# Can Penn St. be immediately competitive post-probation? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 5, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592 "2014-02-05T18:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/1 "2014-02-05T18:48:22Z")
Seems like Penn St hasn’t collapsed under the Sandusky sanctions. Can they be reasonably competitive once the probation ends? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/2 "2014-02-05T18:53:56Z")
Define “reasonably competitive”. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/3 "2014-02-05T19:01:51Z")
Duh! “Reasonably competitive”-contending for mid-tier bowls. Mid-tier=Citrus, Peach, Gator, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/4 "2014-02-05T19:08:25Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Duh! Is this directed at me or yourself? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/5 "2014-02-05T19:09:26Z")
Myself. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/6 "2014-02-05T20:24:30Z")
Well, the Citrus Bowl was (records are pre-bowl) Louisville (11-1) - Miami (9-3), the [del]Peach[/del] Chick-Fil-A Bowl was Texas A&M (8-4) - Duke (10-3), and the Gator Bowl was Nebraska (8-4) - Georgia (8-4). Penn St. was 7-5 this season, and 8-4 last season. Seems to me they’re already reasonably competitive. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/7 "2014-02-05T22:34:00Z")
I agree. (Haven’t followed them as closely lately). I can’t wait until they are “Final Four” worthy again. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/8 "2014-02-05T22:57:10Z")
It looks like they had a relatively successful recruiting class. Signing day is today. [http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/teamrank/2014/all/all](http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/teamrank/2014/all/all) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/9 "2014-02-05T22:57:30Z")
Let’s consider two other questions: 1. How long before they could win the Big 10? 2. How long before they could win the national title? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/10 "2014-02-05T22:59:10Z")
Good questions PT. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-penn-st-be-immediately-competitive-post-probation/680592/11 "2014-02-05T23:10:27Z")
They’ve already had two better than expected years under Bill O’Brien, and new coach Franklin is a very solid football man. LONG term, I think they can contend for the Big Ten again in 3 or 4 years. Franklin can bring in some very good players before that, but he won’t have the DEPTH to do more than make second/third-tier bowls until then.