The Penn State Football Show

Another frustrating week in a college football season that is shaping into one of the ugliest and most confusing in many years. Alabama wins without scoring a touchdown, Florida struggled once again with a mediocre team, Iowa is on the verge of compiling one of the most disgusting undefeated seasons in college football history, and in a far distance lies the possibility of SIX undefeated teams (Alabama or Florida, Texas, Iowa, TCU, Boise State, Cincinnati), not to mention a handful of 1-loss teams who are clearly capable of competing with those previously mentioned. Oh and by the way, there is a team in Happy Valley that is slowly but steadily revving her engine, and very little is standing in her way as she is coming down the mountain with a full head of steam.

For weeks we heard about Penn State's road struggles in Ann Arbor, so much so that many started believing they COULD NOT win. Penn State outmatched Michigan in almost every aspect of this game, but many still seemed to bend this truth and make arguments that supported an upset in Ann Arbor. Luckily (and finally), the Lions stepped up to the task, reached back, and delivered a knock-out blow that unsurprisingly silenced the critics.

It seems as if now more than ever is when a college football playoff is necessary. Each year there will be arguments over who is the best 1-loss team, strength of schedule, how the SEC could compete in the NFL, the whole nine yards. But this year could be very interesting with the possibility of SIX undefeated teams??? This most likely will not happen as I am anticipating an Iowa loss in Columbus and Cincinnati has a “challenging” remaining schedule with Pitt and WVU still on the schedule (oh no, not Pitt and WVU!).

Furthermore, I’m not quite sure what would be a good bowl match up for Penn State this year. As much as I agree a PSU/Pitt rivalry on the national spotlight would be excellent, there could potentially be some even better matchups, nor does a whipping of a Big East team really help the Big Ten’s national perception. Obviously, a rematch with USC would be welcomed any day of the week, but for our next meeting, I’d like to see them travel more than 12 miles….does Arizona work for you, Mr. Carroll?

Other thoughts and observations from week eight.
• When is DC17 going to get some national recognition? Check the stats, folks. Aint many other players putting up better numbers than he is, and that includes the Messiah.
• Staying on the Beachum-waggon, the kid brings the pain when he runs the ball.
• Boone continues to step into his punts, resulting in another blocked punt this weekend, but the protection still needs to be better.
• The constant media presence surrounding the lack of development from TP2 is becoming more and more frustrating each week. Until this kid shows he can successfully manage an offense and check-off a receiver, let’s find something more important things to talk about…like Darryl Clark maybe?
• Did anyone notice the random stopping of the clock prior to halftime…you know, right before Tate Forcier spiked the ball to go put on his snuggly? I’m looking for answers here. Are clock operations performed by Big Ten officials or in house? We all know this was an issue in 2005, but it also happened last year in Columbus when the field goal before halftime went through the uprights with 3 seconds remaining on the clock and continued to wind down to zero.

This week’s trip to Evanston should be an interesting one. I Look forward to seeing how the Lions perform now that they have a chip on their shoulder and a little momentum behind them. Although, let’s not forget that 2005 stunner, maybe we should start doubting our chances at Northwestern, too.