Penn State Now Victims of BCS Fraud, but Fear Iowa

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

For a moment, Penn State won’t climb atop erratic polls, sorely hysterical after suffering mockery against an inferior team which isn’t powerless or startled facing arguably the powerful Big Ten school in the nation. Each week ultimate ramifications are serious for attaining BCS reverence when a fraudulent system can jeopardize title opportunities.

On a rainy night, in Happy Valley, it happened to be Whiteout night when a feverish Penn State crowd was spirited, wearing white ponchos, energized about avenging the stunning loss a year ago. Earning publicly immediately following last season’s letdown, a Penn State-Iowa rematch was highly-regarded and must-see TV hijacking Saturday night prime-time.

In the aftermath of a bitter taste, anticipating to redeem any melancholy and putting smiles back on fans was crestfallen still with reminders of the nightmarish shock, which stained the Nittany Lions title fortunes. The devastating failure earned them a meeting in the Rose Bowl game for a traditional Pac-10 vs. Big Ten showdown, where they were beaten by the fierce USC Trojans.

Turns out a 24-23 upset a year ago in Iowa City came back, likely inhibiting chances of possessing a gleaming crystal ball after been victimized, not only by Iowa, but the BCS. All it takes is one huge mental lapse to costly blow indications of dominating the conference.

Now with Michigan starting to establish into ultimately a valuable and successful program that has excelled under guru and practice addict Rich Rodriguez, the Nittany Lions might have it tough reaching a climax.

And with Jim Tressel and Ohio State managing to salvage lopsided victories after a demoralizing defeat to USC, it remains impenetrable on if they could recover from another season of anguish.  

Saturday night wasn’t a typical victory party, but resemblance and continuous heartbreaks of last season. For the second consecutive season, Iowa seized gratifications and managed to overpower the Nittany Lions in hostile settings.

Late in the fourth quarter, the rabid crowd’s loudest minimized as they suddenly were distraught and hopeless. Early on, the fiery crowd was long past last year’s failures, and was ready for a delightful turnaround releasing all illusions.

But all of us failed to realize the Hawkeyes weren’t intimidated or awful. Rather now, the Hawkeyes matches well against No. 5 Penn State and was more physical and masterful defensively. Sure, they had the game marked on the calendar, prepared for a dramatic rematch sustaining noticeably. Throbbing and suffocating Joe Paterno’s gifted kids definitely wasn’t a fluke.

However, overlooking the Hawkeyes is an understatement. For beating up JoePa and company, credit the exceptional defensive unit. Clearly, Iowa’s defenders delivered the brutal contact and pressure to counteract with a high-powered offense.

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