Gerry Dincher asks: Isn’t it nice that for once Ohio State isn’t going to ruin our hopes for a truly great season? In years past how did you deal with the disappointment of the losses? Which loss to the Buckeyes
sticks with you the most?
I don’t have expectations of winning any more this year than I’ve had any year since 2017, so there’s truly nothing to lose – because I also don’t have to deal with folks (both irl and online) coming to me asking if I’m upset after the game.
As for the worst loss, it probably was 2017. We were up significantly before falling apart defensively, and the trajectory of the following few years likely would have been very different had that game turned out differently; momentum in the series would have clearly been on PSU’s side, and maybe (just maybe) Miles Sanders would’ve gotten that fourth down conversion near the end of the 2018 game in Beaver Stadium – or perhaps Ricky Rahne would have kept the ball in Trace’s hands instead of having him hand it off. A butterfly flaps its wings in Columbus, etc etc…
Jiminsantafe asks: I picked a hell of a time leaving the country (Oct 1) and I came home to this absolute mess. What would you think if Penn State would somehow beat #1 The World Famous Ohio State University this Saturday and then follow that up with a win over #1 Indiana the following week?
Hilarious!
The last time we had an interim coach, we beat the Buckeyes in Columbus! But then again, Wisconsin’s current dead man walking was the coach (instead of Urban Meyer or Ryan Day), and this year’s OSU team is far better coached and more talented.
For all his faults and the deserved departure, if Franklin was the coach this would definitely be a one-score game. But under Smith, I have no idea if PSU will win, lose close (like last game), or lose big. There’s truly so many different outcomes I could see – but the line does seem quite large to me.
PSU1979dude asks: If Penn State wins Saturday will they march the goalposts down College Ave like they did the last time they beat a #1 team?
A goal post march is unlikely (especially with the construction, Beaver Stadium is a lot more secure), though I would expect many murals dedicated to Terry Smith to pop up.
409_Ducks asks: I just put $110 down on Penn State and 20.5 points. I hope to take the wife out for dinner that night with the winnings. Well, I will take her out any way, but if OSU covers, I will not mention the 110 I just tossed away.
I am not a betting gal, and ever since I put money down on the football team in February 2020 I refuse to bet on the Nittany Lions for the good of humanity. But if I were to put money down, I’d definitely put it on the Lions to cover.
As stated above, we might lose big! But I’d say the odds are more likely that the game will be close.
SeawolvesTruther asks: What will be scarier: Grunk throwing into the OSU secondary or my visit to Pennhurst Asylum on Saturday?
Yeah, Ohio State’s passing defense is scary. But Grunkemeyer has got to learn sometime, right? If he’s going to be decent (at PSU or elsewhere), it starts this week. They’re probably not expecting him to chuck it, and YOLO, might as well throw it deep.
Have a blast on Saturday, though, you couldn’t pay me to visit an old Asylum!
DmitriPetrovich asks: Which unlikely outcome would you rather see: Defeating OSU this weekend, Koby Howard playing time the rest of the season and scoring 7 TDs, PSU Mens Hockey winning the Frozen Four (OK that’s not unlikely), or PSU Mens Basketball making the round of 32.
The thing I’d like the most to see is PSU hockey winning the Frozen Four – make all of that McKenna money worth it!
Second is, easily, beating OSU this weekend. I know Howard has got a TON of upside and I’d like to see him get going, but it’s not worth much if the team can’t finish the games.
Homer Ozzie & The Straw asks: How freaking annoying is it that we don’t get a kickoff time for Indiana until 6 days before? I get that tv drives everything and they want to maximize matchups, but how much is one more game going to change things? They should at least have to decide 2 weeks out.
PS please don’t let it be a noon start.
Agreed, not much is going to change. And I truly hope it’s a 3:30 kickoff myself – that’s always the sweet spot, from a tailgating and a football game perspective. I’d prefer to not enter the lots in the dark, thank you very much!
wvpsufan asks: Why is everyone acting like the outcome of a coach’s most recent game is the deciding factor for the next head coach? Is it like a last man standing thing?
It likely depends on who the coach is, and who the opposing team is. Society is very much burdened by recency bias nowadays, in everything – not just sports. So no matter what happened in weeks and years past, a lot of emphasis is put on the most recent outcome.
I, for one, am super happy that Matt Rhule got an extension at Nebraska despite the close win over Northwestern after the blowout loss to Minnesota! I wish him luck in Lincoln, and not on the sidelines in Happy Valley.
JayMPSU asks: Which crappy bowl would you go see a 6-6 PSU team play in? Against?
Do you think CJF firing trigger all these other firings? Is it a race to see who can get Franklin?
I don’t know that I would go this year, though there would be a sort of bittersweet bookending if we were in the Pinstripe Bowl again this year. Of course, that’s predicated on getting our shit together over the last five weeks.
Many of the other firings happened on or before Franklin’s (Pry, for example, was let go before James Franklin – and now CJF is supposedly the favorite to fill that role). I don’t know that Franklin would want to coach at Florida, but they’d likely be excited to have him; as much as many PSU fans derided him (and still do), he’s very well thought of in coaching circles and by players. And steady 9-10 win seasons, while not ultimately what we want here, is not nothing for a majority of programs.
EazyE asks: In the first post-firing press conference, Terry Smith, when asked about the loss of grittiness and swag, mentioned there were several issues, “including navigating NIL and money in the locker room.” He said, “I’ve gotta bring everyone together to see the benefits of how we can all succeed as one.”
That comment seems to have been missed by most, if not everyone, in the national media—and has now disappeared in the churn of other firings. And that comment suggests to me a “me” mentality in the locker room, one between the “haves” ($$$) and the “have nots” (no NIL deals). How do you see it? Did Franklin fail to manage the selfishness and therefore lose the locker room? This seems like it may be an issue going forward through the college ranks. (Feel free to edit for length)
It was pretty obvious by the end at the Northwestern game that, overall, Franklin had lost the team – even if the players on an individual level still loved him and were surprised at his firing.
Whether that truly has to do with NIL or the new college football monetary landscape is an easy scapegoat, I’m not sure any of us will ever know. Since many other schools have very similar (if not more lopsided) NIL approaches to what Penn State did last year and this offseason, but virtually none of those schools have had the wheels come off to the same degree as PSU, my guess is it’s not the biggest factor (though it may be a factor).
Gerry Dincher asks: I am not convinced that many of the coaches on the staff are going to follow James Franklin to his next stop. They saw how the handled himself this offseason and the in season collapse speaks for itself. Do you think they’ll follow him if he wants them?
Nearly half of the staff this season was Penn State alums – if they had the opportunity to continue to coach as PSU, would they go with Franklin? Is their loyalty to him, or the program? Smith, Barnes, Howle, and Connor all at least started their college football careers prior to Franklin getting the head job at PSU; it’s only some of the GAs and analysts who were purely Franklin players.
And aside from Smith, there’s not an additional coach on staff that has been with Franklin since he got to Happy Valley – and Smith only started with Franklin at PSU, not being brought with him from Vanderbilt.
I think the most likely coach to go with Franklin is Danny O’Brien, whose well-publicized football relationship with James Franklin well-predates his time as a Penn State coach. I’d be a little surprised if any of the other coaches end up following him, though I do guess weirder things have happened.
I do hate even putting this out in the universe, but I’d be incredibly unsurprised if the number of players that follow Franklin (if he immediately continues coaching) is at least triple or quadruple the number of coaches that follow him.
PSUinOK asks: with all the recruiting commits leaving for other schools, Is it fair to read the tea leaves and say that Terry Smith is not going to be the head coach at PSU?
Even if all the commits stayed committed, I’d have read the tea leaves that Terry Smith is not going to be the next head coach, though I’m sure they’ll give him an interview if he wants one. That has nothing to do with recruiting, and everything to do with the level of coach that Pat Kraft is going to shoot for with this hire, and all due respect to Coach Smith, he’s not at that calibre.
wvpsufan asks: I saw OSU OC Brian Hartline is a possible candidate for PSU Head coach. Haven’t we had enough of their cast offs (see Jim Knowles)?
Apparently, Hartline is definitely one of the final candidates. The biggest difference between Hartline and the aforementioned Knowles is, Knowles has come in and tried to completely revamp a unit that was already elite, to disastrous effect. The offense was serviceable last year (and likely even good-to-great at times!) but has trended to being closer to mediocre for much of the last ten years. It’s not hard to see that a coach like Hartline might invigorate an offense, both with his staff hires and potential transfers/recruits who would want to play for him, so I could see it.
Plus, there’s something to be said about poaching a coach from their alma mater.
LarzLion asks: I’m not seeing all the love for Hartline. He seems like a decent OC and his results look good for the players on the team. If he was not able to scoop up the Cincy job, why does it makes sense for PSU.
If he is PSU’s next coach, Kraft is certainly sticking his head out there. Your thoughts?
I definitely get where you’re coming from, but the Brian Hartline that was up for the Cincinnati job in 2022 is decidedly not the same coach that he is today. He wasn’t even a coordinator at the time the Cincy job was open, but has been in charge of offense for the Buckeyes (an offensive-minded team ever since Day took over) since that offseason. He also has been their wide receivers coach, which, yeah – if we could get play even anywhere near that of Marvin Harrison Jr or Emeka Egbuka, I’d be an incredibly happy Cari.
PSU Esq. asks: I’ve seen just about every name under the sun mentioned by experts for the Penn State job, except for one, Josh Heupel. In my view Heupel would check a lot of boxes for Penn State; major college coaching experience at a top tier program; took his team to college football playoff 2024; knows how to win big games (12-12 record v. ranked opponents which is 3rd in SEC); great recruiter; understands roster construction and how to use NIL resources / transfer portal to his advantage; offensive guru; employs a blue collar hard working approach; and has a proven ability to unite and excite an alumni base. Why isn’t Heupel to Penn State getting any attention? I know he just signed an extension, but his salary is “only” $9M per year and his buyout would be around $8M, correct?
Admittedly, Heupel never even entered my realm of possibility. I think the biggest reason why I wouldn’t consider him to be realistic is that he literally has never coached or played (aside from one year in Green Bay) anywhere in the midwest north of Missouri, or the east north of his current role in Tennessee (if that can be considered east). He has no relationships to build on recruiting-wise in the PSU or Big Ten footprint, and I highly doubt he would be a good culture fit.
He’s a good coach, sure. But I have a feeling he’d be like Brian Kelly-to-LSU in terms of overall vibes with PSU, but opposite.
Darth Recon asks: Have any potential hires been seen dining at the Corner Room yet?
I’ve been incredibly derelict in my Corner Room stakeout duties! Should get on that right away.
DmitriPetrovich asks: You founded a successful tech company and/or precious metals mining operation and now have $5 in NIL bucks to use to purchase the outcomes you want, like a major college booster’s dream. Winning each game the rest of the season comes at a different $ amount. Which win(s) would you choose?
Nov 1 @ OSU- $5
Nov 8 vs Indiana- $4
Nov 15 @ MSU- $1
Nov 22 vs Nebraska- $3
Nov 29 @ Rutger- $1
Bonus: If your picks make the Lions bowl eligible, you can pick which low-level bowl we play in and the dream opponent. Heck, you can pick this part even if we aren’t bowl eligible because you’re a super rich fancy booster and can pull the right strings.
No question about it, I would pick winning the last three games. That ends the season on a high note for recruiting and gets the team into the post season again without any extra string pulls, and is a good springboard for the new coaching staff (and might encourage more players to stay at PSU).
And honestly, I don’t care which bowl game they go to! Just a bowl would be fantastic, no matter where it is (though BC, again as a bookend and this time versus Bill O’Brien, would be fitting).
Seemsez asks: if you were casting a oscar-bait movie about the 2005 team, who would you have play:
1) paul posluszny
2) kevin kelly
3) galen hall
4) matthew rice
bonus: who is the screenwriter and what is the plot?
Are we talking about actors in their prime, or them right now? I’d like to think the former, so we’ll go that way.
- Henry Cavill as Paul Posluszny
- Jesse Eisenberg as Kevin Kelly
- Rob Reiner as Galen Hall
- Morris Chestnut as Matthew Rice
Bonus that I just wanted to come up with: Michael B Jordan as MRob, solely because of the dimples
Cavill as Poz is perfect for me, because of neck size and chiseled jaw (and we know he could get buff). Also the idea that the captain and most heralded player on the team would be superman, while the freshman kicker who misses kicks but ultimately has to win the Orange Bowl for the team is Lex Luthor, is weirdly hilarious to me.
The screenwriter is Nancy Meyer in her prime (because why not) and somehow it’s a romcom, of course.
LTFT1 asks: I’m a big Eagles fan but I also hate the Tush Push (stop it, weirdos), does that make me a bad fan? I know you’re a fan of the team down in Washington, so if you want to take a pass on this, it’s totally understood.
Not a bad fan, as long as you’re not actively rooting for the tush push to not work when you’re team uses it!
I generally hate shovel passes and end-arounds, but if they work, I can’t begrudge them. And the tush push works for the Eagles – as the only team practically ever, in college or pros, for which it works.
And yes, I’m a Washington fan, but for some reason I actually like the tush push. It feels very old-school to me, and I like those vibes.
UTmountainlion asks: So I am going to the OSU-PSU hockey game on Thursday and the football game on Saturday. Is it wrong that I am approximately a thousand time more excited for the hockey game?
BONUS (because my first question is lame and clearly the answer is “no”): To be honest I enjoy watching hockey more than football and really only second to wrestling, which is by far the best IMHO. I also enjoy watching volleyball and any kind of ski racing including-and maybe especially- biathlon. What are your top five viewing sports, either live or on TV?
As I was typing this, Misa got the go-ahead goal in the third period of the hockey game (his first goal of the season), so I sincerely hope you’re having a blast in Columbus!
I agree with you on wrestling. It’s definitely my favorite to watch in person, mostly because each individual bout is over so (comparatively) quickly that I really feel like there’s no time that you could conceivably look away.
When Penn State is on, I love watching volleyball as well – either in person or on TV. That final four reverse-sweep over Nebraska last year was just so freaking exciting (as was the win over Nebraska at Rec Hall earlier in the year).
For non-college sports, one of my favorites to watch in person is baseball. The vibes in baseball stadiums are just awesome, even though I know I don’t pay as close attention (I don’t really like watching from home, though I will put on audio in the background and write or clean).
I’ve got two more sports to put in there, so I’ll say post-season hockey in person (I’ve only seen NHL postseason in person but can imagine collegiate is just as memorable) and, why the heck not, bananaball, which I’ve just gotten massively into this year (Party Animals for the first ever tour championship!!).
Smee asks: Are you one of those people who has to get every last drop out of any squeeze container you use (ketchup, shampoo, lotion, etc.), or do you just chuck the container the second it starts farting and open a new one?
For food squeeze containers, definitely not. Inevitably, I don’t eat all of it and I need to throw the remainder out (normally a NUMBER of months after the printed expiration date). For beauty products, absolutely. I’ve gotten away from adding water to them to get just one more shampoo, or cutting open the moisturizer tube for all of the little dregs – but I keep them around after they’ve spouted air longer than I’d like to admit
LarzLion asks: Is there any truth to the rumor that Taylor Swift purchased a house in Doylestown, PA?
These were rumors last year, and ultimately were unfounded. I think it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that she does return to southeastern PA, especially once Travis Kelce retires (and if they start a family, and want to be much closer to Jason and Kylie and their brood).
48-14 asks: Given the state of Penn State football, how grateful are you for the calming reassurances given by Hallmark movies, that everything will turn out OK in the end?
So grateful. Even if it’s a trope I hate, or if the grave misunderstanding is just flat-out ridiculous, I know it’ll be happy in the end. And there’s absolutely something to be said about that pure escapism.
Smee asks: Best foreign country to visit for a weeklong vacation?
It completely depends on what you want out of a vacation.
If you’re looking to sightsee and experience culture, I definitely recommend some places in Europe – Greece, Spain, or northwestern mainland Europe (I loved Brussels more than I expected, and wished I’d had more time to explore).
If you’re looking to just simply relax and be ON VACATION, there’s a ton of great resorts in various parts of the caribbean. I’d personally love to visit Tenerife as well, but I’d go back to nearly any resort in eastern Mexico, the Bahamas, or I’d love to visit Turks & Caicos.
Side note: I didn’t mention Jamaica (though they’re on my list), solely because it feels sort of gauche right now? I am, like I’m sure so many of you are, sending prayers and all my good vibes to the people of Jamaica who are recovering from Hurricane Melissa.
