Take the bags off your head, Nittany Nation.
Hell has frozen over. Pigs have flown. Yes, the Penn State men’s basketball team has won not one, but two, conference games.
By now, you know where we stand with Nittany Lions. A pair of road wins aren’t going to salvage the season. In the end, a late-season run will only make things worse. Right now, coach Ed DeChellis is on the hot seat. If the Nits are able to string several wins together, it takes him off the hot seat. A mirage of success will not help things in Happy Valley, long term.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’re going to avoid the woeful Nits. Quite frankly, there are bigger fish to fry. We’ll talk Big Ten expansion and feature another member of the Class of 2010.
Let’s start with the hot topic — Big Ten expansion.
Time to Expand
In mid-December, the Big Ten sent out a news release announcing that it was looking into the possibility of expanding the conference and adding another university for the first time since Penn State signed on in June of 1990.
In the months that followed, fans have speculated about which university should be added to the conference. Some interesting names have cropped up. So let’s take a look at several candidates and break down what they bring to the table.
Syracuse — The Orange would bring one of the best basketball programs in the nation to the conference. While the football program has fallen upon hard times recently, a move from the Big East to the Big Ten would certainly help recruiting. Adding SU would certainly give the conference some of the New York television market, but would it be enough? Probably not.
Rutgers — As hard as it is to believe, Rutgers would probably be a pretty good fit for the conference. Just as when Penn State joined the conference two decades ago, the Scarlet Knights would be a player in football, but it would take awhile for the basketball team to catch up. Rutgers could also deliver a share of the New York-New Jersey television market, something the Big Ten covets.
Pittsburgh — In this writer’s opinion, Pittsburgh is the obvious choice. Geographically speaking, Pitt fits perfectly. It’s close enough to both University Park and Columbus to create immediate rivalries with both Penn State and Ohio State. Pittsburgh’s basketball team would enter the conference and immediately have one of the best teams and one of the best young coaches. Football will be a step behind the conference’s big dogs, but we’re guessing that simply being in the Big Ten will help Dave Wannstedt’s recruiting efforts. The only down side to Pittsburgh is the fact that it delivers very little television market. Penn State alumni already dominate western Pennsylvania, so the folks who want the Big Ten Network already have it.
Missouri — Hardly a sexy pick, Missouri doesn’t bring a whole lot of cache. The basketball and football programs are middle of the road at best. However, Mizzou does deliver the St. Louis and Kansas City television markets with it. For that reason alone, the Tigers will probably make the cut.
Texas — The University of Texas has been getting the most buzz recently, and it’s easy to see why. The football and basketball programs are perennial powerhouses and would contend for Big Ten and national titles every single year. One of the top academic institutions in the nation, adding Texas would put the Big Ten Network in every cable home in Texas.
So why would Texas want to leave the Big 12 and cut ties with all of its natural rivals? Well, the school would start earning at least $10 million more each year just from the TV revenue. It is estimated that every Big Ten school receives about $22 million in television money. That would grow with Texas in the conference.
The only downfall would be the travel involved. Imagine every Penn State sports team flying to Texas at least once a year. That would get pricey, but we’re guessing the coffers would be more than full from the TV revenue the Longhorns would bring.
Before you dismiss Texas, remember that many believed Penn State would never join the Big Ten. On the surface, it may seem crazy. But it might just be a perfect fit.
Class of 2010: Kyle Baublitz
He’s projected as a tight end by Rivals.com, but Penn State early enrollee Kyle Baublitz is headed for a future on the defensive side of the ball as a Nittany Lion.
Rated as a four-star prospect, including the No. 8 overall tight end, No. 7-ranked player in Pennsylvania and No. 171 overall, Baublitz made his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball this past season.
He was named first team all-state as a defensive lineman by both the Associated Press and the Pennsylvania Football News, earned all-county honors and was named as one of three Players of the Year in his league.
Growing up just two hours from Happy Valley, Baublitz chose to make his commitment to the Nittany Lions as a type of symbolic gesture to his family in the middle of June.
“It’s two hours from home, it felt really comfortable to me. I love coach Johnson, he’s a great coach. The atmosphere is amazing. There’s a lot of positives with academics, the coaching staff and players,” he said. “It just really kind of felt like home to me.
“I kind of had the decision that I was going to decide for Penn State, I was just going to make it on my mom’s birthday.”
In his senior season, Baublitz had 123 tackles and an interception while forcing a fumble and blocking two punts.
He chose Penn State over dozens of other offers including mostly ACC, Big Ten and Big East schools.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.