The Penn State penalty

If you bring 25 in each year, you fight to keep at 85.

Yes, it is three strings, but 90% of freshman redshirt and then the majority of redshirt freshmen slowly work their way into the lineup. That ends up being almost half of your scholarships being used on athletes who will have little impact.

In two years, the athletes who have been given the time to develop will be the cornerstone of the team. Without them, the freshman and redshirts will have to play more. That will have a significant impact on the playing level of the team.

 

You aren't counting recruiting mistakes. 85 affords teams to make some mistakes in recruiting players who aren't good enough. 65 doesn't.

 

And good luck getting many good players next year, when you have to tell them that they won't get to go to a bowl until their senior year, and only then if they're extremely lucky.

 

The loss of scholarships didn't seem to affect USC much. Still very competitive in the Pac 10.

Down to 15 schollys from 25 will hurt.. But it will still allow PSU to distance itself from dregs of football. I think this just insures the program remains (at best) a second tier Big Ten program.

Most importantly, PSU can still play on TV. That is huge.

Honestly, the Bowl thing is not that big of a deal ... At least in terms of $$$ ... Most schools - PSU and a few others are exceptions - lose money on bowl games, even major bowls.
How much of an impact does a bowl game have on recruiting? I don't know.
Though it does hurt the team as it loses the ability practice for an additional month in preparation for the bowl. PSU won't get to do that.

 

That was the ultimate bullet they dodged there. A TV ban would have been devastating.

 

The only saving grace for Penn State regarding keeping their current scholarship players is that this late in the summer, most other FBS schools have already used their scholarships for the upcoming year so that it is likely that there aren't a lot of places for the players to land right now with a scholarship.

Schools will now eagerly accept the transfers and then find a way to get them a scholarship. I would expect that for each player who transfers, there will suddenly be a recruit who signed this past year holding off enrolling until January so that the scholarship will be available for the Nittany Lion.

 

Lou Holtz. . . "If you can pay a coach $4 million, then things are out of line."

Although I agree, I can't help but wonder if Lou ever gave any of his salary back?

 

How much do players look forward to a (non-national championship) bowl? That's a month of extra practice for a week of scripted bullshit, travel, additional practice and what amounts to exhibition game where you could suffer a major injury.

I covered players who hated HATED going to bowl games, but it was the MAC and C-USA - Detroit and Mobile for Christmas and New Years...

 

Also Holtz: "I don't think there's going to be more than 50, 60 thousand people there for a few years."

Lou is delusional on that count.

 

Somewhere, Bill O'Brien is asking himself why he got into this mess.

 

Orville, I do think that's a mindset that's developed after a few years of playing college football. But that's not the way potential recruits would think.

 

FBS top coaches (wins)
Bowden 377
Bryant 323
Warner 319
Stagg 314
Paterno 298