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PSU Point/Counterpoint: Are college football polls still relevant?

Here’s the Twitter answer to this week’s question: OMG, no. When they first began in the 1930s, the Associated Press (writers) and United Press International (coaches) polls served a purpose and helped build interest and got people talking and debating about college football. As the sport went decades without a true playoff system, the polls were a way to sustain the status quo and crown a mythical national championship. Repeat: Mythical. Penn State, in particular, paid a price. The Nittany Lions had four undefeated teams that fell short of being voted No. 1 in the final ...

PSU Point/Counterpoint: Are college football polls still relevant?

I love rankings! Always have, always will. I remember as a kid how I couldn’t wait to go to the store to see if they had a Street & Smith magazine preseason college basketball or football rankings issue. Man, I would spend hours combing through those things, back before the internet and when you couldn’t find much information on teams all across the country. Rankings were the best — and really only — way to compare your team against other teams. So, of course, the polls were pretty much gospel back then. Some will argue that’s not the case anymore, in an age when we have ...

Tenacious defense alive and well

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com UNIVERSITY PARK — If the other guy can’t score, he can’t win. Penn State seems to be embracing that attitude, and although the Nittany Lions aren’t devoid of offense and special teams, their defense has been the season’s shining star so far in a 5-0 start. A glorious Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium brought the latest example as UCLA’s only touchdown came in the final 16 seconds to set the final score at 27-11. And while the Nittany Lions’ defense has left room for improvement in the early portion of almost every game, no ...

Norwood’s return stirs fond memories

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com UCLA’s visit to Penn State today (noon, Fox) is a homecoming of sorts for Brian Norwood. The Bruins’ defensive backs coach spent seven years (2001-07) on the Nittany Lions’ staff before leaving to become defensive coordinator at Baylor. “Penn State and State College is a special place,” Norwood said in an interview earlier this week. “(This game) is a blessing.” As much as he savored his time under Joe Paterno, Norwood has equally good memories of all the relationships he made here. He said Friday night football at Memorial ...

PSU Point/Counterpoint: Should the Big Ten have added the teams from the Pac-12?

Yes: West Coast teams solidify conference’s future If it were up to me, all the Eastern schools would have aligned in the 1980s and formed the conference Joe Paterno had proposed. And Penn State would still be playing Pitt, West Virginia and Syracuse annually — with fans being able to drive to those games — along with whomever would have followed, maybe Maryland, Miami and Florida State. But how long can we live in the past? College sports mortgaged its collective soul many years ago with greedy realignments while chasing the ultimate buck at the expense of regional and ...

Not pretty, but Lions remain perfect

by Neil Rudel UNIVERSITY PARK ­— Cornerback A.J. Harris had just grabbed his first career interception and was on his way to a 52-yard touchdown return with 5:50 left, an exclamation point to Penn State’s 21-7 win over Illinois Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. And then, from behind the play, a flag flew. Penn State was called for a needless block in the back penalty, which brought the ball back to midfield. “I’m thankful to catch my first interception,” Harris, a transfer from Georgia, said afterward with a smile. “I wish it would have counted.” The Nittany ...