Penn State officially "America's team"

[Pale Rider]

Does each vote count more if it's watched on a "big" screen tv or a Plasma HD? Something to think about.

[El-Moldo]

Look. Here's the poop about '87. Most of the country, except in most metropolitan areas, had NO cable then. And there were NO satellite dishes like today. Therefore, WHAT ELSE WAS THERE TO WATCH THE NIGHT OF THE GAME?????? With roof antennas and rabbit ears, most people were lucky to get 2 or 3 channels. It was a captive audience. And again, I'll bet more people rooted against PSU in that game than for them. So just because they won, doesn't mean people liked them or watched the game because of them.

[frostlion]

Oh my do you assume much.

With the largest Alumni Association in the world, I think the number of PSU fans watching the game was quite high, and in 1987, even in Bedford (hardly metropolitan), we got far more than 2 or 3 channels.

Before I would go suggesting it was Miami fans as the cause for the ratings, I would suggest a more plausible explanation: a great game; kinda like the Rose Bowl this year.

[El-Moldo]

So most people across the country in'87 watched the game because it was going to be a "great" game, not because they liked PSU?

[Gunner18]

what makes for a great game tho? usually having 2 great teams involved. what made this years rose bowl such a great game? the fact that you had the only 2 undefeated schools in the country playing eachother, the fact that neither school had lost for quite some time, the fact that both schools had great teams.

[Goodwill]

It was a great game or didn't you think so moldy?

[LionPride]

[quote="El-Moldo";p="115578"]And again, I'll bet more people rooted against PSU in that game than for them.[/quote]

I actually think the opposite is true. Remember the antics of the Miami team getting off the plane? The camo dress and references to going to war. The cockiness of the likes of Vinny "My favorite Steeler player of all time" Testeverde. I think most people wanted them to lose after all that crap.

[Head Roadie]

Okay, so let me get this straight, PSU is America's Team....as annointed by Gunner and company......reason is because 1987 game has the highest ratings with a sub-reason of having the Biggest Alumni Association in the country. Makes perfect sense.

Now let me ask a question similar to what I asked my dad and uncles when PSU turned down the Cotton Bowl bid in '69.

Why did they get in the Big 10 then? Why didn't they command/demand their own TV contract as an Independent ala Notre Dame since they are, after all, "America's Team"???

[frostlion]

[quote="Head Roadie";p="115643"]
Okay, so let me get this straight, PSU is America's Team....as annointed by Gunner and company......reason is because 1987 game has the highest ratings with a sub-reason of having the Biggest Alumni Association in the country. Makes perfect sense.
[/quote]

I suggested that with the largest Alumni Association it is reasonable to think that a sizable number, perhaps more than Miami fans, of people watching the 1987 Fiesta Bowl were PSU fans. Nothing about a reason for being called "American's Team".

[El-Moldo]

But the Pitt alumni and Miami alumni rooted for MIAMI, right? I'm sure both outnumber the PSU alumni. And if the rest of the country was even split 50-50, the edge goes to those rooting for Miami. Makes sense to me.