The Penn State Football Show

Yes MSU will be a top 15 team when we play them in Happy Valley, but that game will not be close. With a possible National Championship appearance on the line, at home against a one dimensional team...not as dangerous as Iowa. With all that said, Iowa is not that much of a danger. As has been said, PSU is coming off a bye week and have had ample time to prepare for the Hawkeyes who are always very stout on defense, and as always very marginal offensively. The do have a terrific running back in Shonn Greene, but their other skill positions are fairly weak. At quarterback Stanzi is having a decent year, but he is nothing special and neither are the wide receivers. Penn State should be able to focus on stopping the run without much concern for the passing game. I do remember times when I was afraid when Penn State played in Iowa City, and I can see how people perceive it to be a tough place to play, but not now, not this year, and to have the nerve to say that it's harder to play there than in State College, Madison, and Columbus is just ludicrous.

I've always respected Iowa and think very highly of Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa head coach, and like the typical Penn State team, they are very defense oriented. It will be a good test for the Lion's offense and I will be paying very close attention to the offensive line to see how they respond to a talented group of linebackers and a top-end defensive line. They came out slow against OSU two weeks ago against a group that may not be as good as they see on Saturday. Now that all the formalities are complete, I truly think that Penn State is going to send a message with this game. Yet again the Nittany Lions have been disrespected, this time at the hands of the BCS Poll, and although these rankings mean nothing at this point, don't tell that to the Blue and White.

Week after week commentators and analysts criticize Penn State and the Big Ten saying that we aren't as good as the SEC or Big 12, blah blah blah. Well I don't care. The SEC is a disgrace this year and the Big 12 decided not to play defense this year. In my opinion, Big Ten football is real football. Teams that can score and more importantly, teams that can hit you in the mouth and stop you from scoring. I am tired of this nonsense where people look at a conference as a whole and then say that a specific team doesn't deserve a shot at a National Championship because some other team from that conference had a poor showing the past two seasons. That's like judging the Red Sox based on the performance of the Baltimore Orioles. Give me a break. Iowa, Indiana, Michigan State...they're going to lose, but they should know that their losses will not be in vain. This is the year that Penn State rights the ship, not just for themselves, but for the conference as a whole. This team is destined for great things and with a little help from LSU and Oklahoma State, that destiny came come into fruition. Even if PSU wins by 40 points the next three weeks, they will continually be looked down upon by these media types, and that disrespect will continue to fuel the fire. I have never in my life been so excited about Penn State football, but I also realize there is a long way to go, and a lot of things have to happen. These players will be prepared Saturday afternoon, and the week after that and the week after that. Disciplined football from a team that is physically one of the best in the business. You can't go wrong. In my next piece I will elaborate on the lack of discipline in some other teams that may end up costing them a National Championship appearance.