OT: AAC Fans Beyond Delusional

[SJHooper]

Agree with Jet. Maybe they are stubborn and want to ride it out. Ok, fine. Let them. Once they keep failing and realize that even a good college football team won't take off in the northeast unless they are a top 5 team competing for national championships, they will eventually run out of money and light a match to the program. That's when they come calling for the Big East. It may happen in a few years. It may happen in 10. But they will be back. It just makes too much sense to link back up with a strong major basketball conference rather than stay in a crappy basketball conference for football.

Not really necessary to be a top 5 program competing for national championships.

Penn state aside, Rutgers has been able to pull in 50,000 without that level of program and 50,000 was good enough to get them into the Big Ten. Even in the case of Penn State, they haven't competed for a national championship in 25 years nor have they been top 5, but they're still drawing 100,000. Maryland and Syracuse both draw around 40,000 and neither has competed on a national level for years, but both recently upgraded their conference membership.

It's certainly possible to draw 40-50,000 in the Northeast and that would be enough to get a major conference interested. UConn just needs to establish its brand more solidly and reliably. They've only been coetipng at this level for a decade and that's not long enough.

Penn State was a power house for many years…are you nuts? And that's PA…close to the Mason Dixon. Northeast college football will never take off. Rutgers has not been anywhere close to a national championship.

[Bill Marsh]

Agree with Jet. Maybe they are stubborn and want to ride it out. Ok, fine. Let them. Once they keep failing and realize that even a good college football team won't take off in the northeast unless they are a top 5 team competing for national championships, they will eventually run out of money and light a match to the program. That's when they come calling for the Big East. It may happen in a few years. It may happen in 10. But they will be back. It just makes too much sense to link back up with a strong major basketball conference rather than stay in a crappy basketball conference for football.

Not really necessary to be a top 5 program competing for national championships.

Penn state aside, Rutgers has been able to pull in 50,000 without that level of program and 50,000 was good enough to get them into the Big Ten. Even in the case of Penn State, they haven't competed for a national championship in 25 years nor have they been top 5, but they're still drawing 100,000. Maryland and Syracuse both draw around 40,000 and neither has competed on a national level for years, but both recently upgraded their conference membership.

It's certainly possible to draw 40-50,000 in the Northeast and that would be enough to get a major conference interested. UConn just needs to establish its brand more solidly and reliably. They've only been coetipng at this level for a decade and that's not long enough.

Penn State was a power house for many years…are you nuts? And that's PA…close to the Mason Dixon. Northeast college football will never take off. Rutgers has not been anywhere close to a national championship.

Yes, I am nuts, but not on this point. Thanks for asking.

Being a power house and being top 5 competing for a NC are two different things. Penn State has never been in the BCS championship bowl. They haven't had a single season in the top 5 team at least since before 2000 and haven't factored into the NC conversation in 20 years. They had their moments in the '90's, but they have not been the perennial NC challenger that they were in the '80's since joining the Big Ten.

You're the first person I've ever heard claim that Pennsylvania isn't part of the Northeast. Given the fact that they're in the Ohio Valley, I left out Pitt even though they consistently draw 40-50,000 fans, but they are technically in the Northeast as well.

Is the question whether the Northeast can produce a NC? Because if that's the case, you've just eliminated almost all of the P5 in every region. If the question is whether the Northeast can support college football at the level of the P5, the answer is.: Absolutely. The region is already doing it at Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, and BC.

[NJRedman]

Agree with Jet. Maybe they are stubborn and want to ride it out. Ok, fine. Let them. Once they keep failing and realize that even a good college football team won't take off in the northeast unless they are a top 5 team competing for national championships, they will eventually run out of money and light a match to the program. That's when they come calling for the Big East. It may happen in a few years. It may happen in 10. But they will be back. It just makes too much sense to link back up with a strong major basketball conference rather than stay in a crappy basketball conference for football.

Not really necessary to be a top 5 program competing for national championships.

Penn state aside, Rutgers has been able to pull in 50,000 without that level of program and 50,000 was good enough to get them into the Big Ten. Even in the case of Penn State, they haven't competed for a national championship in 25 years nor have they been top 5, but they're still drawing 100,000. Maryland and Syracuse both draw around 40,000 and neither has competed on a national level for years, but both recently upgraded their conference membership.

It's certainly possible to draw 40-50,000 in the Northeast and that would be enough to get a major conference interested. UConn just needs to establish its brand more solidly and reliably. They've only been coetipng at this level for a decade and that's not long enough.

Penn State was a power house for many years…are you nuts? And that's PA…close to the Mason Dixon. Northeast college football will never take off. Rutgers has not been anywhere close to a national championship.

WTF are you talking about? Are you saying that Penn State is a southern school? It's right in the middle of Pennsylvania, thats not close to being the south. Yes the Mason Dixon line runs across the southern boarder of PA, does that mean New Jersey is close to being southern? You really are clueless.

[Michael in Raleigh]

[quote="Bill Marsh]Yes, I am nuts, but not on this point. Thanks for asking.

Being a power house and being top 5 competing for a NC are two different things. Penn State has never been in the BCS championship bowl. They haven't had a single season in the top 5 team at least since before 2000 and haven't factored into the NC conversation in 20 years. They had their moments in the '90's, but they have not been the perennial NC challenger that they were in the '80's since joining the Big Ten.

You're the first person I've ever heard claim that Pennsylvania isn't part of the Northeast. Given the fact that they're in the Ohio Valley, I left out Pitt even though they consistently draw 40-50,000 fans, but they are technically in the Northeast as well.

Is the question whether the Northeast can produce a NC? Because if that's the case, you've just eliminated almost all of the P5 in every region. If the question is whether the Northeast can support college football at the level of the P5, the answer is.: Absolutely. The region is already doing it at Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, and BC.[/quote]

Bill,

You're correct that Penn State never made the BCS NCG. They came darn close, though. In 2005, Penn State finished the regular season 11-1 with only a 2-point loss at Michigan, with a #3 ranking, which by the way, has been since 2000. They certainly would have been a part of a 4-team playoff if it had been in place at the time. I would qualify that as a season where they competed for the national championship. Additionally, the 2008 team made it into November as the #3 team at 9-0. They lost to Iowa, won their last two regular season games, and then lost to USC in the Rose Bowl. I would also qualify that as a season in which they were competing for the national championship.

[billyjack]

[quote="Bill Marsh]Yes, I am nuts, but not on this point. Thanks for asking.

Being a power house and being top 5 competing for a NC are two different things. Penn State has never been in the BCS championship bowl. They haven't had a single season in the top 5 team at least since before 2000 and haven't factored into the NC conversation in 20 years. They had their moments in the '90's, but they have not been the perennial NC challenger that they were in the '80's since joining the Big Ten.

You're the first person I've ever heard claim that Pennsylvania isn't part of the Northeast. Given the fact that they're in the Ohio Valley, I left out Pitt even though they consistently draw 40-50,000 fans, but they are technically in the Northeast as well.

Is the question whether the Northeast can produce a NC? Because if that's the case, you've just eliminated almost all of the P5 in every region. If the question is whether the Northeast can support college football at the level of the P5, the answer is.: Absolutely. The region is already doing it at Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, and BC.[/quote]

Bill,

You're correct that Penn State never made the BCS NCG. They came darn close, though. In 2005, Penn State finished the regular season 11-1 with only a 2-point loss at Michigan, with a #3 ranking, which by the way, has been since 2000. They certainly would have been a part of a 4-team playoff if it had been in place at the time. I would qualify that as a season where they competed for the national championship. Additionally, the 2008 team made it into November as the #3 team at 9-0. They lost to Iowa, won their last two regular season games, and then lost to USC in the Rose Bowl. I would also qualify that as a season in which they were competing for the national championship.[/quote][/quote][/quote]

Considering what Penn State did almost every year in the 60s, 70's and 80's, what you've described since 2000 is pretty weak... a couple of great but forgotten seasons. Plus back then PSU churned out All-Pro NFL guys, Linebacker U, the RB's, and all that, so they got good press on Sundays too... not sure there are a ton of active current NFL guys from PSU, but I could be wrong (don't follow the NFL as much anymore).

[Bill Marsh]

[quote="Bill Marsh]Yes, I am nuts, but not on this point. Thanks for asking.

Being a power house and being top 5 competing for a NC are two different things. Penn State has never been in the BCS championship bowl. They haven't had a single season in the top 5 team at least since before 2000 and haven't factored into the NC conversation in 20 years. They had their moments in the '90's, but they have not been the perennial NC challenger that they were in the '80's since joining the Big Ten.

You're the first person I've ever heard claim that Pennsylvania isn't part of the Northeast. Given the fact that they're in the Ohio Valley, I left out Pitt even though they consistently draw 40-50,000 fans, but they are technically in the Northeast as well.

Is the question whether the Northeast can produce a NC? Because if that's the case, you've just eliminated almost all of the P5 in every region. If the question is whether the Northeast can support college football at the level of the P5, the answer is.: Absolutely. The region is already doing it at Penn State, Rvutgers, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, and BC.[/quote]

Bill,

You're correct that Penn State never made the BCS NCG. They came darn close, though. In 2005, Penn State finished the regular season 11-1 with only a 2-point loss at Michigan, with a #3 ranking, which by the way, has been since 2000. They certainly would have been a part of a 4-team playoff if it had been in place at the time. I would qualify that as a season where they competed for the national championship. Additionally, the 2008 team made it into November as the #3 team at 9-0. They lost to Iowa, won their last two regular season games, and then lost to USC in the Rose Bowl. I would also qualify that as a season in which they were competing for the national championship.[/quote]

Yes, Michael, but those were isolated seasons over the past 15 years and more. The statement with which I was disagreeing was:

"And even a good football team won't take off in the Northeast unless they are top 5 and competing for national championships."

After giving a couple of other examples of programs in the Northeast that are thriving and drawing crowds, I said that even Penn State hasn't been top 5 and competing for NCs in the past 25 years, yet they are still drawing 100,000.

While you can bring up a few isolated examples of seasons when they were at or close to those criteria, the fact is that Penn State has not been the perennial national contender since joining the Big Ten that it was as an East Indy. In the two seasons you mentioned, they were not ranked in the top 5, which was the criterion given by the poster with whom I disagree. You have to go back to the 1990's to find any top 5 seasons for them.

My point was not to disparage them, but to point out that even without the top 5/competing for multiple NC's stature that the program once had they continue to thrive and draw 100,000 anyway, demonstrating that a football program can endure and thrive in the Northeast without being the repeat national champions that Penn State was in the 1980's.

[gosports1]

Not really necessary to be a top 5 program competing for national championships.

Penn state aside, Rutgers has been able to pull in 50,000 without that level of program and 50,000 was good enough to get them into the Big Ten. Even in the case of Penn State, they haven't competed for a national championship in 25 years nor have they been top 5, but they're still drawing 100,000. Maryland and Syracuse both draw around 40,000 and neither has competed on a national level for years, but both recently upgraded their conference membership.

It's certainly possible to draw 40-50,000 in the Northeast and that would be enough to get a major conference interested. UConn just needs to establish its brand more solidly and reliably. They've only been coetipng at this level for a decade and that's not long enough.[/quote]

Penn State was a power house for many years…are you nuts? And that's PA…close to the Mason Dixon. Northeast college football will never take off. Rutgers has not been anywhere close to a national championship.[/quote]

WTF are you talking about? Are you saying that Penn State is a southern school? It's right in the middle of Pennsylvania, thats not close to being the south. Yes the Mason Dixon line runs across the southern boarder of PA, does that mean New Jersey is close to being southern? You really are clueless.[/quote]

in related news, schools from states such as wisconsin, michigan, minnesota and new york should probably just focus on hockey since they are " so close" to Canada. Canadians haven't really taken to FB as much as Americans....

[DeltaV]

Not really necessary to be a top 5 program competing for national championships.

Penn state aside, Rutgers has been able to pull in 50,000 without that level of program and 50,000 was good enough to get them into the Big Ten. Even in the case of Penn State, they haven't competed for a national championship in 25 years nor have they been top 5, but they're still drawing 100,000. Maryland and Syracuse both draw around 40,000 and neither has competed on a national level for years, but both recently upgraded their conference membership.

It's certainly possible to draw 40-50,000 in the Northeast and that would be enough to get a major conference interested. UConn just needs to establish its brand more solidly and reliably. They've only been coetipng at this level for a decade and that's not long enough.

Penn State was a power house for many years…are you nuts? And that's PA…close to the Mason Dixon. Northeast college football will never take off. Rutgers has not been anywhere close to a national championship.

WTF are you talking about? Are you saying that Penn State is a southern school? It's right in the middle of Pennsylvania, thats not close to being the south. Yes the Mason Dixon line runs across the southern boarder of PA, does that mean New Jersey is close to being southern? You really are clueless.

Penn State is in Pennsyltucky. It's like Alabama with snow. I grew up there; it is nothing like Philadelphia or the rest of the northeast corridor. The Delaware Valley is in the Northeast...the rest of the state is in the midwest. Maybe not by the definitions of the regions, but absolutely by mentality.

[NJRedman]

Penn State was a power house for many years…are you nuts? And that's PA…close to the Mason Dixon. Northeast college football will never take off. Rutgers has not been anywhere close to a national championship.

WTF are you talking about? Are you saying that Penn State is a southern school? It's right in the middle of Pennsylvania, thats not close to being the south. Yes the Mason Dixon line runs across the southern boarder of PA, does that mean New Jersey is close to being southern? You really are clueless.

Penn State is in Pennsyltucky. It's like Alabama with snow. I grew up there; it is nothing like Philadelphia or the rest of the northeast corridor. The Delaware Valley is in the Northeast...the rest of the state is in the midwest. Maybe not by the definitions of the regions, but absolutely by mentality.

I'm lost here. First we get one poster saying they are close to the Mason Dixon line so thats why it doesn't count as a north eastern school. Now we have someone saying they are mid-western because it's not like Philly. Well upstate NY isn't like NYC but that doesn't mean it isn't in the north east. PA is in the North East, just look at a map. It is NOT in the Mid-West. Is it in the stix? Of course it is! Not everywhere in the North East is major metropolitan cities.

[robinreed]

I'm lost here. First we get one poster saying they are close to the Mason Dixon line so thats why it doesn't count as a north eastern school. Now we have someone saying they are mid-western because it's not like Philly. Well upstate NY isn't like NYC but that doesn't mean it isn't in the north east. PA is in the North East, just look at a map. It is NOT in the Mid-West. Is it in the stix? Of course it is! Not everywhere in the North East is major metropolitan cities.

Be patient soon we will learn that SJU is actually in Oklahoma.