Four years ago, when the Jerry Sandusky scandal brought the house down at Penn State, national pundits declared the severe sanctions would devastate the football program for a decade or more.
From my view, this was an exaggeration. For all their penalties — some of which were lifted early — the Nittany Lions were at all times better off than Illinois.
Penn State retained a wealth of fans, modern tradition and a productive recruiting ground. The UI does not compare in any of those critical areas, and the run of 29 losses in 34 Big Ten games verifies that.