Coaches don’t pay attention — so they say
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Penn State coach Matt Campbell has shared his awareness of fan and media expectations, but he's not yet leaned into those things as a motivational tool.
Some other coaches have -- including the one whose team dealt the Nittany Lions their most recent loss.
"We didn't really listen to what you guys on the outside had to say," USC coach Lincoln Riley said. "Nobody in the world gave us a chance to come in and win this game, and we did it. We did it our way."
How did Riley know what was being said if he didn't listen? You see the contradiction there, right?
For all the coaches, in every sport, who preach focus and tell their teams to ignore the noise, rare are those who practice what they preach.
They generally know what's happening and, of course, they care.
They should care less, though. A lot less. Those who can focus on their job and just coach often end up better than coaches who hear every little thing.
Any comments, interactions or responses often end up sounding petty. Or the coaches delivering the message make a mistake that turns people off as a result.
For example, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko recently referred to a popular online community focused on his program as a "cesspool."
That's not a good look, or response.
Playing your team against the expectations or so-called media noise can lead to an us-vs.-them motivational approach that can be successful. It just has a lot of downsides, especially for coaches attempting to build a connection or embrace a community.
All over the dial
There may not be a winning record or many record-breaking performances on the field individually, but the Penn State football team has made some history so far -- and especially with the team's seventh game kicking off Saturday.
Each of the team's games this season has been selected by a different broadcast partner. Seven games, seven outlets.
That's a first for the program.
Penn State-Michigan will air at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. The Nittany Lions' first six games were handled by, in order, Fox Sports 1, ESPN2, Big Ten Network, Peacock, Fox and NBC.
That variety poses a challenge for fans who may not have access to all those options. At the same time, not many programs end up on each of the three major networks (CBS, NBC and Fox) every season, and BTN, ESPN2 and FS1 are familiar options anymore.
Some people may grumble about the annual Peacock game, but in the money-first world of college football it's a reality that will remain.
Plus, the number of outlets generally seems to be a positive selling point for visibility, if nothing else.
At the same time, those close to the program certainly anticipate the opportunity, someday, for the records to be related to on-field success.
Playoff perspective
Every day seems to put us a day closer to a 24-team College Football Playoff, which puts us a day closer to making the sport's regular season even less meaningful.
Various reports from meetings of college football leaders last week have more stakeholders moving toward support of a playoff field that's twice the size of the current format and just one school short of the full Top 25.
In many cases, more isn't better. In all cases with college football, though, when it's more money that's all that matters. So, from the school's side of the potential expansion, if it leads to more revenue that's all that matters.
Plus, no matter how much angst and eye rolling people do over the eventual cost of the media contract, partners who pay for such content almost always look wise in the end.
Notable
■ Looking back at NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night effort covering the White Out game, it was a solid and generally strong performance. An A-minus effort. Great visuals and consistent storytelling. There are times, though, when standout analyst Todd Blackledge, a veteran TV talker who as a quarterback led Penn State to its first national championship in 1982, sounds like a bit of an apologist for his alma mater. Specifically, the on-air team offered little criticism of timeout usage by Penn State and whenever current QB Rocco Becht made a mistake, it was Blackledge's silence that spoke.
■ This week offers two of the best back-to-back games on the same day in SEC Network history. Missouri-Ole Miss kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by Kentucky-Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. Yes, there are clearly better games in that conference this week, but these are two compelling options for a conference channel.
■ College football broadcasters remain enamored with crowd noise as part of their on-air product. It's too loud -- always. Fans at home are there for the broadcast and, in theory, to hear from the folks describing the action. Too often crowd noise overwhelms their information and insights. Fans deserve better.
■ Fox's Big Noon Kickoff heads to Bloomington for Ohio State-Indiana this week. At the same time, ESPN's College GameDay travels to Provo, Utah, in advance of Notre Dame-BYU.
Worth watching
Ohio State at Indiana Noon Saturday Fox
Alabama at Tennessee 3:30 p.m. Saturday ABC
Notre Dame at BYU 7:30 p.m. Saturday ABC
Nebraska at Oregon 11 p.m. Saturday Fox
Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com