While JoePa may have backed off the pressure last week for adding a 12th team to the Big Ten he's still singing the same tune.
Paterno, meeting with reporters Wednesday at an alumni event near Allentown, has long pushed for Big Ten expansion.
Paterno said he'd like the Big Ten to add an Eastern school, especially one that plays in the New York media market.
"If I had my choice, someone that can give us the biggest TV exposure in the East," Paterno said, offering as possibilities "Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers. Not in that order."
It makes perfect sense, from a Penn State perspective, you get much more exposure in markets that PSU has had success recruiting and it adds a more east-coast flavor to the Big Ten. Of course Michigan and Ohio State would never go for any of those three schools because they are old rivals of Penn State and would give PSU a tactical recruiting benefit given its geographical advantage. Just like before, those schools would want someone with the name recognition of Notre Dame a team the Big Ten wooed a decade ago trying to entice them into Big Ten membership. But Paterno has a message for those that still want Notre Dame:
"There's some pressure, I would suppose, to maybe go back to Notre Dame and ask again, which I would not be happy with," Paterno said. "I think they've had their chance."
Even though Notre Dame plays a lot of Big Ten schools (they played 3 teams last year and are scheduled to play the same 3 this year) I'm totally in agreement with Paterno on this one, Notre Dame had their chance the Big Ten shouldn't even consider them anymore. If there ever is a playoff in college football Notre Dame will have a lot of pressure to join a conference assuming there are automatic bids. If that scenario ever comes to fruition the Irish will surely choose the Big Ten over the Big East and hopefully the Big Ten lets them hang out to dry. As JoePa said, you had your chance.
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6 comments:
JoePa is always entertaining, but come on. It's quite unlikely that ND will ever want to join the Big Ten, but if they ever ask, saying "no, thank you, we would rather have Rutgers" would be cutting off our nose to spite our face.
I agree with your sentiment, but there is 0 chance that the Big10 would turn down ND if they actually asked for admittance.
TV contract or no TV contract, ND means money and exposure.
I agree with both of you, the Big Ten would jump at the chance to take ND, but I just love Joe's moxie.
But UND would never want to join. They have zero incentive to do so. Right now they can cycle off the good Big Ten programs and take on the weaker ones if they wish. Can you imagine that group of softees going through the Big Ten schedule? Week after week.... playing their normal UM, Purdue, MSU... and then ALSO getting smoked by OSU, Iowa, Illinois, etc.? Would be great to watch, but it will never happen. Not as long as NBC is in their bed with them.
I also like that as examples of eastern schools that can give a lot of TV exposure, Joe cites Syracuse (upstate NY and a program few care about), Pitt (no where near a big market) and Rutgers, who, despite being from my home state, are pathetically undercovered in the NYC media market.
J Money,
If one of those schools joined the Big Ten, I think they would get more press coverage. I live in Massachusetts & with BC in the ACC, I think there is more coverage. Every week the Boston Globe has an ACC column & ACC games show up on the local ABC station, etc. If Rutgers or 'cuse joined the Big Ten, I'd bet the NY media would give more coverage.
If any one of those schools joined the Big Ten they would instantly gain media exposure. Recruiting would get better and Syracuse or Pitt would bump up the Big Ten’s basketball cred while Rutgers would add a solid football school (at least recently solid – I’ve killed off my long term memory with beer). I’d like to say ND would add in both sports but their basketball team got beat by Penn State for God’s sake!!
*zing*
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