Don't look now, but college football, that thing we've been waiting for since last year's National Championship game in January, is back. Of course, with the rebirth of our beloved university-inspiring gridiron game comes the rejuvenation of fanaticism in fans and students all around the country.
In State College, Pennsylvania, Penn State fans know this time of year all too well. Having a historic reputation as one of the most devout and loyal fan bases in all of major college football, Nittany Lion fans are as excited as every other stakeholder out there waiting anxiously to see their team back in action. Coming off the team's first bowl game victory in the post-sanction era, in head coach James Franklin's first year at the helm, the program has generated a lot of positive momentum on the field and on the recruiting trail alike. Many experts and analysts believe that Franklin is taking the team in the right direction and could be rebuilding the nationally acclaimed Penn State program right before our eyes.
In any case, Penn State fans have been waiting for this. Here are 10 signs that Penn State football fans, much like myself, can effortlessly identify with.
1. You have the utmost love and respect for Bill O'Brien despite his early departure from Penn State for the NFL.
It's #LilFriday! I'm as excited to get this show rolling as Texans HC Bill O'Brien is to bump some Rick Ross #Boss https://t.co/65mEzV9unA
— Chris Stewart (@CStewartWPTV) August 20, 2015
He took the job when nobody else wanted it. The sanctions hit, and his team was in complete and utter shambles. Players were free to leave and play immediately without sitting out at their new school. The idea of Penn State ever landing another blue-chip recruit or being relevant on the national stage seemed a fantasy. Yet, he steered the ship and, miraculously, went 15-9 in two seasons at Penn State before taking the head coaching job with the Houston Texans. People were disappointed, but he owed Penn State nothing. Looking back, there wasn't a better man to lead the program through probably the darkest of times it will ever experience. Thank you, Bill.
2. You're sick of having to defend the team's deficiencies by using the words "scholarship players."
To be fair, college football followers who are really unfamiliar with Penn State may genuinely not understand that for the past four years, Penn State couldn't recruit a full allotment of scholarship players like the rest of the country. In all honesty, when you're dressing 41 scholarship players on gameday and playing a team that dresses the normal 85, the numbers argument becomes legitimate, not to mention the roster hasn't been as skilled in the past few years as your Ohio States and Michigan States of the Big Ten. Remember when you stopped the touch football game at recess in second grade because the other team had "more players" than your team and it "wasn't fair?" Yeah, so do I.
3. You have a love-hate relationship with Christian Hackenberg.
NFL scouts are downright drooling over his prospects as a pro. Many believe he is the best quarterback in this year's draft class and is a lock to forgo his senior year of eligibility at Penn State. Some even believe he could be the first overall pick in the NFL draft next April. He is set to leave Penn State as the most decorated quarterback in program history. He looks amazing on the field. He's your favorite quarterback to ever sport the Blue and White, until he does something like in the video.
4. You have become accustomed to seeing really bad offense, but equivalently good defense.
When James Franklin got the job, he brought most of his staff from Vanderbilt with him, including current Nittany Lions Defensive Coordinator Bob Shoop. In his first year commanding the defense in State College, Shoop's platoon finished second in the nation in total defense. Needless to say, if Penn State's offense can improve even slightly this year, their win total should increase from 2014.
5. You get really excited when you see a recruiting siren tweet from James Franklin.
This tweet comes directly from James Franklin's fingertips when the team secures a verbal commitment from a recruit. To the delight of Penn State fans, this tweet has become increasingly common since Franklin took the reigns, as the head man has proved a tireless worker on the recruiting trail.
6. You take special notice to the fact that Rutgers, Pitt and Maryland talk the talk, but can't quite seem to walk the walk.
Sure, Maryland squeaked out a flukey win last year, but that result has hardly translated to the recruiting trail. Rutgers is 2-23 in the all-time series with Penn State and hasn't recorded a victory since 1988. Pitt still doesn't have a football stadium on their campus and has horrifically lost their recruiting footprint for the top prospects in the state of Pennsylvania. Yet, we're all Paterno protectors, pedophiles and backcountry hillbillies according to the fan threads of these three schools. Remember, if one team wins the vastly overwhelming majority of the meetings between the two teams, it's not a rivalry.
7. You get the chills when you say or hear the phrase "We Are" in normal conversation.
This one is self-explanatory. The team's famous chant can make the hairs on any Penn State fan's extremities stand up, even when spoken or heard out of context.
8. You still wonder what ever happened to Joe Paterno's statue.
Seriously, where is that thing? I've heard a few rumors over the years that it had been melted down, but the prevailing theory is that it's stowed away in the depths of a storage shed somewhere in Happy Valley. In any case, wouldn't you like to know for sure?
9. You refer to State College as "Happy Valley" more often than you even realize.
The two are basically one and the same, but at some point, the town of State College geographically becomes "The Valley" and is known as one of the happiest places on earth. Penn State fans really can't make the disambiguation.
10. You're so used to seeing your team make easy games look excruciatingly difficult that you're bewildered when they handily put a team away.
Penn State hasn't blown a team out in a meaningful game in I can't even remember how long. It always seems like no matter what, we always make the game harder than it has to be so that there is a lot of drama and crucial moments in the game. Commence the hand-wringing, Penn State fans. The season is underway!
