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I enjoyed Neil Rudel's Aug. 6 column leading into the Penn State football season.
1. First, to address his question about predicting the season. My word is uncertain. A lot -- a whole lot -- of new moving parts -- players, coaches, opponents, the entire lousy system of what used to be college sports (see No. 2). He and I have corresponded about this for a couple of years, since the disastrous Peach Bowl against Ole Miss when, in my opinion, so many Penn State players quit on the team.
2. College sports is no longer "college" sports. It's "professional" sports "sponsored" by colleges. Players are rented from year to year. How many of last year's Lions left for Virginia Tech with James Franklin, and how many Cyclones left Iowa State for PSU to stay with Matt Campbell? Of course, this is due to the transfer portal and NIL. For goodness sake, even regular professional sports have multi-year contracts that are usually and legally honored. If the "Wild West" of college sports continues without stability, even current fans eventually won't care. Donor money will dry up and empty seats will show up in now filled stadiums.
3. I hate the preseason games (Marshall, Temple and Buffalo). Geez, the only thing I hope for is that nobody gets hurt. In my opinion, games like this --for all teams, not just Penn State -- should not count as wins or be considered in evaluating a team for the CFP.
4. I'm literally far away (Texas) so I can't follow a lot of the local sentiment, but I think Campbell could be a real good hire. Time will tell. He needs a good year this year to recruit for next year.
5. Recruiting. Except for the current year, commits mean nothing. Not worth my time to even read about. How many high school players actually follow through with a commitment they make in their junior year? Commitments are the exception; decommitments are the rule.
6. I'll watch the games on TV. I'll cheer for the Lions. But I won't feel invested like I used to.
Lu Dorfman, Houston, Texas