Paterno sounds off
Joe Paterno wants some changes in the Big 10.
Paterno sounds off
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
Joe Paterno wants some changes. Here's the link to the ESPN.com story that lays it all out.
He wants an expansion of the Big 10 to a 12th team -- Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, he doesn't seem to care. He wants a post-season playoff because the Big 10 "go(es) into hiding for six weeks" after the regular season while the other conferences get ready for their playoffs. He says he brings it up and Big 10 officials "snicker" behind his back. He says they don't know that he knows that they're snickering -- until now, anyway.
The people at Rutgers and the rest also will be heartened to hear that Paterno believes Penn State is the only team from the Northeast with a chance at winning a national championship. He said, "The only [Northeastern] team that's got a shot would be us, and yet we've got a tough job because the Big Ten is not as visible in the key times as the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12."
He also said that he actually coached this spring, as opposed to simply overseeing things the previous year. And he said that might be the "kiss of death."
Big 10 is impossible to change; they still call themselves that after what 15 years, they have 11 teams. They still don't recognize PSU in their head count. Why does everyone pick on the Big East for their conference enlargement? Temple is available and I believe they are in the Northeast and it won't effect a BCS conference. It would also give Temple the attention it working hard to get.— popelarsky1970- great call Joe. he's been ahead of the curve for years. the big ten stinks and he knows it. never wanted to be a part of it in the first place. he tried to form his own conference back in 1993 with pitt, w va, syracuse and others, but it fell apart at the last minute when pitt backed out. then they were forced to join the big ten which is a midwest conference that PSU has no business playing in as a northeast team. it's ashame there is no true powerful northeastern football . since it is the most populous part of the country.— Ryan
- Ryan, I'm not sure you could have more components of that story wrong. First, by 1993 Penn State was PLAYING in the Big Ten, never mind trying to find an all Eastern conference at that point in time. I believe PSU announced it was going to the Big Ten in 89 or 90. Second, the legend of Joe's all-eastern conference proposal late 70s and early 80s) has been distorted over the years, so I won't kill you on that one, but it is still inaccurate as said. Pitt never agreed to anything, nor did Syracuse or BC, so no one backed out. Why? Paterno's proposal was one whereby PSU would keep all to a large portion of its football revenue but everyoen would share the basketball money evenly. You can understand the protective nature of that proposal from PSU's standpoint, but why would Syracuse agree to share its revenues from packing 30k into the then new Carrier Dome but not get the benefit of PSU's football monies?? That's not how conferences work and the other schools never ever agreed to it because of the inequities of the situation. (Even if you don't find it inequitable, there was never an agreement). I know you didn't address it, but the PSU rejection into the BE has also been distorted over the eyars. Pitt and Penn State were both trying to get into the Big East for hoops around the same time, Pitt got in and Penn State was blocked. Not by Pitt, they couldn't vote. (Explained thoroughly here: http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/bobsmizik/archive/2009/03/10/how-penn-state-almost-joined-big-east.aspx) Unfortuately Joe has tended to blame Syracuse and Pitt over the years but it simply isn't accurate as to the BE portion.— DJMAC
- I'm a season ticket holder for PSU football, and I would give anything to escape from the Big 10. We are not a midwestern school, and the conference is terribly boring. Would love to join the ACC.— YodelInTheVlly
- Candidates for me would be WVU, Mizzou, and Iowa State— Pville12
- My understanding is that Penn State wanted an all sports league for the football teams and wanted the smaller Catholic schools in a seperate division of the Big East for hoops and everything else.— StevenT
