With the addition of the Lions as the conference's 11th member, a sweeping change came over college football. The Big East, the Big 12 and the WAC took on their modern-day look. The Bowl Coalition, the Alliance and now the Bowl Championship Series came into play. And now, Penn State might play against Pittsburgh for the last time in program history. People sometimes don't realize that there is not one nickel given to this athletic program from the state or from the university.
Every single scholarship comes from our budget.
Every dollar comes from our budget. The football team generates revenue for Penn State's other 28 varsity programs, thanks to the contributions from the Nittany Lion Club. After joining the conference, Penn State joined the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, an academic consortium among the conference's schools along with the University of Chicago that benefits research and development. And it will give Louisiana Tech's other programs, particularly the Leon Barmore-coached women's basketball squad, a chance to gain national exposure after competing in the Sun Belt Conference. They are a great fit.