Hearing new #psu commit JP Holtz will be a fullback at PSU. Therefore, PSU still going after FL TE Kent Taylor
July 19, 2011 at 1:45 pm · Filed under Featured, Football, Headline, Penn State
Article from NittanyWhiteOut - Penn State Nittany Lions Blog. Read more here
Remember how, after Pat Devlin’s departure, Penn State was pretty screwed because he was the only scholarship QB they’d signed between 2006 and 2008?
Well, I’m sure the coaching staff does, because they’ve made sure to avoid that same dilemma, securing the commitment of Philadelphia’s own Skyler Mornhinweg.
Image credit: MaxPreps
If that last name sounds familiar, it probably is. Skyler’s dad is Marty Mornhinweg, the current offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, and former head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Skyler–sorry, but I can only type out that last name so many times–had committed to Jim Harbaugh and Stanford more than two years ago, when he was a rising sophomore (which probably tells you something about the kid, from both an academic and football perspective). After Harbaugh left for the NFL, taking the job as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Skyler decommitted to explore his options, and Penn State quickly became a leader.
If Mornhinweg isn’t a name you’d become accustomed with over the past few months, don’t feel bad. He’s handled his recruitment pretty quietly, and lacks the stars that makes any player stand out. Rivals grades him as the #29 player in Pennsylvania, and unranked among quarterbacks, rating Skyler as a 3-star prospect. Scout also grants 3 stars to Mornhinweg, listing him as the #44 QB in the class of 2012. ESPN’s slightly more positive, rating him as the #16 QB in the class, awarding the elusive fourth star, and grading him as an 80, which would make him the second highest graded commit to the Nittany Lions thusfar.
But lest you feel that Penn State is taking another flyer on some unknown kid, worry not: Skyler’s offer sheet is pretty impressive. He picked Penn State over national powers like Alabama and Tennessee, and from schools like Illinois and Stanford–who still pursued Mornhinweg. Other interest had come from Northwestern, Miami, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Florida State, and Arkansas. The 6’3, 215-pound Mornhinweg doesn’t appear to be a pure pocket passer–in fact, he was a highly heralded safety for his St. Joseph’s Prep squad last year, named to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s all-Southeast PA team at the position. But he’s no slouch at QB, either, having thrown for over 3100 yards and 31 touchdowns the past two years, en route to a first-team all-Catholic League Class AAAA selection in 2010, even on a team that finished just 4-7.
He’s got the intangibles down, too:
It
July 11, 2011 at 8:16 pm · Filed under Football, Penn State
Article from NittanyWhiteOut - Penn State Nittany Lions Blog. Read more here
Fans rejoice!
Penn State has just announced that the 2011 football team schedule poster is now available to the masses at the student bookstore and various downtown locations.
Fans should be familiar with the design seeing it is an exact replica of this season’s football yearbook cover. The design created to commemorate Penn State football’s 125th season features a vintage blue silhouette of its very first All-American, William Thomas Dunn.
A 4 year starter for the Nittany Lions, Dunn was named captain his senior year for the 1906 squad who finished the season 8-1-1. ‘Mother’ Dunn anchored a ferocious Nittany Lion line that held 9 of Penn State’s 10 opponents scoreless.
Walter Camp even remarked how Dunn “persistently broke through and blocked kicks. Able to run the hundred inside of 11 seconds, he was down under his own side’s kicks with the ends” eventually awarding Penn State’s first recipient of the Walter Camp All-American award to ‘Mother’ Dunn. To this day, Dunn is still regarded as one of Penn State’s all-time greatest lineman.
A truly fitting selection to honor Penn State football’s past in its 125th season.
And the timing of the posters’ release couldn’t have been more perfect with Arts Fest looming this weekend and the throngs of fans expected to be in attendance. The perfect storm from a PR marketing perspective.
Except there is just one little problem.
The actual schedule in the football team schedule posters is incorrect. Unless Penn State is indeed playing the Boilermakers the Saturday following Indiana, the Penn State athletics department is now in possession of thousands of inaccurate team schedule posters. The posters’ designers mistakenly switched the Purdue and Iowa logos from where they should be. A simple, but noticeable mistake that tarnishes an otherwise vintage keepsake befitting of an important milestone in the football program’s history.
Ouch.
Though this isn’t the first time the athletics department has dealt with a public snafu. Penn State accidentally mailed thousands of misprinted tickets asking fans to wear white for the Temple game last season. A clear error considering that the White House is usually scheduled for Penn State’s most marquee opponents, the last one held against Notre Dame. A game against an eastern Pennsylvanian MAC opponent certainly did not warrant the honor. But like this year’s football posters, the error escaped proofreaders and wasn’t caught by the time it was sent to the printers and thousands of fans headed to the Temple game were in possession of misprinted tickets asking everyone to wear white.
Neither error should cause mass confusion where fans will miss games, but let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the dates on this season’s tickets will be printed accurately.
Related Posts:
- Son of a Football Man: Skyler Mornhinweg Picks Penn State
- Penn State wrestlers win 2011 Big Ten Championship
- Nittany Lions to face the Florida Gators in 2011 Outback Bowl
July 11, 2011 at 9:30 am · Filed under Football, Headline, Penn State, Recruiting
Article from NittanyWhiteOut - Penn State Nittany Lions Blog. Read more here
Nyeem Wartman with Joe Pa at Junior Day
Penn State has just picked up it’s 11th recruit for the Class of 2012. Valley View HS linebacker Nyeem Wartman has committed to the Nittany Lions over the weekend. A fitting end to a 5 month process that began with the extension of a verbal offer by Dick Anderson to Wartman back in
March 8, 2011 at 4:16 pm · Filed under Featured, Football
Article from NittanyWhiteOut. Read more here
Ouch. Everyone’s favorite investigative organization largely responsible for the USC and soon to be Oregon NCAA investigations has set it’s sights on the 6-time B1G Champion Buckeye officially declaring open hunt season in Columbus.
The entire mess stems from an violation last December for which the NCAA handed a five-game suspension to the Buckeye Five for selling championship rings, Ohio State memorabilia and autographs mostly to Edward Rife, owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus in exchange for cash and tattoos. The severity of the punishment however, was largely based on the premise that Ohio State investigated and self-reported possible rule violations to the NCAA immediately after being informed by the local US Attorney’s office on December 7, 2010. The NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Staff concluded its own investigation 16 days later, surprising fast, on December 23rd, 2010, suspending offensive starters QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan “Boom” Herron, WR DeVier Posey, T Mike Adams, and backup DE Solomon Thomas for 5 games in 2011 and requiring them to repay money and benefits to charity.
March 3, 2011 at 10:55 am · Filed under Football, Penn State
Article from NittanyWhiteOut. Read more here
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AP Photo/Darron Cummings
The NFL just concluded their Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday where over 300 top prospects were invited to run drills and showcase their athletic abilities for the upcoming 2011 Draft. And Penn State was once again well represented by seniors, Stefen Wisniewski and Evan Royster at this year’s event. The two invites marked the lowest number of participants from Penn State in the NFL Scouting Combine since 2008 when just 3 players were invited to take part. And when compared to the 6 players invited in 2010 and 7 invited in 2009, it is another stark reminder as to just how young the Nittany Lions were last season. In fact, the Lions return 16 starters (7 on offense, 8 on defense and 1 specialist) and 17 players with starting experience in 2011.
Both Wisniewski and Royster ran drills for NFL scouts during the 6 day event hoping to hear their names called on Draft Day joining the 32 former Nittany Lions that are currently on NFL rosters.
Stefen Wisniewski worked out for scouts as a guard and center, both positions Wisniewski is familiar with from his career in Happy Valley. Despite a lackluster 40-yard dash, a drill pretty insignificant when it comes to offensive linemen, he did finish in the top 10 in every other individual category including impressive showings in the Bench Press as well as the 3-cone drill. Among offensive linemen, Wisniewski tied for 6th in the Bench Press with 30 reps and ranked 8th among OL in the 3-cone drill at 7.51 seconds. The biggest knock by scouts on Wisniewski is the need to increase his lower body strength and weight.
“the fact that he tips the scales at merely 297 pounds could limit him to the center position and make him useful in only certain pro schemes. He may be a master technician, but when he faces 340-pound nose tackles in the NFL his current frame simply won
February 2, 2011 at 3:19 pm · Filed under Football, Penn State
Article from NittanyWhiteOut. Read more here
It’s finally here. Months of in-house visits, phone calls, text messages, and premature panic has led up to today when Penn State officially welcomes the Class of 2011. We will keep you updated as the Letters of Intent (LOI) roll in throughout the day. Although with one of the smaller classes Penn State will sign in recent seasons (you only have 85 scholarships, and we are not the SEC West), it should be a fairly predictable LOI Day.
But like every Signing Day, there will be some drama involved especially across the Big Ten landscape. For the Penn State faithful, keep an eye out for safety/cornerback Adrian Amos, who is scheduled to make his decision at 3pm. Will he stick with his original verbal at UConn despite Randy Edsall’s departure or choose the Blue and White becoming the 16th member of the Class of 2011?
We’ll have it all throughout the day.
RECAP
[Update 3:35] So barring any stunning surprises, this will be it for the Penn State Class of 2011. As expected, every one of Penn State’s verbals signed with the Lions. The only surprise on Signing Day came from Adrian Amos who decomitted from his original verbal to UConn and chose to play for Penn State. For a class that many fans felt was on the brink of disaster just a few months ago, the coaching staff really wrapped this one up nicely. Sure it would have been nice to pick up Kyshoen Jarrett, Albert Louis-Jean or even Blake Countess, recruits that would propel this recruiting class into the Top 25, but considering how limited the number of scholarships we could have given for this class, and that we just signed the B1G’s top ranked class just last season, this was anticipated.
This recruiting season, we saw Penn State address two huge areas of need, and that’s reflected in the final commit list. 9 of Penn State’s 16 signees-and most of their highest profile recruits–will play in the trenches, either along the offensive or defensive lines. But that success didn’t carry over to the staff’s other priority–the defensive secondary. Although Adrian Amos was a nice pickup and fills a key need in this class, CB Shyquawn Pullium was the only other recruit in this class that was projected to play in the secondary. This will make the secondary a critical area of need that the coaching staff will definitely be focused on for next year’s recruiting class.
TIMELINE
[Update 3:16] Donovan Smith – 4 star offensive tackle by both Rivals and Scout just sent in his LOI to Penn State. Given Penn State’s struggles along the offensive line in recent years, it’s encouraging to see them focus on that position in this year’s recruiting. Smith now joins Angelo Mangiro and Anthony Zettel as highly sought after linemen who have committed to Penn State in this year’s class. The 6-6, 280 pound offensive tackle picked the Lions over fellow finalists NC State and UCLA during a break at the Army All-American Bowl last month. He also held multiple offers from the likes of West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Michigan State, among others.
[Update 3:11 pm] Adrian Amos – 3 star safety by Rivals, Scout, and ESPN just selected and sent in his LOI to Penn State! Originally a UConn verbal, the Maryland native reopened his commitment following Randy Edsall’s departure for, ironically enough, Maryland. This left less than a month for the Penn State coaching staff to recruit Amos, but it seems as if it has paid off. Amos just announced that he will be trading in UConn’s shade of Blue and White for Penn State’s Blue and White. The first team all-state player, and standout in the Crab Bowl racked up 78 tackles last year, to go along with 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. A true safety, Amos is simultaneously a ball hawk and a heavy hitter, combining solid size–he’s listed at 6’1, 205 pounds–and good speed with nice ball skills. His highlight tape is impressive, and he may be instantly able to step in and improve a very thin Penn State secondary.
[Update 2:49 pm] Shawn Oakman – 4 star DE by both Rivals (#20 DE) and Scout (#19 DE) just sent in his LOI to Penn State. The 6’8, 240 lb defensive end out of Penn Woods in Lansdowne, PA was the first recruit the get the recruiting ball rolling following a long arduous offseason for fans when Penn State had just 1 verbal. Also a highly touted basketball recruit, Oakman has a tremendous frame and can also be slotted in tight end, a position he also played in high school. At Penn Woods, he finished his junior season with 136 tackles, 17 sacks and four fumbles caused. Offensively, he had 20 catches for four touchdowns.
“I couldn’t be happier,” said Oakman, who plans on wearing No. 91 at State College. “It came down to what I thought what college should be and also what college coach was going to push from being good to being great. I think Coach Johnson and Coach Vanderlinden can do that. That’s why I choose Penn State.”
[Update 2:22 pm] Bill Belton – 4 star recruit by both Rivals (#25 ATH) and Scout (#13 WR) just sent in his LOI to Penn State. Like Ben Kline, Belton was originally a Pitt verbal but eventually decommitted following the Dave Wannstedt and Mike Haywood coaching fiasco and elected to go with the Lions shortly after. The 5’9, 180-pounder was one of the top athletes on the east coast, and his offer sheet reflects that. In addition to offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Penn State he was courted by programs as far south as Florida and Georgia Tech, and to the west, from Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Oregon. He became the first New Jersian to pass for 2000 yards and run for 1000 in consecutive seasons, completing 61% of his passes with 21 touchdowns through the air. And on the ground, he ran for more than 6 yards a pop with another 16 touchdowns, a pure testament to his elite athleticism.
We should now be just waiting on Shawn Oakman and Donovan Smith. If Adrian Amos picks the Lions at 3pm, that would be icing on the cake.
[Update 12:45 pm] Anthony Zettel – #5 DE in the country by Rivals / #8 G by Scout. A longtime Wolverines fan who was considered a lock for Michigan until his verbal back in December has sent his LOI in to Penn State.
“Just a great education there, the family atmosphere that they have and great coaching,” Zettel said when asked what set PSU apart. “They teach their players to be good guys and good football players.”
“I liked Michigan, I just didn’t feel like the chemistry was there as much as Penn State,” Zettel said. “It’s not like I didn’t like one thing (about Michigan), I just liked Penn State in every aspect.”
Word is because of the increment weather the NCAA is actually allowing prospects to email/photo their LOIs. We are now just down to Bill Belton, Shawn Oakman, Donovan Smith, and Adrian Amos who is scheduled to announce at 3pm.
[Update 10:22 am] Shyquawn Pullium – 3 star CB by both Rivals and Scout has sent in his LOI to Penn State. Originally considered an ATH/DB prospect, Mike McQueary recruited Pullium exclusively for the CB position. The 6-1, 178 lbs player out of Cathedral Prep, Erie, Pennsylvania originally verbaled to the Lions last January, but instead of signing last summer as he had hoped, academic issues sent him to Kiski Prep in Saltsburg, PA for a year before he could finally enroll at Penn State. If that sounds familiar, it is because Kiski Prep was also the rout another Lion great, Daryll Clark took before matriculating at Penn State. Kiski’s football coach Marcus Muster said the Lions never gave up on Pullium. Mike McQueary along with Prep coach Mike Mischler stayed in touch with Pullium all throughout the fall to make sure he was on track to join the Nittany Lions.
[Update 10:16 am] Jordan Kerner – 3 star DE out of Fairview, Pennsylvania just sent in his LOI to Penn State. Following an offseason with just 1 verbal for the Class of 2011, Jordan Kerner became the 2nd commit in less than a week to join the Blue and White back in June.
The 6’5″, 225 lbs DE picked the Lions over offers from Maryland, Boston College, Rutgers, West Virginia, Iowa and Minnesota.
[Update 9:48 am] Ben Kline – 3 star LB out of Dallastown High School, Pennsylvania has sent in his LOI to Penn State. Originally a Pitt verbal, Kline reopened his commitment following the Dave Wannstedt’s dismissal and subsequent coaching fiasco at Pitt. Initially during his recruiting process, Penn State had shown interest but never extended a scholarship offer. Kline eventually received that coveted offer by Penn State which he essentially immediately accepted just 1 day following Wanny’s dismissal. The 6’2″ 220 lb linebacker eventually committed to the Blue and White over offers from West Virginia, Boston College, UConn, Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Rutgers, Pitt and Vanderbilt. He is reported to be able to complete a surprisingly fast 4.5, 40 yard dash considering his size including routinely posting a 100 meter dash in just over 11 seconds on his track and field team.
[Update 9:36 am] Ryan Nowicki – 3 star offensive tackle by both Rivals and Scout has sent in his LOI to Penn State. The furthest recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2011, the 6’5, 275-pound lineman from Arizona picked the Blue and White over offers from Arizona, Arizona State and more than a dozen programs from USC to Syracuse. It’s not often that Penn State snags a commitment from an Arizona native.
“When I went there, I just had a really good experience, I had a gut feeling that I was supposed to be there,” he said. “I liked everything about it. The players were phenomenal, they were great people, the whole town loves them. They had great players, great tradition. I just don’t think you can go wrong with it. I think it’s an amazing place.”
[Update 9:34 am] Angelo Mangiro – #18 G (3 star recruit) by Rivals / #5 G (4 stars) by Scout / #2 G by ESPN. A lifelong Penn State fan even going as far as calling it his dream school, Mangiro was a huge pickup by the Lions at a time when recruiting for the Class of 2011 was struggling badly. But the 6-3, 295 all-conference, all-region, all-county and all-state guard eventually picked the Blue and White over offers from Florida, USC, Boston College, Notre Dame, and just about every other school in the region.
[Update 8:58 am] Allen Robinson – 3 star WR by both Rivals and Scout out of Orchard Lake, Michigan has sent his LOI in to Penn State. He is out of St Mary’s Prep where he played alongside fellow alumnus Penn State QB Rob Bolden just last year. It’ll be interesting to see the dynamic the two will have on the field. The speedster reportedly runs a 4.5, 40 yard dash where he was mainly utilized as a wideout, but also contributed on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive back.
[Update 8:45 am] Deion Barnes – #6 DE (#2 prospect from PA) by Rivals / #31 by Scout. Deion Barnes has sent in his LOI to Penn State, officially becoming the first member of his family to attend college leaving what is considered one of the worst areas of Philadelphia. His pass rushing skills racked up 85 tackles, 35 for a loss including 13 sacks landed him on the second team all-state.
“I am making this decision because of academics and the comfort level. I am not going to be one of those guys that just stays three years, I want to be there for four. For those reasons, I am going to Penn State.”
[Update 8:15 am] Anthony Alosi is already an early enrollee and does not have to sign an LOI. Matt Zanellato and Sam Fricken have sent in their signed LOIs to Penn State.
Letters of Intent received so far:
Anthony Alosi (Early enrollee)
Matt Zanellato (LOI – 7:46 am)
Sam Ficken (LOI – 8:15 am)
Deion Barnes (LOI – 8:45 am)
Allen Robinson (LOI – 8:58 am)
Angelo Mangiro (LOI – 9:34 am)
Ryan Nowicki (LOI – 9:36 am)
Kyle Carter (LOI – 9:45 am)
Ben Kline (LOI – 9:48 am)
Jordan Kerner (LOI – 10:16 am)
Shyquawn Pullium (LOI – 10:22 am)
Anthony Zettel (LOI – 12:45 pm)
Bill Belton (LOI – 2:22 pm)
Shawn Oakman (LOI – 2:49 pm)
Adrian Amos (LOI – 3:11 pm)
Donovan Smith (LOI – 3:16 pm)
Letters Pending
none
January 17, 2011 at 8:27 pm · Filed under Featured, Football, Headline, Penn State, Recruiting
Article from NittanyWhiteOut. Read more here
Ishaq Williams may have chosen Notre Dame over Penn State, but that doesn’t mean Joe Paterno and his staff can’t finish up their 2011 recruiting class with a bang. With plenty of Nittany Lion prospects still uncommitted, this year seems downright salvageable. Perhaps the commitment of New Jersey athlete Bill Belton–news first reported by FightOnState’s Cory James–will help re-energize the momentum that seemed momentarily lost.
Belton originally committed to Pitt early in the recruiting process, but we won’t hold that against him. He became one of a number of verbal commits to look elsewhere after the firing of Dave Wannstedt (and the subsequent firing of Mike Haywood), and quickly whittled down his choices to West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Penn State, and today made his intentions clear–he’ll join the Blue and White.
The 5’9, 180-pounder was one of the top athletes on the east coast, and his offer sheet reflects that. In addition to the aforementioned four schools, Belton received scholarship offers from schools as far south as Florida and Georgia Tech, and to the west, from Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Oregon. Rivals ranks Belton as the 25th best “athlete,” as the #8 prospect from the state of New Jersey, and as a 4-star recruit, sentiments echoed by Scout–who calls Belton the #13 wide receiver in this class of 2011.
Belton was a quarterback in his high school days, and his proficiency at that position demonstrates his elite athleticism. He was the Courier Post (a regional New Jersey newspaper) MVP, and his statistics are pretty staggering. He became the first New Jersian to pass for 2000 yards and run for 1000 in consecutive seasons, completing 61% of his passes with 21 touchdowns through the air. And on the ground, he ran for more than 6 yards a pop with another 16 touchdowns, inspiring some pretty awesome quotes:
“He’s an alien. He shouldn’t even be here,’’ Eastern coach Dan Spittal said. “He’s that much better than everyone else.’’
“You just can’t stop him. He’s at a different level,’’ Moorestown coach Russ Horton said. “He’s a man playing with boys. He is that good.’’
“I’ve been coaching for 30 years and he’s the best high school quarterback I’ve ever seen,’’ Spittal said. “He can throw with accuracy, he has poise and he runs when he has to. And when he runs, you couldn’t tackle him in a phone booth.’’
It’s not clear what position Belton will play at Penn State, whether it’s wide receiver or defensive back, but it’s clear that this kid is a football player, and is a big get for Mike McQueary, especially after he whiffed on Bill the first time. Reports were that Belton and his family were enamored with Big Red, and it’s entirely possible that the Penn State WR coach will get 4 or 5 years to work with Bill.
What we’ve won after the jump
January 13, 2011 at 3:57 pm · Filed under Big Ten, Featured, Football, Headline, Penn State
Article from NittanyWhiteOut. Read more here
The news doesn’t get better in the midst of one of the toughest television years for college football. Bowl ratings, on average are down 9% from last season including a 11% drop for the BCS title game that went down to the wire between Auburn and Oregon.
Disappointing, but understandable considering that the 4 BCS bowls, plus the title game shifted from Fox and ABC to ESPN, who had to outbid Fox by $100 million to carry the games from 2011-14. A drop in viewership is a usual and expected effect of this broadcast-to-cable shift. Old-line networks (ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS) play to 116 million TV homes while ESPN is limited to about 100 million subscribers, just 86% of the broadcast base resulting in 15-16 million viewers that don’t get satellite or cable who are being disenfrancished.
As sports have moved to cable, we’ve seen the viewership fall. It has happened in the N.B.A., the British Open, “Monday Night Football,” the Breeders’ Cup and Nascar. The nine Chase for the Sprint Cup races that left ABC for ESPN last year had a 20 percent drop in viewers, to 4.4 million.
And on top of that, let’s not forget the matchups that viewers were faced with. The Orange and Fiesta ended in lopsided blowouts between teams that struggle to carry a national audience (UConn, Stanford, Virginia Tech), and even the Granddaddy of them All was handcuffed to a matchup between B1G squad Wisconsin and TCU, a mid major without the cachet of most traditional programs, thanks to a BCS rule requiring them to do so once every 4 years.
So, understandably the ratings for the BCS Title (-11%), Rose (-15%), Sugar (-4%), Orange (-1%) and Fiesta (-25%) bowls are significantly lower when compared to last season. And as much as ESPN would like to spin the numbers in a positive light, the ratings decline remains a tough blow in the fight between broadcasters and cable whose ad-supported networks are battling the advantage of subscriber fees that ESPN charges. It’s tough to sell an unattractive yet overpriced product to prospective sponsors.
But it’s not all bad news. Penn State, once again, has dominated bowl ratings. In fact, the Outback Bowl between the Nittany Lions and the Florida Gators rank 4th among all bowls, BCS and non-BCS drawing more viewers than the Orange and Fiesta bowls. The 7.05 rating represents an eye popping 101% increase more than doubling the 3.5 rating earned last season during an OT thriller between Auburn and Northwestern. Amidst a bowl season when 23 of the 33 returning bowls drew lower ratings than a year ago, including 13 that plummeted by 20% or more, the Outback bowl emerged as a clear winner.
There was a bit of hesitation back in December when the Outback Bowl selected the Nittany Lions with the #2 pick of B1G teams passing over fellow programs with identical 7-5 records; Michigan, Northwestern, and particularly Iowa who beat the Lions in their conference opener. But, it’s tough to blame the Outback Bowl for making a fiscally sound decision. And based on the 7.05 rating that doubled last season’s OT thriller, the Outback Bowl committee was right all along.
|
Matchup |
Ratings* |
Change |
Last Year’s Matchup |
Last year’s rating |
| BCS Title Game |
Auburn / Oregon |
15.29 |
-11% |
Alabama / Texas |
17.2 |
| Rose |
TCU / Wisconsin |
11.26 |
-15% |
Ohio St / Oregon |
13.2 |
| Sugar |
Ohio State / Arkansas |
8.2 |
-4% |
Florida / Cincinnati |
8.5 |
| Outback |
Florida / Penn State |
7.05 |
+101% |
Auburn / Northwestern |
3.5 |
| Orange |
Stanford / Virginia Tech |
6.75 |
-1% |
Iowa / Georgia Tech |
6.8 |
| Fiesta |
Oklahoma / UConn |
6.15 |
-25% |
Boise St / TCU |
8.2 |
| Cotton |
LSU / Texas A&M |
5.81 |
+29% |
Oklahoma St / Ole Miss |
4.5 |
| Chick-fil-A |
S Carolina / Florida State |
4.32 |
-2% |
VA Tech / Tennessee |
4.2 |
| Music City |
N Carolina / Tennessee |
4.24 |
+152% |
Kentucky / Clemson |
1.7 |
| Capital One |
Alabama / Michigan St |
3.69 |
-46% |
Penn State / LSU |
6.8 |
| Holiday |
Nebraska / Washington |
3.48 |
-6% |
Arizona / Nebraska |
3.7 |
| Las Vegas |
Utah / Boise St |
3.26 |
+46% |
BYU / Oregon St |
2.2 |
| Sun |
Miami / Notre Dame |
3.01 |
-9% |
Oklahoma / Stanford |
3.3 |
| Liberty |
Georiga / UCF |
2.96 |
-21% |
Arkansas / E Carolina |
3.8 |
| Alamo |
Oklahoma St / Arizona |
2.84 |
-41% |
Texas Tech / Michigan St |
4.8 |
| Texas |
Baylor / Illinois |
2.65 |
+24% |
Navy / Missouri |
2.1 |
| Poinsettia |
San Diego St / Navy |
2.26 |
-7% |
Utah / California |
2.4 |
| Pinstripe |
Kansas St / Syracuse |
2.26 |
New Bowl |
|
|
| Insight |
Iowa / Missouri |
2.24 |
+460% |
Iowa St / Minnesota |
0.4 |
| BBVA Compass |
Kentucky / Pitt |
2.20 |
+38% |
S Carolina / UConn |
1.6 |
| Champs Sports |
W Virginia / NC State |
2.12 |
-84% |
Wisconsin / Miami |
3.9 |
| Hawaii |
Tulsa / Hawaii |
2.11 |
+24% |
Nevada / SMU |
1.7 |
| Meineke Car Care |
Clemson / South Florida |
1.98 |
-50% |
Pitt / N Carolina |
3.9 |
| Beef O Brady |
Louisville / Southern Miss |
1.97 |
+21% |
UCF / Rutgers |
1.6 |
| Humanitarian |
Northern Illinois / Fresno St |
1.84 |
-11% |
Bowling Green / Idaho |
2.1 |
| New Mexico |
BYU / UTEP |
1.82 |
-24% |
Fresno St / Wyoming |
2.4 |
| GoDaddy.com |
Middle Tenn / Miami (OH) |
1.75 |
-27% |
Central Michigan / Troy |
2.4 |
| Gator |
Miss State / Michigan |
1.71 |
-57% |
Florida St / W Virginia |
4.0 |
| Kraft Fight Hunger |
Boston College / Nevada |
1.61 |
-65% |
USC / Boston College |
4.6 |
| Military |
Maryland / East Carolina |
1.48 |
-22% |
UCLA / Temple |
1.9 |
| Independence |
Georgia Tech / Air Force |
1.44 |
-41% |
Texas A&M / Georgia |
2.0 |
| Little Caesars |
Florida Int / Toledo |
1.41 |
-82% |
Marshall / Ohio |
2.6 |
| Armed Forces |
Army / SMU |
1.33 |
-15% |
Houston / Air Force |
1.6 |
| New Orleans |
Troy / Ohio |
1.32 |
+103% |
Middle Tenn / S Miss |
0.7 |
| TicketCity |
Northwestern / Texas Tech |
N/A |
New Bowl |
|
|
* Nielsen Media Research
Toughness.
States like New Hampshire are often overlooked by college recruiters scouring the northeast. With a population of a little over 1.3 million (barely 14.5% of the population of New York City), the talent pool in the Granite State is as shallow as it gets when it comes to Division I football players. With so many other recruiting hotbeds in the region, college coaches just haven’t found a reason to stop in New Hampshire
For Holtz, it 
