football
at a
glance
By Christian Torres
Staff Reporter
cgtlll@psu.edu
The years are not hard to for
get. 1983, 1986, 1994. These
are the years that Penn State
football was the best that it
could be. These are the years
that truly made "Happy Valley,"
happy. These are the years that
transformed Joe Paterno from
good coach to legend. Now
everyone is asking the question
that has somehow become
cliche, what has happened to
this football program? Why is
Penn State looking like the old
Northwestern teams that
haunted the Big Ten confer
ence for over 40 years? Well,
maybe not that bad. But let's
examine some possible prob
lems and then some solut
By doing some simple
research, the cure to finding
the problem with Penn State
football can and will be found.
Maybe the problem is the Big
Ten conference. In the years
since Penn State has joined the
Big Ten in 1994, they have had
at least 9 wins except for three.
They went undefeated in one
year in which they were not
even given a chance to play for
the national championship. So
the fact that they are in a tough
conference does not seem to
be the problem. Penn State has
shown that it can compete in a
big conference.
Let's try the weather! Well, the
weather in Central
Pennsylvania is not a
best weather in the fall and win
ter. It can get cold and some
times it can even snow here
and there, but that has not pre
vented the heroes in blue and
white from winning two national
championships. Granted, tf
titles were in the 80s and at this
point, that decade seems like
ancient history, but they won
the titles nonetheless.
How about the presidency!
Joe Paterno is a known repub
lican. His son Scott just ran for
Congress on the republican
ticket. While Paterno has been
coach, and that has been since
the start of this country, republi
cans have overwhelmingly
been elected president more
times than democrats. In fact,
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford,
Ronald Reagan, George Bush I
and George Bush II have all
been president while Paterno
has been coach. They are also
all republican. Meanwhile, John
Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson,
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton
have been presidents on the
democratic side. So the repub
licans win by a slight margin in
this area (i.e. 2000 and 2004,
remember dems).
Let's try again. How about the
ice cream? Well, Penn State
has the world famous creamery
at University Park. Not many
colleges or universities can say
that their football players get
some of the best ice cream in
the world. So ice cream also
works in Penn State's corner.
So after hours of studying and
research, it has been found that
the problem with Penn State
does not lie in conference posi
tion, weather, who the presi
dent is, or even the ice cream.
So what is the true cause of
Penn State's problems? Well,
the lesson to be learned with
this experiment is that any per
son does not have to be a rock
et scientist to know that recruit
ing and coaching may be the
big problems here.
Please see PSU on 8
College bowl controversy
BCS controversy may
force changes
By Christian Torres
Staff Reporter
cgtlll@psu.edu
The BCS. The Bowl
Championship Series. Once
known as the bowl alliance, it
has been the definitive way of
deciding the national champion
in college football for almost ten
years. The name of it may have
changed, but the methods used
The exclusion of Reggie Bush and top ranked USC from the BCS
title game could bring about a nbumer of changes. The LSU and
USC split national championship remains controversial.
Former Lady Lion joins PSH
By Christian Torres
Staff Reporter
cgtlll@psu.edu
In the sports world, many ath
letes leave a small town, or big
city, or even a home country to
become successful. Some of
those athletes go back to that
town, city or country where it all
got started for them. Others
choose to stay away and never
return. For basketball player
Marissa Graby Hoover, it was a
tough decision leaving her Lady
Lion basketball team at Penn
State after many years of suc
cess. Fortunately for her, she
was given a second chance to
return and did not hesitate to
take advantage of that chance.
Four years ago, as a player for
the Penn State women's basket
ball team, Hoover was at the pin
nacle of her success. Not only
was she a member of the team
that made to the Women's Final
Four in 2000 in Philadelphia, but
she was also the captain of that
team. For Hoover, the experi
ence of being a part of that team
was something she would never
forget. "It was an exciting time
there at State College," Hoover
said. "My freshman year we (the
basketball team) weren't too
good. But the hard work that was
put into it eventually paid off."
She not only had the chance to
play with great players and
almost win a championship, but
she also had the chance to play
for a highly respected coach in
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and the controversy created from
the BCS has not.
The current standings in college
football have five undefeated
teams atop the polls. Behind the
undefeated teams are many one
loss teams in the top 25. The
teams and the order that the
teams are decided on the polls
are developed by a computer
system that takes into account
the regular season record and
strength of schedule. In Division
I-A college football, there is no
playoff system to give more
Photo courtesy of Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Renee Portland. Getting the
chance to play for Portland was
something that Hoover said was
tough at times, but it was a good
experience. "She (Portland)
could be tough on the team
especially when we were not
playing well," Hoover said.
"When we were playing good
though, she was great to us. She
knew what kind of players she
had and she respected us by the
time 2000 rolled around."
Hoover also excelled in the
classroom. She earned the high
est grade-point average on her
team for three straight seasons
and was named a GTE
Academic All-American three
times. For Hoover, the experi
ence of playing basketball taught
her many lessons. Not only did
she become a better basketball
player, but she said that she
became a better person at the
same time. "I think playing the
game of basketball was crucial
for me. It taught me about being
a better public speaker and
being more comfortable around
people," Hoover said.
"Basketball can teach you to
overcome obstacles and it also
teaches time management and
communication skills."
When a player is as successful
in basketball or any sport at the
collegiate level as Hoover was,
the general consensus is that the
player will probably make a pro
fessional career out of it. For
women like Hoover, the chance
of becoming a professional bas
ketball player was not there until
teams chances to compete to get
into a championship game.
Now take Division I-AA,
Division II and Division 111 college
football. They all have a playoff
which definitively decides a
national champion. The playoffs
usually start in late November
and go until mid-December.
Now, the playoffs in these divi
sions do not usually get much
press and media coverage, but
they have something that the big
daddy, Division I-A college foot
ball, does not have. They have a
comprehensive playoff system
which allows teams that have
had great seasons and deserve
to compete for a national cham
pionship to do so.
Big time college football and its
system of bowl games and polls
has created controversy for
many years.
In 1994, Penn State and
Nebraska were tied for the best
record in college football. They
both had records of 12-0 and
both won their respective bowl
games. Unfortunately for Penn
State, that 12-0 record and that
team, which is still considered
one of the greatest offenses to
ever play college football, was
rewarded with nothing for its
accomplishments. Nebraska was
awarded the national champi
onship after the two polls used at
that time to determine the nation
al champion both decided that
Nebraska was the best.
In 2003, LSU and USC both
had one loss at the end of the
season. For USC, their 12-1
record landed them a spot in the
Rose Bowl, which they won
handily. LSU played in the BCS
championship game at the Sugar
Bowl which they also won. The
question is, why didn't both
just recently. Now with the
WNBA and other smaller profes
sional leagues, women coming
out of college can get the same
opportunities as male players to
enjoy doing what they do best at
the professional level.
Hoover took advantage of an
opportunity of possibly becoming
a pro when she played in the
WABA right after graduating in
2000. She played for the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Scream
where she averaged 14 points
and 11 rebounds per game and
made the WABA all-star team.
Even though she does not play
basketball regularly anymore,
Hoover still sees herself getting
involved somehow in the game
she loves. In fact, teaching the
game is something she is very
interested in. "I don't really see
myself as a coach but I can pos
sibly do individual lessons for
players. I love the game and I
would love to teach it to other
people," Hoover said.
She finds herself in a familiar
spot now, but she is playing a
totally different role. As assistant
director of development here at
the Capital Campus, Hoover is in
the role of fund-raiser. This
includes sometimes traveling to
many places and getting in con
tact with alumni. Hoover says
that taking this role is a way for
her to give back to her alma
mater. "I got a full scholarship
from Penn State in 1996 and
without that my education would
n't have been possible," Hoover
said. "Taking this role allows me
teams play each other? Well, the
BCS poll had LSU at the top of
their poll. The other polls from
writers and coaches had USC at
Even though
the bowl system
is entertaining
and keeps with
tradition, a
playoff system
could be better.
the top while LSU was second.
However, the BCS and the com
puter system they used, had
Oklahoma at second. Confused
yet?
When LSU and USC won their
respective games, the poll stand
ings did not change. Because of
this, LSU and USC were both
crowned national champs. The
strange thing about this is that
the BCS was designed to elimi
nate any split national champi
onship scenarios. It did not work
here!
So the story last season, like
almost every season in college
football, ended in controversy
because a true national champi
on was not crowned. College
football fans were left to wonder
what could have been if USC
and LSU played in a national
championship game just as they
were wondering in 1994 with
Penn State and Nebraska.
The people who run college
football say that a playoff system
to help others who want the
opportunities to attend college
and follow their dreams."
Few people get to say that they
have full circle in their life, but for
Marissa Grady Hoover, she is
pretty close. For her, returning to
the university where she had
some of her greatest memories
is like being home again. "Being
Marissa Graby Hoover, once a PSU Lady Lion, has returned to the
Penn State family as assistant director of development at PSH.
would not work because of the
traditional New Year's Day bowl
games. Maybe it can work.
Maybe there can be a scenario
where there can be a playoff sys
tem using some of the 28, yes
28, bowl games. In fact, college
football could very well benefit
from a playoff system.
Even though the bowl system is
entertaining and keeps with tra
dition, a playoff system could be
better.
Here is a scenario. Take the top
eight teams in the polls and allow
those teams to play in the playoff
system. Select eight bowl games
as sites to play the games. In the
first round, four games will be
played at four sites. The second
round would involve two games
at two different sites on New
Year's Day. The final game
would be played a week from
New Year's Day at its own site.
The championship game would
rotate every year between the
"big four" bowls; the Rose Bowl,
Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and
Orange Bowl.
Now this scenario is not perfect
and would involve tweaking, but
in the end, it would be three
weeks of heart pounding college
football and a true national
champion.
The current system of polls and
computers is a flawed system.
Division I-A college football is
the only sport that decides a
national championship like this
and maybe it is time for a
change. Let us hope that some
of the undefeated teams right
now in college football lose. If
not, college football will have yet
another controversy on its hands
and probably not a definitive
national champion.
back is awesome. It's like being
at home. Although not State
College, it still is Penn State and
brings back a lot of great memo
ries," Hoover said.
As for the future, this newly-
wed is taking it easy. "I want to
enjoy being a newlywed for a lit
tle bit and enjoy the time that I
have with my new husband."
Photo courtesy of Google Images