh or Temple too...

Penn St. doesn't suffer for opponents or putting fannies in the seats (to my knowlege - in the 90's that certainly was the case). So whoever they get to play in Happy Valley will likely sell out in any event.

I guess I see Lehigh/Penn St. as a dream matchup, even if Paterno is a huge barrier to it ever happening. Lehigh and Penn St. play each other in a lot of sports (notably wrestling, where both are routinely Top 25 porgrams) and extending that to football if possible would be great for Lehigh.

I can guarantee that it would even exceed Lehigh/Delaware in fan interest in the Lehigh Valley if nothing else. Penn St. and Lehigh (oh yeah, and Lafayett) are the 2 big football shows in town. It's kind of like Nothern Iowa and Iowa St.

[blukeys]

[QUOTE=Lehigh Football Nation]Penn St. doesn't suffer for opponents or putting fannies in the seats (to my knowlege - in the 90's that certainly was the case). So whoever they get to play in Happy Valley will likely sell out in any event.

QUOTE]

Actually Penn State will probably come close to selling out the Linc. With this deal Penn State essentially gets an extra home date every year. The 20 to 30 Temple fans at the Linc will be home by half time.

I don't think Temple will schedule any more local I-AA's. They have been ducking Delaware for years. Nova embarrassed them a few years back and with the competiveness of Lehigh and Lafayette they too look like possible losses. Temple tries to maintain the illusion of a major college football program by clinging to I-A status. A loss to a well known local I-AA pierces that illusion.

[ccujacket]

The columnist makes a good point however that Penn St. should be playing Pitt.

I agree with the fact that Penn State should play Pitt. What is with these states whose top 2 programs don't play? It's ridiculous.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I agree with the fact that Penn State should play Pitt. What is with these states whose top 2 programs don't play? It's ridiculous.

Why should Penn St. risk losing to Pitt, when scheduling a home game with Temple will provide as much of a sellout as Pitt while allowing your third-stringers to start the 3rd quarter? (Oh, wait, this is Penn St. - maybe midway through the 4th quarter.)

Not saying I agree - but I can see Penn St.'s position. Pitt has been clamoring for this for years, hoping to get their FB program some semblance of Penn St.'s stature in the state. Personally both programs are shameful (Pitt) or bad (Penn St.) to me, so it wouldn't affect me one way or another.

In the Lehigh Valley, there's lots more interest lately in Lehigh football than Pitt or Penn St. But that's probably due to the fact that Penn St. has been so bad lately.

[Marcus Garvey]

Actually Penn State will probably come close to selling out the Linc. With this deal Penn State essentially gets an extra home date every year. The 20 to 30 Temple fans at the Linc will be home by half time. .

I have to disagree with that assertion. Since Temple moved into the Vet in the 70's, and now the Linc, they've only ever had one sellout. That was against 'Bama in '88. Penn St. will attract a larger crowd, say 40,000 to 50,000, but not close to a sellout. I think the last time Penn St. played in Philly, it was against Temple at Franklin Field. The crowd was something less than a sellout.

[blukeys]

You caught me Marcus. My basic point was that the Penn State fans will vastly outnumber the Temple Fans at the Linc. as they did at the Vet. I've gone to Miami - Temple games in Philly and the visiting fans outnumber the home fans greatly. The game for Penn State will be a home game from a fan view point and so this is a no brainer for Penn State. Every year they will have another home game. Temple could have helped themselves and I-AA by shifting to that division but arrogance prevented it.

[ngineer]

Why should Penn St. risk losing to Pitt, when scheduling a home game with Temple will provide as much of a sellout as Pitt while allowing your third-stringers to start the 3rd quarter? (Oh, wait, this is Penn St. - maybe midway through the 4th quarter.)

Not saying I agree - but I can see Penn St.'s position. Pitt has been clamoring for this for years, hoping to get their FB program some semblance of Penn St.'s stature in the state. Personally both programs are shameful (Pitt) or bad (Penn St.) to me, so it wouldn't affect me one way or another.

In the Lehigh Valley, there's lots more interest lately in Lehigh football than Pitt or Penn St. But that's probably due to the fact that Penn St. has been so bad lately.

Very true. The radio station that carries Lehigh's games has a rating triple that of the station carrying Penn State. But a match with the Nits won't happen. Joe did play one 1-AA school years ago when his old alma mater, Brown, visited Happy Valley; but that was certainly an exception. Our best shot may be getting some rematches with Rutgers, with whom we had a great rivalry back the late 1950's-mid-1970's. During that time we split the ten games with them.