College Football Weekend Ahead

Man, Penn State actually played pretty valiantly last weekend against No. 1 Ohio State -- that is, until the interception return for a touchdown that broke the Nittany Lions' back. This week, the Nits play host to Northwestern, who are still reeling from the loss of their head coach, Randy Walker, just two weeks before the season.

Of course, Penn State fans are never happy. In today's Centre Daily Times, columnist Jeff Rice calls for cooler heads to prevail:

Most want a quarterback change. Some want a coaching change. The wise few who preached patience were labeled apologists or Kool-Aid drinkers.

To all of you -- the incensed, reactive, sophomoric prophets of doom; the no-less-irritated but far more reasonable and rational diehards; and even those who can say no wrong about Joe Paterno or his team for fear they'll be covered in boils -- I say this:

Relax. There's a long way to go.

More fans are down (way down) on the Lions after a mostly well-played game against a very good team in Columbus than were after an all-around miserable performance against a pretty good team in South Bend, and they simply shouldn't be. Penn State is growing up, getting better each week, and that should become apparent (if it isn't already) during the next few games.

But ah, isn't that what has the prophets of doom so steamed in the first place -- the weekly assertion by Paterno, his team and his staunchest supporters that Penn State is young? Ohio State is young, they cry, that didn't stop the Buckeyes from climbing atop the polls after losing nine starters from their defense.

Remember, though, that Penn State, with a 230-pound hammer named Tony Hunt, showed some soft spots in that Ohio State defense, just as the Buckeyes exploited the Lions' current weakness -- their potential-loaded but ineffective passing game.

This is where the anger has its roots. Blaming Anthony Morelli, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno (a favorite target of many Penn State fans) or a combination of both has become an hourly pasttime.

All that will be said here about this subject, which has been beaten several times to death but is only really getting started, is this: Morelli has played poorly, but he has been the starter for four games. If Kerry Collins and Michael Robinson had been on the same sort of leashes fans would like to strap on Morelli, there would be no Big Ten championship banners in the Lasch Building.

Why the panicking, Penn State fans? The tough part is over with. Northwestern comes to town Saturday looking like the cure to a lot of ills, and the rest of the schedule isn't much scarier.

Minnesota (2-2) has wins over powerhouses Kent State and Temple, and losses to No. 20 California and Purdue. We'll better know what the Boilermakers (4-0) are made of after they visit South Bend this Saturday.

Wisconsin (3-1), always tough in Madison, is playing hard for Bret Bielema but is about as dynamic offensively as Penn State was in Columbus.

Illinois is changing quarterbacks and, oh yeah, lost 33-0 to Rutgers. Temple is, well, Temple.

Michigan State? The Spartans, the collapse of the season already in their back pocket, haven't won in Beaver Stadium since ... 1965. Anybody remember Bubba Smith?

That leaves those hated Wolverines. On Oct. 14, Michigan returns to Beaver Stadium for the first time in five years, quarterbacked by one Chad Henne, a central Pennsylvania high school star who left Penn State in the recruiting lurch three years ago.

It is the Lions' only marquee regular-season game remaining in 2006. It's another prime-timer. Take the atmosphere for last season's Ohio State game and add the anguish of seven straight losses to Lloyd Carr. It doesn't guarantee a Penn State win but should make for some entertaining football.

How many wins will it take to cease the wailing, to reassure you that Penn State is still "elite?" Eight? Nine? They are there for the taking. So too, with some help from the Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes, is a second straight league title. It will take some improvement, sure, but Penn State could run the table even if Morelli doesn't develop. Its defense is that good.

There you have it, "Life In Not-So-Happy Valley"!

And the big sucking sound you heard last night was TCU's BCS hopes being wiped out last night when BYU beat them 31-17 in Fort Worth.

Here are some thoughts for this weekend's games:

+ Rutgers goes to 5-0 tonight with a win over South Florida. (Yes, a Friday night game. South Florida beat them last year by 24, but USF barely beat Florida International recently. Rutgers head coach is a former Penn State assistant to Paterno.)
+ Army pounds Rice by more than the 11-point line. (This isn't a stretch by any means. Army's hungry in playing their third Texas team this year and Rice's collective head may not be in the game after the passing of Dale Lloyd.)
+ Texas by 50 over Sam Houston State. Enough said. Sure everyone will be healthy for Oklahoma, but you call this a tuneup? I think I head SHSU is on Oklahoma's schedule next year. Rhett Bomar playing opposite the Sooners in Norman in '07? Oh boy!
+ Miami over Houston. As much as I'd love to see the Coogs beat Miami, I just don't see it. I hope I'm wrong though. Maybe if Kolb has a huge game on ESPN2 and they win, he moves into a long shot Heisman opportunity.
+ Notre Dame over Purdue and cover the spread. Sure, Purdue is 4-0 but three wins are against Indiana State (best known for hoops), Miami, Ohio (Frank Solich doesn't have the Huskers line there) and Ball State.
+ Texas Tech beats the Aggies. Not that I'm a big Tech fan, but I'm certainly not an Aggies fan. (Sorry, Steve, Christy and Lance.) The Aggies are favored by 2. I just don't see it. I'll go with the over on the 350 yards passing number by the Red Raiders.

This week's matchups that make you go, "Huh?" --

+ North Dakota State at Stephen F. Austin, South Dakota at Central Arkansas and South Dakota State at McNeese State (There must be one happy travel agency in those parts! And it isn't that cold there yet, is it?)
+ Central Michigan at Kentucky (Heck, don't be surprised if Central Michigan wins this.)
+ Eastern Illinois at Hawaii (Spring break comes early for Eastern Illinois.)
+ Wyoming at Syracuse (Isn't it Wyoming that needs a Dome at home?)

Alright, back to running!