Temple Football

Temple University is a state-funded university.  The school receives almost $200 million per year from Pennsylvania taxpayers.  The school then turns around and spends over $10 million in the form of Direct Institutional Support towards athletics. 

For those who are uninformed, Direct Institutional Support is a fancy way of saying the school had to chip in for athletic expenses that revenue could not cover.  Temple uses over $10 million per year from Pennsylvania taxpayers to cover athletic department losses.  Much of this expense is from football.

Thomas Corbett was recently elected Governor of the state of Pennsylvania.  Part of Governor-Elect Corbett's platform included:

- Reducing the size and cost of  state government
- Consolidating state services to make state government more efficient
- Zero based/performance-based budgeting to make sure state agencies meet their  performance goals to determine their funding

I think we can all agree that one great way to reduce the cost of state government and reduce inefficient state expenditures would be to look at the wasteful, state-funded money pit that is Temple athletics.

Temple University has a fine basketball program.  Basketball is the only program at Temple that makes money.

Temple University has a pitiful football program.  Football is by far the biggest money pit at Temple University.

As Bleacher Report has reported in the past: Temple fan apathy is shockingly bad.  

Students, alumni and Philadelphia residents have shown that they do not care about Temple athletics.  Their basketball team drew 2,000 fans, total, to their last home game.  Temple failed to sell out their 10,000 seat arena for their game against top 10 Georgetown.  In a game against the Big East's Seton Hall, 20 percent of the arena was empty. 

Temple recently built a $73 million basketball arena.  And this poor attendance is how Temple community thanks the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.  Think of how many better ways $73 million could have been spent within the Pennsylvania state education system.

Temple football attendance is perhaps the biggest joke in the nation.  The only time Temple football is capable of drawing over 15,000 fans is when schools with larger local fan bases, such as Penn State or Villanova, come to town.

Temple is a school with 30,000 students and hundreds of thousands of alumni, and even more people affiliated with the school from employment.  Yet they can't put 10,000 fans in a basketball arena to watch their nationally ranked Temple Owls, and their football attendance is horrific.

So why is the state of Pennsylvania spending millions upon millions of dollars for something that the Temple community clearly does not care about?

Imagine what $10 million annually could do for some underfunded schools in economically depressed cities such as Scranton, PA.  Schools that are using history books printed before the first Desert Storm.

Temple University is, in essence, a public social program.  There is nothing wrong with such social programs.  This journalist is very much in favor of government social programs.

Much like homeless shelters, public transportation and soup kitchens, Temple University provides a service to those who otherwise would not have access.  Temple University provides thousands of Pennsylvania residents with a quality education at a bargain price, thanks to the state taxpayers.

But when did this social program go from providing necessary elements of education, to providing luxury items such as a money pit football team?  When did Section 8 housing start handing out stipends for houses in Society Hill?  When did SEPTA start providing limousine rides instead of bus passes?  When did the soup kitchen start serving caviar? 

When did a football program that nobody cares about and costs the taxpayers millions become a necessary part of Temple's mission as a state funded social program providing higher education?

Now one can say that athletics are an important part of a college experience.  Well, how much does Harvard spend on athletics?  The answer: under $3 million per year on basketball and football COMBINED.

Is Harvard cheating their students out of a complete college experience by not spending as much on athletics as Temple?  Harvard has the money to spend the money on athletics if they so desire, so their choice not to spend millions and millions on athletics might show that maybe spending taxpayer money on wasteful athletic programs, such as Temple, might not be necessary?

Other Pennsylvania schools, such as Penn State and Pittsburgh, receive state funding.  However, they earn enough revenue off sports to justify their expenses.  They also have passionate fan support which justifies them as a source of state pride.  Neither can be said about Temple.  Temple athletics generates no fan support, no state pride, and costs millions of dollars.

The Solution

Temple basketball is profitable.  Temple basketball should operate as is, and continue to be the pride of the university.  We can all only hope that one day the fans will start attending games.

The non-revenue sports (minus football) should be limited in their expenses.  Drop scholarships.  If these athletes want to participate in scholarship sports, they should go look to a university that is not costing the taxpayers millions in athletics. 

Sorry, but nowhere in the right to education does it state that swimmers and field hockey'ers must receive a free ride on the taxpayer's dime.

Drop football.  Temple currently has a lease with Lincoln Financial Field.  That lease is approximately $1 million per year, for the next seven years.  That is $7 million in sunk cost.  Temple football is costing the taxpayers close to that amount per year. 

Would you rather eat the $7 mill in sunk cost owed to Lincoln Financial Field, or would you rather continue to pour $5 to 8 million down the drain over the next seven years (upwards of $56 million)?  The choice is easy.  Perhaps Lincoln Financial Field (built with taxpayer money) will let Temple out of their contract at a discount, further reducing the financial burden that Temple represents to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

I would suggest that Temple drop down to non-scholarship FCS football, but that would not be practical.  Temple would have nowhere to play their games, and would ultimately be an unnecessary expense to the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

Tom Corbett promised he would reduce inefficient government spending.  This journalist suggests he starts with Temple athletics.

TJ Corbs - tackling the hard hitting issues of the Northeast Corridor.

Temple head coach Al Golden sat Sunday with his team at their end-of-season banquet. They patiently awaited a phone call that would never come. Temple was one of 72 teams that were bowl eligible, but were just one of two teams that will not be playing another game this season.

The 8-4 Owls were snubbed by the bowl committee on Sunday in a move that was a surprise to many fans. Temple didn’t finish the 2010 season strong, dropping their last two games of the season to Ohio University (who will play in the New Orleans Bowl) and eventual MAC champions Miami of Ohio.

It was even more of a shock that the Owls aren't bowl bound when you look at their 30-16 victory against UConn.The Owls handled the eventual Big East champions that Sunday and won by fourteen points. The UConn Huskies are not only bowl bound, but headed to a BCS bowl.

This snub really hurts the Temple program. 2010 was the season that most expected the Owls to take the next step and crack the top 25. They made it as high as 36 and received top 25 votes, but the back-to-back losses to end the season made sure they would not be ranked, would not go to the MAC championship, and would not receive a bowl bid.

So now starts the usual “will he stay or will he go” talk regarding Al Golden. Golden has turned the Temple football program around, helping the phoenix rise from the ashes. He inherited a terrible program in 2006. A program that had been kicked out of the Big East, and hadn’t had a winning season since 1990. But with good local recruiting, Golden was able to turn the Owls into a solid football program that fans could be proud of.

Golden has been receiving interest from more prestigious programs since 2007, when he interviewed for the UCLA head coach position. He was rumored to be in consideration for the Cincinnati head coaching job last season when Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame. But every offseason it seems like Golden’s name is rumored to be leaving, and every September he's on the Temple sidelines.

One of the reasons Golden probably won’t be leaving Temple this off-season is because he has yet to get that big win. The Owls have never beaten a ranked team, and have never won a bowl game (0-1 in the Golden era). The Owls put up a great fight against Penn State this season and were winning for most of the first half before eventually falling to the 23rd-ranked Nittany Lions. But good losses are still a loss and Golden has yet to get that career-defining win. The win that would really show what an amazing turnaround he has done.

Many are speculating that Golden is waiting for the Penn State coaching position. Golden played four years at Penn State under legendary head coach Joe Paterno. His entire coaching staff is Penn State alumni, and with Joe Paterno turning 84 this month you have to wonder how long he will be patrolling the sidelines. It would make sense for Golden to wait out Paterno and then bolt for Happy Valley.

No matter the case, the 2010 season was a disappointing one. Not because the team didn’t play up to par, but because the bowl committee left an eight-win team out of the dance. The other team that was bowl-eligible who won’t be bowl-bound in December was the 6-6 Western Michigan Broncos.

With UConn earning a BCS bid, and the seven-win Notre Dame Fighting Irish going to the Sun Bowl against a seven-win Miami team, it doesn’t seem right to leave off the eight-win Owls. It seems like bowl committees bid on past success (look at Notre Dame's last four years).

Temple coach Al Golden has led an amazing turnaround. But he hasn’t finished the job. Look for the Owls to rebound next season, led by the running back duo of Bernard Pierce (first-team All-MAC) and Matt Brown (second-team All-MAC). They start off the 2011 season with the Mayor's Cup against Villanova on September 3 at Lincoln Financial Field.

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There are countless articles written everyday about the top teams and conferences in the country. It is about time people start respecting the Mid American League Conference and giving them the credit they deserve.

Tonight Ohio will travel to Philadelphia to take on Temple. The Owls are 8-2 and the Bobcats are 7-3. Both of these teams are 5-1 and are in a three way tie for the Eastern division crown with Miami of Ohio.

Ohio has been a strong team all year, they are quick and play very solid defense. They were really able to show how fast they were on the offensive side of the ball during their domination of Miami of Ohio.

When it comes to Temple, I believe they are the best team in the division. They were a good team last year and are an even better squad in 2010.

During their wins against UConn, Central Michigan and Army they showed how dangerous they can be running the ball. With Bernard Pierce and Matt Brown it is hard for any defensive front to contain them.

Temple even gave the Nittany Lions a run for their money in Happy Valley back in September. Their loss to Northern Illinois was an unfortunate won and proved that the Huskies are the best team in the conference. It would be interesting to see both advance to the championship and play each other once again.

However, before either team can play for the titles they will have to win tonight and then win the final game of the season. For the Owls that will be difficult as they will travel to Ohio to play the RedHawks.

With that said, I believe Temple is a very well coached team and is strong enough running the ball and defending the pass to win tonight's game.

It should be a very close affair in Philly. All football fans should enjoy a Tuesday night game, which is a real treat and sit back and enjoy what the Mid American League conference has to offer.

There's a huge football game being played in Philadelphia Tuesday night.

Yes, it will be at Lincoln Financial Field and yes it will feature a winged mascot, but it's not the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's the Temple Owls.

Yes, Temple. For the second straight year Temple will enter the Ohio game with a chance to continue of the road to the MAC Championship game. I say continue because Temple, Ohio, and Miami (OH) are currently each sitting at 5-1 in the MAC east standings. Temple's final two games are home against Ohio and then away at Miami.

Both games will be televised on ESPN2.

Will the Owls seize the chance to forward their program's progress both on the field and possibly in the eyes of many more people that would usually pay attention to Temple football?

What Al Golden has done at Temple is pretty amazing. He not only got Temple over the hump last season and snagged a bowl bid for the Owls, but he has sustained the success with this campaign and set up the chance for Temple to really make this a special year.

Vengeance may play a small roll in Tuesday night's match up. Last season Temple was 7-0 in conference play and need a final victory in Athens against the Bobcats, but Ohio took them down 35-17.

It's had to believe that just 5 years ago Temple went 0-11 and then a year later went 1-11. The entire image and mentality of the program has been changed, revitalized, and focused under Al Golden. This is a feat that I don't think anyone thought would be possible at a program that was banished from the Big East. I wonder, do you think that BCS conference wishes Temple was still around?

I am excited to see what happens Tuesday night in Philadelphia. What will the crowd be like? Will this Temple team rise up to the challenge and set the stage for an even bigger game next week against Miami? It's rare for a game with this much weight to involve the Temple Owls, but here it is. All of Philadelphia needs to embrace this team and get behind them.

Yes, Philly has always been a pro sports town with spurts of college basketball greatness in between, but it's time for the city of brotherly love to extend a hand to it's college football squads, because along with Villanova, the Eagles aren't the only game in town.

When it comes to junior defensive tackles who could possibly enter the NFL Draft after this season, a few names like Auburn's Nick Fairley and Nebraska's Jared Crick immediately come to mind, but one player who doesn’t seem to be getting his fair share of hype is Temple's Muhammad Wilkerson.

That's what happens when you play for a MAC team that barely gets any TV time instead of a BCS powerhouse.

Wilkerson, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound junior, has been basically unblockable all season long, flashing what it takes to be an NFL caliber defensive lineman in the process.

The big man has already accounted for 8.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss in nine games, and he's widely considered the best defensive player in the league by many of the MAC's coaches.

Wilkerson has the size and pure brute strength to be a true anchor in the middle, and his agility and quickness aid him in his quest to penetrate into opponent's backfields.

The former lightly recruited two-star prospect out of New Jersey's Linden High School made a name for himself after a stop at the prestigious Hargrave Military Academy, and so far, he's proved to be a true gem for Temple Coach Al Golden.

Wilkerson is by far and away the best player on a Temple defense that's the best in the MAC this season. He's the type of player that's indicative of the sneaky talented players Golden is starting to bring to the school.

Does Wilkerson have first-round potential? Time will tell, but from what he's demonstrated over the last two seasons, he should definitely have pro scouts very intrigued.

His lack of national publicity could affect his chances of being considered for some notable postseason awards and honors, but it shouldn't hurt his NFL stock.

The scouts and NFL personnel folks do enough digging and evaluating to figure out who the best of the best really are, and you can bet that there aren't a lot of defensive tackles in college football who can measure up to what Wilkerson has to offer.

If you get a chance, turn on ESPN2 on Tuesday night to watch Temple host Ohio at 8 p.m. It's highly unlikely Wilkerson will leave you feeling disappointed. He looks like the real deal.

Reports are starting to surface that the struggling Big East is interested in adding two schools to its current eight-team football conference.

Reportedly, the TCU Horned Frogs out of the Mountain West and the Central Florida Knights out of Conference USA are at the top of the Big East's wish list.

While both are enticing as growing programs, they don’t make much sense geographically for a conference that basically centers around the northeastern region of the United States.

TCU, which is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and Central Florida, which is located on the outskirts of Orlando, would both allow the conference to expand into new large markets. But they would also join the South Florida Bulls, located in Tampa, as the Big East's distant outlier schools, which could make travel planning somewhat of a challenge.

There's also the fact that the Big East, which already has 16 basketball teams, would only be looking to add them as football schools, leaving their basketball programs in limbo.

A more sensible choice for expansion would be Villanova, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Wildcats’ basketball team is already part of the Big East, and the school is right in the heart of Big East territory.

Villanova, currently part of the Colonial Athletic Conference in the FCS, has a developing football program with a lot of recent success under longtime coach Andy Talley, including a victory over Montana in last year’s FCS National Championship game.

The school has expressed interest in moving to the FBS level, but the problem is Villanova Stadium only has a capacity of 12,000, 3,000 less than the required capacity for a FBS school.

In order to make the move to the Big East, Villanova would likely have to add an addition to their stadium or move their home games to a different location—possibly the state-of-the-art PPL Park, an 18,500-capacity soccer stadium located 18 miles south of Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania.

If I were Big East commissioner John Marinatto, I would not only add Villanova, but also their crosstown counterpart, the Temple Owls.

Temple has seen a surge of success over the last few years under coach Al Golden, and they fit pretty much all of the Big East's criteria.

The Owls, who are currently members of the MAC, play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, and they have strong recruiting bases now established in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The only problem they’ve experienced over the years is poor attendance. It’s the reason they were forced out of the Big East back in 2004.

But Golden now seems to be revitalizing the program and bringing some excitement back. They have the talent already in place to compete with Big East teams, as demonstrated by their 30-16 victory over UCONN earlier in the season.

Also, the Atlantic 10 should have no problem allowing Temple’s basketball program to stay if their football program makes the move to the Big East.

So while it’s nice for the Big East to dream about the big markets that TCU and UCF offer, it will be hard to fit them into the Big East puzzle.

Yes, it would be odd to have two teams from a conference in one city, even though it’s been done on a much larger scale out in Los Angeles with UCLA and USC and in Miami with the Hurricanes and FIU, but the city of Philadelphia offers the Big East a nice market in which to grow.

We’ll see how it all plays out in the end, but if I were the commissioner, I would scrap the TCU and UCF idea in favor of adding Temple and Villanova to round out the Big East.

Where will Temple football coach, Al Golden, coach next year?

Rutgers fans ask themselves, "Is it time to punch the 'Golden' Ticket?"

Maryland fans ponder if they waited a year too long to offer Al Golden.

Minnesota fans wonder if Al Golden is willing to restore a Big 10 program.

Penn State fans wonder if Al Golden is the man to replace Joe Paterno, or JoPa to those who love the Nittany Lions.

Al Golden took over a Temple football program that has long been considered the worst Division 1A (FBS) program in the nation.  Temple football was so bad, and the athletic department so poorly run, that Temple is the only team to ever be kicked out of a BCS conference when the Big East asked the Owls to leave following the 2004 season.

Temple football has not won a bowl game since the 1970's and suffers from horrific student and alumni fan apathy.  Temple failed to win 5 games in any season from 1990 through 2006, a stunning display of failure.

However, if you filled out a college football bowl pool last year, you may have been shocked to see the Temple Owls v. UCLA Bruins in the Eaglebank Bowl in Washington DC.  That's right, Temple won some games last year.  And many place the credit with Mr. Al Golden.

Al Golden is a 1991 graduate of Penn State who played one season for the New England Patriots (before they were good).  He began his coaching career as an offensive coordinator at Red Bank Catholic, a New Jersey high school not too far from Rutgers.  He entered the college ranks at the University of Virginia, had a brief stint at Boston College, returned to his alma mater for a season in 2000 before heading to Virginia for 5 years to act as the Wahoos' defensive coordinator.

Golden was named the head coach of Temple in December 2005, replacing Bobby Wallace and became the second youngest head coach in college football.  Golden's record at Temple is an uninspiring 21-30, but one must realize that Temple was 3-31 the three years prior to Golden's arrival.  Golden has been nothing short of a miracle worker at Temple, changing the losing culture and putting crooked numbers in the win column.

Al Golden was a hot name in the coaching carousel last spring.  But apparently one good MAC season at Temple is not quite enough to earn a ticket out of North Philadelphia.  Golden was rumored to have interviewed at every job opening that would have him, but was unable to land an offer from a BCS school. 

One thing that Al Golden did establish last off-season: He was willing to leave, he just needed a school that wanted him.  That should change this off-season, as Temple continues to win and establish themselves as more than just a fluke.  Al Golden led Temple to its best win in ages two weeks ago when Temple defeated Big East power, UConn.

So if things are going so well for Temple, why would Golden want out?  For starters, Temple is not in a BCS conference.  And after their last stint in a BCS conference, the Big East from 1990-2004, no one can realistically expect Temple to be invited to another BCS conference any time soon.  Temple was kicked out of the Big East due to poor attendance, non-competitiveness, and a lack of commitment to the football program by university officials.  These problems still exist today. 

While the competitiveness may be improving, the attendance issue still remains.  Temple's only games where they draw respectable crowds are when opposing teams with strong local fan bases such as Penn State or Villanova pack Lincoln Financial Field. 

One also must wonder how much support university officials can realistically provide to the program.  As mentioned in a prior Bleacher Report article, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/482222-message-board-banter-turns-ugly-between-temple-and-army-football-fans, Temple University is a state funded school, receiving $189 mill from taxpayers every year.  Temple then turns around and spends $10 mill in Direct Institutional Support on athletics, much of which goes to fund a football program that goes unsupported by fans and alumni.  One has to question how much longer the taxpayers of Pennsylvania will tolerate this use of state funds.

While Al Golden may sincerely love Temple and appreciate the fans who support the program, the fact remains that Temple is not, nor will it ever be, a destination job.  Al Golden will be moving on, and this journalist's money is on him moving on before the end of the 2011 school year.

- TJ Corbs, tackling the hard hitting issues of the Northeast Corridor.

In Philadelphia, it's slim pickings when it comes to college football. With plenty of schools located in the city not many are Division I schools while that ones that are usually aren’t very good.

Penn shows their pride of course, and while Villanova did win the subdivision championship last season, it’s just that—a subdivision championship. No one really pays attention to the subdivision teams, and they certainly could care less about the football it produces.

This results is most Philadelphians choosing two allegiances. The first is the Nittany Lions of Penn State, led by Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno. The second is the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. While Penn State is located in the state of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame is not.

Most fans only like the school because of their name. They feel it is their Irish duty to cheer for a team named after their heritage. A school they will never attend, and probably never visit. Notre Dame Fans are great because they never like to admit that while their team is full of five-star recruits, they never produce and are constantly over rated.

Take solace, Notre Dame fans, because you have you have the advantages of being an independent school coming up with tough battles of Tulsa and Navy in the upcoming weeks. The Irish, by the way, are 2-3 and were ranked No. 62 in the polls before their recent win against Boston College.

Penn State meanwhile is the main team that is supported in the city of brotherly love. Joe Pa is God in these parts and to say wrong about him is enough to get you tar and feathered.

Unlike Notre Dame, though, Penn State plays in the Big Ten and is constantly playing good teams throughout the year. However, they too seem to be more bark than bite going 3-2 so far this season while managing to be ranked 22 in the country. A loss to the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes however will most likely drop them out of the polls.

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Big Ten Game of the Week (Big Reach)

Temple at Penn State

I did a Big Ten preview for the Michigan Man podcast in August.  Two things I predicted was Arizona would beat Iowa and that Temple would upset Penn State.  Temple is a pretty good team that has wins over Villanova, Central Michigan, and UConn already this year.  If Penn State sleeps on Temple they will find themselves with an "L" on Saturday.  The line is PSU minus-13.5.  So Vegas is buying this won't be a blow out.  I will stay with my prediction.

Temple 21, PSU 20

The Other Games

Northern Colorado at MSU

This will be the first game for the Spartans without their head coach after his heart attack on Sunday morning.  MSU will be inspired and this one won't be close.  Line is MSU minus-30.5. 

MSU 42, NCU 10

Austin Peay at Wisconsin

Wow, is this a basketball game?  It seems more like a December basketball game and not a football game in September.  Expect a huge day on the ground from the Badgers.  Line is minus-43 for Wisky.  Take the points with AP! 

Wisconsin 40, AP 3

EMU at Ohio State

I feel bad for former Michigan DC Ron English.  He is still trying to get his first win at Eastern and this is not the week.  I hope the Eagles got paid.  Line is OSU minus-44.  Yes, 44.  

Vest 51, EMU 14

Akron at Indiana

IU likes to score points and Akron has to travel from Ohio.  That's about all.  IU is favored by 22.5 points.  I think this one is a little closer than that. 

IU 28, Akron 14

Northern Illinois at Minnesota

Vegas thinks this will be the closet Big Ten game of the week with the Golden Gophers favored by 4.5.  The gophers are a mess right now and some people are predicting that their head coach might not make it until Halloween.  Minnesota needs a win dearly.  I think they get one on Saturday. 

Minnesota 24, NIU 17

Toledo at Purdue

The Boilermakers are beat up and haven't been playing very well when healthy.  Toledo might make this game interesting.  The line has Purdue by 11.5.  I think Toledo will play well. 

Purdue 17, Toledo 14

Central Michigan at Northwestern

Central Michigan is a pretty good team and they are not having post-Butch Jones problems.  On the other hand, Butch already has two losses at Cincinnati and they host Oklahoma this weekend.  I wonder if Butch looked at the schedule before taking the job at UC?  

Central has been known for their high-powered offense, but would you be surprised to learn that CMU has the fourth-ranked defense in the country?  They are giving up nine points a game.  I had high hopes for NW this year and they are starting to turn the corner with a 30-13 win over Rice last week.  These teams seem very similar (NW only gives up 12 points a game) and the line is NW minus-6.5.  

NW 14, CMU 10

Illinois has a bye. 

I will preview the Michigan-BGSU game on Friday. 


A Thought to Ponder Today:  What should this weekend be called?  MAC Attack?  MAC invasion?  Big MAC Weekend?