Is an Unranked PSU vs #19 USC a Big Game? If Penn State wins and USC inevitably goes 9-3 or 8-4, does that retroactively undo the status of Big Game as established by previous stipulations of the fanbase?–
skarocksoiBoy, I hope we find out!
Under the previous rules, it is NOT a big game if Penn State wins against a ranked team, and/or in retrospect our opponent is not as good as their ranking suggests. It *is* a big game if Penn State loses, and/or we’re ranked but ranked above our opponent. I’d much
rather the former than the latter this week (since the ranking criteria is out of the question right now).
Why did it take so long to come up with the idea for everybody to wear white? When I was a student at Dear Old State there was much consternation that a team like ’82 Nebrasker would show up and their fans dressed in red would really stand out in that northeast corner of the ‘Beav. Excuses were made that blue just didn’t resonate like a red or other colors.
Somebody should have come up with this idea sooner.–Jeff_in_Carlsbad
It just takes one person with a great idea, then a ton of people will put their own spin on it. I hope that it’s still cool this year, even though the game is nowhere near as hyped! I especially hope this for the unaffiliated college football fans who have a white out on their bucket list and chose this year to attend – it’s better for their wallets, to be sure, but there’s a very real chance that the hype will be far less this year than it’s been in a while.
Kickoff is at 7:30 PM. The parking lots open at 8:00 AM. What is the perfect time to get to your parking space?–Smee
Our tailgate should be fully set up by around 11am, so I’m contractually obligated to say sometime before then.
Could this be one of those yearly upset weekends?
You know, one of those weekends full of unexpected results which seem to have the hand of Hermes in control.
I’m thinking Nebraska over Indiana, aTm over Missouri, Oklahoma over Texas, Kentucky over LSU, UCLA over Oregon, and of course, PSU over USC.–SubLime
Your lips to god’s ears!
I feel like every year, there’s a week (or a few weeks) that have a number of really crazy upsets, and we talk about how is this the year that things get wonky? Which to me, says that every year in college football truly is unexpected and wonky (which I love) – it’s any given Saturday. Now if the preseason pollsters would just band together and agree not to release polls before October, that would increase the perceived parity even more in my opinion.
How many years are you giving Campbell to right the ship? Seriously, how many years?–PSU1979dude
I’ve always been more patient and understanding (it’s the logic with which I try to approach sports) than many fans, so it’s going to be at least November 2027 before I seriously consider calling for a change. Note that I would have been fine with Franklin being fired after the UCLA game last season, but after Northwestern I would have been livid if he hadn’t been let go, with the amount of talent that last year’s team had.
I do really like Ska’s comments in the mailbag questions post, though, where he talks about when Pat Kraft might be fired. I do think it could be this year, though I wouldn’t say necessarily after this week – but if the team doesn’t look better this week, and also loses quite handily next week, playing at an imploding Michigan, then I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s let go in the bye week, if only to right the ship on alumni donations.
Wrestling season ticket renewal has also been somewhat of a shitshow this year, and if the previously-announced October (!!!) 2027 football renewal doesn’t happen the way they planned, that could affect the length of Kraft’s tenure too.
How much worse than 12/29, 114 yds, O-TD and 1-INT can Alex Manske be?–Nittpicker
DON’T JINX US, PICKER!
What do you think about CMC sticking with Rocco and not giving any if the backups a chance to spark the offense?
I’m not a superstitious person but do you think CMC should ditch the scruffy worn baseball hat for a visor or a different hat. I mean at this point, what else could it be.
Finally I saw John Mellencamp a few weeks ago, a fantastic show of nothing but his greatest hits, and was able to cross him off my bucket list. I’m much older than you Cari but do you have one and who or what is on your bucket list?–AndOthersReceivingVotes
I think it actually makes sense – he’s the quarterback that Campbell and his staff trust, and he’s played much better than this for most of his career. So trusting him to right the ship makes sense on paper, even if it hasn’t worked out; but I’d say if he doesn’t have a decent first half this week, you gotta give Manske a shot.
As for Campbell’s attire, I say go for it. I’d insert a joke here about not being superstitious, only a little stitious, but who am I kidding – I’m superstitious when it comes to my sports teams. So yes, by god, switch up the attire, it can’t hurt!
Lastly, I’ve seen most of the bands that have historically been my favorites (silverchair was on my bucket list for over a decade until their last tour, when I finally got to see them on stage), and I have become less inclined to want to be around huge crowds for anything but sporting events as I get older, so there’s not really any bucket list music acts for me right now. Though if ‘NSYNC does ever officially reunite and go on tour, I’ll be there spending as much as possible to see them.
Where can I find the 2026 NIL payments for:
Rocco Becht
Ethan Grunkemeyer
Beau Pribula–AndOthersReceivingVotes
Good luck in finding this anywhere – officially NIL amounts aren’t required to be published, so it’ll all be rumor or amounts strategically released for whatever reason (I’m betting recruiting, negative or positive, would be the biggest reason why any amounts would be put out there).
Is the USC band the most annoying band in college football?
Is Tribute to Troy the most annoying song ever created?
Would you rather be Rick Rolled non-stop for 10 years straight or listen to 10 seconds of Tribute to Troy?–wvpsufan
Not close for me – both Florida State and Oklahoma would easily be higher (the tomahawk chop and boomer sooner being infinitely more annoying than tribute to troy for me). Because of that, I’d absolutely listen to just ten seconds of that and even if you hate that song, you should be able to do anything non-medically-emergent for ten seconds! 🙂
Last week you talked about the student section being negatively impacted by the lottery ticketing system. Can you explain that? What was the previous system, how does the lottery work, and what does it all mean?–GototheNet
Sure!
For many, many years (shortly after the beginning of the internet, I’d wager), Penn State football student tickets were first come, first served – each year had a specific date and time, and if you logged in at that time and were one of the first (insert random number) of students in that group, you got your tickets. This is back when the school would announce how fast the tickets sold out – generally, especially for the upper classmen, in a matter of minutes. The times generally were very early in the morning, so it was easier to gauge interest – if you really, really wanted the tickets, you’d get up at 5:30 to log in. If you were less die-hard, you’d get up at a normal time and they likely would be sold out.
A few years ago, this was switched to a lottery. Basically, students for the last few years have a number of days (I’m not sure how many) to register for season tickets, and then at the end of that time frame, there’s a lottery – and if your info is drawn, you can get season tickets. If your info isn’t drawn, even if you were the first person to put your name in and have sat in the front row for every game for the last three seasons, you don’t get season tickets.
The concern I have is this seems to have led to more casual fans and scalpers being able to get season tickets – if it’s easier (which undoubtedly, a lottery where you can put your name in over the course of a number of days absolutely is), then it will attract not just the die hards who really, really want the tickets, but also folks who are ambivalent and will try to get them just because it’s the thing to do. And if there’s enough folks who don’t care enough, or who put their name in just to see if they can scalp the tickets, then you’re going to have more empty seats than if it’s mostly folks who made a concerted effort to get up before dawn and compete with their fellow students for the finite number of seats.
This is all second hand that I’ve explained, so if I’ve gotten anything wrong, if you know of any more specifics, definitely let me know in the comments!
Any rumblings about another outdoor hockey game this season? If I remember correctly, this was about the time it was announced last year.–PhilipsburgPAbleedingblue
I’ve heard next to nothing, and individual hockey game tickets are already on sale, so I’d highly doubt that this is happening this year. Last year, with the hype after a final four appearance and the eventual #1 overall draft pick on our squad, was the perfect time for this to happen – but there were issues with the ice and the weather (both leading up to and the temperature during the games) definitely made it an ordeal. I bet, unless we get another million-dollar player, we won’t see this until the 2028-2029 season at the earliest.
With three BJC wrestling matches this may be my best opportunity to catch one live. When do they tend to go on sale and how would you recommend purchasing tickets? What section is the best view?–RZ76
Last year, individual BJC dual tickets went on sale the third week of November (at least for wrestling season ticketholders) – so you’ve likely got over a month to figure this out, especially since the first BJC dual isn’t until December.
As for the the sections with the best view – unfortunately, those won’t be available through Penn State unless you go on the resale market through Ticketmaster. The entire lower bowl is typically season ticketholders and VIPs, and the lower bowl for a single wrestling mat (especially the middle 2-4 sections on each of the longer arena sides) offer the best views. Since that may be pretty difficult to come by, I’d try to get as close to the middle on the upper decks as possible – those upper deck middle seats may even rival the lower bowl corners in terms of view.
Note, though, that this is the third year in a row where there’s been three dual meets in the BJC (second year in a row where it’s been planned for three from the beginning), so I’m betting this is now the norm and you’ll have ample opportunity in the next few years too.
Any predictions on U23 World’s next week? Team USA Cadets had a terrible showing but Juniors came back and set a World scoring record? Which way do U23’s go?
–Jeff_in_Carlsbad
The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will be well-represented in Vegas next week, with Luke Lilledahl (57kg, PSU returning national champ at 125lbs), Jayden James (74kg, PSU true freshman), and Joe Sealey (79kg, PSU backup for the last few years) all seeking a world title. Yes, that’s true – a wrestler who hasn’t been able to make it into the Penn State starting lineup is good enough to represent the USA internationally. What a time to be a Penn State wrestling fan!
I think the US, with Luke and James and other crazy talented wrestlers like Bo Bassett and Aeoden Sinclair, has got to be the favorite, if only because the talent is there and we’re hosting. It should be great to follow along!
Which disaster movie would be more entertaining than USC @ PSU?–Nittpicker
This week could go literally any way, and I wouldn’t be surprised. PSU could win or lose, and come out on fire or completely and utterly flat. I do think the only thing that would be really surprising to me is if Penn State’s defense could hold USC to under 20 points – that seems very highly unlikely to me.
What do you think about going into the meltdown known as the Game Thread & all of us posting fluffy bunnies, cute kitties & puppies? Do you think it might help the mental health of those folks with the impending doom that may happen?–EagleLionSly
I’m a fan of posting cute animals anywhere and everywhere possible, so go for it!
I’m not sure, though, that much can help the mental health of a few folks who go utterly vitriolic in any game thread – unless you’re a licensed therapist (and maybe even then), I’d more likely recommend muting and moving on. Sometimes easier said than done, I know.
I will not be watching the game live this weekend. I got hoodwinked into going to a Josh Groban concert Saturday night over the summer before the game times came out. I don’t even know what this guy sings but I saw a picture of him on a billboard. Given how the season is going, it may not be too bad. Funny I am not too upset about it. Should I consult a doctor about my feelings?–LarzLion
Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll eventually come back to us – I think we always come back home to Penn State football.
And Josh Groban is awesome! His voice is amazing, so I’m sure you’ll have a good time especially if you don’t know anything about him. If you’ve seen movies like Crazy Stupid Love or The Office (or even Muppets Most Wanted), you may recognize him – he definitely has a sense of humor, but I don’t know if he banters in a concert. I do know he has the voice of an angel, though.
Granted I didn’t wade through every comment following our, um, recent unpleasantness, but – not enough is being said about how this guy has been culpable in the last 2 gut-wrenching losses.
Can we get bench warrant or restraining order or something against Jerry Neuheisel?–vern05
HOW DID I HAVE NO CLUE THAT JERRY NEUHEISEL WAS ON STAFF AT NORTHWESTERN UNTIL READING YOUR QUESTION?
What a difference a year makes, after every single commercial break was about his offensive prowess last year. You’d have thought his successful interim coordinator run would have led to that sort of permanent role somewhere – but I guess his relationship with Chip Kelly was more important than being a coordinator at a power five (or lower) school. Luckily, his dad wasn’t calling our game this past week so I was able to exist in blissful ignorance for a week longer than I would have been otherwise.
Remember in Christian Hackenberg’s first PSU game against Syracuse O’Brien had him punt? And it was pretty good, around 40 yards as I remember. So bizarre–PSU1979dude
LOL I love remembering weird sports shit like this, thank you so much for the reminder! I wish I could find a video of this but it doesn’t seem to be on youtube – if anyone can find it, please add it into the comments.
Which raunchy teenage comedy from the 90s or early 00s do you think best represents the following outcomes of a wrestling bout?
1) Decision
2) Medical forfeit
3) Disqualification by stalling
4) Fall–seemsez
- Dazed and Confused
- Euro Trip
- Can’t Hardly Wait (thanks to Liongame for the suggestion)
- American Pie
I will not be elaborating.
Have you experienced the “Gen Z stare” yet?–Liongame
I am absolutely sure that I have because I exist in society, I’m in contact with Gen Zers, and this is so prevalent. I don’t let it bother me, though, likely even when it probably should!
Please tell the story of your worst cooking disaster.–Gerry Dincher
As someone who’s cooked for many years, it’s probably weird that I don’t have any real disasters that I can think of – I am very good at following directions, and that includes recipes. I can think of a few years ago when I had cooked quiche for a tailgate, though, and when I was taking it out of the oven, it slipped out of my hands and ricocheted off of the inside of the oven to land face down on the oven heating apparatus. Not only was that a fun cleaning situation, but I also ended up without a main item I had promised for the tailgate – so ended up having to run to buy a store-bought quiche. Oh, the horror!
You can only have one type of shoe for the rest of your life. What are you picking: hiking boots, military boots, running shoes, something else? What gets max utility?–ckmneon
I’d probably pick some sort of comfy but supportive slide – as long as you have warm enough socks, you can wear them year-round, and they’re much better in the summer than any closed-toe shoe! I also have even been hiking in Hawai’i in slides, and if you get a good enough pair, they can last a while and support you through almost anything
We probably have this discussion once a year, but what is your favorite pizza topping? Pineapple is the only unacceptable answer. Pepperoni and mushrooms are the only acceptable answer–LTFT1000
Truly, I don’t have one! Pineapple is one of the few toppings that I absolutely will NOT eat on my pizza (mostly because I won’t eat pineapple on anything, or even plain); I’ll eat almost anything else on a pizza, and in most combinations. Though the type of sauce that is on the pizza will definitely determine whether I want that particular type of topping on the pizza.
