I distinctly remember when Penn State got the invite into the Big Ten in 1990. The B1G has always been a conservative organization but adding the Nittany Lions caught the nation unaware. Things were a lot less politically correct back then and as the presidents did this without athletic department input, this set off a battle in the press between the presidents and the AD, most specifically Bo Schembechler at Michigan. The person caught in the middle was Jim Delany, the newly hired commission for the Big Ten. It was made quite clear to the Nittany Lions that they weren't wanted, the most obvious sign was the fact that the ADs refused to change the name from the Big Ten. Over time passions cooled and rivalries were built. Long time ADs retired and Jim Delany gained more power which made the B1G a much more welcoming place but the die had been cast. Penn State had taken into its culture a feeling of persecution and self pity about any slight that came from their fellow members.
Like any school with a proud tradition, Penn State has an overdeveloped sense of their value in the grand scheme. There is no doubt that they bring great value to the league as they along with Michigan and Ohio State are the only schools to contribute to the league the full share of gate revenues ($4 million per year). When you consider that the average for the other schools is about half that amount it is fair to say that Penn State contributes double the value to the B1G of an average school (including TV contracts). The administration knows this and has been frustrated for years that they don't have a true rival. Some even have thought that Joe Paterno set off the latest round of conference realignment when he made a comment in 2009 wondering why they didn't add a school. Many thought at the time he was looking for a Syracuse or Rutgers so they would have a season ending rival. Instead the league ended up with Nebraska as no team from the East brought in anywhere close to the value needed to make financial sense. When the time came to split the league into 6 team divisions, everyone knew that they couldn't put 3 of Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and Penn State in the same division. Most figured that since it was obvious that Ohio State and Michigan would be in the same division that Penn State would be put into the Western Division.
Penn State balked at that and I can't say I blame them. Not only didn't they get a natural rival but they were being asked to travel 1000 miles for the closest in division rival. Over time Penn State has realized that the only natural rivalry they can ever possibly have is with Ohio State but the thing is the Buckeyes don't really care that much about them due to their long time rivalry with that school up north. I've felt for a long time that when it became obvious what they were being asked to do the Penn State brass blew up and threatened to leave the conference and join the Big East. If that happened it would have given the Big East a ton of credibility that they lost when Miami/BC/VaTech left for the ACC. The B1G couldn't allow that so they appeased Penn State. The result was Ohio State and Michigan were split and the league was proposed that Penn State be inserted as the last game of the season. Ohio State and Michigan fans joined up to kill the second part of the plan though I'm sure we haven't seen the last of the proposal. Instead Penn State had to settle for being Ohio State's next to last game.
Of course there is a lot of supposition in that paragraph but Penn State has complained about their treatment for the last twenty years. The fact that everyone in the B1G toed the line on the division split struck me as odd and it always felt like something was hidden.
One thing I have seen over the last twenty years is you don't want to mess around with Jim Delany because he will not hesitate to go a different direction if he doesn't get his way. A good example is when he wanted to renew his college football contract with ESPN and they decided to play hardball and basically told him ... "where else are you going to go?" That comment will end up costing them billions as he decided to form his own football network with FOX which forced ESPN to pay a premium to still get B1G games but also pay many times their worth for the contract for every other conference for fear everyone would form their own network and cut ESPN/ABC out entirely.
Penn State has been a pain in Delany's side since they joined and if it weren't for the football money they bring I doubt they'd still be a member. Now the same Penn State leaders that made his life tough are now gone due to their part in the Sandusky scandal. Today Delany's office released a press statement that has strongly admonished Penn State for its role in the scandal and unlike the recent troubles at Ohio State and Michigan it was clear that the B1G office is going to be working with the NCAA to penalize the school instead of working actively to protect them. The statement was worded so harshly that some Penn State fans are hoping to leave the B1G. The problem is the Big East imploded over the last year and it really isn't an option for Penn State anymore. The only place the could go is if the ACC wanted to goto 16 teams.Perhaps that's the best course as it seems the Penn State experiment has been nothing but grief for the last 20 years. The only thing this needs is for Swarbuck at Notre Dame to send a back channel message that they see the writing on the wall for the Big East and are ready to join. A swap of Notre Dame for Penn State would be a huge win for the B1G and Penn State would get what many have claimed they've always wanted. Out.
Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
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