Around the Big Ten

[jack_crancer]

His name should never have been on it to begin with. There's no way he would have approached 400 wins if he had coached in the Big10 his entire career.

That's an absurd statement. Bo nearly 200 wins with 20 years at Michigan. That's about the same rate as Paterno. Good coaches are good coaches.

[hack]

May or may not be, but just extrapolating from that doesn't tell the story. Did Paterno's strength of schedule pale in comparison to the 70s and 80s-era schedules of UM and OSU?

[Hannibal]

I didn't mind Paterno's name being on it, since he spent 18 seasons in the Big Ten. It's when they start referring to Tom Osborne as a Big Ten icon (retired 14 years before Nebraska joined the Big Ten) that I've got problems with it.

[madootra]

Paterno spent decades playing Temple, Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse in an era where those teams were absolutely horrible. If he had to face Michigan, tPCoC, Wisconsin, MSU, instead.......he never would have approached those numbers IMO.

[WM Wolverine]

+ WV & Pitt..

[Dr. Strangelove]

Penn State's schedule in the 80's did not take a backseat to either OSU or Michigan. I am not so sure about the 70's, but the Big10 was complete garbage in the 70's except for the Big 2 and one or two MSU teams.

Penn State played Alabama every year in the 80's. Notre Dame too. Syracuse, West Virginia, Pitt, and BC all had pretty good programs.

[hack]

Certainly the B10 was not a murderer's row schedule. I don't know about PSU.

[entropy]

TO's name should be added to the trophy.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Looking over the schedules, these are the ranked teams Pen State played in the regular season 1980-89 (not counting bowl games)

1980
Nebraska #7
Miami #18
Pitt #2

1981
@ Nebraska #11
West Virginia #17
@ Miami #8
Alabama #7
@ Pitt #4

1982
Maryland #20
Nebraska #3
@ Alabama #17
@ West Virginia #19
Pitt #10

1983
Nebraska #2
Iowa #14
Alabama #15
West Virginia #16
@ BC #19
Pitt #18

1984
@ Iowa #16
@ Maryland #12
@ West Virginia #18
BC #5

1985
@ Maryland #18
Alabama #13

1986
@ BC #19
@ Alabama #9

1987
@ Syracuse #4
Notre Dame #17

1988
Syracuse #13
@ Alabama #17
@ West Virginia #5
@ Notre Dame #1

1989
Virginia #18
Alabama #9
West Virginia #21
Notre Dame #2
@ Pitt #17

[madootra]

I was thinking more about the 70's.....but still color me not too impressed. Just like ND, I see too many push overs. (add North Carolina St, Army, Navy to my above list). In the 70s he routinely played a ranked team 2 times or less in a season (5 times), and if they were ranked in the Top 10....they lost...usually (3-8 against Top 10.......16-10 against ranked opponents).

In the vaunted 80's, he went 20-19-1 against ranked opponents.....much better competition....yet was 5-9 against Top 10. In those 2 decades he was winning over 10 games per season.......usually against crap teams.

Since he's been in the Big10.....he's averaging about 7 wins....and 5 conference wins per season. Yawn......

I'm not saying that he isn't a very good coach, but he made his reputation against average competition, and with tremendous talent......and he most certainly SHOULD NOT have been named on a League Championship trophy in a league he has spent less than half of his career in, and certainly not dominated like some thought he would.

[hack]

Regardless of the developing Bo vs Popeterno argument, his name never belonged on the trophy in the first place for the reasons just stated. That's for sure in my book.

[madootra]

I think we all agree on that....

[hack]

Osborne would be a fine replacement of course.

[madootra]

pot stirrer.....

[hack]

Paterno's special, but if they wanted at least to stay with the shithead/newcomer theme it's an option...