Will Joe Paterno AND Penn State Football Both Die in 2012?

[J. Walter Weatherman]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

[Quality Start Machine]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

I was expecting far less, out of fear of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

That's Penn State's job.  If they want to make right-minded alumni proud of their school, they'd do what U of C did decades and kill football.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

How many games did PSU win against Auburn, IL, High School during that period?

TOO OLD!

[J. Walter Weatherman]

If they want to make right-minded alumni proud of their school...

I laughed.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

If they want to make right-minded alumni proud of their school...

I laughed.

I'm sure there were definitely more than few alums that were doing faceplams at all of the maudlin statue idolatry on Friday and before.  Problem is, these people are probably too afraid to say anything because the whole culture has grown so pervasive.

[Brownie]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

They suffocated the golden goose. This program will not be back. Remember: the DOE has yet to take corrective action re: the Clery Report, and they could fine them millions more. A $60MM fine on top of the civil liabilty on top of any DOE sanctions, in which the football program's misdeed affect what is supposed to be the core mission of the university, on top of having a shit team for the next 5-7 years, on top of any sanctions Jim Delaney chooses to levy with his new powers, and why would anyone want to continue this charade? Oh, and by the way, all players on Penn State have been granted free agency.

It's over. This is worse than SMU. SMU hasn't been competitive on the big stage since. Want another comparison? How about Judge Landis' ban of 8 White Sox players in 1920. It took them nearly 35 years to be consistently competitive again. Or UNLV? Have they been able to recover post-Tarkanian to any prominence? Sure, they're a fun team to watch at 10 pm on a Wednesday night against St. Mary's, and they'll make the field of 64 4 years out of 10, but their days of a powerhouse are over.

I suppose Penn State will sue and try to get injunctions slapped on some of the sanctions, but they won't stop players from transferring, and I don't know how long they'll dig their heels in on this.

[Brownie]

If they want to make right-minded alumni proud of their school...

I laughed.

I'm sure there were definitely more than few alums that were doing faceplams at all of the maudlin statue idolatry on Friday and before.  Problem is, these people are probably too afraid to say anything because the whole culture has grown so pervasive.

Pervasive? Nah.

[BH]

Last QB to win at PSU: Mike McQuery

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Last QB to win at PSU: Mike McQuery

Is he related to Mike McQueary?   

[Richard Chuggar]

Last QB to win at PSU: Mike McQuery

Is he related to Mike McQueary?   

Or Mike McQueerie?

[Brownie]

If they want to make right-minded alumni proud of their school...

I laughed.

I'm sure there were definitely more than few alums that were doing faceplams at all of the maudlin statue idolatry on Friday and before.  Problem is, these people are probably too afraid to say anything because the whole culture has grown so pervasive.

Pervasive? Nah.

You know what? I can lampoon this 70-year-old juvenile all day, but fuck him. This was Sunday morning as the statue of Paterno was pulled down (by the way, the fetishization of statues is disgusting, especially in sports). But this was Sunday morning in Pennsylvania, as this man mourned a man he never knew who lived a very charmed, long life.

The same weekend, people also mourned in Colorado.

Fuck him.

[flannj]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

They suffocated the golden goose. This program will not be back. Remember: the DOE has yet to take corrective action re: the Clery Report, and they could fine them millions more. A $60MM fine on top of the civil liabilty on top of any DOE sanctions, in which the football program's misdeed affect what is supposed to be the core mission of the university, on top of having a shit team for the next 5-7 years, on top of any sanctions Jim Delaney chooses to levy with his new powers, and why would anyone want to continue this charade? Oh, and by the way, all players on Penn State have been granted free agency.

It's over. This is worse than SMU. SMU hasn't been competitive on the big stage since. Want another comparison? How about Judge Landis' ban of 8 White Sox players in 1920. It took them nearly 35 years to be consistently competitive again. Or UNLV? Have they been able to recover post-Tarkanian to any prominence? Sure, they're a fun team to watch at 10 pm on a Wednesday night against St. Mary's, and they'll make the field of 64 4 years out of 10, but their days of a powerhouse are over.

I suppose Penn State will sue and try to get injunctions slapped on some of the sanctions, but they won't stop players from transferring, and I don't know how long they'll dig their heels in on this.

From PSU's response...

Against this backdrop, Penn State accepts the penalties and corrective actions announced today by the NCAA. With today's announcement and the action it requires of us, the University takes a significant step forward.

Since receiving Judge Freeh's preliminary recommendations in January, the University has instituted several reforms. Today we accept the terms of the consent decree imposed by the NCAA. As Penn State embarks upon change and progress, this announcement helps to further define our course. It is with this compass that we will strive for a better tomorrow

.

I think they've got to take this and move on.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

If they want to make right-minded alumni proud of their school...

I laughed.

I'm sure there were definitely more than few alums that were doing faceplams at all of the maudlin statue idolatry on Friday and before.  Problem is, these people are probably too afraid to say anything because the whole culture has grown so pervasive.

Pervasive? Nah.

You know what? I can lampoon this 70-year-old juvenile all day, but fuck him. This was Sunday morning as the statue of Paterno was pulled down (by the way, the fetishization of statues is disgusting, especially in sports). But this was Sunday morning in Pennsylvania, as this man mourned a man he never knew who lived a very charmed, long life.

The same weekend, people also mourned in Colorado.

Fuck him.

Just know that anybody who spends one second defending the Culture of Paterno is defending child rape, pure and simple.  It's best to shut up and forget about the whole thing.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

OK, so it's not the death penalty, but on the scale of death penalty (SMU), Club Fed (USC) or life in prison (UNLV), Penn State is spending time in John McCain's Vietcong POW camp for a long time.

$60 MM fine
loss of 20 scholarships/year for four years
No bowl games for four years

Indiana picks up 11 wins since 1998!

I've never been happier about being wrong. The vacated wins was outstanding.

Except you weren't really all that wrong, insofar as the future interests of the association and conference were for the most part protected.

It's just that they managed to square the circle of acting tough without killing the golden goose.

They suffocated the golden goose. This program will not be back. Remember: the DOE has yet to take corrective action re: the Clery Report, and they could fine them millions more. A $60MM fine on top of the civil liabilty on top of any DOE sanctions, in which the football program's misdeed affect what is supposed to be the core mission of the university, on top of having a shit team for the next 5-7 years, on top of any sanctions Jim Delaney chooses to levy with his new powers, and why would anyone want to continue this charade? Oh, and by the way, all players on Penn State have been granted free agency.

It's over. This is worse than SMU. SMU hasn't been competitive on the big stage since. Want another comparison? How about Judge Landis' ban of 8 White Sox players in 1920. It took them nearly 35 years to be consistently competitive again. Or UNLV? Have they been able to recover post-Tarkanian to any prominence? Sure, they're a fun team to watch at 10 pm on a Wednesday night against St. Mary's, and they'll make the field of 64 4 years out of 10, but their days of a powerhouse are over.

I suppose Penn State will sue and try to get injunctions slapped on some of the sanctions, but they won't stop players from transferring, and I don't know how long they'll dig their heels in on this.

An opposing view...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2012/07/23/sanctions-against-penn-state-for-sex-scandal-are-too-lenient/

We valued Penn State's football team at $69 million in 2007, 16th in the nation. Two years later their value had increased to $99 million, in third place. And last year the Nittany Lions were worth $100 million, behind only the University of Texas and Notre Dame. Not many assets were appreciating at that pace during the recession. The juggernaut was not about to slow down. Department of Education data for the 2010-11 year (latest available, released after our last valuation ranking) shows that under the late Joe Paterno the  Nittany Lions were an economic powerhouse: $72.7 million in revenue versus operating expenses of $19.5 million. That $53 million profit is even more staggering when you realize that in aggregate the rest of the school's athletic program lost money.

What will the hit to Penn State's football program from the NCAA's penalties?

In 2010 the NCAA meted out penalties against the University of Southern California's football program, including barring it from bowl games in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The penalties given to USC were the harshest since the NCAA issued the "death penalty" to the Southern Methodist football program in 1986, shutting it down for two years. In our most recent valuation of college football teams last December, USC had fallen 9% over two years but was still worth $62 million, and worth 17% more than the $53 million we valued the football team at in 2007. Moreover, U.S. Department of Education data shows that USC's football program is still incredibly profitable, generating an operating profit of $11.7 million during the 2010-11 fiscal year (latest available, but released after our latest valuations) on revenue of $31.1 million.

USC's penalties were less harsh than Penn State's, most notably the school only had to pay $5,000 fine. But the value created during just the past several years of Jerry Sandusky's reign of terror more than offsets the reduction in value from a loss of less than one year's worth of the football program's revenue. I can see Penn State dropping in value to $80 million or so in our college football team ranking. But in five years they will be back well above $100 million. Not much of a price to pay for what was going on at Happy Valley the past two decades.

Guess we'll have to see how it plays out.