Tuesday, June 4, 2013

SU disses Penn State, Syracuse fans

I've made no secret about my love for my alma mater, Penn State.
I've written about the terrible goings on there in the past.
But now I want to talk about how the schedule-makers are messing with Penn State.
When the Big 10 went to 12 teams, they divided themselves into two divisions the comically-named "Legend" and "Leaders." The plan was to pay all six teams in your division and the best team in one division plays the best tem in the other for the Big 10 crown. This set-up has brought excitement and big bucks to other conferences.
In addition to these games, each team would play one team, the same team, each year in the same division to develop a rivalry. Penn State's rival was to be Nebraska. Sounds cool, huh?
Nebraska's a traditional football powerhouse. The game year after year figured to be an exciting series  I grew excited.
But wait, when the Big 10 added Maryland and Rutgers, growing to 14 teams, they shuffled the divisions again, making them more geographical and dropping the hokey names.
But the second-worst thing is that the "rivalry" game with Nebraska was dropped, too.
This year, it's third year, will be its last year.
Some storied rivalry.
But here's the worst thing about Penn State's schedule, and I can's blame the blame Big 10 for this one.
Penn State opens this year against Syracuse.
Yay, right? This should be welcomed by local Penn State fans and our friends who'll be wearing orange that day.
No. Syracuse, has move the Aug. 31 game to to the Meadowlands. That's right, to New Jersey.
This should make those wearing blue and white, and those wearing orange and blue, just blue.
Syracuse, of late, has been billing itself as "New York's Team."
It't a marketing slogan that would be fervently disputed at Colgate, Stony Brook and the University at Albany.
I think it's obvious when SU professes to be "New York's Team," it really wants to be "NYC's Team." The heck with Central New York

2013 Penn State Football Schedule

Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse (at New Meadowlands Stadium; East Rutherford, N.J.)
Sept. 7 -  EASTERN MICHIGAN
Sept. 14 - CENTRAL FLORIDA
Sept. 21 - KENT STATE
Oct. 5 at Indiana
Oct. 12 - MICHIGAN
Oct. 26 at Ohio State
Nov. 2 - ILLINOIS
Nov. 9 at Minnesota
Nov. 16 - PURDUE
Nov. 23 - NEBRASKA
Nov. 30 at Wisconsin


2014 Penn State Football Schedule
Aug. 30 - TEMPLE
Sept. 6 - AKRON
Sept. 13 - *at Rutgers
Sept. 20 - UMASS
Sept. 27 - NORTHWESTERN
Oct. 11 - *at Michigan
Oct. 25 - *OHIO STATE
Nov. 1 - *MARYLAND
Nov. 8 - *at Indiana
Nov. 22 - at Illinois
Nov. 29 - *MICHIGAN STATE