Big Lead Sports Bar

5/01/2009

PATERNO: PITT IN BIG TEN?


This one ought to inspire some commentary from the Panther-bashing Nittany Lion fans out there who think that Pitt is a minor-league program. None other than JoePa himself just endorsed Pitt as a possible addition to the Big TenLeven:

"Everybody else is playing playoffs on television. You never see a Big Ten team mentioned. So I think it’s a handicap.’’

Paterno’s solution?

"Let’s get a 12th team -- Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt -- we could have a little bit of a playoff.’’

So if Pitt's in the Big Ten, will Penn State do a home-and-home then? Probably not. That's an honor reserved for the truly elite football programs this country has to offer. Like Rutgers.

Paterno wants Pitt in Big Ten [Bob Smizik Blog]

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25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hard to defend taking a jab at Rutgers football when they have manhandled the Panthers in recent years and quite frankly have surpassed them as a program.

BurressWithButterflywings said...

I think Don's point of view on this has less to do with Rutgers and more to do w/ JoePa.

That would be an interesting switch, but I would hate the idea of Pitt not being in the same conference as WVU as well as leaving behind the great rivalries in B-Ball.

I am certain this is going to escalate into a full fledged pissing contest with the team of Adam/NigerianNightmare vs. The Majortiy of Mondesishouse bloggers that will include plenty of shots about pant shitting, drum majors, attendance, NIT trophies, etc.



Keep it clean folks

Kyle Chrise said...

pitt fans STILL crying about psu refusing a home-and-home deal?

The Duke from Dukes Court said...

I'm not a Pitt fan and I would like to see Pitt and PSU play again.

Does anyone else find it odd that he mentioned Syracuse as a potential addition to the Big Ten? Has JoePa seen Cuse play football the last few years?

the nigerian nightmare said...

I don't have the energy for one of these today.....but I will say that I wouldn't consider us "Panther-bashing Nittany Lion fans"......most of the time it's more like "Penn State ALUMNI retaliating to a pot-shot taken by Don in a post".

Jeff_King_Fan said...

Has JoePa actually seen Pitt play football the past few years? Aside from a win over WVU a couple years ago, they have done nothing except get destroyed by the likes of ND, Utah, and the Bayside Tigers.

CapitolMAN said...

Rutgers, Syracuse, Carnegie Tech, or the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Go away, Old Man.

I hear JoePa is going to retire anyway so he run for Senate against that young whippersnapper Arlen Specter.

NickDawg said...

Being a Pitt Alum, I want no part of the Big 10. Granted they get to the big game but then get waxed and embarassed by (insert any of the big conferences here). Not saying Pitt football is better but the Big Easy is a fine conference that is still in its rebuilding stage after the defections of Miami, VaTech, and Boston College. Give it time. Plus the Big Easy has by far and away the best basketball conference and Pitt would get devistated recuit wise if they left for the NIT conference, I mean Big 10. All the studs that choose Pitt for hoops from the likes of NY would no longer be enamored with playing in a less talented league with no games at MSG on an annual basis.....I'm just sayin

BURGH08 said...

Agreed. Leaving the likes of UCONN, Louisville, Villanova, etc for the defending NIT champs would be suicide.

Joe Pa will die soon, and they will play again. No worries.

Louis Lipps is my homeboy said...

This should be labeled "Adam Bait".


I wouldn't mind the Big 10 for football honestly, but I don't ever want to leave the Big East for basketball purposes.

Louis Lipps is my homeboy said...

Ummm Jeff_King... Pitt beat ND last year.

Jared said...

Nick, the Big East is not the best basketball conference, pretty sure its been awhile since a Big East team has won the title.
In theory it would be nice to take WVU from the Big East, thus making it a completely irrelevant football conference (if it wasn't already), but the Big Ten has academic standards and NO Big East football school (let alone Pitt) would have any chance of getting in.

BURGH08 said...

Not even Andy Katzenmoyer and Anthony Morelli would buy that post Jared.

the nigerian nightmare said...

Hahahahaha....Morelli....touche my friend.

Jared said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jared said...

Every school cuts their athletes a break, at least Penn State graduates them (top 10 grad rate in the country every year).
I was referring to the academics of the university as a whole (i.e. the common student)

BURGH08 said...

It's still a weak argument. This is where folks want to spew stats found in any common google search.

I know of 'common students' that were average students at best in high school, yet got in Penn State to study horticulture. Ditto friends that couldn't get into Pitt, but found their way into Ohio State and become a gym teacher.

I'm sure there are other examples of folks not getting accepted by either of those Big Ten Schools, but may have been accepted at Pitt.

Trying to cite academics has little if nothing to do with conference mates.

johnny said...

Jared,

Congrats on being a joke. Other than the fact that Syracuse, Rutgers, and Pitt are all in the American Association of Universities, arguably the most prestigious university network research institution in the United States, your argument fails for the following reasons.

Pitt blows State Clown College out of the water in Law, Medicine, Public Administration and Policy and a slew of other graduate programs. Furthermore, 'Cuse, Rutgers, and UConn also have higher rankings in that and other disciplines. State Clown College is a find undergraduate institution, but weak relative to most graduate programs. Feel free to Google the US News or any other rankings that you would like to reaffirm what I am saying. The quality of research at Pitt stacks more than favorably with State Clown College. Or you could also Google the endowments of the respective institutions and see how far Pitt blows State Clown College out of the water, even factoring in for losses the last couple of quarters.

the nigerian nightmare said...

Penn State is in your glorious AAU too assclown.

johnny said...

No kidding it's in the AAU, Colonel McDipshit. The premise of Jared's comment was that Cuse, Rutgers, and Pitt couldn't hang with the rigorous academics of the Big Joke Conference.

As it turns out, all three institutions are involved in the AAU along with State Clown College and other member Big Joke Conference institutions. Hence, the premise of Jared's argument is undercut.

the nigerian nightmare said...

And if you went to Pitt, the premise of any of your arguments are undercut, considering you show the intelligence and maturity level of a 15 year old. OHHHHH YEEEEEAH!

johnny said...

The logic of your post does not follow. My perceived maturity level does not affect the rankings of any of Pitt's graduate programs nor does it change the incorrect nature of Jared's original premise.

Since you also seem to be a fan of the Kool Aid Man, here's a bonus pic.

the nigerian nightmare said...

....fantastic. Let's all chill out and have a glass of Kool-Aid.

Unknown said...

If Pitt wants easier schedules, this is the way. If you can get by OSU in football, the rest of the way would be a lock for conference title. They've never won the Beg East. Basketball? - PA-LEEEEASE

Guaranteed a high seed at the dance every March.

Would hate to see them go, but easy scheduled are huge benefit in the NCAA.

Unknown said...

As a grad of both Penn State and Pitt, I would love to see them play again. But I'd miss the Back Yard Brawl! I love going to Morgantown and starting crap with the townies, haha. Then there's the basketball issue, Dixon has worked so hard to create a team that high school kids dream of playing for. A Pitt move to the Big 10 in basketball would be good for the Big 10, but horribly bad (any way you slice it) for Pitt. Then there's the academic portion...I really don't think any of the Big 10 schools really need to be embarrassed by adding a real university to their conference. Remember I'm saying that as a Pitt AND Penn State grad.