Blue & White Roundtable: Wrath of Mom

Galen's been having some trouble with his lately. First, she's been putting Ex-Lax in all his food, making him think he's got some intestinal bug and now she's locked him out of the basement, so he can't use his computer. This week's edition is brought to you by The Big Eleventh and as always check out the other cast of characters:

Black Shoe Diaries
Run Up The Score
There Is No Name On My Jersey
William F. Yurasko
The Nittany Notebook
Tangled Up In Blue and White


Of the PSU players who went undrafted but were picked up by NFL teams, which one has the best chance of actually seeing playing time in The League?

Austin Scott – to give you a point of reference, the other guy from my area that set almost all the PA high school records that Scott obliterated (James Mungro) played several seasons with the Colts.


My office recently installed those vending machines that keep the coil spinning when your selection gets snagged by the over-sized potato chips in the next slot over, usually resulting in two treats for the price of one. This has improved my occasional afternoon snacking 250%. What football technological improvement has most increased your afternoon football enjoyment the most in, say, the last five years?

In the last five years? HD broadcasts, but the greatest technological invention is constant on-screen display of the score, time, down and yardage. Watching old games on ESPN Classic can be maddening because if you happen to miss the brief instant it’s shown, you’re left without any idea of the context of the situation.


List the top 5 Penn State games of 2008, in order of intrigue, that you would like to attend. For bonus points, include an away game.

* Also Receiving Votes – Michigan State – Joe’s last game on the sidelines at Beaver Stadium?
5.) Oregon State – quality out of conference opponent and most likely the game where we’ll see anything new in terms of the “SpreadHD” offense.
4.) Illinois – Big Ten opener, night game. I missed last year’s broadcast, but felt dirty all the same after that loss. Revenge would be oh-so-sweet.
3.) Wisconsin – Top three are the late October death march portion of our schedule. Away, night game and Wisconsin is supposed to be a great atmosphere to see a game.
2.) Ohio State – Away, night game, in the belly of the beast. Would like to separate fact from fiction, regarding their team’s expectations for this year and the reputation of their fans.
1.) Michigan – I’m sick and tired of people obsessing about the streak. Can we finally put it to bed?


Penn State hasn’t played a team from the Pac10 in eight years (USC in the 2000 Kick-off Classic). Oregon State adds a little flavor to an otherwise very standard schedule. How do you think this season’s match-ups compare to prior years?

Oregon State is an excellent change of pace, Sunday Morning Quarterback with an Absurdly Premature Assessment of the Beavers. That being said, this year’s schedule is brutal, not necessarily in terms of overall strength, but rather when and where we’re playing opponents. Open up the Big Ten season against Illinois and the last 3 weeks of October might be the toughest stretch Penn State has played in a long time (10/11 @ Wisconsin 8p.m., 10/18 Michigan 4:30p.m. and 10/25 @ Ohio State 8p.m.). If they somehow survive that death march unscathed, expect a BCS bowl bid.


Night games appear to be a growing trend in the Big Ten. While the 2005 Ohio State game was as good as it gets, the following year’s Michigan game seemed over-hyped and we all know about last season’s Ohio State outcome. This year’s Penn State night schedule includes Illinois at home and tough ones in the dark at Wisconsin and at Ohio State. (I’m not sure what to make of the 4:30 kick-off against Michigan)

Here is the three-parter:
(1) Does this mean that all of our big games will be played at night from here on out?
(2) Do you enjoy the 8:00 or still prefer 3:30? and
(3) Do you think a night kickoff actually increases home field advantage or does it simply look cooler on TV?

(1) No, all big games will not be played at night, but will take us away from those godawful noon kickoffs, an abomination to mankind. By the way, the best night game was Nebraska 2002, Ohio State 2005 was loud, but that Nebraska game was on a whole other level.
(2) I love 8p.m. games, they’re the bees knees, however for home games I only want it reserved for the biggest games, don’t water it down. I’m just pissed it took this long to get on them on the schedule regularly. 3:30 games are fun too, but 8p.m. games pack that extra oomph.

(3) Without a doubt increases home field advantage AND looks cool on TV, noon games are a generally sleepy crowd.


Lightning Round

How would Penn State finish with Iowa’s 2008 schedule (substitute Iowa in place of the obvious difficult situation of playing yourself)?

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would have to say I would be supremely disappointed with only a 10-win regular season with that schedule.


Which RB gets the most carries this year? The most TDs?

Royster will get the most carries barring injury. If your asking who will score the most rushing TD’s, it may end up being Clark even though he’s not a running back.


How much would you pay for this fall’s Michigan ticket? What is the most you’ve ever paid to attend a PSU game?

I don’t know how much I would pay (depends on circumstances), but $150 for Michigan two years ago is the most I have paid and unless it’s a bowl game wouldn’t expect to ever go higher than that.