FOOTBALL

REPORT: Realignment cold war looming between Big Ten, SEC for two ACC schools

A new report indicates that the Big and SEC are both vying for the same two ACC schools in conference realignment. How could this impact Penn State football?

Published

3 months ago

June 17, 2023

Matt Thomas

Big Ten, SEC, two ACC schools, Penn State Football

Sep 4, 2021; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; A detailed view of the ACC logo on the down marker used during the game between William & Mary Tribe and the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

A realignment cold war looms between the “Power Two” in college football. Although it may take years to play out, a growing contingent expects the Big Ten and SEC to raid the remaining Power Five conferences for their most prominent brands. A recent report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel indicates that the two conferences are ready to wage war over the rights of two ACC schools. And while the consequences of this conference expansion would impact Penn State football and the larger college athletics landscape for decades to come, the two schools may not be who you’d expect.

Big Ten and SEC both want to add these two ACC schools

This week, Pete Thamel of ESPN wrote a piece covering the latest developments in conference realignment. After discussing the latest happenings with realignment issues with Colorado, the Big 12, and the PAC 12, the piece moved on to the impending turf war between the SEC and the Big Ten.

Thamel reports that the Big Ten and SEC are both eyeing the same two ACC schools – North Carolina and Virginia. “Outside of Notre Dame, there are no programs that will be as coveted by the SEC and Big Ten thanks to both geography and market,” Thamel writes.

Thamel explains that the appeal of North Carolina and Virginia is not directly tied to football success. The schools are in contiguous states for both the SEC and the Big Ten, allowing the conferences to expand their geographic footprints without too much extension (not that it matters as much with the new coast-to-coast Big Ten). In addition, both North Carolina and Virginia are among the most populous states in the union, which can help with student recruiting for the entire conference.

However, Thamel notes that with the ACC grant of rights running through 2036, a power grab from the Big Ten or SEC may not happen for some time. “Both leagues are peering at each other from their respective league headquarters,” Thamel writes. “Neither wants to be overtly destructive or accused of tortious interference…But neither league wants to be a step behind the other. So they watch and wait.”

What would this mean for Penn State football?

While the prospect of landing North Carolina or Virginia may not be as appealing as adding Clemson, Florida State, or Miami, it would be significant for Penn State football nonetheless.

Much has been made over Penn State’s lack of permanent rivalry games in the new Big Ten scheduling format. While the Nittany Lions will get to rotate through new conference opponents like USC and UCLA, the thought of losing annual games against Ohio State and Michigan has been frustrating to some. But if the Big Ten added schools like North Carolina and Virginia, it could create more opportunities for budding rivalries to form.

In addition, along with Rutgers and Maryland, adding Virginia and North Carolina would create an interesting dynamic of teams along the I-95 corridor. In this new East Coast wing of teams, Penn State would most likely be near the top in terms of football prowess.

There’s also the dynamic of recruiting. Penn State has long been able to recruit the state of Virginia and has had recent success in North Carolina as well. Adding schools in these states would undoubtedly help the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail. Further, creating more games within driving distance would likely aid Penn State in recruiting in many southern states.

While this is not the first – or the last – news on the conference realignment front, drastic changes like this may not happen for years. The college football landscape is moving towards one that would be unrecognizable to many of us a few years ago. However, until the next shoe drops, all we can do is wait.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

Up Next

Penn State football: Best wins over 2023 opponents – Iowa

Don't Miss

Penn State football commit Ethan Grunkemeyer finishes top 3 in overall Elite 11 finals performance

FB RECRUITING

BREAKING: Penn State football lands top 10 prospect in PA

Brady O’Hara a top 10 prospect in PA commits to Penn State.

Published

1 hour ago

September 26, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State Football, top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania, Brady O'Hara

Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Pat Freiermuth (87) reacts to a touchdown run by quarterback Sean Clifford (14) against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY S

The Penn State football team has now gone three straight days a landing a commitment. Brady O’Hara has made his commitment to the Nittany Lions. He is a top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania. The 2025 class has added DJ McClary and Tiqwai Hayes in the past two days. Both players are part of Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class. The impact of the whiteout continues to prove its value on the recruiting trail.

Penn State football lands top 10 prospect in PA

Brady O’Hara is a four-star recruit in the 2025 class and he plays his high school football at North Catholic High School located in Pittsburgh, PA. He held offers from Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, UConn, and Penn State. Then, on Tuesday morning he announced his commitment to Penn State on his social media channels.

O’Hara is currently ranked as the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania.

Brady O’Hara plays both sides of the ball

O’Hara is listed as an athlete on 247sports because he plays both tight end and defensive end. It will be interesting to see what position he will choose to play when he gets on campus. But after watching Tyler Warren and Chop Robinson on Saturday night either position would fit him well.

Either way, he has shown that he can be successful regardless of where he lines up on the field. He can be a great red zone target or a dominant defensive end. Both positions at Penn State have developed well over the years which helped their case land this top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

FOOTBALL

Penn State football players were seeking revenge against Iowa

Revenge was on the mind of several Penn State football players against Iowa on Saturday night.

Published

5 hours ago

September 26, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, Dani Dennis-Sutton, KeAndre Lambert-Smith,James Franklin

Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (1) runs after a catch during the first half of a White Out game at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa.

It was the elephant in the room of last week for the Penn State football team. Would revenge be on the minds of players during the Iowa game? Of course, this was produced from the 2021 matchup between Penn State and Iowa. When several Nittany Lions went down with injuries during the game, Iowa fans and members of their coaching staff mocked Penn State. The Hawkeyes special teams coach LeVar Woods even flopped on the ground at one point making fun of the injured players. After the game, we learned that revenge was certainly on the Dani Dennis-Sutton, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and other’s minds Saturday night. James Franklin reminded the team what message they needed to send Saturday night.

Penn State football players were seeking revenge against Iowa

One of the best parts of college football is what goes around comes around. One year you might beat a team by 30 points and the next you lose to them by 30. But how you act during those wins usually stands out. In Iowa City in 2021, James Franklin and his coaching staff took note of how they were treated. They got their sweet revenge on Saturday night defeating Iowa 31-0.

Audrey Synder of The Athletic recently wrote a piece Penn State football wanted revenge on Iowa. It got that and much more in Whiteout shutout. In this story, Synder included a quote from sophomore defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton following the Iowa game.

Sutton said, “[Franklin] showed us some of the same things they did in 2021 with the special teams coordinator on the sideline flopping and stuff like that. Their head coach was saying stuff that they smelled a rat or something when some of our guys went down.”

It’s amazing that even a player like Dani Dennis-Sutton who wasn’t on the team in 2021 could find motivation from this. This shows how meaningful the brotherhood of being a Penn State football player truly is.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith also remembered 2021

One of the players who was part of that game in 2021 was WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith. He remembered that game very well. Following the Nittany Lions’ victory on Saturday night, Lambert-Smith spoke about the mindset James Franklin instilled heading into the whiteout game.

Lambert-Smith said, “I would just say we know what was at stake. We knew what happened a few years ago. We just locked in. We put a great week of preparation together.”

FOOTBALL

Penn State QB Drew Allar grades offense’s play through 4 games

QB Drew Allar broke down the good and the bad that he’s seen from the Penn State offense through 4 games this season.

Published

15 hours ago

September 25, 2023

Matt Thomas

Penn State Football, Drew Allar, Penn State QB

Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) gestures from the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

And just like that, we’re through a third of the college football season. It’s hard to argue that Penn State football isn’t one of the most dominant teams in the sport through four games. A major piece of the success so far in 2023 has been new starting QB Drew Allar. The sophomore has been a rock for Penn State this year, and has led the Nittany Lions’ offense to be one of the most successful in the nation. But what has led to Penn State’s offensive success this season? After the Iowa game, we asked the Penn State QB to break down what he’s seen from his unit so far.

Hope springs eternal for the Nittany Lions’ offense

There’s plenty of optimism around the Penn State offense after four games this year. Most recently, we watched the Nittany Lions dismantle the No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0 in the White Out Saturday evening. So far, we’ve seen Penn State pick apart secondaries and roll over opponents with the ground game.

Penn State currently leads the Big Ten in scoring and is second to Maryland in total yards. The Nittany Lions have scored at least 30 points in 11 straight games, the longest streak in the nation. Even when it hasn’t looked sharp, the offense has still been able to put up points in bunches. And that is perhaps the most impressive thing about the Penn State offense this year – there’s a wide belief that we haven’t seen the unit peak yet.

Drew Allar leads the way

The catalyst for the offense so far is undoubtedly QB Drew Allar. The 19-year-old has looked like a seasoned veteran despite only making his fourth start Saturday night. He looks in command on the field, and it shows. Allar, who today was named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list for the nation’s top QB, has 903 yards and 8 touchdowns on a 67% completion rate this year.

That guy Drew! 🎯#WeAre | @AllarDrew pic.twitter.com/M05rr9I69Y

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) September 25, 2023

Allar’s most impressive stat line, however, is the lack of one. The Penn State QB has yet to turn the ball over this season, something that young first-time starters with rockets for arms are apt to do. Even when he hasn’t been on his A game, Allar has not put the football in harm’s way.

As a result, the rest of the team has followed suit. Penn State football is the only team in the nation that has yet to turn the ball over. This is a stat that will most certainly end at some point, but it speaks to the poise and maturity that Drew Allar has already brought to the field.

Penn State QB grades offense’s play through four games

The Penn State offense has at times looked equal parts lethal and methodical. But most of all, the offense has looked clean and efficient. The Nittany Lions have kept Allar clean (only two sacks allowed) and have avoided the big mistakes. According to Drew Allar, this has been the winning formula thus far.

“I think we’re doing a really good job right now of being efficient and staying on track,” Allar told us after the Iowa game. “We do get into situations where we kind of hurt ourselves with penalties. And I think we’ll continue to learn and grow from those mistakes that we make. But I think we’re doing a really good job right now just taking what the defense has given us, taking care of the ball, which is the biggest thing for the offense, and controlling the ball. So, I think we’re just doing a really good job of being very efficient.”

But now, the tape on the Nittany Lion offense grows by the game. If Penn State football is to continue riding the wave and reach its goals for this season, the offense must continue to evolve. After all, the slate won’t get any easier, and the biggest challenges still lie ahead.