Sure...of course...but let's stop pretending this is some elite team. Oregon hasn't looked good all year if we're being honest.
Chesney at UCLA
- Thread starter PSUForever
- Start date
Nobody is saying UCLA is elite. Just significantly improved from last year. Speaks to really good coaching. PSU botched it not hiring Chesney.
Bash Kraft...have at it
It unreasonable to have any expectations for MC this year
It's also incredibly insane to be sold on Chesney after 5 games. I like Chesney bit sample size matters.
I just don't believe our base understands just how bad we were going to be this year even if James stayed. This was always the worst year for us then Kraft made it worse
I didn't see it that way. UCLA's defense was really good. Oregon might not be the pre-season title contender they were made out to be, but they are loaded at the skill positions and had like 3 first downs in the first half, playing at home where they almost never lose. Raiola was bad, but some of that was because he wasn't comfortable. Nico getting hurt didn't help UCLA's offense. The biggest change from years past was UCLA's attitude. They believed.
It’s completely reasonable to expect a lot better than what we’ve seen. In the day of NIL and unlimited transfers there is no excuse to be this bad.
I’m not crowning Chesney quite yet but it is looking pretty positive.
We don't agree at all which is fine
If Oregon benches Dylan at half they win by 2 scores. He was awful and it wasn't because of the defense
Nico wasn't very good either for the record before he got hurt. I'm being kind.
It's not when you consider when MC was hired. NIL can't save you in that situation
The board, in general, reaches decisions way too quickly.
Nobody used that annoying descriptive term that any PSU fan should drop from their lexicon. Chesney is maximizing his team's results, Our guy is not. Add in that our guy and his staff had a significant hand in not closing out that Wisconsin game as a win, and that is a glaring negative.
Oh I totally agree with the last part. In this case however I think the board is correct.
The Wisconsin game is the only one that we should have won. You can be critical of results so far while still accepting year 1 is never how MC was going to be judged. In 2028, with our very difficult schedule, he has to make the playoff or he's gone. Franklin wasn't fired to win a title with someone else in 2026
And time will tell but reaching a conclusion at this point doesn't make any sense
It's also interesting that the "Franklin shouldn't have been fired" segment of the base ignores how he's duplicating what he did here at Va Tech
I agree. When you have to replace 94 roster spots within days of LOI day, NIL will not solve the problem. Chesney had to replace 49 roster spots. Not as daunting a task.
For sure--kudos to Cheaney--I hope UCLA has a great year--but the Big Ten is very even this year--parity rules other than Ohio State
He was the coach I wanted PSU to hire. Kraft slow played him and UCLA benefitted.
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As it stands right now, Chesney is doing better. He was hired a few days later but coached the playoff game on December 21. Campbell was done on November 29. Chesney made better portal moves and put a team together. Whether Chesney will stay ahead is unknown. Whether it’s fair to say give Campbell time, or say he should be doing the same as Chesney and Cignetti right now, is unknown. Not every first year coach at a new school is doing the same as Chesney and Cignetti. Time will answer those questions. But fan impatience demands fast success. It’s not wrong to want it. Not getting fast success does not mean it won’t eventually happen.
UCLA could very well he headed for the playoff assuming Nico is okay.
Wisky at home- W
MSU at home -W
Nevada at home- W
Minny on road- toss up
Illini at home - W
scUM on road - toss up
USC at home - toss up
Shaping up to be 10-2 or better. Not too shabby, elite or not.
So I am trying to be patient and optimistic with Campbell but now having my doubts about him getting us to elite status someday. Chesney was hired at the same time Campbell was and look what he has been able to do. JMU guys. We have ISU guys. Is there that much of a talent difference? I do think the top end JMU talent he brought with him is significantly better than what we brought over from ISU. But there is a coaching element to this.
I do think it is becoming apparent that Kraft totally botched it by not hiring Chesney. Movie not over but looking that way.
Well, you have Will Stein at Kentucky as well (he is currently 5-1 and has Kentucky ranked #16 after Kentucky went 9-15 the last 2 years both <.500). UCLA is 5-0 and ranked #12. I love how bozo-boy tells us we can't draw season conclusions on a 5 game sample, yet out of the other side of his mouth he makes the exact same assertions about Oregon sucking...... USC sucking...... blah, blah, blah...... He makes these assertions that he says you shouldn't make and then attempts to use them as facts to support his own preferred argument???? This twit is the stupidest, most illogical moron on the board. To claim that UCLA is not a vastly improved team is moronic. To claim that PSU is not lightyears less competitive in the b1g than we have been since 2014 is moronic - and it absolutely is 100% Krafty The Cliwns fault and Kraft is paying this coach and roster MORE MONEY for the downgrade. Load-O is full of more crap than a cesspool as per usual. Oregon likely makes the Playoffs if they win out - they may not win out, but will probably go 8-4 at the worst (they are still ranked in the Coaches Poll. They are a long, long way from sucking the way PSU sucks as a result of empty-suit hack Krafty The Clown and his circus-show decision-making.).
Agreed--could be
Wisconsin isn't an auto win though--maybe likely. Michigan State might be able to hang as well.
Even though I'm not a huge fan, it's easier when you go somewhere that has a high profile QB when you take over. It's not JMU guys but the JMU guys were used to winning. ISU weren't.
I still blame Kraft--I give MC three years--at that point he's fired if he's not in the playoff. Is what it is but I'm not judging based on 6 games--too early given the disaster that was the process to hire him
To further your point, I happen to have a lot of charisma and it has never won me a football game.
You don't get it do you bozo. Get to the VT or Pitt board whichever you a$$hat.
Well, for starters, it's 3 million more per year. I don't know about everyone else, but I could use an extra 60 grand a week. It would go nice with the other 100k.
He wasn't our first choice but supposedly he was offered a bunch of big jobs. The question will be talent acquisition but if we don't have money to bring the big time players here then we have little chance to compete.
That post is kind of vague. Someone can lose interest for an infinite number of reasons. It doesn't suggest the reason. There was media talk that Jimmy Sexton allegedly prevented Chesney from taking the PSU job (Todd McShay). I Googled it and found out that Chesney wasn't represented by Sexton. He was represented by Excel Sports Management. I'm not clear how Sexton could have prevented Chesney from taking the PSU job. Maybe I'm just not creative enough. I think Excel would have blasted Sexton if he interfered with their client.
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PSU would have paid Chesney about 3 million more a year than UCLA.
PSU is paying Campbell 8 million in 2026 and it moves up to 9.25 million by 2033. He gets a 1 million retention bonus every year. No hiring bonus. PSU paid 2 million buyout to Iowa State.
Chesney is getting paid 5.4 million in 2026 and it moves up to 5.8 million in 2030. He gets a $500,000 retention bonus every year. 3.7 million hiring bonus, paid in 2 installments.
Both get performance bonuses.
Campbell got the better contract.
I don't think the problem is Matt Campbell. It's the dummy that fired Franklin w/o a plan. Shoud have waited until the end of the year. t
Try to pay/keep some of our talent. In any case,I have to give the guy a few years to judge him and his team.
The problem with Campbell is that he arrived late after the recruiting class had already begun to evaporate. He also has no recruiting connections in the region. It doesn't mean he's a bad coach. It just means it's going to take time to rebuild.
The hope was that the ISU transfers would be enough to get us 9-10 wins and that would help build recruiting momentum. That isn't happening so the rebuild is going to be much more difficult.
Penn State lost 49 to the portal, took in 41 portal, 21 seniors, 0 grad students,
graduated around 20, signed 15 out of HS.
UCLA lost 29 to portal, took in 42 portal, 36 seniors, 25 grad students.
graduated high 20's, signed 20 out of HS.
graduated around 20, signed 15 out of HS.
UCLA lost 29 to portal, took in 42 portal, 36 seniors, 25 grad students.
graduated high 20's, signed 20 out of HS.
Word is Chesney was waiting for an offer while Kraft played footsie with Sitaki. And instead of forcing Sitaki’s hand to finalize the deal, he took his word for it and Chesney took the offer from UCLA. Then the cat got out of the bag on X and the Mormons and Cookie Dude stepped in bigger (the mistake was going after Sitaki at all). Who knows, but this seems plausible. I was also on the Will Stein train too but became clear PSU wasn’t going with a first time HC.
Campbell's chance for a "same year" rebuild were DEFINITELY hindered (greatly) by Kraft's stunning incompetence.
But in this era, (100% annual free agency) there are no systemic excuses for the rebuild taking longer than 2027 (next year). Just the way it is.
By now he certainly should know what he needs, as should every coach in the nation. And every player in the nation is "on the market".
There is no longer any reason to expect to wait beyond "Year 2" to evaluate the likelihood of where a coach can take a program.
We shall see how it goes.
I still don't believe that to be true and 2025's roster proves we can and will spend
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