We skipped one bye week tradition this year but we will not be skipping another.
It’s time when I let you into the inner workings of my mind as it’s time for the 2025 edition of random bye week thoughts.
We’re changing up the format a little bit this year as well. I’m going to be a little bit less formatted this go-around because well they are random thoughts after all.
• Yes, the first of those traditions that was skipped was this year’s mid-season survey.
It doesn’t exactly take a Quinnipiac poll to inform you that the vibes are bad, let alone the official SSSWS polling agency. I think those negative vibes are going to impact the results of the highly scientific test. However, our next survey will return once a new coach has been found.
• The reason for those bad vibes are painfully obvious. Quite Franklin… I mean, quite frankly, the shock of the way this football season has unfolded in front of our eyes is almost impressive. The mental image of a SpaceX rocket disintegrating during takeoff has been flashing in my head ever since Penn State didn’t recover that onside kick against UCLA. And honestly at this point, it’s more surprising when one of those makes it to space than this season has been.
It felt like after the Oregon game, it was the beginning of an end. Penn State had turned some corner after that game for sure, but I think we’re all surprised they went down the one that got dark fast.
• This is the first time in school history that Penn State has ever lost four straight games by one possession. In a cruel way, that’s objectively impressive.
• I still think, not based on anything besides feeling, that Penn State’s new head coach is a name that hasn’t been circulated by the media yet. It’s just way too early for all of this to play out. I do think Rhule is the leader in the clubhouse even when he’s the painfully lazy pick for the job. But there’s still half of a regular season left to play and all of the playoffs. So much is going to change between now and Thanksgiving even. I don’t think Penn State will wait until late December for its new head coach choice with all of the recruiting and portal deadlines the new coach would have to face.
But I don’t think the hire, unless it is Rhule, will be as obvious as we think it’s going to be, whether that’s a coordinator or a name that just hasn’t been said yet.
• I am interested in how Penn State’s scheduling philosophy may change moving forward. This has been a contentious sticking point for fans in the Franklin era. Penn State’s non-conference schedule is set until 2028. In general, it seems like teams aren’t building schedules out far in advance like they used to but I have to imagine it’s going to be a little bit longer until we get 2029’s non-conference slate of opponents.
• I watched the Franklin interview from a kayak in the middle of the Potomac River. Weird place to watch it. I did however get to spend the afternoon enjoying the scenery of fall. I feel for people who live in places that don’t have fall in the way they feel for us when we’re in the middle of winter.
•I’m also interested to see how things do or don’t change in terms of access for the media. I will say I can’t remember a time where I’ve seen the word “sources” printed in articles this much. Franklin had everything notoriously tight-lipped around these parts and it seemed like the second he left, the dam absolutely broke on that. I’m interested to see how that plays out with a new head coach, especially potentially one that isn’t as anxious about things getting in the hands of the media as Franklin was. Even Terry Smith’s stance on sharing injury status has been a noticeable turn too.
• Penn State’s beat is doing a strong job of actually reporting on what the mood in and around Happy Valley has been. A lot of the national discussion has been missing that context. Particularly as members of the national media have been flip-flopping on Franklin pre- and post-firing, the crucial context that the beat has provided around those aforementioned vibes has been essential reporting. The feeling of the Northwestern game – even during the game – was part of this, not just the outcome of the game.
• OK, one slight knock. Where are the GM hot boards? Seriously. In fairness, we don’t know that Penn State will be hiring a GM – at least in the sense of Andy Luck and not Andy Frank – when it hires a new coach. But it certainly feels that way. In fact, it feels like it’s necessary to have one. I – also in fairness – don’t know who you’d hire. I fear an older alum may not have a pulse on what’s needed but a younger alum may not have enough experience. But do you even need an alum? Honestly, the first name that comes to mind is John Urschel if we’re going the Luck route. But he’s too smart. He’s going to figure out how to time travel to undo all of this mess anyway.
• Not that SSSWS hasn’t always been fascinated by the gameday experience but I am especially fascinated by the gameday experience inside Beaver Stadium in a few weeks. What will happen with the “1-0” banner above the tunnel? Might it change to “If”? Will James Franklin remain in the pregame pump-up videos? Rip Engle, Joe Paterno and Bill O’Brien are all in it. But it would kind of be weird to have Franklin in it, especially lifting a trophy, at this period of time, right?
• Speaking of changes, I’m curious how much the coaching change will cost Penn State from an interior decorating perspective. Franklin put a lot of his own personal touches, especially with the core values, in and around the Lasch Building. It can’t be cheap to replace a lot of that stuff which will likely happen this offseason. I also wonder what ends up happening to all of it, too. (Did someone say “Off-Campus Storage Facility?”)
• Penn State finally moved on from making the Snickers Most Satisfying Play of the Week a football-specific moment. I wish Penn State would have a bit more self-awareness when it comes to those types of things.
• Speaking of candy, I have not had a Reese’s that tastes right in a few weeks. This is what happens when Hershey’s stops sponsoring Penn State athletics.
• I still think some of this started to go wrong when Penn State didn’t switch to Coca-Cola as its drink vendor a year or so ago.
• A note of gratitude to close. The blog has had its best season yet in terms of time spent on site and overall numbers. Steve and I really appreciate it. We have so much fun running this media empire – even if Penn State hasn’t won a game since we did our first-ever live show.
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