Sean Lee: "It's the knee, doc..."

Penn State is decidedly NOT Texas A&M. It is more Texas or OU — still a destination program for their region, with a ton of past glory and some recent success.

I don't know who the Aggie equivalent is for the Mid-Atlantic region -- Rutgers has been better.

Maryland? Cuse?

 

You know, come to think of it, maybe Arkansas is a better comparison to Penn State, when matching region-to-region equivalents. Both were national powers back in the day and are still top-25-caliber on occasion, but no threat to go all the way. It's a better apples-to-apples comparison than you think because of the 50-year reign of Frank Broyles.

 

Penn State is Florida State.

 

It's not really Mid-Atlantic, but I'd say Texas A&M and Michigan State are awfully similar in football non-relevance. Michigan State can beat Penn State every other year or so, and A&M has had good luck with Texas lately, but otherwise they're both going nowhere.

 

Michigan State's little brother syndrome to Michigan makes that an even better comparison. Bringing up MSU's record against Penn State (4-11 since PSU joined in '93) does not.