The calendars may have changed but there is still some unsettled business from 2011 to take care of for Penn State. Tomorrow the Nittany Lions take on the Houston Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl, but the larger question still to be answered remains who will be named the head coach for 2012 and beyond?
Now is also a good time, perhaps, for Penn State's football program to put together some resolutions for the new year. Here are a few suggestions.
Stay true to values fans, students and alums have come to expect
For decades Penn State football was a symbol of doing things the right way on and off the field. While the inappropriate actions of a few seem to have shattered that idea, it does not mean it no longer exists. Players continue to strive in academics compared to their counterparts elsewhere in the Big Ten and beyond. That should still be something to be proud of, and should remain a focus for the new head coach and the entire program.
Continue to maintain an identity
No names on the jerseys, plain blue uniforms, no helmet decals, plain black shoes. This is Penn State football. Take a look around this bowl season, and during the regular season, and you will notice many schools altering their look for one or two games for the sake of creating a buzz and attempting to give the fans something to get excited about. Even some of the more traditional schools have attempted this method, including Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State.
Penn State has yet to try such a technique, even though the folks at Nike would love to try and provide a touch of Oregon-flair to the Nittany Lions just once. USC hasn't done it. Nebraska hasn't done it. Oklahoma and Texas haven’t done it. None of them have had to. Neither does Penn State.
Rebuild faith in the fan-base
Honestly, this would have been a resolution even before the Jerry Sandusky scandal tore apart the university and community. In a season that saw plenty of open seats as a result of a new ticket plan, fans have become a tad turned off by the Penn State football program. The fans need to find a reason to believe that Penn State is committed to building a national championship program, rather than a team expecting ten wins every couple of years. The funding is there, as are the facilities. It is time to give the fans a reason to go to Beaver Stadium with some games that can actually generate some buzz more often than the occasional Alabama-type game.
Make 2012 about the players
In one of the more notable seasons in program history, with a new head coach on opening day, this season should be about the players more than ever. Take whatever is needed to ensure deserving players receive the media attention they should. Why not start up the Silas Redd for Doak Walker campaign early on?
Let the Blue Band play
Penn State has taken a simple quote from Kirk Herbstreit and run wild with it. For the past few years Penn State has done everything they can to let you know that the greatest show on earth takes place in Beaver Stadium on Saturdays, but this is a performance that has long gone stale and lost its college atmosphere that once made Beaver Stadium a venue teams would get nervous to play in.
Let 2012 be the year Penn State returns to its college roots, and let the Blue Band play more. If Penn State is insistent that songs like Sweet Caroline and any of Bon Jovi's greatest hits be played in the stadium, why not allow the Blue Band to play those songs? At least it's a compromise.
Lose the microphone cheerleader
While we are on the subject, how about we do away with the single most annoying aspect of the Penn State pre-game show, the cheerleader with the microphone? This act comes off as nothing but nauseating and irritating.
Kevin McGuire is a national college football writer for Examiner.com and the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. He can be reached at cfbexaminer@gmail.com.
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