Why Temple isn’t Big Ten material

Temple University recently published an article about why they should replace Rutgers in the Big Ten.

Okay, Temple, we see you. Your football program has seen some great success recently, but there is no way in hell you are taking our spot in the Big Ten.

First, we played and won the first intercollegiate football game ever. Second, let’s see how you perform in what is currently the best conference in college football. There’s a chance you’d play a little better than us, but I guess we won’t know anytime soon since you’re not actually in the Big Ten.  You say that “Matt Rhule and his team have gotten the fan base not only excited for every game but what there is to come in the future.” A future in the Big Ten would probably consist of your student body whipping beer cans at the middle of Lincoln Financial Field by mid-September.

Also, you might want to get your facts straight. Rutgers has only been in the Big Ten since 2014.

As for the scandals, while they are not justifiable by any means, name a relevant school that doesn’t face scandals. If you haven’t noticed, fans and the media pay close attention to the Big Ten and we’re not the only team to have off-field issues. Remember former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel in 2011? Do  I even have to remind you what was going on in 2011 with your neighbors at Penn State?

You talk about the criminal charges that our player faced last year, but I could have sworn something happened two years ago with a pair of your players. Club 1800 ring a bell?

Scandals happen. They’re not pretty, and the ghosts of Temple’s past won’t look good either once they are dug up.

Maybe our offense hasn’t figured it out yet and if anyone said Rutgers would challenge a team like Ohio State or Michigan under first-year head coach Chris Ash, you could reasonably call them insane. Ash was the Co-Defensive Coordinator and Secondary coach for Ohio State before coming to Rutgers, so it would be a radical expectation for him to get his offense going, especially after the team lost quarterback Chris Laviano’s favorite target Leonte Caroo and running back Paul James.

Did I forget to mention we lost Leonte Caroo to the NFL? The league where currently 18 of our former players play in compared to Temple’s eight.

Rutgers is also the closest Big Ten team to New York City, which gives us that market. New York happens to be a big market if you didn’t know. Sure, Temple is in Philadelphia, but Penn State will always be known as the Big Ten team in P.A.

You think we are an embarrassment? Let’s say Temple does get a spot in the Big Ten. Anytime you would be mentioned nationally, people would only see you as “the team that plays where the Philadelphia Eagles play,” and nothing more.

So, Temple, your team wouldn’t be relevant in the Big Ten. Your “Owls” mascot already says it all: Who?