Temple shows off new features of renovated football facility
Temple has a bye week this final weekend of September, so the program decided to take the time to invite members of the media down to the football building for an official tour for the first time since completing the significant portions of the expansion of Edberg-Olson Hall. The project was planned and ready to go before the school accepted an invite to the Big East, but the timing of the project could not have come at a better time.
This may still pale in comparison to some top football programs around the country, but for where Temple started this is a significant improvement and evens the playing field in a number of ways.
I shared a few choice photos on Crystal Ball Run along with a couple initial reactions and thoughts (I have more to come later), but here is the full slide show.
Syracuse enjoyed their final clambake in the Big East Monday night in Rhode Island, but it was Rutgers who walked away with the conference title this year. Rutgers consumed 30 lobsters tonight, an incredible increase over their 2011 total of just two. Meanwhile, Syracuse was breaking multiple school records with 20 lobsters digested as a team, and 7.5 each downed by linemen Justin Pugh and Zack Chibane (according to Troy Nunes is a Magician‘s crack staff).
As is tradition it seems, the Big East players , coaches, and media and more cleaned out the Eisenhower House staff of lobsters before the bellies were full. Imagine what could happen next year when the conference bumps up to 12 members with the additions of Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, SMU, Central Florida and Memphis. The Big East better start looking for more lobsters.
Keep in mind, these are unofficial numbers, and we are taking the players at their word.
Keith Pompey, Temple beat reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
Can Temple fill Lincoln Financial Field without the help of Penn State fans? Progress is being made as the Owls return to the Big East. Photo: Kevin McGuire
The future is bright for the Temple Owls, and a return to the conference hat once shunned them gives the program new life, and new goals. How long until Temple can make a legitimate run at the Big East conference crown, a goal once thought impossible for the Owls?
Honestly, the 2012 season may not be the year Temple puts together a Big East championship worthy team, but the optimism surrounding the program is something that is spreading and catching on down Broad Street. The Owls still play in the shadows of the professional sports scene, something that will be nearly inescapable unless the Phillies continue to flounder and the Eagles start thinking more about high draft picks than NFC East Division victories. Even then it is difficult to sway the casual sports fan in this region to come to a Temple football game, as there are more Penn State football fans living inside the Philadelphia market than Temple football fans. But despite what comes off as negativity for Temple, I will admit, there is a promising future for this program as more tickets are being sold by the school.
This season Temple hopes to continue building the foundation for becoming Philadelphia’s college football team, a mission initiated by Al Golden and continued by Steve Addazio. Before Temple is able to bring in crowds of 35,000 every weekend to Lincoln Financial Field, they have some catching up to do.
To talk about the Owls I invited Keith Pompey, Temple beat reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, who wrote two articles every Temple and Big East fan should take some time to read. The first focuses on the challenges Temple faces off the field more so than on the field and suggests the Owls would be best suited if they followed a similar blueprint that Louisville has mapped out for their football program. The second takes a look at how the recruiting battles will pick up between Temple and Rutgers, two Big East schools now separated by just 66 miles. Remember, we are only discussing the football side of things here. If we were to take a look at the basketball operations I would have made sure to note the recruiting battles between Temple and Villanova, which just became more even across the board, and perhaps in favor of Temple. But I’ll let Owls and Wildcats fans have those battles elsewhere.
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Appalachian State redefined the term "upset" in Ann Arbor in 2007. AP photo.
You know the deal. Your team is un-ranked and a 20-point underdog against one of the top teams in the conference, or nation. Nobody expects you to win, so you have a can’t-lose attitude. What happens when you win? The fans storm the field, tear down the goal post and take it for a walk down the streets of the campus. You are the talk of the conference for a week, but it is up to you to continue with the momentum.
College football upsets are the greatest upsets in sports and a few come to mind when thinking about ones I was fortunate to watch. Boston College’s upset of top-ranked Notre Dame (a week after #2 Notre Dame defeated #1 Florida State) in 1993 is one of the earliest I recall watching. Temple’s victory at Virginia Tech is still puzzling, but the all-timer is now Appalachian State’s 34-32 victory against Michigan, with the Wolverines starting the season ranked fifth in the country.
Expect a big week for the Big 12′s future this week
There's a candle for everyone it seems. HT: Reddit
The next domino is about to fall. Just days after the Big 12 and SEC announced a monster agreement that effectively separates the haves from the have-nots, it may just be a matter of short time before the Big 12 once again flies the flags of 12 member institutions.
Florida State’s move is said to be inevitable, according to ChuckOliver.net‘s Ingram Smith. That would follow suit with the sentiment from Adam Tolliver on our podcast last week. Citing sources as close as you can get to Florida State’s athletics department, Smith writes that the Seminoles have been in some form of discussions with the Big 12 since November, with the first official contact being made about a week before the ACC announced a new broadcast partnership with ESPN, which of course has been the subject of criticism from some key people associated with the school.
Who winds up going with Florida State to the Big 12 is the next question. As you might expect, Clemson fans are watching all of this very closely, including our friends at Cemetery Hill, where Cory Fravel tweets a deal is agreed to in principle to join the Big 12.
My sources confirm an agreement in principle has been reached for Clemson to join the Big12. @TruthOrBear247 @theDudeofWV @GSwaim
There will certainly be somediscussion about how Notre Dame should get involved. I personally can’t see the Fighting Irish in any conference but the Big Ten, but playing in the Big 12 would give the Irish some easier access to a national audience with games in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Texas. And Texas.
Then there is the issue of whether or not the Big 12′s current membership can get on the same page with expansion. Right now the Big 12 is split on the issue. Take your guess on which school falls in to which category.
Before continuing to the rest of the morning links, just a couple of quick reminders for you. First, be sure to enter the contest for a chance to gain VIP access to the Pennsylvania 400, courtesy of Pep Boys and the Penske Racing No. 22 Pennzoil team. There are a number of ways to enter, so be sure to read the details to maximize your chances of winning. Second, be sure to place your order for your #MACtion t-shirt(s). Sweatshirts coming soon. … Continue Reading
