Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
P R E V I E W No. 70 in Lou Prato's book Autographed copies available via louprato@comcast.net or through Lou Prato & Associates at 814-954-5171 Price: $16.95 plus shipping, handling and tax where applicable Also available with autograph: Lou's book "We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions" Price: $19.95 plus shipping and tax where applicable who is now director of the Sports Capi- tal Journalism Program at IUPUI in In- dianapolis. "It's hard to document jealousy. But if Michigan or Ohio State had been in the same position as Penn State that year, I expect the final voting would have been different." Beano Cook, who had become a college football guru after his 11 years as Pitt's sports publicity director, was then working for ESPN and was a voter in the AP poll. He said "Nebraska accom- plished more" and that "a lot of coaches voted for Osborne and against Paterno." Cook's second point is hard to argue. But his first point? The suggestion that Ne- braska accomplished more than Penn State is debatable. Two factors to consider: Penn State's schedule was rated 17th-toughest in the country, while Nebraska's was 57th. Also, the Nittany Lions' great quick- strike offense pummeled most oppo- nents in averaging a school-record 47.8 points per game, propelling Ki-Jana Carter and Collins to the top four of the Heisman Trophy voting. Bias is personal, rarely admitted or de- finitively proven. My Penn State bias tells me that the polls were predisposed to discount Penn State in 1994, just as they had been throughout the early years of the Paterno era. One also cannot ignore the people who ran the four Bowl Coalition games – the Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta bowls – as they maneuvered behind the scenes during the season to keep Penn State out of No. 1 so that they could present a "national championship game" on New Year's Day. What still angers me is that the poll voters didn't give Penn State a share of the championship. Naturally, the intri- cacies of the voting change each year, but it's still frustrating that the national title was shared again in 1997 by two major Penn State rivals, Michigan and Nebraska. USA Today's Danny Sheridan summed it up best for Nittany Lion fans: "Penn State was screwed. … They deserved the championship as much as anyone did." ■