ALTOONA, Pa. -- We got this very simple, yet very telling question about Penn State in our Live Qs at 5 feature Wednesday:
"When will Penn State football be relevant again on a national level? What would need to happen?" -- from mhellman
The answer, in its simplest form, is one word:
Now.
That's right. Despite going 11-11 over the past two seasons, eliciting great anger from the fan base, the truth of the matter is that the Nittany Lions have a chance to be nationally relevant right now, this season.
Penn State isn't ranked in the top 25 to start the season, but that very well could change if it beats Purdue in week one.
Beat Purdue and also Auburn in week three, both tough but winnable road games, and the Lions could be ranked in the top 15. That's nationally relevant, since it could help lead to a 10-win season. And it is doable -- although losing both of those games also is doable, in which case we will tackle that if and when it happens.
When it comes to just how long Penn State will have a chance to remain nationally relevant, I'm also going to give you a one-word answer:
Always.
The huge new$ that came out Thur$day regarding the Big Ten'$ new mega TV right$ deal will en$ure that Penn $tate will alway$ have a chance to be a major player on the national $tage.
(You $ee what I did there with all those dollar signs????)
There are haves and have-nots in college football, and there has always been a pretty big divide between those two groups. Penn State has always been one of the haves because of its tradition, stadium size, fan base and brand. With this new $7.5 billion TV deal, which will pay out bookoos of bucks annually to every member of the Big Ten, there's no reason to believe that Penn State will ever be more than just one or key two wins away from national prominence.
There have been a whole lot of Penn State fans who have griped a ton over the past 30 years about being in the Big Ten, feeling like the league has screwed over Penn State for one reason or another, or treated the Lions like a red-headed stepchild.
But it should be abundantly clear now to everyone -- even those who still may hate being in the Big Ten -- that joining this league was the ultimate savior for Penn State football. Yes, we can make a case that being in the ACC would be better for a number of logistical reasons, but while Big Ten teams will be making close to $80 million a year in TV money, ACC teams will be pulling in roughly half that.
Sure, Clemson is one of the haves right now in college football. But if you don't think folks down there aren't worried about how this massive financial reshuffling could hurt the ACC, then you haven't been paying attention.
Yes, absolutely, from a football standpoint, games will still be won or lost on the field. Coaching will matter. James Franklin will have to improve as a game day coach for Penn State to get back to national relevance and to stay there.
Having a mountain of money at his disposal can only help. Not just his own money with the 10-year, $85 million contract, but with the promise of heaping piles of more money coming in thanks to the TV deal, which will allow Franklin to keep adding on to the program's huge number of analysts, quality control folks, recruiting specialists and anyone else who can actually help him become a better coach.
Money doesn't solve every problem. Rutgers and Indiana will be getting the same amount of TV money that Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan will be getting, but there's no reason to believe that the Scarlet Knights or Hoosiers will ever become consistent threats in the Big Ten.
But when you're at a place like Penn State, where the biggest problem is something that you'd think could be relatively easily fixed -- having a perennially bad offensive line -- a huge influx of money can only help the program improve in areas where it's already very, very good.
Personally, I'm not very optimistic about this year's Penn State team. I picked the Lions to go 7-5. But, as stated before, the games at Purdue and Auburn are winnable, and if the Lions do prevail, then nine or 10 wins will be possible.
Next season should be even better, and from my view, 2024 could be a chance to compete for a College Football Playoff Berth and perhaps even win it all.
That's the short term for Penn State, and it's not too bad.
With a whole bunch more money and future security on the way in the coming years, and the College Football Playoff field likely expanding to 12 teams before too long, it is safe to assume that Penn State could be a major player on the national stage in just about any given season.
That really was already the case even before the groundbreaking TV deal was announced. But now, with this mega deal in place, there are about 7.5 billion more reasons to like Penn State's place in the future college football landscape.
