If this doesn't epitomize the "big fish little pond" acronym we all heard when we were kids, nothing does. They lived in a little cocoon in the middle of the PA hills and were gods, all of them, even the pedophile. And they all thought they were beyond reproach...all of them. It wasn't realtiy and never would it ever be. But for football, Penn State would have been a middle of the road state related university with a mid range academic record...good but not great university. Football put it on the map and kept it there for 40 years. And football has ultimately caused it to be devalued in every sense of the word.
I give Bill O'Brien credit for doing a great job in recruitment. Having said that I know $$$ talks and none of my recommendations will be followed but if I was King of State College for a day I would do the following in an effort to rehab the university and start healing this horrible mess:
1. Take down all references to Paterno, including the name on the library, the statue, and street names there, the works.
2. Self impose USC level sanctions on the program (sorry Billy O'Brien) such cut scholarships by 1/3 for 3 years, do not accept bowl bids, including the playoff, for three years and other than mandated TV appearances by the Big 10, no TV for the next 3 years.
3. all non monetary items in Paterno's "retirement", refuse to honor it. If necessary, you pay the value of those perks to the family. I know that sounds nuts but do you really want Sue Paterno hanging around the football offices, or the family sitting in a suite evey saturday at Beaver Stadium?? No, you don't. So, yup, buy them off and send them on their way.
4. Start the process of openly settling the child abuse claims...now. Not only offer $$ but also any and all counseling they need, free college tuiton for them and their children...do the right thing.
5. Perhaps leave the Big 10. Go independant in football for a few years, slowly scaling the program back to a manageable level. maybe petiton the BE for admission in all olympic sports...and then decide what to do about football. maybe join the BE, maybe look to set up an Eastern 10 conference with the old BE football schools and Maryland and Miami, IDK, but look at what the hell the program did, both good and bad for PSU.
6. Ramp up the academics and make the school comparable to UVA or Michigan ( a public Ivy). It has some good programs, make them great. Make everyone proud of Penn State again.
People can be proud of PSU if it stands up, moves forward and does something like what I have laid out here. There can be good for all in this, long term. But I fear that the small town mentality of State College is something that will have to be completley eradicated before we will see any real change at Penn State.