So much to cover today between the Penn St. penalty announcement and the first day of Big 12 Media Days in Dallas. So, let’s just jump right in.
- By feel, the punishment meted out by the NCAA to Penn State seemed right.
- Those who wanted the “death penalty”: talk to Penn State coaches who can only sign 15 kids each class, and those early kids who listen have to be sold on the idea that they will never play in a bowl unless 1) they stick for a fifth year and 2) the team is good enough to qualify for one at that point.
- Along with the mental pain that affects all of Penn State knowing their beloved coach’s name is no longer at the top of any victories list, which, unfortunately, will sting more people at a deeper level than any of the crimes that were committed inside the football fortress.
- Welcome to a slow, deserved death in Happy Valley.
- Those who felt it was unfair to the program moving forward: isn’t the point of a punishment to act in such a way as to discourage the undesired behavior from happening again?
- That’s what a punishment is, and having seen the at-times amazingly defiant or flippant attitude from Penn State supporters and students, doing nothing to the program moving forward would have been a mistake.
- In terms of these parts, was anybody actually listening or paying attention to Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby’s comments to start the Conference’s football media days?
- If you missed it as the Penn State press conference aftermath unfolded, Bowlsby talked some about expansion.
- “I don’t know that we’d get two votes for moving to a larger number,” Bowlsby said.
- So, that settles that, eh?
- “Now, having said that, expansion is on every conference’s list of discussion items,” Bowlsby said. “I don’t think we can ever afford not to think about it. But, if the Big 12 had to vote on it today, we wouldn’t take any new member in.”
- Oh, I see. So, while the answer regarding expansion is unequivocally no…until it is yes.
- Got it.
- Bowlsby also said that while no deal is on paper yet, he expects the eventual new Big 12 television deal to manifest in a 13-year grant of rights that will encompass the Champions Bowl and provide exposure on two cable and broadcast television giants.
- Five coaches also took part in Big 12 Media Day One, and I’ll paraphrase…
- Gary Patterson (TCU): Yep, we’re in a new league, but while folks are worried if we have to raise our level of play, others better be ready to play us, too.
- Bob Stoops (Oklahoma): Thank God my brother came back to coach the defense. And, Landry Jones is just fine. It was everybody else around him.
- Paul Rhoads (Iowa State): This is as deep of a Cyclones team as we’ve ever had. What that means as far as record goes, who knows, but if our quarterbacks only complete 51-percent of their passes like last year, it won’t matter much.
- Bill Snyder (Kansas State): Like I said in 1989, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, (would have said in ’06, ’07 and ’08), ’09, ’10, ’11 and ’12: We can’t take anybody for granted. We almost lost to Eastern Kentucky last year, but still won 10 games. ‘Nuff said.
- Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech): I’m gonna throw everything I have at trying to play some rush defense, but our depth and size on the defensive front four isn’t very good. We do have a new defensive coordinator, however, so there’s that.
FULL LINKS: Big 12 Media Day Transcripts
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