Val Ackerman

[ZooCougar]

I wasn’t aware that I went to school in the Midwest. I guess we’ll have to return our 35 Lambert Trophies…

Nobody even knows or cares what those are.

and Joe Pa knew.

 

[Ldandy]

Nobody even knows or cares what those are.

and Joe Pa knew.

The best thing about ignorant people is that they are always willing to identify themselves.

 

[ZooCougar]

The best thing about ignorant people is that they are always willing to identify themselves.

Nothing I said was ignorant. Your stadium should have been bulldozed. Football>Protecting Kids. That’s what Penn State’s priority was.

 

[Greedo]

I wasn’t aware that I went to school in the Midwest. I guess we’ll have to return our 35 Lambert Trophies…

I grew up in PA (Lehigh Valley). I would definitely say eastern PA (Lehigh Valley and Philly area) are simultaneously northeast and mid-Atlantic. I wouldn’t call central and western PA the northeast. It’s technically not the Midwest, but culturally it fits in much more with the Midwest than the northeast.

 

[Chuck]

I grew up in PA (Lehigh Valley). I would definitely say eastern PA (Lehigh Valley and Philly area) are simultaneously northeast and mid-Atlantic. I wouldn’t call central and western PA the northeast. It’s technically not the Midwest, but culturally it fits in much more with the Midwest than the northeast.

Central PA may not feel like the Northeast, but that doesn't mean Penn State isn't a Northeast school. In my opinion, the number of students, alums and fans in eastern PA, NJ, NY and even CT, makes Penn State a Northeast school.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Can’t help but notice that all kinds of conference commissioners are being interview and making appearances to talk about the house settlements…including a panel where the four P4 commissioners and the commissioner of the not-even-a-conference yet Pac12 appeared to talk about it.

Missing - Val Ackerman.

She’s useless and she’s absolutely the spirit animal of this conference’s admin from top to bottom. They do not care.

Maybe it's best to stay quiet if the Big East really does have a competitive advantage...

I wouldn't say shhhhhit. lol

P.S: I know UConn fans weren't around when the NBE was relaunched and prob didn't care to follow the NBE in its early days. But Val did an amazing job re-building this conference to the top tier league we have today. Keep in mind the Big East was left for dead. No one thought this league was going to thrive. Under her direction the league has excelled the past decade. So, lets give some credit where credit is due

 

[AllHusky]

Big East opened for business in 1979. Penn St accepted Big Ten offer in 1990, began competing in 1993. Urban myth goes that Joe Pa and PSU wanted into the BE but Gavitt and friends said thanks but no thanks. The scenario below easily could have evolved if the Catholics weren’t afraid of Football. Heck, maybe NovaCats may have moved up in FB.

No one that went to Penn State considers it Midwest. That is why there was twenty plus years of discontent before other Eastern Schools started being added. In a perfect world Penn State would be in a real Big East Conference with other bell cows like Miami and ND who also might not “geographically” be NE but identify with it far more than they do the Midwest or Deep South.

Big East 2025

BC
UConn
Cuse
Rutgers
Penn State
Pitt
WVU
VPI
ND
Navy
USF
Miami

Multiple historic rivalries and blood feuds up and down the lineup. Add St John’s, Nova, Providence, and Gtown as Non Football Members to flesh out the basketball season. Plenty of easy road trips and plenty of overlap between fan bases. This would make tons of money and be a heck of a lot of fun therefore it will never happen.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Big East opened for business in 1979. Penn St accepted Big Ten offer in 1990, began competing in 1993. Urban myth goes that Joe Pa and PSU wanted into the BE but Gavitt and friends said thanks but no thanks. The scenario below easily could have evolved if the Catholics weren’t afraid of Football. Heck, maybe NovaCats may have moved up in FB.

It wasn't a myth.

 

[CL82]

Big East opened for business in 1979. Penn St accepted Big Ten offer in 1990, began competing in 1993. Urban myth goes that Joe Pa and PSU wanted into the BE but Gavitt and friends said thanks but no thanks. The scenario below easily could have evolved if the Catholics weren’t afraid of Football. Heck, maybe NovaCats may have moved up in FB.

This would have, in all likelihood, stabilized the big east, but even beyond that, I think it had the potential to stabilize conference realignment in general. Penn State to the Big Ten was one of the early pebbles that started the conference realignment avalanche.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

This would have, in all likelihood, stabilized the big east, but even beyond that, I think it had the potential to stabilize conference realignment in general. Penn State to the Big Ten was one of the early pebbles that started the conference realignment avalanche.

One part of this equation that escapes most is that even if PSU did get the vote (*), PSU still would have received an invitation from the B10 when they did and they would have accepted.

It wasn't until PSU left independent football (eastern independents) that other schools panicked and decided to put together what became the BE football conference.

(*) - Gavitt flipped a couple schools very late in the process. PSU was told they had the votes before the official vote took place (they did).

 

[Waquoit]

Central PA may not feel like the Northeast, but that doesn't mean Penn State isn't a Northeast school. In my opinion, the number of students, alums and fans in eastern PA, NJ, NY and even CT, makes Penn State a Northeast school.

If they aren't part of the Northeast, they need to return 35 Lambert Trophies.

I forgot UConn won in in 2010!

 

[CL82]

One part of this equation that escapes most is that even if PSU did get the vote (*), PSU still would have received an invitation from the B10 when they did and they would have accepted.

I don't know. PSU was low hanging fruit as an independent and the Big Ten wasn't as dominant as they are now. You may be right, but I'm not sure about it.

 

[ZooCougar]

Big East opened for business in 1979. Penn St accepted Big Ten offer in 1990, began competing in 1993. Urban myth goes that Joe Pa and PSU wanted into the BE but Gavitt and friends said thanks but no thanks. The scenario below easily could have evolved if the Catholics weren’t afraid of Football. Heck, maybe NovaCats may have moved up in FB.

That’s not a myth. Mike Tranghese said that the Big East would rue the day hit didn’t let Penn. Stste.

I still maintain that PSU football is a disgrace that shouldn’t exist, but that was a pretty poor decision still.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't see how maintaining relationships with Seton Hall and Providence would have been sufficient in keeping PSU out of the Big 10.

Football was independent at that time and football was the driving factor in the Big 10 wanting PSU. Ohio St won a national title in 1968. After that the champions were Texas, Nebraska, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pitt, Notre Dame, Alabama, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Penn St, Miami, BYU, Oklahoma, Penn St, Miami, Notre Dame, Miami.

Ohio St was #1 going into the 71 (1970 season) Rose Bowl but lost (Jim Plunkett's Stanford). No Big 10 school entered bowl season with a realistic shot at winning the title over the subsequent two decades while Penn St won two titles, twice went into their bowl game in a one vs two matchup and in 1969 would have had a reasonable shot if then President Nixon hadn't declared the winner of Texas-Arkansas as the national champion, allowing the Cotton Bowl (which the SWC controlled) to not invite Penn St as the SWC champion's opponent.

The methodology of selecting a champion in those days can easily be debated, but Penn St clearly exceeded the entirety of the Big 10 over that time frame in terms of being within striking distance of national titles.

 

[ScottVib]

Heck, maybe NovaCats may have moved up in FB.

That is also the timeframe where Villanova discontinued their football program (before bringing it back in Division 1-AA)