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Sunday Sports MailBag

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Talking elite and getting there are different Is the glass half empty or half full for Penn State with James Franklin’s new contract? While the contract keeps Franklin in tow for awhile now it also deprives the Penn State faithful of seeing an elite coach. It would be nice to think that a nationally recognized or relevant coach might be leading the football program one day, but sadly the Penn State fan base won’t get that opportunity anytime soon. They certainly don’t have a nationally recognized or relevant head coach in Franklin. Those coaches mentioned in Neil ...

Mailbag

Here’s an elite timetable for Franklin to follow The 10-year contract extension given to James Franklin as head football coach at Penn State is sure to raise some alumni eyebrows — including mine. He himself has used the word “elite” to describe his vision of what the program aspires to. During the past eight years of his head coaching tenure his teams have not even rated the ranking of very good, let alone elite. According to Associated Press national rankings since 1936, the top 10 colleges that have been ranked number one, and thus might claim to be elite, are Alabama ...

Sizing up 10 teams with best Super Bowl chances

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press Close games and unpredictable outcomes have been a staple this NFL season. Thanksgiving Day was the latest example. The Bears beat the Lions on a last-second field goal. The Raiders upset the Cowboys on a field goal in overtime. The league and the networks must love it, and fans stay entertained. Going into Thursday, the 23 games decided by a winning score on the final play were the most such games through Week 11 in league history. Victories by Chicago and Las Vegas increased that total to 25. So far, 39 games have been decided by a ...

Miller played the game ‘with gusto’

In the mid-1970s, I had the pleasure of playing baseball with Pat Miller in the Altoona City League on a talented E.L. Dinges team. Of this special cast of players, Miller was the heart and soul. He was a talker and played with gusto, fitting of the excellent catcher that he was. I always looked up to Miller with respect and admiration — not only because he was one year my senior — but also for possessing special qualities of a fine athlete and man. His intelligence and leadership were immediately apparent to all on the baseball diamond. Behind the plate, he caught ...

Penn State brass needs to get prepared

I am afraid that this year’s Iowa was last year’s Indiana where Penn State goes into a tailspin after the first loss. Not only were we totally unprepared for our opponent, but we don’t have the spirit or desire to turn this around. How much of the team has been affected by James Franklin’s future as head coach, given overtures from USC and LSU? What does it take for our head coach to openly express his feelings for the school he now coaches? Why should Franklin expect our players to be “all in” if he is not? Whatever leverage he thought he had for getting a raise ...

PSU fans really can’t complain

I watched The NitWits TV show after the loss to Iowa and I got a kick out of the panel’s comments. But then again, what would one expect from Penn State homers? Keith Conlin seemed to believe that the game was over by the time Sean Clifford was hurt. Apparently he had a crystal ball that showed that an excellent Iowa coaching staff would fail to make any adjustments in the next two-plus quarters to what Penn State was doing. Look at what happened to Texas against Oklahoma Saturday. And for that matter, I can remember a Top-5 ranked Penn State team that was probably better than ...