BSD Mailbag 10.2.26
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Some of us were really worried about the Wisconsin game. I had Penn State -3, but they still lost. Now, we should be dreading the NWU game. Looking ahead, it feels even worse. This could be a 6-6 team. Sure, they will win Purdue, Maryland, and Rutgers, but the Minnesota game is a toss up. Lose that game and they will be so 6-6? Why because Wash, USC, Michigan – are hard to see as wins, if they play as they did against Temple and Wisconsin. Penn State fan since 1968., worried, want Campbell to succeed.–Goldschmidt
This could be a 6-6 team, sure. This could also be a 10-2 team. I think it’s still too early to decide – because we haven’t yet seen how this team responds to a loss.
Just as last year, after the loss to Oregon, Penn State’s season wasn’t derailed; it wasn’t until after the next game, when they were favored by (iirc) at least three scores over a UCLA team playing for an interim head coach, where it was obvious that the team had just quit, and the season was basically over. Honestly, losses in any of the next three games won’t get me there – unless they lose in a fashion that I just can’t bring myself to expect yet.
I would perhaps feel differently if Penn State played the best we’d seen this year, and still lost. That would mean this team’s ceiling isn’t good enough to beat a Wisconsin team that wasn’t favored, and tried to give the game to the Nittany Lions. But I think we all can agree that this was the worst offensive performance all season and it wasn’t close, led by a truly bad quarterback performance. I’m heartened, at least headed into week five, because we’ve absolutely seen this offense (and this quarterback) play far better than they showed last week – and as a well-known coach once said, you’re never as bad as you think you are after a loss (paraphrasing, of course).
If the team plays the way they’ve been able to prior to week four, we can win any of the next three games. But if we play the way we did this past week, or even close to it, we could lose all three as well.
It’s just too early to go in one way or the other, without knowing how this team responds to true adversity.
I wonder if people ever stop to consider THEIR accomplishments at ages 18-23 before ripping into individual players. Did Rocco have a terrible game? Sure – but he has also thrown for 10,000 yards in just over 41 games. That’s an average of 250 yards a game. I look for him and the team to bounce back, despite the detractors. Whattayathink, Cari?–PSU_Lions_84
He absolutely can bounce back, as the rest of the team can. Will they, with a quick 6 day turnaround? We’ll see in just a few short hours!
Should James Peoples be RB1 against NW? With a 4.8 YPC in an otherwise pathetic Offensive showing, he was the one shining light on that side of the ball.–Nittpicker
I’ve thought that he’s the Peoples running back since week two versus Temple, when he was the only serviceable back. My beliefs were only solidified after the last two games; yes, every back looked good against Buffalo, but Peoples was the first to rip off an electric explosive play. He set the tempo for that team, and was put in a position to do so (not being asked to run up the middle on possession after possession). I’m going to be in the Peoples camp until he proves me otherwise.
Was that Wisconsin “incomplete pass” actually a fumble? It looked like he pumped, brought the ball back to his chest, and then the ball slipped out of his hand. I thought the refs were supposed to let the play run and fix it in replay if there was any question.
I haven’t seen any discussion of it, which is understandable because holy shit wtf was that offense? But that looked like a scoop 6 to me and that would’ve iced the game.
It’s possible the answer is in the game thread, but my hazmat suit is at the cleaners so I’m not going in there.–InflammableDumpster
I appreciate that you clarified in your comments that this call absolutely is not what cost Penn State the game – we definitely deserved to lose this game, regardless of the call. But I do disagree with you; I think this was an incomplete pass, however, I believe it was really intentional grounding. It certainly seems like refs are bending over backwards to NOT call intentional grounding on quarterbacks, even when the so-called “eligible receiver” is 4-5 yards away from the ball and it doesn’t cross the line of scrimmage. The spirit of the rule is being violated over and over again, in all sorts of matchups.
If Penn State loses to NW this week, how much does that blow up the WhiteOut atmosphere vs USC?–sundog21
It’s already sort of blown up. On the secondary market, tickets for this year’s white out are cheaper than they’ve been in a few years – under $250 a seat. They’ll likely go down even more if the Nittany Lions lose to Northwestern; the student section will also be less of a factor this year than in past, especially since the attendance has already declined game-to-game after the switch to the student lottery system a few years ago.
I was planning to get to a second game this year, as follows:
- 20% chance: white out – my nephew is LA born and bred and a Trojans fan. He’d fly out and we’d go together.
- 80% chance: Michigan game. My buddy in NYC is from Detroit and went to UM. We’ve been talking about going to a game together for a while. Would fly out together for the weekend.
After Saturday’s mess (not to mention Michigan’s nonsense vs WMU), I’m feeling hopeless and don’t really want to do either. Anyone want to convince me to do it, as neither opportunity will happen again for a few years or more.–Homer Ozzie & The Straw
Both probably have the same possibility of happening in the coming years, but for some reason USC visiting Penn State feels like more of a novelty, so I’d definitely do that one. Plus, even with the loss, the tailgating scene remains undefeated!
Lastly, Lincoln Riley is firmly in the hot seat, and USC’s defense is apparently atrocious. That one, at least as of writing this, seems more winnable to me, and even if it’s a loss you wouldn’t have to deal with smug Michigan fans afterwards. That’s a win-win to me.
Did Deon Barnes leave on his own or was he not retained by CMC? The DEs are non-existent and his tenure had pretty high DE play. Very disappointed in this unit, they are well below average.–S.PhillyPSUDog
If memory serves, he was offered a position on staff but Matt Campbell was outbid by South Carolina. With how hot Shane Beamer’s seat is right now, though, he may be back on the market sooner rather than later – and that may be something Campbell couldn’t (and shouldn’t) pass up.
Taking into account that the answer can’t be “why not both”, if you could choose between having a great and dominant offensive line, but a mediocre defensive line, or a great and dominant defensive line, but a mediocre offensive line, which one are you choosing? I’ll hang up and listen.–LTFT1000
I’d definitely choose a great offensive line, and I’m not sure it’s close. I was a student during Penn State’s “dark years”, where we had a great and dominant defensive line full of future NFL draft picks – and we still had losing seasons, as the line on defense couldn’t score points enough to win games (a proposition that Kirk Ferentz feared more than our offense).
A dominant offensive line can make average skill position players look elite, and open up holes for a run game that wouldn’t otherwise be there. If you can outscore your opponent by bullying your way down the field on every possession, all you need is luck and/or one good defensive stop, and you’ve won the game.
How is our recruiting looking for December signing? Generally compared to this time 2021-2025–PSU1979dude
Admittedly, I don’t follow recruiting as much nowadays as I used to, so I’m not sure where to go for prior rankings at the end of September/early October. But I can tell you where we ended up in each of these years (via 247 composite rankings):
2025: 15
2024: 15
2023: 14
2022: 6
2021: 21
So, we’re actually ahead of where we ended up in 2021, and aren’t too far off from 2023-2025, so could easily get there with a few elite players. And keep in mind that there was only two recruiting classes in the Franklin era that were top ten in their year – he averaged around #15 in his entire time here.
With the portal, is recruiting as important as it used to be? I’ve heard some suggest that a better use of NIL money is to find Jr or Sr transfers that have proven they can play in college rather than throwing big ducats at some HS kid who hasn’t proven anything.–Pasadena’95
This honestly makes a lot of sense to me. It’s certainly worked for Indiana – their composite ranking for the 2026 recruiting class (you know, the one that was finalized after they won the title) was 29th, and their 2025 class was #49. Right now, their 2027 class is in the 30s. But they’ve focused on transfers – and they have the rings to show for it.
One of the complaints about James Franklin was that he would play conservative when up or in big games in general. Why would CMC think that replicating that would go over well? Alternately if the conservative play calling is baked in to CMC’s nature, then why did Kraft think it was a good idea to hire him, knowing how the fans feel about “playing not to lose”?–eternalpessimist
I noticed that the conservatism in Franklin’s coaching wasn’t necessarily tied to “big” games or when up – but rather whether he felt that our team was in terms of talent versus the team across the field from them. If Penn State was similar in terms of skill and talent, Franklin played conservatively. If we had demonstrably more talent than our opponents, he was far more likely to take risks and play aggressively. This is epitomized by this decision:
Does Franklin call that fake against Ohio State or Michigan, when leading by one? LOL, of course not.
On a scale of 1 – 10 what is your confidence level in the ability of the team to get things back on track? I am not sure what to think since this is a new coaching staff. If it was the prior coaching staff, I’d be fully expecting a loss to Northwestern on Friday. Under Joe Paterno I had the opposite expectations. Joe’s teams always seemed to bounce back, except the 1999 team. I’ll be going into this game without an idea of which way to feel.
We’re taking the kids to the local orchard this weekend for fall fun. Which apple variety is your favorite?–Gerry Dincher
Probably around a five? I wouldn’t be surprised if they do get things back on track, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t. I truly feel like anything is possible, and this season could be 6-6 or still 11-1. Yes, that’s the wishy-washiest of replies, but it’s the God’s honest truth. I’m with you – I have no idea which way to feel.
As for apples, I like most apple varietals, except for red delicious (it’s not an apple, it’s pretty cardboard) and granny smith (ok for baking, but far too tart for me for eating).
Kraft was recorded saying “How do you **** up Penn State?” in 2025 on the leaked audio in the context of how he couldn’t mess up the coaching search. Given (1) how badly the coaching search was mishandled; (2) all the empty seats in the brand new $700mm stadium addition for a primetime Big Ten homecoming game; (3) with season ticketholders having their prices and donation requirements massively increased next month (plenty of stories of people I know refusing to renew as a result); and (4) the depletion of talent and lack of NIL competitiveness for roster-building….
At what point do we realize Pat Kraft *****ed up Penn State?–Blumski13
If there’s Penn State fans who don’t already realize that Kraft fucked up the coaching search last fall, I haven’t met them. I am not off the Campbell bandwagon yet (it’s far too early for me, I’ll be on it until at least October 2027), but Kraft has rubbed me the wrong way since the jump.
And it’s not just because I’m one of tens of Penn State basketball fans, but also because he seems so performatively bro-ey. It gives the ick.
As for the rest of your comments, the renovations seemed absolutely necessary to me but perhaps not to this extent (and I’m still devastated that my decades of sitting in the west upper deck will never be back). I do have to say, though, if I decide to keep my seats in the North end zone next year, they’re only going up less than $50 a ticket – after not going up for a few years. That actually seems reasonable to me.
But not knowing your audience and thinking you’ll sell out $5k/seat club seats years before they’re available is laughable, and I’d be surprised if new west side club seats aren’t available for every game next year.
If Penn State was still pink and black, could you think of a worse color matchup than Northwestern with purple and white?
BTW does Northwesterns’ helmets remind you of a grape Tootsie Pop?
Also Oregons’ uniforms don’t count, they’re self clashing.–wvpsufan
As a native Marylander, the Terrapins’ color matchups with themselves are almost always worse than what you described – let alone whatever the team opposite them are wearing.
The flag is and always will be an abomination.
Should I stay away from the in-game threads? I normally do, other than to check how many comments were there but this past week, I was chasing bootlegged streams because I refuse to pay for Peacock and had some time while listening and surfing. At one point, when PSU was up 17, I posted “They’ll play conservative now” mostly in jest and a few commenters replied with “No way” and “You’re an a-hole” and other not so positive things. I don’t know for sure if they played conservative or not but it sure looked that way.–LarzLion
The football game threads are notoriously a cesspool. I haven’t waded in any this year so I’m basing this on prior years’ threads, but there are folks in there who don’t comment on any other threads, and it’s always incredibly pessimistic – even when we’re winning. For years I only would read them after the fact, and only if we ended up winning the game. I don’t regret the choice, and if you value your blood pressure, I’m not sure you’ll wade back in during the game again.
Should BSD nation be in panic mode or is it just one B1G game and yes, CMC & ISU west were overwhelmed by 107K strong?
We all seem to be running around with our hair on fire.–AndOthersReceivingVotes
Do you even BSD, bro?
Every year, the sky is falling after the first loss – even if it’s a close loss, to a top team. Sometimes the sky really is falling, but more often than not, it’s not – and if you’re waffling, like LarzLion is above regarding the game threads, I recommend staying away from the comment sections after a loss as much as possible.
What 1990’s Julia Roberts movie would the Wisconsin loss represent?–Liongame
It’s gotta be My Best Friend’s Wedding. Julia Roberts’ character is supremely confident, convinced that her best friend is going to choose her and she’s going to “win” in the end – only for Cameron Diaz’s young upstart to truly be the love of the male protagonist’s life, and Julia sad on the sidelines with her GBF.
Penn State and us fans were the cocky main character left disappointedly watching the festivities, by the way.
Rate the denouement of the following romantic comedies based on the level of disappointment you continue to feel (on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being Penn State Wrestling and 10 being Penn State Football):
1. Notting Hill
2. The Break Up
3. Shallow Hal
4. Sweet Home Alabama
5. The Five Year Engagment–seemsez
- Notting Hill – 2 or 3 (it’s pretty satisfying)
- The Break Up – 7 (it makes sense for the characters, but I want a happy ending with the two MCs, thank you!)
- Shallow Hal – 10 (just because I find the movie disgusting)
- Sweet Home Alabama – 1 (I love this one)
- The Five Year Engagement – I am unable to rate this one as I haven’t seen it (I know)
Did you go to an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 3, 2024?–Liongame
No, but nor did I go to an NCAA basketball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Maryland Terrapins (my two least favorite women’s basketball programs in the Big Ten).
Are you an “I told you so “ person? Because right now I want to be an “I told you so “ person about this team , but I’m not really one in real life. What has been your biggest “ I told you so “ moment in life so far ?–paa0028
I try very hard not to be, because it doesn’t get you anywhere. Typically, the person you’d say “I told you so” to already knows that you were right – and one gets very little out of gloating like that.
My biggest “I told you so” moment was probably work related; back before I got into my current industry, in the mid-aughts right out of college I was a retail manager. The last store I ran was in a storefront of around 10k square feet, but did the business of a 2k square foot storefront. The man hours that we were given by our district was based on sales, not shrink needs, and so I was often the only person working during the day – leaving the store vulnerable to theft. I was very aware and hired great folks, so we were able to keep shrink down; but I lobbied for almost a year to bump out the back ⅓ of the store with temporary walls so that the location better met its sales needs, and would be easier to cover during low-staffing hours. I was repeatedly rebuffed, over and over again, until it was a deciding factor for me to leave the retail industry completely.
Less than a year later, when shrink in the store had gotten so progressively bad, they put up a temporary wall, blocking off the back third of the store so that theft would go down.
Phil Knight made headlines by donating a billion dollars to the University of Oregon. If you had a billion dollars and you could pick just one group, organization, institution, etc. to give it to, who would get it and why?–Gerry Dincher
Besides Penn State (I’d replace the BJC with a better mixed-use arena actually owned by the University, and fund massive renovations to Rec Hall that would include permanent box seats for myself and my family, including future generations)? Currently I do have ongoing donations to a number of charities; I won’t name them all here, but they include the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (helping unhoused community members in the county in which I grew up) and Camp Kesem (a summer camp for kids whose parent(s) have or had cancer). I know you said just one group, but I’m not sure I could pick just one – I’d rather Mackenzie Scott it.
Do you like cigars or pipe smoking? I don’t smoke personally, but I’m here for the second hand, somehow.–ckmneon
It’s been a few years, but I do enjoy it. I’m with you, though, even more than smoking a cigar myself, I enjoy being around someone smoking a cigar – I find the scent calming.
What’s a popular food that you think restaurants don’t make right?–Liongame
I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that, on the whole, restaurant food has gone down hill in recent years; I’m sure that private equity has something to do with it.
I can’t think of anything in particular that restaurants don’t make right, but some things that my family and friends make better than almost every restaurant I’ve been to in recent years are pierogi (PSUgirl makes absolutely the BEST pierogi, and it’s not even close) and any variety of cake my sister makes inevitably beats the same cake in any restaurant, and I’m not sure it’s close.
What is a common, ordinary food or drink item that most people in the United States probably have consume and enjoy that you have never eaten? What’s something that many other people really enjoy that you don’t ever want to eat again?
I’ve never had a Big Mac, despite the hundreds of times I’ve been to McDonald’s and I have never had Spam. I’ve never had regular Coors or Miller Lite. I’ve lived to regret having had scrapple, olives, and salmon.–Gerry Dincher
I’ve been a pretty adventurous eater so there’s not much that I haven’t at least tried, even if I regret it (and I vehemently do NOT regret eating the three things that you listed in your question, and in fact have eaten all three voluntarily within the last few months, though not at the same time). Unlike you, I have tried a Big Mac and spam; I can easily do without the former, but sometimes I do think about the latter (especially in Spam musubi) and wish there was a Hawai’ian restaurant closer to me.
I found this list of the top 100 most american foods, and the only thing I haven’t tried is Navajo fry bread, but now I really want to (I’ve had similar fry breads, and loved them).
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos