Legendary Penn State head coach Joe Paterno has been out front and center on a number of issues this offseason, many of which centered around the idea of expansion in the Big Ten.
While Paterno touched on that issue in an interview with the Reading Eagle, the coach also took the time to defend an old friend and -- yet again -- push for a playoff system in college football.
As anyone who hasn’t just returned from the grave or been in some type of coma over the last few years is aware, Paterno and Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden have been involved in a piqued battle for the title of all-time winningest coach in Div. 1-A history.
With NCAA sanctions against FSU carrying the possibility of upwards of 14 wins being stripped away from Bowden, Paterno’s current one-game lead would be pushed to double digits. Such a move would effectively end the race as both coaches -- particularly Bowden -- are nearing the end of their respective careers.
As far as Paterno is concerned, the NCAA is wrong in taking the wins from his long-time friend.
“The NCAA is going to do what it’s going to do, but I would hope they would not take away 10 or 12 wins away from him,” Paterno told the paper. “I don’t think that’s fair. He coached the team he had; they played against people, and they won. They ought to be wins for them.”
Paterno also defended Bowden, the man.
“I’ve known Bobby for 40 years. Sue and I have gone on a lot of trips with Bobby and his wife, Ann. I think Bobby is not filled up with himself,” Paterno said. “He’s my kind of guy. He doesn’t go around blowing his horn. He’s very humble and a very, very religious guy. He’s very, very principled. He’s not preaching. He’s not trying to convert people. He’s just a good person and a heck of a football coach.”
As has been the case for many a year, Paterno continued his seemingly annual push for a playoff system. Paterno feels like the sport “ought to have a legitimate champion”, adding that, when it comes to a situation like last year, “I don’t know whether somebody could vote and say that Florida’s better than Southern Cal, Texas or Utah.”
Much like expansion in the Big Ten, it’s simply too bad that a legend with genuine concerns about the state of the sport is pushed to the side and relegated to being looked upon as an aging nuisance by those with the power to make a change for the better.
