Bleacher Report - Articles by Isaac Luber

Creature vs. Creature: A Nittany Lion on Penn State-Iowa

Isaac Luber — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:44:02 -0400

Last year, the Nittany Lions travelled to Kinnick Stadium and faced a tough Iowa team. Penn State dominated the first half, but Iowa started to make a comeback. Penn State's Lydell Sargeant missed an interception on a second down, and Iowa took advantage to score on that possession. Iowa was able to make it 23-21 with several minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Clark and the Nittany Lions were driving down the field with only a few minutes left. Penn State wanted to end the game with a couple more first downs, but when Clark stepped back to pass one play, it was intercepted by a Hawkeye defender.

Penn State was plagued by a pass interference call on Scirrotto on third down when the ball probably wouldn't have been caught if he would of laid off of the receiver. This helped Iowa's drive stay alive, and their quarterback Stanzi kept his composure and got Iowa in field goal range with just seconds to go.

This is when the upset occurred. A 31-yard field goal went straight through the uprights, with one second to go, to give Iowa the 24-23 upset victory over the No. 3 Nittany Lions.

My brother had safety Mark Rubin for an interview at JP Morgan, where he works, after the regular season. He asked Rubin what happened in the Iowa game, and he basically said as the stadium got colder in the second half, the players were unable to move on the sidelines and froze on the field, hurting their performance.

This was because Joe Paterno thought heaters would weaken Penn State, and they should tough it out. Well, if you saw the Michigan State game, there were heaters all over Penn State's sideline. Coincidence? I think not.

Now Iowa won that game fair and square, and I am not making excuses, but with heaters things may have been different.

My brother also said to Rubin that he better win the Rose Bowl or he's not getting a job...he didn't get the job.

Now, to this year's game...

Penn State will win if...

They can continue their established success in the running game.

Against Akron and Syracuse, Penn State was unable to run. This is largely because these teams were putting eight and nine men in the box, but also because the offensive linemen would go off their blocks to block the next level of defenders too early, leaving the defensive line time to stop running back Evan Royster for little gain.

Against Temple, they were able to run very successfully, and had 186 rush yards, with Royster accounting for 134 of them, 119 of which he had in the first half. They were able to run because Temple was usually only putting seven men in the box, and sometimes eight.

They were also pass blitzing, so it made it easier to run traps, counters, and draws. Also, Penn State's offensive line was also staying on their blocks, allowing Royster to get to the second level, where he, being a talented back, can make moves and break tackles in the open field to get more yardage.

Against Iowa, they have to play this way. They have to be able to establish the run to get to the pass, not the other way around. Clark didn't have many passing yards because of the rushing success, which for once, is a good thing.

The combination of Royster's agility and ability to break tackles, along with Green's speed and improved power and downhill ability, Penn State should hopefully be able to run successfully on Iowa, which will be important if they have a lead in the fourth quarter.

Their defense tackles better.

The tackling in the preseason games has been pathetic to say the least. There have been way too many missed tackles on running and passing plays this season. Penn State needs to not tackle sloppy.

Sean Lee is the only player so far this year that has made virtually every tackle he was involved with. Everyone else has been a mediocre tackle, and the secondary has been awful at tackling.

Big Ten teams like Iowa will easily shed off those arm tackles, and if we can't tackle Akron, we won't be able to tackle Iowa. The defense has to tackle much better by making hard, solid tackles if they plan on containing Iowa's power offense and winning this game.

Penn State will lose if...

They fail to move the ball.

Penn State has struggled moving the ball against mediocre teams. They have had many three and outs, turnovers, and punts. Also, in the red zone, they have scored just over 50 percent of the time, which is pathetic compared to last year where they had a nearly perfect red-zone scoring percentage.

In the red zone, Penn State has turned it over on downs and by actual turnovers multiple times, and they're playing teams like Syracuse. If Penn State is unable to move the ball on Iowa, and has turnovers in and out of the red zone, they will not win this game.

The secondary gets beat.

Penn State's secondary is consistently mediocre at best. They get beat by fast receivers and great route-running receivers. They are also very small, and usually cannot make tackles. They also usually play in a zone coverage where they leave the field wide open and give the receiver 10 yards of clearance to catch and run with the ball.

Penn State's secondary doesn't have to play right on the receivers, but they should be close enough where they can break up or intercept a pass, as well as be able to put a hit on the receiver to make a tackle or try and knock the ball free.

If Penn State's defense lets Iowa pass all over them and through them like they allowed to Syracuse and Akron who had several big pass plays and once each game the receiver completely beat the secondary for a touchdown, Iowa will pick on the secondary all day.

Even though Stanzi is not a great quarterback, he is good enough to beat a secondary who is leaving the receivers wide open. Penn State's secondary needs to cover and tackle better.

X-Factor

Special teams.

If Penn State wants to really help their chances of winning, they have to win the special teams battle. Their kick-off coverage has been awful so far, they allow many run backs to go past the 35 or 40 yard line. If they allow Iowa to do this, Iowa will keep the Nittany Lions pinned deep in their own territory all day. Penn State has also been pathetic at returning kicks, not taking many past the 30.

Penn State, however, does win the punting battle. Their punting, unlike their kick-offs, is great. Jeremy Boone is possibly an All-American and future pro punter. He always seems to get a long, beautiful kick that pins the opponents deep in their territory.

Whoever wins the special teams battle and the field position battle will have an advantage in this game.

Home-field.

This game is homecoming for many fraternities, so many more alums will be there cheering harder than ever. This is a revenge game, so it will be jam-packed and everyone will be blood-thirsty after what Iowa did to us last year. To add to that, it is the Game Day crew's game, and that always puts a big spotlight on it and makes more fans show up.

To make sure every die-hard Penn State fan is there, it is also a night game. And finally, to make sure all of those fans are more pumped than they ever have been before, it's the WHITEHOUSE! All of these factors help Penn State's home-field advantage severely, which could help them out a lot.

Prediction

Last year, Penn State came into Iowa after a huge win over Ohio State. They had National Championship in their eyes. They may have possibly been looking past the final three games to the Championship, as many teams would after the biggest win of the season that usually determines your season.

Instead of taking the games one by one, it seemed they took them by get past these and we'll be going to the National Championship.

Penn State, after losing to Iowa, took the games one by one.

Still, this year, Penn State wants revenge. The team wants revenge, the school wants revenge, and the fans want revenge. Penn State does not forget, they remember what happened, and now they are thirsty for some Hawkeye blood. They will avenge themselves. They will not stop attacking Iowa until they pound them six feet into the ground.

However, as much as everyone would like to see a crushing of Iowa, this will be more of a defensive battle, and Iowa still is a decent team. I hope we crush them, but I see a closer game.

Penn State Nittany Lions: 27

Iowa Hawkeyes: 16

LET'S GO STATE!

WE ARE...PENN STATE!!!

See a Hawkeye's take on the game by reading Kevin Trahan's article here.

Penn State-Temple: Five Tools to Penn State Dominance

Isaac Luber — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:36:33 -0400

Penn State's performances against Akron and Syracuse have been mediocre at best. If the Nittany Lions are to be a top five team this year, there are some things that it will have to work on and improve greatly before the Big 10 season starts.

1) Blocking

The offensive line has been completely pathetic. The guards especially are unable to block for the running game. If you notice, the few big runs Royster and Green broke were usually to the outside, like on Royster's stretch play touchdown against Syracuse.

The offensive line is just going through the motions, but if it expects to block out the bigger defensive lines of the Big 10, it really has to get a good push and block hard.

Another thing I noticed is that on many occasions, the linemen will block and then release their blocks before the running back is through the hole to block out a linebacker or safety.

So instead of having a six or seven-yard run—or potentially more if a broken tackle is made—the running backs are stuck at the line of scrimmage or get tripped up by the defensive linemen and get three yards at the most.

The linemen have to hold their blocks until the running back is through the hole, as he will have a better chance of getting past a linebacker or safety than a big defensive lineman.

Also, Clark seems to scramble out of the pocket a lot. Although pass protection has been good for the most part, Clark is sometimes forced to scramble around a lot and it exposes him to big hits when he is out of the pocket.

The pass blocking has to improve just a little to keep Clark from scrambling out of the pocket as much as he does, which will lower the risk of an injury to him—something we cannot afford.

2) Running

Penn State has to improve its running game if it wants to have a balanced attack in the Big 10 and to compete against teams like Ohio State and—hopefully—teams like Florida or USC in the national championship.

Now I know most of this is because of the offensive line, which needs to block better. However, the backs will often choose the wrong hole to go through and won't get as many yards. Also, I expect the backs to break at least one tackle in the open field, which they usually can do, but I would like to see more of that.

3) Tackling

Penn State has been tackling pathetically. Other than Sean Lee and the defensive line, defenders consistently miss tackles. I've seen too many linebackers have their weak tackles broken by bad Syracuse and Akron running backs.

Also, the secondary cannot tackle. Sometimes it will take five people to tackle someone. The secondary rarely is able to tackle anyone and at best slows down the wide receivers so that Sean Lee can come in immediately after and tackle the ball carrier.

Sloppy tackling will not work in the Big 10. If PSU cannot tackle well against these teams, the Big 10 running backs will break all the tackles and run right through Penn State. The Nittany Lions need to improve their tackling immediately.

4) Secondary

As we all know, Penn State's secondary is consistently bad. However, against teams like Akron and Syracuse, it usually doesn't give up big passes and touchdowns. But even against these teams, it has been burned and beat this year.

The secondary is worse than it usually is. Although this usually isn't an issue in the Big 10, with a secondary this bad, even an awful passer like Terrelle Pryor might be able to throw well against Penn State.

The secondary needs to go through covering drills and actually cover their areas instead of letting a wide receiver run past them and beat them deep by 10 yards. Secondly, it needs to work on tackling, as no one in that unit has been able to tackle well or tackle at all.

5) Kickoff Coverage

Kickoff coverage has always been bad, but has improved in the past few years. This year, however, the Nittany Lions have given up many big kickoff returns to opponents. This needs to stop. Although we still have potential pro punter Jeremy Boone, we lost a very good kicker in Kevin Kelly, who was drastically improved from his freshman to senior year.

We need to win the field position battle, especially against Ohio State, as that is what Tressel and Joe Pa battle for. Both coaches know their defenses will prevent many touchdowns, so field position is very important to score points.

I have seen kickoff returns during which the Penn State players haven't even gotten in sight of the television cameras until the return man is at the 30 yard line. Penn State has to get better returns and cover and tackle better on kickoffs so that it can win the field position battle.

Overall, Penn State is a very good team. If it improves in these areas and plays with some passion, it can be a great and probably a top three team this year as it was last year.

I am hoping against Temple that Penn State will work on these things so that it will be at its best for the Big 10 season. If it makes these improvements, Penn State will hopefully be unstoppable and go undefeated to a national championship.

Fight on State!

Two Pathetic Passionless Performances...It's Time to Wake Up Penn State!

Isaac Luber — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:54:44 -0400

Here Penn State is, after two weeks, sitting at 2-0. Seems impressive, right? Well if you watched the games, you would think otherwise.

Against Akron, Penn State fell apart in the second half, did not score on offense, and gave Akron a touchdown. This means that Akron, yes Akron, outscored Penn State 7-0 in the second half. It was a 31-7 victory, but a poor second half performance and overall mediocre performance by the Nittany Lions. They were unable to run and their secondary was awful.

Against Syracuse, Penn State never really ran away with the game. Although never giving up control of the game, Penn State only managed to win 28-7. During that game, Penn State was unable to run once again, and you could tell running back Evan Royster was getting frustrated because the offensive line was unable to open up any holes to the inside.

Royster did get some relief with a long receiving touchdown where he made some nice moves, and on an outside stretch play where he was able to run it into the endzone.

Up 28-0, Penn State was hoping to hold the shutout, but the poor secondary of Penn State once again gave up a touchdown to end the shutout.

Against both these teams, Penn State was able to pass. Even though both of these teams have awful secondaries, Penn State should still be able to pass this season thanks to quarterback Daryll Clark and good-handed receivers Moye and Zugg.

In both games, the Nittany Lions didn't really seem to care. They seemed cocky, and knew both times that the game was in hand before it even started. If they plan on winning games and going undefeated, they better start playing like every team can beat them. If they act all cocky, it will come back to bite them.

The sideline reporter at the Syracuse game said that she was looking for Penn State to show some emotion on either side of the ball on the sidelines. She said, however, that Penn State showed little emotion on the sidelines or the field, and that they weren't playing with any passion or emotion at all. She stated that it seemed like they were just going through the motions and plays, rather than trying to make big plays and play hard.

If Penn State hopes to win, they have to go hard every play, and have some passion and emotion in the games. If not, they will lose games this season.

My message to Penn State: WAKE UP! PLAY FOOTBALL! WE HAVE A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO WIN!!!

P.S: Hail to the Victors for beating those overrated Fighting Irish.Also, Ohio State you choked once again and are a disgrace.

Finally, the Big 10, overall, is awful.

Penn State's Defense Impresses in Season-Opening Win over Akron

Isaac Luber — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:43:42 -0400

Penn State's defense was in question after losing star defensive ends Aaron Maybin and Maurice Evans to the NFL along with nearly the Lions' whole secondary. Many thought the defense would struggle and opponents would run all over them this season.

Against Akron, Penn State's defensive line penetrated right through the Zips' line in a 31-7 victory in State College. Akron did not net a single rushing yard in the entire first half, and its passing game was stopped by harsh rushes from Penn State's defensive line and linebackers. Akron also did not get a single first down in the entire first half thanks to impressive performances by defensive tackles Jared Odrick and Devon Still.

Sean Lee, making his return after his ACL tear last season, played very well against the Zips. He read a third-down screen and stopped his blitz to prevent a first down. Lee made some key tackles and plays and proved why he is an All-American. Navarro Bowman did not play due to a thigh bruise, which is not serious and he will be ready to play next week.

The secondary had a strong performance in the first half but seemed to drop out of it in the second half, when they seemed to feel the game was already won.

Penn State's defense was outstanding, but the offense was shaky.

Despite Daryll Clark's three touchdown passes and over 250 yards passing, the passing game was rather mediocre. Clark was still rusty; he underthrew passes and was intercepted once while nearly being intercepted several other times.

The Nittany Lions seem to really miss their receivers, as many balls were dropped and they didn't have as many big plays in the passing game as they usually would with their trio of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood.

Penn State's running game was pathetic. The offensive line had trouble blocking. If it has trouble blocking against Akron, it's in deep trouble. Evan Royster and Stepfhon Green struggled to find holes, and Royster was held to 63 yards rushing.

Penn State put up 31 points, but, with their blocking and running struggles, the Lions will not be able to keep scoring like this against the tougher teams on their schedule.

The Lions are not nearly as good as they were last year, and they will have a lot of work to do on offense if they hope to get better. Still, hopes are high as the Big Ten is very weak, with Iowa nearly losing to Northern Iowa and Ohio State luckily sneaking past Navy. So Penn State may very well go undefeated, but if it does it will be due to strong defensive performances.

Penn State 2009, The Year of Championships?

Isaac Luber — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:57:38 -0400

This year has been rather successful for some of the Nittany Lion teams. Of course, the football team had a very successful regular season aside from their upset loss at Iowa, but a disappointing performance in the Rose Bowl.

Then we have the teams that won championships for Penn State this year. Penn State's women's volleyball team won the national title for the second-straight year, going undefeated this past season and only losing two total sets the entire season.

Most recently, the Penn State men's basketball program won the NIT Championship. Many of you will say that the NIT is an inferior tournament and doesn't count for anything, which is completely false.

First of all, Penn State was robbed because they should have been in the tournament over Arizona or Wisconsin.

Second, the NIT Championship is still a huge accomplishment for two reasons. The first is that Penn State basketball has not been successful, and thanks to Talor Battle, Stanley Pringle, and Jamelle Cornley along with a good supporting cast of Danny Morrissey, Chris Babb, David Jackson, Andrew Jones, and others, Penn State has restored some pride into its program.

Secondly, even though Penn State was robbed from the NCAA Tournament, they kept their concentration through the disappointment and won the NIT Championship. Not only that, they did it with wins over quality teams like Florida, Notre Dame, and Baylor.

So, even though Penn State did not get what they deserved and were severely dissappointed, they still kept their winning spirit and plowed through tough competition on their way to a well deserved championship.

That leaves one question. How will Penn State's football team fare? With senior leader Daryll Clark and running back Evan Royster commanding the offense, and a rock-solid defense, hopefully Joe Pa and company will bring us a championship, or at least a BCS victory.

All the other championships are great, but as everyone knows, football is Penn State's main sport. A national championship in football would hopefully restore pride to the Nittany Lions after the disaster at the Rose Bowl, and the Big 10 from all the losses in the big games.

So will 2009 truly be Penn State's year of championships?

Penn State: Out of the Tournament, But Should They Be?

Isaac Luber — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:05:41 -0400

Minutes ago, Penn State was denied their NCAA Tournament Bid, and they look to be NIT bound. However, was it the right decision to keep the Nittany Lions out of the Big Dance?

Here are the four teams that I thought were competing for three spots:

Michigan (20-13)

Wisconsin (19-12)

Penn State (22-11)

Arizona (19-13)

Based on overall records, you would say that Wisconsin or Arizona would probably be the one to go out.

Here are key wins for each team:

Michigan: Duke, UCLA, at Illinois.

Wisconsin: Illinois.

Penn State: Purdue, at Michigan State, Illinois, at Illinois.

Arizona: Washington, UCLA.

Based on key wins, you would say that Penn State and Michigan are most likely in, and Arizona and Wisconsin should be out.

Here are key losses for each team:

Michigan: Lost both games to Wisconsin, at Iowa.

Wisconsin: at Iowa, at Northwestern.

Penn State: Rhode Island, Temple, both games to Wisconsin, at Iowa.

Arizona: UAB, at UNLV, at Stanford, lost to Arizona State three times. (Arizona State is good, but losing to them three times in a season is bad).

Based on key losses, Penn State and Arizona would most likely be out, and Michigan and Wisconsin would be in.

When you look at all three factors combined, Penn State would be first in, followed by Michigan, and then maybe Wisconsin.

I would say that Arizona should be out no matter what.

However, due to history and reputation, Arizona got in the tournament, and due to the bad history of Penn State basketball, they were left out, and Michigan and Wisconsin got in, despite the fact that Penn State should be in based off of all these factors.

Not only that, but Penn State is also ahead of Michigan and Wisconsin in the Big 10 standings, and Michigan is 9-9 in conference, while Penn State and Wisconsin are both 10-8.

Arizona is 9-9 in their conference as well.

So when you look at it all, Penn State should be in, and Arizona is the team that deserves to be out.

However, due to bias in the skewed system of picking teams for the tournament, an unfair occurrence took place, leaving the better team out.

Although most fans are disappointed, they will just have to look forward and hope that maybe next year will result in a more fair selection.

Penn State's Battle Cry: Lions Get Thrilling Win Over Illinois

Isaac Luber — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:22:41 -0500

To start off, I would like to say hello everyone, I'm back for a little after a long break.

Okay, now to business. Just minutes ago, Penn State pulled off a huge home upset over Illinois. Here's how it happened:

Illinois took an early 5-0 lead, but then Penn State got hot and came back to make it 8-5.

For most of the half, Penn State suffered a drought, and Illinois extended their lead, but in the final minutes of the half, Penn State brought the lead down to four, and then to two just before half.

In the second half, Illinois got hot early and started making threes and jump hooks from everywhere on the court. With about seven minutes remaining, Illinois was up 60-50.

Now let me just say, at that point it should have been something like 56-52, but a bad offensive goal-tending call and a shot clock violation not called along with some poorly called fouls on Penn State gave Illinois many lucky breaks.

However, this resilient Penn State team, in the final minutes, led in scoring by Talor Battle and Stanley Pringle, and in rebounds by an injured Jamelle Cornley, came back in style.

Pringle, being that its his 22nd birthday, had 20 points, and was hot from beyond the arc. He made a few key three pointers down the stretch—the most important being the one that pulled the Nittany Lions to within three with about a minute left.

Penn State then managed two free throws on an over the back call, and were only trailing 63-62 with about 40 seconds left.

After a missed Illinois shot, Penn State was moving the ball down the court with 20 seconds left. However, Talor Battle slipped while dribbling and a scrum that followed resulted in a jump ball with Illinois possession with 9.5 seconds remaining.

Illinois went to the free throw line, and missed both shots.

Talor Battle took the ball with seven seconds left, drove right down the court, and ran through three defenders and put up a tough layup while being hit that magically went in with 0.3 seconds remaining.

The Lions then went and knocked the ball away to end the game, and pull off a 64-63 comeback with all odds, including the officiating, against them.

Penn State really let out their battle cry in this game, and yes, its a pun both in the title and in this sentence. This win means a lot for Penn State. This gives them a sweep of ranked Illinois, who is also third in the Big 10.

They also have a win over ranked Purdue at home, and ranked Michigan State on the road.

These four quality wins will put them in the tournament, even if they lose to Iowa in their final game.

However, if they beat Iowa, they could potentially move up to second place in the Big 10 standings, and may even be ranked.

Regardless, with the Big 10 Tournament coming up, and if the Lions beat Iowa, they should get at least 22 or 23 wins, and be in the NCAA Tournament.

Penn State has now broken their record for most wins in a regular season, and also for the most home wins in a season.

I would like to say congratulations to my Nittany Lions, on the win, the records, and virtually making it into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly a decade.

Isaac Luber's College Basketball Poll, Second Edition

Isaac Luber — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:40:48 -0500

I rank teams mostly off of record but also off of quality wins and how they fare during the week. Some factors contradicted others, which left me in a bit of a dilemma, and that's when a little bit of bias came in. Overall, though, these rankings will accurately predict the Top 25 college basketball teams in the country right now.

1) Connecticut Huskies (LW: 1)

2) Oklahoma Sooners (LW: 2)

3) North Carolina Tar Heels (LW: 3)

4) Pittsburgh Panthers (LW: 4)

5) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (LW: 6)

6) Duke Blue Devils (LW: 5)

7) Michigan State Spartans (LW: 13)

8) Villanova Wildcats (LW: 16)

9) Marquette Golden Eagles (LW: 8)

10) Louisville Cardinals (LW: 7)

11) Xavier Musketeers (LW: 11)

12) Clemson Tigers (LW: 9)

13) Butler Bulldogs (LW: 10)

14) Memphis Tigers (LW: 14)

15) UCLA Bruins (LW: 17)

16) Kansas Jayhawks (LW: 21)

17) Illinois Fighting Illini (LW: 20)

18) Utah State Aggies (LW: 24)

19) Missouri Tigers (LW: NR)

20) LSU Tigers (LW: NR)

21) Purdue Boilermakers (LW: 12)

22) Florida Gators (LW: NR)

23) Texas Longhorns (LW: 19)

24) Syracuse Orangemen (LW: 22)

25) Arizona State Sun Devils (LW: NR)

Just missed out:

Penn State, Gonzaga, Washington, West Virginia, Davidson, Dayton, South Carolina, Minnesota

Dropped out:

Minnesota (15), Gonzaga (18), Penn State (23), Davidson (25)

Penn State Lands 1 Out Of 3 Targets, Good Or Bad?

Isaac Luber — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:57:16 -0500

Today was signing day.

Up until today, there were three main targets that were deciding between two or three schools, each of them having Penn State in their top three.

Five star linebacker Jelani Jenkins was deciding between Florida and Penn State, four star defensive back Jim Noel was deciding between Penn State and Boston College, and four star wide receiver Justin Brown was deciding between Penn State and Rutgers.

Jelani Jenkins really liked both Penn State and Florida, but in the end chose Florida.

Most thought that Jim Noel would commit to Penn State because he visited the weekend before signing day and really liked it, but he signed with Boston College because he wanted to be closer to home.

Wide receiver Justin Brown felt that he would be a good fit for Penn State, and so he signed with the Nittany Lions.

Out of three top undecided targets, Penn State landed one. This seems pretty good, considering that all three were out of state, and they had to compete with teams like Florida and Boston College.

However, to lose the best linebacker of this recruiting class is unacceptable, especially at Linebacker U. Penn State always lands the best linebackers.

Losing the defensive back hurt because Penn State really needs to rebuild their secondary, but they never seem to sign the top commits in that position.

Other key recruits Penn State had already signed are four star linebacker Glenn Carson, four star defensive back Darrell Givens, four star linebacker Gerald Hodges, four star quarterback Kevin Newsome, five star offensive lineman Eric Shrive, four star defensive back Derrick Thomas, and four star kicker Anthony Fera.

Considering those other key four and five star recruits, Penn State did land a few top linebackers and defensive backs.

Still, at Linebacker U, you are expected to land five and four star linebackers. Although the Nittany Lions didn't sign Jim Noel, they have a couple of defensive backs that will make up for him.

Penn State also landed some underrated three star and decent two star recruits at positions such as offensive line, defensive back, athlete, and defensive end.

Overall, this was a good recruiting class for Penn State. However, was landing one out of three undecided prospects good or bad?

Of course I was hoping for three out of three, and realistically I thought we would land two. I thought we would definitely land Brown, which we did, and we would definitely land Noel, which we didn't.

I also thought we had a very good chance at landing Jenkins, especially because Larry Johnson Sr., who was recruiting him, moved into his home state for the off-season.

He also seemed to like Penn State a lot even though he also loved Florida, and I thought the Linebacker U concept would pull him to us. Unfortunately, this didn't happen.

Jim Noel and Justin Brown both had Penn State virtually as their top school coming into the day, and Jelani Jenkins had them as a somewhat close second.

Should Penn State have landed all three? At least two? Should they have signed Jim Noel? These are critical questions, and could make the difference between whether their signing day recruiting was good or bad.

Personally, I think it was decent. Not great, not necessarily bad, but decent.

So you tell me...was landing one out of three top prospects on signing day good or bad?

Isaac Luber's College Basketball Poll, First Edition

Isaac Luber — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:10:58 -0500

Hi, everyone! I'm not the biggest college basketball fan, but since my Nittany Lions are doing well, I've decided to keep an eye on the games this year. So, here are my rankings for the best teams in the country as of Monday afternoon. Feel free to post your own in the comments section.

I rank teams mostly off of record, but also off of quality wins, and how they fare during the week. Some factors will contradict others, which will leave me in a bit of a dilemma, and that's when a little bit of bias comes in.

1) Connecticut Huskies

2) Oklahoma Sooners

3) North Carolina Tar Heels

4) Pittsburgh Panthers

5) Duke Blue Devils

6) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

7) Louisville Cardinals

8) Marquette Golden Eagles

9) Clemson Tigers

10) Butler Bulldogs

11) Xavier Musketeers

12) Purdue Boilermakers

13) Michigan State Spartans

14) Memphis Tigers

15) Minnesota Gophers

16) Villanova Wildcats

17) UCLA Bruins

18) Gonzaga Bulldogs

19) Texas Longhorns

20) Illinois Fighting Illini

21) Kansas Jayhawks

22) Syracuse Orangemen

23) Penn State Nittany Lions

24) Utah State Aggies

25) Davidson Wildcats

Just missed out:

Washington, Arizona State, Dayton, LSU, South Carolina, West Virginia, Florida.

Penn State Holds Off Michigan State Rally For Upset Win in East Lansing

Isaac Luber — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:28:58 -0500

Penn State traveled to East Lansing early today as big underdogs. No one expected them to win. In fact, until today, Penn State was 0-16 all time in East Lansing.

When the horn sounded, the Nittany Lions of Penn State had posted a stunning 72-68 victory over the favored Michigan State Spartans.

The game was a game of streaks and constant momentum shifts. Penn State took a five point lead early, leading 5-0 and 7-2. Michigan State came back to trail, 13-12.

Things looked dark for Penn State when Michigan State went on a 17-3 run to take a a 29-16 lead. Penn State fought back with their own 9-0 run to close within striking distance at 29-25.

The two Big Ten foes traded baskets, and the Spartans moved out to a 37-30 advantage with two minutes left in the half. Seizing the moment, the Nittany Lions scored eight straight and went into the break leading, 38-37.

Penn State entered the game as 14-0 this season when leading at half-time.

Something had to give, either the all-time losing streak in East Lansing or the unbeaten streak when leading after the first twenty minutes.

Early in the second half, Penn State and Michigan State traded buckets, leading to a 49-49 tie.

The Nittany Lions took charge of the moment once again, going on a 10-0 run, and eventually increased the lead to 12 points at 68-56 with less than seven minutes remaining.

Neither team scored until only four minutes were left in the game. The Spartans put together a closing 12-1 run to pull within one point with only 12 seconds to play in regulation.

Penn State went on to make three of their last four free throws. MSU missed a couple of jumpers, and Penn State held off the Michigan State rally to win, 72-68.

A couple of notes concerning the game:

1) Penn State's free throw shooting was atrocious.

The Nittany Lions went 8-17 from the line, under 50%. They went 4-11 in the clutch, which really hurt them. With the Lions up 68-56, their inability to make free throws was partially the reason that Michigan State climbed back into this game.

If Penn State had made good on a few more of the chances from the stripe during clutch-time, Michigan State wouldn't have been able to make a nearly successful comeback.

2) Penn State missed too many shots in the clutch.

Penn State's last made basket was with 6:51 left in the game, when Talor Battle made a layup to put PSU up, 68-56. They proceeded to go 0-4 from the field. The missed shots included two lay-ups, a two point jumper, and another a dailed three pointer.

Penn State was clearly rattled, and missing so many free throws and shots in the clutch is unacceptable.

If the Nittany Lions expect to make it to the NCAA tourney and advance, they have to learn how to make free throws, hit shots in the clutch, and finish games strong on both ends.

3) Penn State's three point shooting was deadly.

Battle and Pringle especially made this true. They each had at least two three pointers that went in from nearly half court. Battle went 6-12 from the arc, while Pringle went 2-4. Cornley, Brooks, Woodward, and Morrissey combined to go two for four from three point range.

The Nittany Lions have a deadly three point game, and can shoot accurately from anywhere on the court as they proved today. This team can make opponents really uncomfortable with the number of great shooters they have.

4) Penn State has a good team.

Penn State's resume includes wins over Purdue, who is now tied with MSU for first place in the Big 10, along with Michigan and Iowa. Perhaps more impressively, the Lions posted good road wins by defeating Georgia Tech and Indiana.

Penn St, on the year, lost by four at Wisconsin and at home to Michigan State by only five points. The other defeats this seasons were to a good Temple team by six, and the improving Rhode Island team by five.

The only non-competitive game was against Minnesota. Other than the one game with the Gophers, all of the losses have been close.

Penn State has shown, regardless of struggling to close out games and lacking five star talent at each position, they are a good team and can compete with anyone.

A few stats from the game:

Talor Battle led the Nittany Lions with 29 points. He went 11-29 overall, (5-7 from two, 6-12 from three). He also went 1-5 from the stripe. He had two offensive rebounds and three defensive rebounds, along three assists.

Andrew Jones had 16 points, and went a perfect 4-4 from the field. He also went 4-6 from the stripe. He had two offensive rebounds and seven defensive rebounds.

Jamelle Cornley went 6-11 from the field, (1-1 from three, and 6-10 from two). He went 3-5 from the stripe, and finished with 16 points. He had three offensive rebounds and one defensive rebound, and also had one assist, one steal, and one block.

Stanley Pringle had 10 points, and he went 4-7 from the field, (2-3 from two and 2-4 from three). He also had three defensive rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Penn State's bench was led by Cammeron Woodyard, who had one three pointer and finished with three points.

Jeff Brooks went 1-2 and finished with two points. He had one offensive rebound and two defensive rebounds, and also had three assists.

Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 23 points. Delvon Roe contributed eight points, Goran Suton had 11 on the day, Travis Walton had two, and Durrell Summers had nine.

The Spartans' bench was led by Chris Allen who had 11, and Marquise Gray who added four points in a losing cause.

Penn State Football: WAY Too Early Predictions For Next Season

Isaac Luber — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:43:59 -0500

Although Penn State is losing many of its veteran players to the draft and graduation, senior Daryll Clark will lead the Nittany Lions to a high level of success next year.

Since we lose our veteran receivers, we will be more of a traditional power running offense. A team that will run first to open up the pass offense.

With Evan Royster, Stephfon Green, and Daryll Clark having the ability to run, Penn State will once again be a threat to win the Big Ten and go to a BCS bowl—maybe even the National Championship.

This upcoming fall, (which is in like seven months), Penn State has a relatively easy schedule. They have a few easy games, and more importantly, eight home games!

Here's how I think the team will fare as of right now.

September 5, vs. Eastern Michigan.

A relatively easy warm-up game. Penn State cruises 52-10.

September 12, vs. Syracuse.

A nice game against a lower Big East opponent. Home field turns it from a good win to a blowout. Penn State takes it 49-3.

September 19, vs. Temple.

This has become an annual match-up, but it has been dominated by Penn State. The Owls will look to improve, but really will have a hard time keeping it competitive. Penn State wins 41-10.

September 26, vs. Iowa.

Here's the rematch. Penn State will be very upset after blowing the National Championship because of Iowa. This time, however, they won't need heaters, and they'll be at home. With Iowa losing Shonn Greene, Penn State should win this game. Penn State gets revenge, 31-20.

October 3, at Illinois.

This one is tricky. Illinois has been going downhill ever since being blown out at the Rose Bowl, but it is an away game. Penn State lost at Illinois two years ago because Morelli had three interceptions and one fumble in the second half, all in Illinois territory, but the Nittany Lions only lost by one. Look for Penn State to have a similar result as this past season. Penn State stays undefeated, 35-16.

October 10, vs. Eastern Illinois.

A cupcake game, plain and simple. Penn State blows them out, 70-13.

October 17, vs. Minnesota.

Minnesota looked promising this year, but was proven a pretender. Still, they have gotten better. Penn State wins comfortably at home, 38-21.

October 24, at Michigan.

Penn State will want a win in Ann Arbor, and with Michigan still struggling, PSU should dominate. However, Michigan holds their ground at home, but falls 28-10.

October 31, at Northwestern.

Penn State will be finishing off their longest road stretch of the season—two games. This will be a look-ahead to their game of the year against Ohio State. Northwestern is a very underrated team and will give them a scare, but Penn State will hold on. Penn State escapes in a close one, 30-24.

November 7, vs. Ohio State.

This is the biggest game of the year for Penn State and for Ohio State, but Ohio State also has a big game against USC. If this was on the road, I would give Ohio State the win since Penn State is losing a lot of talent. Penn State is at home and with the support of the crowd PSU wins a defensive battle, 17-13.

November 14, vs. Indiana.

This is a look-ahead to the final game of the season at an improving Michigan State team. Still, Indiana is one of the worst teams in the Big 10, if not the worst, and Penn State wins easily, 48-14.

November 21, at Michigan State.

Two years ago, Michigan State came back when they were down 24-7 in the third. They were at home. Last year, Penn State blew out the Spartans at Beaver Stadium. I doubt the Nittany Lions will allow another comeback like MSU had two years ago, but this is technically a rivalry game and it should be a good one. Penn State, however, will not lose an undefeated season in the final regular season game. Penn State wins, 27-16.

If Penn State had a tougher schedule, I would probably predict anywhere between one and three losses, but they only have a few tough games this season, and I expect they will pull out with wins because they are mostly at home. Hopefully I am right and PSU will go 12-0 and receive a bid to play in the 2010 BCS National Championship.

Maurice Evans Follows Aaron Maybin into NFL Draft: A Questionable Decision

Isaac Luber — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:23:17 -0500

A few days ago, Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin declared that he will be leaving for the NFL Draft.

Although this is not a good decision because he will probably have to change positions, he is still projected as a Top 10 pick and he will probably make a ton of money.

Maurice Evans also recently decided that he would be leaving for the draft, following Maybin. However, this decision is questionable at best.

If Evans were to have declared last year, it would have made sense, and if he were to stay one more year and declare, that would also have made sense. Declaring this year, however, makes no sense at all.

As a sophomore, Evans was eighth in the nation in sacks with 12-and-a-half, and sixth in the nation in tackles for loss with 21-and-a-half. If he left after his sophomore year, he would probably have easily been a first or second round pick.

This year, however, he did not fare so well. Before the season started, he and defensive tackle Abe Koroma were accused of being in possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Although it was an extremely small amount, Evans and Koroma were still suspended for the first four games of the season, which were the warm-up or "cupcake" games. These are also stat games, in which Evans would have gotten a good portion of his stats.

When he came back from his suspension, he was rusty. He did not have a great season, and although he had a couple of good games and great plays here and there, he ended up with only 31 tackles, three sacks, and four-and-a-half tackles for loss in his nine-game season (which includes the Rose Bowl).

This obviously will drop his draft stock. His stock last year was a first to second round pick, and now he will drop more likely to a second or third round pick.

Even though he had a bad season, he is still 6'2", 264 pounds, which is a decent size for an NFL defensive end.

If Evans were to stay for his senior year and stay out of trouble he would have gotten one more season of playing, which would hopefully be a full season. He would warm up and get stats in the non-conference games, so hopefully he would perform well and not be rusty in conference games.

If he stayed for his senior year and had a season like his sophomore season, he would easily be a first round pick, especially because he would probably get even bigger in his senior season, perhaps gaining up to 10 pounds in muscle.

Maurice Evans said in an interview that he thinks he's a first round pick, but after this season he probably isn't, and it is likely the wrong choice to leave for the draft after this season.

Whether it ends up being the right choice or not we will never know, but based on what happened and what could happen, it seems like a very questionable decision for Evans to enter the draft.

A Dagger to Penn State's Defense, Aaron Maybin Declares for the NFL Draft

Isaac Luber — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:18:57 -0500

Aaron Maybin, Penn State's star defensive end, has officially declared that he will be going into the NFL Draft. He is only a sophomore, which means he would be missing his final two seasons of college football.

Maybin is 6'4'', 245 pounds, and he is one of the best defensive ends in the nation. He led the Big Ten in sacks and was one of the two best players on our defense. Navarro Bowman and Aaron Maybin were the two crucial defensive players that made our defense so great.

Even if you didn't know how great he is, if you watched the warmups before the Rose Bowl, Maybin was pumped up. He looked like a monster, and some USC fans were whispering, "Man, this guy looks good."

Even my brother, who is an Arizona fan and knows nothing about Penn State, said that Maybin was a monster and he was ready to play. Maybin is just a beast, and there is no debating that.

Maybin announced that he would be leaving for the draft after he spoke to students at his formal high school, Mt. Hebron. He said that "leaving Penn State was one of the most difficult decisions I've faced." He ended by saying, "In the end, I've decided this is an opportunity I would like to pursue."

In my opinion, this is bad for both Aaron Maybin and Penn State. It is bad for Maybin because he is too small to be a defensive end in the pros. When there were rumors that he was leaving, everyone still thought he would probably stay so he could get bigger. Then he could leave next year and be a defensive end in the NFL.

It is obviously bad for Penn State's defense. He is one of our star defensive ends, and with Larry Johnson Sr. supposedly leaving to become Illinois' defensive coordinator, we cannot afford to lose Maybin.

Johnson was our defensive line coach, and he is the one that brought in all of our D-Line stars like Maurice Evans, Jared Odrick, and Aaron Maybin. If he leaves, not only will the Maybin loss hurt us, but his loss will hurt us, and without him we won't be able to recruit a defensive end anywhere near as good as Aaron Maybin.

Still, congratulations to Aaron Maybin, who has been a fantastic player at Penn State. In mock drafts by many ESPN experts including Todd McShay, who has him as fifth pick overall, Aaron Maybin is a first round pick, and usually a top-10 pick.

He will probably end up with millions of dollars, like OT Levi Brown did a couple of years ago when he was drafted fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Thank you Maybin for a great two seasons, good luck in the NFL, and we will miss you at Penn State.

Penn State Football: A Season in Review

Isaac Luber — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:36:33 -0500

This season was a great season for Penn State. They far exceeded the expectations of most people. Although it didn't end well, it was still a great season overall. Penn State started out strong, got through tough tests, and then fell. However, they picked themselves back up and finished strong, and got a trip to Pasadena, and above you can see the Penn State Blue Band playing in the Tournament of Roses. However, the roses weren't so sweet after the game, yet there's always next year. Still, let's look at Penn State's football season.

Begin Slideshow

Notre Dame Cancels Contract With NBC Due to a Better Offer From CBS

Isaac Luber — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:28:03 -0500

Earlier this week, Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced that Notre Dame will be cancelling its contract with NBC. When asked for an explanation, he announced, "CBS has given us a better offer. They are demanding less money, more pre-game coverage for every game, and they are making every one of our games televised, and all will be played during prime time on Saturday nights."

CBS was being questioned on this decision, since they have been televising many SEC games for years, and the common thought around the Nation is that they would be making a contract with the Southeastern Conference. CBS was unable to answer this question, so questions started to go towards Viacom (who owns CBS).

The chief executive and President of Viacom Philippe Dauman requested an interview to answer this question. Philippe stated, "I am a die-hard Notre Dame fan. After these past two seasons, I feel as though we are really on the rise. Charlie Weis has us going in the right direction. The reason that I put Notre Dame in the position where every one of their games will be on Saturday night is because I am positive that America would much rather watch us play Nevada than watch BYU play Oklahoma."

When asked how he could be sure that America would rather watch Notre Dame vs. Nevada than BYU vs. Oklahoma in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, he replied, "I talked with some Notre Dame fanatics, and they agreed with my thought. Based off of that, I could be confident that everyone else would be fine with this decision."

He was then asked if he thought that the Notre Dame game would compete with BYU vs. Oklahoma for viewers. He answered laughing, "Don't worry about that! We paid both ABC and ESPN five trillion dollars each not to air that game. The BYU vs. OU game will now only be available on pay-per-view, for a raised price of $500."

When asked where he got the money, he responded, "Notre Dame alums, of course! A few ND fans I know are CEOs of big corporations and other business owners. I also got some of the money from fortune-inheriting alums, and I used some of my own money."

After the interview with Philippe, CBS came out with a statement. It read, "Our President and all staff of both Viacom and CBS feel that after seeing Notre Dame on NBC in impressive games against Syracuse, Michigan State, San Diego State, Pittsburgh, and Boston College this season, we felt the need to make sure that every person in America will be forced to watch all of Notre Dame's games, or no games at all.

We are proud that we represent such a fine program, especially in wake of 3-9 and 7-6 seasons; Notre Dame is on the rise, and we feel confident that this contract will do nothing but bring the best for both CBS and the University of Notre Dame."

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis was later asked to comment on this contract, and he said, "Well, we have the best fans in the world. They deserve to see us and only us play. We are really on the rise.

I feel that we will go undefeated next year. If you look at it, USC is definitely on the downfall, as are teams like Florida, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama. I have no question in my mind that this will be a decision that the world will rejoice over for years to come. They will get to see the best football team in the Nation play games every Saturday night."

Florida Wins National Championship, BCS Spared Final Blow

Isaac Luber — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:44:21 -0500

Last night, as you all probably already know, the Florida Gators were crowned victors of the 2009 BCS National Championship. They defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14. This article is not as much about the game and what happened as much as it is about how Florida saved the BCS.

All college football fans (except for Florida fans) should have been cheering for Oklahoma last night. Why, you might ask? Simply because it could have very well been the downfall of the BCS if the Sooners won.

Let's put it this way: Texas beat Oklahoma, USC outplayed a very good PSU team and made a statement with their win, and Utah ended up undefeated. If Oklahoma won, Texas would be screaming they are National Champions, while USC thinks that they are the best one-loss team in the Nation and would have more leverage for that case against Oklahoma than Florida.

Utah, the one undefeated team, would scream even louder that they played tough teams and won, and they deserve to be National Champions.

Now that Florida has won, USC has a case to say they are National Champions, but it is not as strong to pollsters as it would have been if Oklahoma would have won. Texas really can't say they are National Champions because Oklahoma, who they beat, didn't win. Utah still has a solid case, as they dominated Alabama while it took Florida, the "National Champions," a fourth quarter comeback to beat Alabama.

So, with Florida winning, USC only has a small case according to pollsters, and Utah is the only team with a huge case. Do you see the difference?

If Oklahoma were to have won, there could be up to five or six teams making a solid case to the pollsters for the National Championship, but with Florida, there are only really two or three.

Right now, the BCS is probably sending millions of dollars to Florida for winning that game. If there are only two or three teams that claim to have a case for the National Championship, the BCS is like, "Hey, no problem with a little bit of controversy. Everyone can't be happy."

However, if five or six teams were to be making a case to be National Champions, the BCS would be like, "Uh-Oh! We've got a problem. Now we have triple the number of teams saying we suck and complaining for a playoff. Now it is even more obvious to all fans and pollsters how bad our system is! We might not survive much longer!"

You can't blame Florida, though—they were just trying to win. You could ask Florida to purposely lose next time in this situation so that they can save all of college football instead of adding another so-called "National Championship" to their résumé.

You could blame Oklahoma for this. After all, they had many missed opportunities that cost them points, and they were unable to get points off of turnovers. Still, Oklahoma was trying to win and save college football, so we can't be too hard on them.

We could, of course, blame ourselves, pollsters, and all of college football for not recognizing the flaw of the system even before the controversies of the past years, and for not doing more about it. We should have been pushing harder to get rid of this system.

Regardless whose fault it is, whether it is Florida's, Oklahoma's, ours, or the BCS' for even existing, all that matters now is that the BCS is saved. Unfortunately, we will have to deal with this putrid system for at least one more year because Florida won the National Championship, saving the BCS from getting the final blow.

Creature vs. Creature: A Nittany Lion on Penn State Vs. USC

Isaac Luber — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:43:10 -0500

Game Preview

Penn State and USC in the Grandaddy of them all. What could be better? Well, both teams could tell you. Penn State would say: "One play, one kick." USC would say: "One game."

Both USC and Penn State had their National Title hopes diminished when they faced good teams on the road. If it weren't for Iowa and Oregon State, Penn State and USC would be playing for the National Title...but then again, to many people, this is the National Title and the BCS has it all wrong.

Penn State cruised through all their season blowing out teams with their new "Spread HD" offense, while their defense put up great numbers and performances to make sure that none of those teams came back.

Unfortunately, a very pesky Iowa team came along and kicked a game-winning field goal in a hard-fought game with one second left to knock off then undefeated Penn State. Iowa lost four games this season by a total of 12 points, and three of those losses being to ranked teams. So although this was a major upset, Iowa is still a good team.

After the Iowa loss, Penn State stumbled over Iowa with a 27-point victory, and then went to blowout Michigan State. Unfortunately, according to the BCS, a road loss is worse than a home loss and a loss on a neutral field, and since Penn State didn't score 60 or more points in their final five games to cover it up, they were left out of the National Championship.

So here they are now, facing USC, to determine what should be the National Championship, and it would have been, except the ugly step-child known as the BCS came along and completely messed up college football.

USC, on the other hand, went through the first part of the season using both great offense and defense to completely slaughter every team in their path. USC has dominated and continues to dominate the college football elite as they moved up to an early No. 1 ranking...where they have been at some part of the season for the fifth straight year.

Then came that Oregon State team who everyone thought was a joke after they lost to Stanford and then got slaughtered by Penn State. What most didn't know...well, at least until the announcers said it during the game, was that Oregon State had beaten USC in Corvallis the past couple of times. Oregon State dominated USC in the first half, jumping out to a 21-7 lead. However, USC would fight back, but Oregon State held on to the lead to secure what people thought at the time would be the greatest upset of the season.

After the Oregon State loss, USC completely shut out teams with their defense, but their offense became strangely inconsistent, at least in the passing game. However, USC still put up a lot of points with both offensive and defensive scores, and became the best defense in the Nation for the final eight games.

USC thought that since everyone knows that "defense wins championships," they would get into the National Championship game. However, the BCS doesn't know that defense wins championships, they think that offense and style points and blowing out teams wins Championships. So because the BCS has championship-caliber teams mixed up with fancy teams, (high offense, defense doesn't matter), USC was left out of the National Championship.

The BCS encourages teams to be arrogant. They want teams to run up the score and hurt the other team and insult them. The BCS wants these college kids to learn these philosophies and use them later in life. Since USC and Penn State are not arrogant teams and they don't leave their starters in with five minutes left in the fourth quarter when they are already up by 30, they don't get into the National Championship game. So much for good values and sportsmanlike football.

In the old days, before the BCS, the pollsters would vote on who should be the National Champion after the games were played. If that were still the case, the pollsters would deem this game the National Championship and the winner would be the National Champion.

Unfortunately, the system everyone hates, known as the BCS, came around and messed up college football. So instead of this being the National Championship, it is just the Rose Bowl. It is unfortunate, yet true, but hopefully the winner of this game will at least get a split of the National Championship.

Penn State will win if...

The offense doesn't run their conservative offense that always fails.

USC is a great defense. In order to beat them, you have to be balanced and you have to keep them honest. Unfortunately for Penn State, the coaches usually call a conservative game when they face a good defense and a good team.

For example, against Ohio State, Penn State rarely threw the ball downfield. They ran most of the time on first and second down, and then they would throw screens or short slant and out routes. This is easy for defenses to shut down, and USC would love for Penn State to do this.

Penn State has been running the "Spread HD" offense this year. They have been more aggressive, more balanced, and they have created more explosive plays that really have hurt defenses. Penn State has many weapons that make their offense work.

First, there's Daryll Clark, a dual-threat quarterback who hurts defense with both his arm and his legs. Next, we have Evan Royster, a perfectly talented and balanced back who will break through defenders' grasps, but will also juke them out and will beat them in a foot-race.

Then, we have our receiving core, especially our group of three talented seniors who specialize in different categories. Derrick Williams is the all-around player who will hurt you by running, receiving, or passing. Deon Butler is the deep-ball receiver who has good hands and burns people downfield. Jordan Norwood is the small, agile receiver with good hands who is very elusive and a good possession receiver, and he will also occasionally break a big gain.

Finally, we have our experienced and talented offensive line. They are led by senior center A.Q. Shipley. This offensive line is talented because they can run block and pass block very well. They are also very quick, and can block downfield for a receiver or running back screen.

Oregon State was able to run up the middle well with Jaquizz Rodgers, so hopefully Penn State will run up the middle sometimes with Evan Royster. Still, they must be able to keep USC honest.

They cannot come out and play old-fashioned Penn State football, the run, run, pass version. They have to use screens and draws to keep the pressure off Clark, they need to throw some deep routes to keep the safeties out of the box, and they also have to run the ball up the gut and around the defense to keep USC honest. If they do this, they have a great chance at beating USC.

As many of us know, Joe Pa comes out on top in bowl games, and almost always wins when he has a month to prepare. It is a matter of whether Joe Pa will continue his preparation ways and have his team ready with a good game-plan, or if they just jump into a conservative shell and play not to lose. This could, and probably will, determine whether Penn State will win or lose.

They shove the ball down USC's throat and are successful.

Now I know I just said that we can't go into a conservative shell in this game, but I also said that Oregon State was successful running up the middle with a banged up offensive line and a small running back. Penn State has a strong and experienced offensive line and a medium-sized, powerful, fast, quick, talented running back.

USC is a hard-hitting defense, and if you try and run to the outside they will track you down and smash you. I noticed, however, that if you run up the middle and hit the hole quick, the running back can get to the second level of defenders against this very talented USC defense. This will result in over 100 yards rushing by just pounding down USC's throat.

Eventually Royster will have to face nine men in the box and will only get two or three yards on runs up the middle, but it still wears down the defense. The defense will be worn down, and we will be able to run all over them. This will open up the pass, screens and draws, trick plays, and more run plays. Once USC is worn down and our whole offense is opened up, we should be able to move the ball easily and score, which will hopefully result in a win for Penn State.

Penn State will lose if...

They don't stop USC's run.

USC has a good offense. Not a great offense, a good offense. The reason for this is because their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, in very inconsistent. In some games, their passing games suffers because Sanchez throws bad passes, that result in interceptions a lot of the time. USC does, however, have a very good rushing attack.

USC has three good running backs, who are all very talented. Each of them can hurt you. They are all powerful and have the ability to break tackles, but they are also very fast. Once they break through that first level of defenders, they are rarely stopped.

Since USC has an inconsistent passing game and a great running game, Penn State has to stop the run and force Sanchez to beat them through the air. If they do this, they will have a much easier time winning this game.

If not, USC is going to keep Penn State's defense honest, and USC will be able to run relatively well on Penn State, which will open up their passing game. This would most likely result in multiple scores for USC's offense, and that would probably result in a victory for USC.

Their special teams fall apart.

As many of you may not know, Penn State does not have a special teams coach. Over the past few years, it has become more and more evident that we need one. As special teams has become more and more important in football, most teams have hired special teams coaches so that their special teams can make big plays.

Granted, Penn State has a pretty good special teams without a coach. Derrick Williams is a great returner who has had many punt and kick return touchdowns during his career, and we have also had some speedsters like A.J. Wallace and Chaz Powell that would return a few kick-offs for touchdowns.

Penn State's kick and punt coverage is usually good, and they usually stuff the returner for minimal yardage. Sometimes they even force turnovers or penalties that benefit them. However, in many games, they give up big returns, sometimes for touchdowns, that really shift the momentum of the game or put us at a disadvantage.

Penn State's special teams has been good for the most part this season, but in a few games they have given up big returns and touchdowns, and have had penalties on special teams that have really hurt them.

If Penn State can play good special teams, they can keep USC from getting an unnecessary advantage and an easy lead or touchdown. If not, USC will be able to make some game-changing plays that could shift the momentum over to their side.

The X-Factor

Daryll Clark's composure under pressure.

Daryll Clark is a great quarterback, a great athlete, and a great leader. He is a key component to this "Spread HD" offense, and he has brought a lot of heart, compassion, and energy to this team throughout the season. However, Clark hasn't always looked well in games, especially when he is under pressure.

At first everyone thought that he struggled on the road. This was because during his first road game against Syracuse, he looked flustered. It was soon found that it wasn't the road that flustered him, but the pressure. Syracuse was the first team that actually blitzed him, and during the first few drives he didn't perform well.

On the road against Ohio State, he didn't look good. He did run the ball well, however. He also got hurt late in that game so we really didn't get to see how he performs in the clutch, but that's for a different time.

Other times, however, he looked good under pressure. Against Purdue, although there weren't many scores in that game, he was very composed under pressure. Against Iowa he was good under pressure for the most part, even though he was recovering from a concussion.

Daryll Clark plays well sometimes under pressure, and sometimes he plays awful under pressure. Pat Devlin has always been composed under pressure, and he has proven it several times this season. Unfortunately, Pat Devlin is transferring and will not be suiting up for the Rose Bowl.

So, first of all, we need to protect Clark because we have a backup. Second of all, Clark needs to play well under pressure. How Clark plays under pressure could very well decide this game.

If he plays well and composed, he will open up the whole offense and Penn State will be able to score at will. If he gets flustered by USC's blitzes, he will get sacked and he will probably throw interceptions and maybe fumble the ball. Also, if he is flustered his rhythm will be off and Penn State's offense won't be able to get going, and USC will be able to take advantage of this and will then probably win.

Prediction

Here we are, in the Grandaddy of them all. Two great teams, and although the Penn State haters at ESPN like Mark May say that PSU has no chance, and even though most people count Penn State out due to previous Big 10 disappointments, this is a great match-up on both paper and the field.

I expect this game to be a hard-fought, well-played battle. It will be very close throughout the whole game, and the winner will be the team who wants it more, who has more energy, who has that last bit of will, the inch more of will that will propel their team to victory.

Even though most people don't agree with this, the people who are realistic about this game agree that it will be close, USC and Penn State fans alike. This is a match-up between two prestigious programs, two great teams, a legendary coach and a new, great recruiter who is also a great coach.

These two programs have been on the up-rise in recent years, and this will be the greatest game of the year, even better than the National Championship. But then again, this could very well be the true National Championship. Hopefully everyone will watch this game, as it will be the greatest game of the year, and maybe even of the century.

Prediction: Penn State 28, USC 20.

Congratulations Penn State! You are the Rose Bowl Champions...and the true National Champions!!!

For a USC perspective on this Rose Bowl Game, check out Jonny Solovy's article.

Previewing the BCS Games, Part Four: The Rose Bowl

Isaac Luber — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:19:15 -0500

This is arguably the best BCS game this year. In this year's Rose Bowl, we have two evenly matched teams that are going to fight to the finish in what should be a very exhilarating game. In this game we have the No. 5 USC Trojans (11-1) and the No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1).

Before we get started on the teams, let's talk about their common opponents. Now, this has no indication on who will win this game, but it is always good to compare games that they shared. Penn State and USC played both Oregon State and Ohio State.

Penn State beat Ohio State in a defensive, hard fought battle 13-6. USC completely dominated Ohio State 35-3. Penn State dominated Oregon State 45-14. USC was dominated in the first half and then could not comeback against Oregon State as they lost 27-21. So Penn State is 2-0 when playing common opponents, and USC is 1-1.

Now we can move on to the teams.

Okay, I know you are all sick of me talking about how good Penn State is, so I'm just going to give a quick summary of their offense and defense.

Penn State averages 452 yards per game. A total of 240 of those are passing, and 212 of those are rushing. Penn State has a very balanced offense. The main weapons on Penn State's offense are Daryll Clark, Evan Royster, Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood.

Daryll Clark is a dual-threat quarterback who runs and passes the ball very well. He has only thrown four interceptions all year. Evan Royster is a balanced back who is both quick and powerful.

He also has pretty good speed. He breaks many tacklers, avoids many defenders, and usually gains up to 10 extra yards on a play because he never gives up on a play and will drag the defenders.

Our three receivers, Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood make up one of the best receiving cores in the nation. Derrick Williams is an all-around player who can make big plays happen whether he is receiving, passing, running, or returning a kick or a punt.

Deon Butler is a fast receiver who runs downfield and catches the deep balls. Jordan Norwood is a small, agile receiver with good hands. Jordan is very good at avoiding defenders and slipping out of their grips; he is mainly a possession receiver but will occasionally get a reception for a big gain or a long touchdown.

Penn State averages over 40 points per game and they are +10 in the takeover margin.

USC, on the other hand, has a decent offense and a very good defense.

USC averages 253 yards per game (Oh my, one whole yard more than PSU! That must mean that they are going to kill us!!!). And 247 of those yards are from the passing game, and the other 206 come from the running game.

On their offense they have a golden-armed quarterback named Mark Sanchez. Although he has a great arm, he is very inconsistent. Some games he is great, and some games he is awful. He has thrown 30 touchdowns, but he has also thrown 10 interceptions, many of which were very bad throws.

USC has a running game led by three main running backs. These running backs are all very good, but not one of them is completely dominant, but they still terrorize defenses. The running game is led by Joe McKnight, Stafon Johnson, and C.J. Gable.

USC's receiving game is led by Damian Williams, Patrick Turner, and Ronald Johnson. All of these receivers are very good; they are tough, fast, and dangerous. If any of them get out in the open, they are gone. You always have to make sure that you cover these guys, or else they will destroy you.

USC averages over 35 points per game and they are +5 in the takeover margin.

Penn State and USC both have Top-Five defenses, statistically and performance wise. Statistically, USC's defense is No. 1 and Penn State's defense is No. 5.

Penn State's defense gives up just over 10 points per game, allow under 265 yards per game, and have only allowed 17 touchdowns and 10 field goals all season. Some of those came in blowouts when our second and third string players were in.

USC's defense gives up a nation's best 7.8 points per game, a nation's best 206 yards per game, and have given up only 11 touchdowns and six field goals all season. USC is led by defensive stars Ray Maualuga and Brian Cushing, who are both smart, hard hitting players who can knock anyone out cold and they are a force to be reckoned with.

I could go on and summarize the teams and their accomplishments this season, but I will write about that later when I write my Creature vs. Creature with a USC fan.

Now, to put it all together:

Rushing: Penn State gets the moderate edge.

Passing: Penn State gets the slight edge.

Receiving: Penn State gets the slight edge.

Defense: USC gets the moderate edge.

Special Teams: USC gets the edge.

Coaching: Penn State gets the blowout edge. (Greatest coach of all time, DUH!)

Scoring Ability: Penn State gets the slight edge.

There we go. According to the stats and who has the edge, Penn State has a pretty comfortable lead over USC. Now, let's check my prediction.

Prediction: You will have to wait until my Creature vs. Creature comes out. I will tell you this, however, my prediction is much closer than what the edges imply.

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Part Five, The BCS National Championship!

Previewing the BCS Games, Part Three: The Fiesta Bowl

Isaac Luber — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:36:06 -0500

This game features two teams who have just been faced with two completely different situations.

Texas, on one hand, beat Oklahoma on a neutral field, and Oklahoma is playing ahead of them in the National Championship. Texas feels, and rightfully so, that they deserve to play for the National Championship.

Ohio State, on the other hand, luckily got into a BCS bowl over other deserving teams like Boise State. Many think that Ohio State doesn't deserve a BCS bid because they have two losses and because their best quality win is against Michigan State, who is arguably overrated.

Texas climbed their way to an impressive 11-1 record, with their only blemish coming on the road to Texas Tech, when Graham Harrell threw a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with one second left.

It was a heartbreaking defeat for Texas. Texas is led by their passing game, and the leader of the passing game is none other than junior quarterback Colt McCoy.

Colt McCoy was one of the three Heisman finalists, and although he did not win the award (he came in second), he did win other awards, like the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award.

He had the highest completion percentage in the Nation at 77.6%, (he actually broke the record for highest completion percentage in Division I college football), and threw 32 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Ohio State has been called "the most overrated team in BCS history," and with good reason. Ohio State has fallen in the past two National Championships to Florida and LSU, both times being completely dominated by their SEC foes.

Their last BCS win was in 2005, when they beat overrated (as always) Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. This is Ohio State's chance to get their reputation back. They will play with all their hearts so they are no longer the laughingstock of the BCS.

This year, Ohio State lost to the two good teams they faced, USC and Penn State, and those are the teams that happen to be facing off in the Rose Bowl.

USC crushed Ohio State, and Penn State won a hard-fought battle (as they always are) against Ohio State, and thus took the Big 10 Championship by the way of a tie-breaker. Ohio State has a lot to prove, and they will be lead by the No. 1 recruit in the nation, Terrelle Pryor, and outstanding running back Chris "Beanie" Wells.

Texas has had a very explosive offense all year, putting up 40 or more points eight times this year. Texas is a team that can score in seconds, they are a very fast-paced teams and have a very fast offense.

Texas' defense, although not top-caliber, is very underrated. They held offensive powerhouses like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to 35 and 24 points, which is very impressive, especially when you consider that Oklahoma put up 60 or more points in its final five games. Thirty-five points is also Oklahoma's lowest scoring effort of the year, which occurred against both Texas and TCU.

Ohio State's offense is not nearly as dynamic, however. Although Pryor can make some exciting plays with his arm and his legs, and Beanie can also break some big runs, Ohio State is more known for their defense than their offense.

Ohio State plays the "Tressel Conservative Offense," as I like to call it. As the name says, it is based on head coach Jim Tressel's play calling, and, you guessed it, they have many very conservative plays in their playbook.

They don't score a lot, but they don't have to since, in most games, their defense can stop the opposing team, and sometimes the defense will even score a couple of touchdowns in a game.

Ohio State's defense is led by last year's Butkus Award winner James Laurinaitis (even though the award should have gone to Penn State's Dan Connor, who was a much better linebacker and he deserved it more for his performances that year.

The only reason Laurinaitis got it was because PSU's Paul Posluszny won it over him the year before, and they felt sorry for him and didn't want him to lose to two straight players from "Linebacker U" so they gave him the award).

Ohio State also has a great cornerback named Malcolm Jenkins. He won the Jim Thorpe award for the best cornerback in the nation, and along with Laurinaitis, is a senior captain on Ohio State's defense. Ohio State has a smash-mouth defense that hits really hard and causes many drives to stop due to either forcing a punt or a turnover.

Ohio State wins by "Tresselball," as we Big Ten fans call it. Basically, Tresselball is a concept where you don't make any dumb mistakes. This includes turnovers and penalties.

The way Tresselball is executed is that you have few or no penalties, you don't turn the ball over, and you force your opponent to make the mistakes, get the penalties, and force the turnovers. Also, safe and conservative play-calling and winning the field position battle are also parts of Tresselball.

Unfortunately for Ohio State, when they played Penn State, at home might I add, PSU did not have a single penalty or turnover, and Ohio State had about four penalties and two turnovers. Penn State also won the field position battle, having many drives start between the 30s. Penn State beat Ohio State at their own game.

Texas wins by scoring a lot, scoring fast, giving its defense some rest on occasional long drives, and having its defense bend but not break.

Basically, to sum this all up, Texas scores on most of its drives, forces their opponents to pass when they have the lead, and they get their defense to put pressure on the quarterback so that the other team does not score as often, which results in a win for Texas.

Now, to put it all together.

Rushing: Ohio State gets the edge.

Passing: Texas gets the edge.

Receiving: Texas gets the edge.

Defense: Ohio State gets the edge.

Special Teams: Texas gets the slight edge.

Coaching: Ohio State gets the slight edge.

Scoring Ability: Texas gets the edge.

There we go. According to the stats and who has the edge, Texas holds a relatively small lead over Ohio State. Now, let's check my prediction.

Prediction: Texas 41, Ohio State 24.

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Part Four, "The Grandaddy Of Them All", the one, the only, the Rose Bowl!!!

Previewing the BCS Games, Part Two: The Sugar Bowl

Isaac Luber — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:39:56 -0500

Everyone believes that Alabama is going to crush Utah in this game. After all, 'Bama was ranked No. 1 before they lost a heart-breaker to a very good Florida team in the SEC Championship.

However, Alabama will not kill Utah, mostly because they don't score that many points. Alabama has only scored over 40 points three times this season, against Arkansas, Western Kentucky, and Georgia.

Utah is the highest ranked non-BCS conference team, coming in officially at No. 6. Utah is undefeated, and has scored over 40 points six times this season. Granted, some of these were against pretty bad teams like Utah State and Wyoming, but this team still has the ability to put up points. In fact, they have only scored less than 30 points three times this year.

Alabama's signature wins this year were against Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU, and rival Auburn. Meanwhile, Utah's signature wins were against Oregon State, TCU, and BYU. Both of these teams have impressed people throughout the entire season, and this looks to be a good matchup.

Alabama runs a style of offense that I like to call the "Good Ol' Penn State Offense." You can also refer to it as the power offense, the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense, the conservative offense, or the run, run, pass offense.

They are a good old-fashioned power team. Before this year, might I add, Penn State has always been a power/conservative team, but this year they switched to a spread offense.

Alabama runs an offense like back in the '70s and '80s, where you would have a big offensive line, and you would run up the gut until they stopped you. Then, they go with a pass or a play action pass and hit you over the top for a big gain. Nothing flashy, just good old power football.

Just like in 1979 when PSU was ranked No. 1 and 'Bama was ranked No. 2. They ran at each other and played power football. They also played great defense. Here is the famous "Goal Line Stand" that kept PSU from tying the game and splitting the National Championship.

So, basically, to summarize it, 'Bama plays power offense by running the ball up the gut and occasionally throwing it, and they also play amazing defense. Also, don't forget about freshman sensation Julio Jones, Alabama's best receiver and a explosive player to back up Glen Coffee and that powerful rushing attack.

Utah is a team that can both run and pass very well. They play a very good, balanced offense, and have a decent defense. The one game, I would say, where their defense really shined was against TCU, where they held off the very good Horned Frogs 13-10.

Unlike 'Bama, Utah doesn't play power football. They play more of a fast paced, speedier, flashy type of football. It doesn't mean that they aren't a tough team, its just they don't play the "Good Ol' Fashioned Football" that 'Bama plays.

Now, to put it all together:

Rushing: Alabama gets the edge.

Passing: Utah gets the edge.

Receiving: Tie.

Defense: Alabama gets the edge.

Special Teams: Alabama gets the edge.

Coaching: Alabama gets the edge.

Scoring Ability: Utah gets the edge.

There we go. According to the stats and who has the edge, Alabama holds a pretty comfortable lead over Utah. Now, let's check my prediction.

Prediction: Alabama 38, Utah 10.

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Part Three, the Fiesta Bowl!

Previewing The BCS Games, Part One: The Orange Bowl

Isaac Luber — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 02:33:54 -0500

As most of you will agree, this is probably one of the worst BCS games in the history of the system. The only people who will watch it are Bearcat fans, Hokie fans, and college football fanatics. As I have learned from Lisa Horne's article, some tickets for this game are selling at one dollar. Impressive.

This match-up pits Big East powerhouse Cincinnati (11-2) up against ACC Champion Virginia Tech (9-4). If the BCS didn't have tie-ins, this game would most likely be Texas Tech (11-1) against Boise State (12-0), which I must admit, would be a very interesting match-up. However, due to conference tie-ins, we are stuck with this boring game.

If anyone can make lemonade out of oranges, they would be considered Bearcat or Hokie fans. Now that we're done talking about how bad this game is, let's get to the actual game.

Cincinnati has had very impressive wins over Pittsburgh and West Virginia, and narrowly escaped powerhouse Hawaii in their final game of the season. They were also completely destroyed by Connecticut and Oklahoma. Cincinnati plays in the amazingly awful conference of the Big East, where they are all overrated and don't really play football.

Virginia Tech had impressive wins over North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Boston College in the ACC Championship game. They were defeated by East Carolina, Boston College, Florida State, and Miami (FL).

Virginia Tech, between three quarterbacks, has a total of 6 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Basically, all this team is able to do is run the ball, and play decent defense. That's how they win games. I expect that they will again try to run the ball and play good defense in this match-up against the Bearcats.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, is a more balanced team who runs and passes well. Between three quarterbacks, they have 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, which is pretty impressive compared to Virginia Tech. Cincinnati also has a very dangerous weapon, wide receiver Marshwan Gilyard. He has 74 receptions and 10 receiving touchdowns, and in my opinion is by far their best weapon and the X-Factor in this game.

Now, to put it all together:

Rushing: Virginia Tech gets a slight edge.

Passing: Cincinnati gets the edge.

Receiving: Cincinnati gets the edge.

Defense: Virginia Tech gets the edge.

Special Teams: Virginia Tech gets the edge.

Coaching: I was going to say Beamer Ball, but its really close between the two so I'll go with a tie here.

Scoring Ability: Cincinnati gets the edge.

There we go. According to the stats and who has the edge, Cincinnati holds a slight lead over Virginia Tech. Now, let's check my prediction.

Prediction: Cincinnati 31, Virginia Tech 16.

And there you have it. Stay tuned for Part Two-The Sugar Bowl!

The Wrong Teams Are Playing for the National Championship...Again

Isaac Luber — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:10:50 -0500

Well, here we go again. Another year of college football madness, and another year settled by the BCS system. Ah...the BCS system! Every year college football gets more complicated at the end of the season, and every year the BCS continues to show us more and more of its flaws.

Last year, if you remember, Ohio State was the only one-loss team left in the major conferences. There were a number of deserving two-loss teams that could have gone to the National Championship, including Kansas, Georgia, USC, and LSU. We all know that Ohio State and LSU got in, but who really should have gotten in?

Let's see what happened. Georgia demolished Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and were ranked No. 4 before the BCS selections were made. USC obliterated Illinois in the Rose Bowl. Kansas beat a very good Virginia Tech team. LSU beat overrated Ohio State by two touchdowns and were ranked No. 7 before the BCS selections came out.

USC and Georgia were the two most deserving teams, and the two best teams. Even if Ohio State had to stay in, USC and Georgia were both better than LSU and had more of a claim to the title than LSU.

The National Championship should have been Ohio State (and that's only because they had one loss) against either Georgia or USC. Georgia was ranked higher than LSU, and they really did deserve the National Championship that year. After what USC did in the Rose Bowl, they proved that they also deserved the National Championship.

Now to this year.

What a mess this year was! There were many one-loss major conference teams who had a fair claim to the National Title. Let's take this step by step.

First, we'll look at the National Championship. Florida lost at home to a good, unranked Ole Miss team. Oklahoma lost by 10 on a neutral field to...No. 3 Texas...ouch.

Now, let's look at the Fiesta Bowl. No. 3 Texas lost on the road to No. 7 Texas Tech in the final seconds...but they beat Oklahoma. Ohio State...lost to the two good teams they played, so they don't get a say.

Next, we have the Sugar Bowl. No. 4 Alabama lost to Florida in the SEC Championship game, but they're still 12-1. Utah played a weak schedule, and they wouldn't get in anyway because they're in a bad conference, so they don't get a say.

Now we have the Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl will now be possibly the worst BCS bowl in history, pitting 9-4 Virginia Tech against 11-2 Cincinnati. What a snoozer.

Now it's the granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl. This features No. 8 Penn State against No. 5 USC. Penn State lost to a very underrated Iowa team, on the road, in harsh conditions, and they were not supplied heaters. Did I mention they lost on a last-second field goal? It was a traditional upset that happens to even the best teams in the nation.

USC, on the other hand, lost to Oregon State. Oregon State dominated them the entire game, even though the final score was close. Also, just for your information, both USC and Penn State played Ohio State and Oregon State. Penn State and USC both beat Ohio State, and USC lost to Oregon State while Penn State beat them by 31.

Now let's look at No. 7 Texas Tech, who got left out of a BCS bowl because only two teams per conference are allowed in a BCS bowl. They beat No. 3 Texas, but lost to No. 1 Oklahoma, who No. 3 Texas beat...see what I'm getting at? Correct! The Big 12 mess will start everything off.

Now here's how it goes. Earlier in the season, Texas and Oklahoma played on a neutral field. Texas won by a score of 45-35.

Texas then went on to play games against four tough teams in a row. On the final game of that stretch, they faced Texas Tech on the road. Texas Tech beat them on a last-second touchdown throw, 39-33.

Texas Tech then went on to play a couple of tough games. Texas Tech then played Oklahoma on the road. They got demolished...completely demolished. Texas Tech was held to 21 points, while Oklahoma put over 60 on the scoreboard, which they ended up doing for five games in a row, a new NCAA record.

The Big 12 mess gives three teams the claim to the Big 12 Championship and the National Title. Let's put it this way: Texas won on a neutral field and lost on the road, Oklahoma won at home and lost on a neutral field, and Texas Tech won at home and lost on the road.

Texas Tech ended up being down in the rankings and almost losing to Baylor, so they really shouldn't have expected a National Championship bid. Texas and Oklahoma, however, both have great claim to the National Championship.

I think head to head does matter, and the tiebreaker says not, but since OU jumped Texas in the rankings when they didn't play, the Big 12 tiebreaker puts them in the Big 12 Championship.

I think that Texas, honestly, is more deserving to go to the National Championship. Texas won on a neutral field and lost on the road on a last second play. Oklahoma won at home and lost on a neutral field. Therefore, Texas should be in the National Championship over Oklahoma.

Now for the next part. Alabama, Penn State, and USC all feel that they have a claim to the National Championship as well. Let's see what Florida's loss was like compared to theirs.

Alabama lost to Florida, and although they are a great team, they are eliminated for that reason.

Penn State lost in horrible conditions on the road. Yes, the horrible conditions affected Iowa too, but it affected PSU more. Penn State is a balanced offense, and Iowa is a running offense. In harsh winds and cold, it is much easier to run than pass, so Iowa was given another advantage, along with being at home, for this game. Iowa pulled a classic upset by kicking a field goal in the final second.

Florida lost to a good Ole Miss team (who are not as good as a very underrated Iowa team). Florida was at home, and it was a clear and warm day. They lost because they missed an extra point and instead of attempting a field goal with 30 seconds left to win it, they went for it on fourth down and failed.

The last time I checked, a loss at home in perfect conditions is not as respectable as a loss in a hostile road environment in bad conditions. But oh...that's right, we can just forget about Florida's loss and say that Penn State's loss was horrible and they don't deserve a shot at the National Championship.

USC lost to Oregon State on the road (who Penn State crushed). USC has a fair say in the National Championship, except that they only proved themselves by beating Ohio State at home (who Penn State beat on the road, where Ohio State has lost only four times in the past eight years). USC has a case for the Championship, but it's not as strong as Penn State's.

Therefore, from the arguments given, Penn State should be in the National Championship over Florida.

Now I know that all you fans will start complaining, but based on the arguments, these are the deserving teams. The National Championship should be Penn State vs. Texas. However, even if that was not the case, other good National Championship matchups could be Penn State vs. Florida, Florida vs. Texas, and Penn State vs. Oklahoma.

Although the National Championship should be an entertaining matchup, the BCS got it wrong, again. Due to severe blindness and bias by voters, and due to the computers' lack of ability to grade performances, the BCS continues to show more and more flaws.

Either we need a playoff, or the BCS needs to be fixed. As for this year, the winner of the "National Championship" should have to share it with the winner of the Rose Bowl (most likely Penn State) and with Texas if they win.

Every year the BCS causes more and more controversy and gets worse and worse, yet nothing is being done to fix it. It is a shame that these teams that deserve the National Championship don't get it. Hopefully the teams I mentioned will get a share of the National Championship if they win convincingly, but if not, it's even a bigger disgrace for the BCS.

Many fans may attack me for saying that I'm just mad, but so are so many other fans. The other teams that I mentioned have just as much of a case to go to the National Championship as those who are in it.

In conclusion, the BCS got it wrong again, and it will continue to get things wrong until it is eliminated or fixed.

Creature vs. Creature: A Nittany Lion on Penn State-Michigan State

Isaac Luber — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:23:24 -0500

Game Preview

Last year the game was at Michigan State. For Penn State, the game decided whether they would be 3rd in the Big 10, or if they would be 4th or 5th in the Big 10. For Michigan State, the game decided whether or not they would be guaranteed a bowl, since they were coming in at 6-5.

For Michigan State, it was a miracle comeback. For Penn State, it was a 2nd half of horror. Michigan State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first, but then Penn State began to dominate, scoring 24 unanswered points.

Penn State was up 24-7 about midway through the third quarter, and then horrific events started happening to Penn State.

Michigan State scored 14 unanswered, and brought the game to within three. Penn State responded early in the fourth with a touchdown to make it 31-21. Michigan State would not quit, however.

Michigan State scored another 14 unanswered, and with four minutes left in the 4th quarter, the score was 31-35, favor Michigan State. Penn State then had a chance to win the game.

They drove down the field, but were stopped on a 4th down deep in Michigan State territory. The Penn State defense held, however, and Penn State got the ball back with under 30 seconds left in the game.

With only a few seconds left, Morelli dropped back to pass. No one was open, so he dumped it off to his check-down receiver, who was tackled in the open field, and the game ended.

The final score was: Michigan State 35, Penn State 31.

This year, the game means much more. Penn State is looking to go to the Rose Bowl and win the Big 10, and to possibly go to the National Championship if the teams in front of them lose. If Penn State wins, they clinch the Big 10 and get an automatic birth into the Rose Bowl.

Michigan State is also looking to go to the Rose Bowl. However, if they win, they aren't automatically in. They have to hope that Ohio State loses to Michigan because Ohio State holds the tiebreaker over Michigan State, and unless they lose Michigan State has no chance at making it to the Rose Bowl.

This game has huge implications, as it is a fight between No. 7 Penn State and No. 17 Michigan State. From 3:30 until about 7:00 on Saturday these teams will go through a hard fought battle, and from it all, we will determine which of these teams keeps their BCS hopes alive, or secures their BCS hopes.

Penn State will win if...

Daryll Clark steps it up.

Ever since the concussion, Clark has been playing awful. At the beginning of the season, he was phenomenal. He ran and threw for many TDs and had few turnovers.

However, after he suffered a concussion in the Ohio State game, he has not played well. He has had fewer touchdowns, his passes have been less accurate, and he has been turning it over more often.

If we are to beat Michigan State, we cannot have Clark turning the ball over and making mistakes. We need the old Clark back, the one who threw for a high completion percentage and the one who threw for many touchdown passes. We need the Clark who would scramble out of the pocket for a run/pass option, and we need the Clark who would bulldoze over defenders and rush for touchdowns.

If Clark turns it over and makes mistakes, Michigan State's good offense and good defense will take advantage. A team cannot make mistakes against another Top 25 team and still expect to win easily. Clark needs to step it up, and everyone needs to help him gain his confidence. Either he plays well, or we will have a really tough time with a good Michigan State team.

The receivers get open more and don't drop passes.

What happened to our star receivers? The last time I checked, the super senior trio of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood was the best receiving core in Penn State history, and one of the best in the Nation. Lately, they have not looked very good.

I'm not sure if its the receivers, Clark, or both, but this passing game really needs to step it up. In the Ohio State game, the receivers were rarely open. Give credit to the Ohio State secondary, but still, when you have three star receivers one of them has to get open.

Against Iowa, the receivers were only open sometimes. They also dropped passes. The always sure-handed Jordan Norwood dropped a pass, tight end Andrew Quarless dropped two, and Derrick Williams and Deon Butler also dropped a few passes.

Against Indiana, the receivers got open more often, but they still dropped the ball. I understand its starting to get cold and the ball becomes frozen and harder to catch, but you still have to catch it, especially when you're a star, senior receiver.

Derrick Williams and Deon Butler both had drops in the game vs. Indiana, but Jordan Norwood didn't have any, probably because he was so mad that he dropped passes against Iowa.

For most of the season, these receivers have been catching everything that has been coming to them. They have almost always been open, and they were racking up the yards, the catches, and the touchdowns.

I don't know what has happened in the last few games, but this passing offense has to get it together. As I mentioned earlier, Clark has to put his game together so that our passing and running game can get back to their states of greatness that they were in earlier in the season.

The receivers also have to play better, by getting open, making catches, breaking open field tackles, and scoring more touchdowns. They need to get back to the outstanding level that they were playing at earlier in the season.

If our passing offense doesn't get it together, then we're in for a rough time against Michigan State because they will slow our running game if our passing game falters.

We need our passing game, both the quarterback and the receivers, to play like they did earlier in the season so that we can spread the defense out and keep our offense more than one-dimensional. If we do this, we will win the game, and if we don't, it will be much harder to win the game.

Penn State will lose if...

Their offense can't get it going.

Penn State's offense has been struggling. In their last three games, they have scored 13, 23, and 34 points. Now, this may not seem bad to most teams, but when you're averaging over 40 points per game, this is considered really struggling.

The root of the problem is Daryll Clark and the receivers. I have gone over this already, so you basically know that Clark has been struggling and the receivers have not been playing well. Not only does this affect the passing game, but the whole offense as well.

When the passing game isn't going well, the run game has a harder time racking up yards. This is because the defenses start putting eight and nine men in the box, so our running backs really have nowhere to go.

However, our running backs are really good, and if you look up Royster's 19 yard touchdown run against Indiana, you will see why.

Basically, he ran up the middle, broke a few tackles, then a few guys got him and he spun, almost went down, but broke free of the defenders holding onto his body and his legs just before he hit the ground, and he accelerated and beat out the defender to the endzone.

Royster is the back who has a balance between power, speed, and agility. Our other running back, Stephfon Green, is more of a speed back. He runs it up the middle or to the outside, and once he breaks through the first line of defenders, he speeds through the secondary and gets a big gain or a touchdown.

Even though our running backs can run through eight or nine in the box sometimes, it is much harder than when they run through six or seven men in the box. When the passing game doesn't work, it makes us one-dimensional, and that's when defenses look to slow down our run.

If our passing game is struggling and the defense is slowing down our rushing attack, then we are going to struggle in that game. Therefore, Penn State needs to get its offense going well, keep a balance, and stay multi-dimensional or else they will have an extremely hard time winning this football game.

The defense can't stop Javon Ringer.

Duh. I know its obvious, but its true. No offense to Michigan State, as you have good receivers and a good quarterback, but Ringer is basically your whole offense. Your offense runs on Ringer, and Ringer is by far the best player on your team.

Penn State will have to play defense like they did against Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio State, which is to eliminate the run. Penn State has been very good at this all season, and the most yardage they have given up to a player was Iowa's Shonn Green, who rushed for just over 100 yards.

Other than that, they have held every player to under 100 yards rushing, and basically every team to under 100 yards rushing. Penn State only gives up about 80 rushing yards per game, which is impressive, and actually they are in the Top Five in the Nation in rush defense.

If Penn State is able to force Hoyer to pass, they will have a much easier time winning this game. If they can keep the ball out of Ringer's hands, make him have limited touches and limited yards, then we will win this game. If Penn State can slow down and/or stop Ringer, then we will probably win this game.

If Penn State is unable to contain Ringer, then they are in for some problems. If Ringer runs through, around, and all over them, then they will tire quickly. If Ringer racks up the yards and points and carries, then our defense will become demoralized. If all of this happens, then Penn State will probably lose the game.

The X Factor

Weather.

What I heard from a fellow B/R writer, and from the news, is that its supposed to snow in State College on Saturday. Saturday is the day of the game, in case you didn't know that. Now you may ask, "What effect does snow have on the game?" Well, I'll tell you what it does, and what it will do for this game if it comes.

Snow is a white substance that falls to the ground. When it sticks, it is sometimes hard to walk in, depending how deep it is. It can also be slippery. What does this mean for the players? Well...

1) Its going to be hard to run fast in the snow. This basically means that the receivers will have a hard time running their routes.

It will most likely mean that it will be a smash-mouth running contest, with the running backs plowing through the snow and defenders either falling or tackling the running back.

2) It will be slippery. This means that the running backs, quarterbacks, receivers, cornerbacks, and the rest of the offense and defense will slip and fall.

This will cause for plays that lose yardage due to the offense slipping, and plays that gain big yardage due to the defenders slipping and falling.

3) It basically negates the passing game. Well, just as it is hard to throw in the wind, it is hard to throw in the snow. The ball can become slippery, which means that it is hard to throw and hard to catch.

The quarterback has to concentrate on keeping his balance while throwing, especially if he is moving out of the pocket. The receivers have to make sure they don't fall, that they run the correct route, and that they catch the ball.

With the offensive players having to concentrate on so many things along with the elements, it makes it hard to have a successful passing game in the snow.

Prediction

Ok, here's the deal. I could write a long drawn out prediction that keeps you from seeing the score for another five minutes of reading, but I'm not going to. Here's what I think is going to happen.

I think that the snow won't come down to hard and it will be in spurts, so our full offense has a chance to run. However, I think that we will start slow again, which will hurt us.

It will either be 0-0 or 3-0 Michigan State somewhere in the first quarter. We will score and probably be up 14-3 at half, or something like that. We will slow down Javon Ringer, and hold him to about 80 yards. Hoyer will be forced to throw, but will throw relatively well, but not extremely well.

Michigan State will keep it close score wise until late 3rd, early 4th quarter, but the game will be dominated by Penn State on the field. After a slow start, our offense will get it going, but Michigan State has a good defense so we won't run and pass all over them.

We will keep Michigan State to a low score, and will be up 20-10 or something like that in the late 3rd or early 4th. We will pull away a little bit and basically run the clock out. Penn State won't have its best performance, and neither will Michigan State. They will both play hard and well, so they cannot both play their best, obviously.

Penn State will keep the chains moving with their offense, while their defense holds strong. Penn State is looking for revenge after blowing a huge lead in the second half of last year.

It will be a sellout crowd of over 110,000, and they will all be cheering and screaming to help PSU and disrupt PSU. Penn State will not lose at home, and they won't lose a Rose Bowl bid, as they have already lost too much by most likely losing the National Championship bid.

After this, I think we have guaranteed ourselves a trip to Pasadena!

Penn State 27, Michigan State 13

For a Spartan's view on this game, check out Joe Guarr's article by clicking here.

College Football and Feeling the Pain of a Late-Season Loss

Isaac Luber — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:14:51 -0500

Over the past few years, college football has changed. There are no longer those "unbeatable" teams that crush every team in their way on the way to a 12-0 season and a national championship game against another "unbeatable" team. Those days are over.

For some reason, whether it be scholarship limits or recognition of smaller schools, the powerhouses have basically disappeared. In the past two seasons, dozens of upsets have broken the hearts of many fans.

Upsets such as Pitt over West Virginia, Appalachian State over Michigan, Iowa over Penn State, Oregon State over USC, and so on. The small schools, for some reason, are now able to upset the traditional powerhouses. The fan bases of these powerhouses have their hearts broken every year because they lose a game that they should have won.

Some of these upsets aren't so bad. When LSU lost twice last year, the Tigers still got into the national championship because they didn't lose very late in the season. USC's loss this year to Oregon State isn't so bad because USC still has a shot at the title. Florida's loss to Ole Miss earlier in the season doesn't hurt anymore, now that Florida is No. 3 and has a great shot at the national title.

For me, personally, two losses have crushed me in my life. One of those was Michigan over Penn State in 2005, and the other was Iowa over Penn State last weekend. These two games ended perfect seasons and a shot at the national championship.

The Michigan one was controversial, and many bad calls led to the last second (which was also controversial) touchdown. However, I am not here to talk about how Michigan "cheated" us. I am here to describe the pain that I have felt, and that I'm sure many of my fellow college football fans have felt.

The Michigan loss was very painful, it put us at 6-1, and we went on to win the rest of our games and the Orange Bowl over Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles.

The Iowa loss, however, was much more painful. Penn State passed its biggest stretch of games, which were games against Purdue on the road, Wisconsin on the road, Michigan at home, and Ohio State on the road. We also crushed a very talented Oregon State team at the beginning of the season.

The only games we had left were against a mediocre, but scrappy Iowa team, a bad Indiana team, and a decent Michigan State team. After a bye week, I expected Penn State to come out strong and crush Iowa, especially after they didn't move up to No. 2 in the polls.

Penn State looked good in the second and third quarters, but was really unable to get its offense going. The defense was great until the fourth quarter, where Iowa scored 10 unanswered points, including a last second field goal, to pull off the upset.

Penn State had the easiest road to go undefeated out of the top three teams, and it blew it. Texas Tech still has Oklahoma and the Big 12 Championship to play, and Alabama, after escaping LSU in overtime, still has the SEC championship to play.

The Lions seemed like they were a lock to go undefeated and would most likely be in the championship game, but upsets mess up everything. They break peoples' hearts, and this one broke my heart.

After the loss, I will admit that I was crying. I dropped to my knees, and then went face-first into my hardwood floor. I just laid there, sobbing, trying to pretend that it didn't happen.

After I got up, I went on a rampage. I took pillows and slammed them against the couch, I dented my dad's home office door, I went into the basement and threw childhood toys against the wall until they broke, and then I started denting wooden doors and walls with a hockey stick. I also took a piece of metal and smashed my bedroom door. My heart was broken and I couldn't control myself.

The pain that I felt was worse than any pain I have felt in my life. It was a gut-wrenching pain that made me choke and nearly vomit countless times. It was a heartbreaking pain that made my insides sore and my outsides hot with anger and frustration. It was pain that put water in my eyes and a bullet through my heart.

My life was over. Penn State lost. It was unbearable, unthinkable. I had to punch and pinch myself just to make sure that it wasn't all a horrible nightmare. The pain of a loss, especially an upset, is just awful.

The pain that I felt from this loss was destroying me, just knowing that a loss this late in the season meant that my team had virtually no shot at a national title, while just a few hours before they were basically a lock for the game.

I'm sure that West Virginia fans, Missouri fans, and all other fans who have had their teams upset in recent years felt the way I did. The way I still do. I'm not sure if I can ever recover from this loss, especially when its a loss to an inferior team late in the season, a loss that should never have been a loss.

The pain wouldn't have been so bad if we had lost earlier in the season. That way, we could have climbed back up the rankings and still had the national championship game in our sights. That way, the loss wouldn't be so painful because we would not have gotten past all of our major tests, and I would not have known how good this team really is.

Late season losses, especially in college football, may be the most painful times in all of sports. If you lose in the national championship, you can understand that because you're playing against a very good team, and you both want to win that game.

Losing in any other sport isn't as bad. In college basketball, you can have like 15 losses and still get into the Final Four tournament. In the NFL, you can have six or seven losses and still make the playoffs. In the NHL and the NBA, you can have a ton of losses and still get into the playoffs.

In college football, one loss can cost you the chance to go to the national championship game. College football losses are the most dramatic, most severe, and most painful losses in all of sports, and are probably the most painful losses in peoples' sports lives.

I have felt this pain and I feel it now, and I'm sure all of you have felt it as well. The pain of a college football loss, of an upset loss, of a late-season loss, of a late season upset loss, is too painful for any die-hard fan to handle. I'm feeling this pain, and nothing anyone says or does can make it better or worse.

Unless...of course...Penn State makes it to the national championship and wins it. Then, I can finally go to the title game and storm the field when the team wins, I can finally be cured, I can finally stop hurting. I'm almost positive that many of you have felt the same way.

This article is expressing and trying to explain the pain that I, and many other college football fans, suffer from a late-season upset loss. If you would like, you can comment on times your team has been upset and how you felt when it happened, and how you felt for the rest of the season.

If you want to express yourself, that is great, but the one thing that will be the same in every case is that late season losses hurt, and they hurt a lot.

Penn State-Iowa Football: A Trap Game in Iowa City?

Isaac Luber — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:54:34 -0500

Let's take stock of the two opponents in the 3:30 p.m. tilt at Iowa on Saturday.

The Penn State Nittany Lions, one of the best teams in the nation based off of its undefeated record, No. 3 ranking, statistics, and performances. Won close games against Purdue, Ohio State, and Illinois. Beat Purdue by 14, Ohio State by seven, and Illinois by 14.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, a middle of the road Big Ten team. Lost close games to Michigan State, Illinois, Pittsburgh, and Northwestern. Lost to Michigan State by three, Illinois by three, Pittsburgh by one, and Northwestern by five.

Penn State is 9-0 overall and 4-0 on the road. Iowa, meanwhile, is 5-4 overall, but 4-1 at home. Penn State's closest game, against Ohio State, was on the road. Iowa's biggest margin of victory, against Maine, was at home.

Could this game possibly be an upset in Kinnick Stadium?

Now, even though the people on Big 10 Tonight claimed that Kinnick was the hardest place to play in the Big 10, it is not.

The hardest place to play is Beaver Stadium, with the best student section in the country, and a home game there is the "greatest show in college football." Its record crowd is over 110,000, and average attendance is close to 107,000 or 108,000. Beaver Stadium is followed closely by the Horseshoe, where the Buckeyes have lost four games in the past eight years. Its record attendance is over 105,000, and it usually seats about 100,000.

Back to the game.

Iowa features star running back Shonn Greene. He has 198 carries for 1,257 yards, which is over six yards per carry. He also has 11 rushing touchdowns, his longest being a 52-yarder.

Iowa's receiving corps is led by wide receivers Andy Brodell and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and tight end Brandon Myers. Each of these three players have over 20 receptions.

Brodell has 27 receptions for over 450 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson-Koulianos has 26 receptions for over 300 yards and one touchdown. Myers has 22 receptions for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Penn State features dual-threat quarterback Daryll Clark, who is 126-of-200 passing for over 1,600 yards and 11 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. Clark has also rushed 55 times for nearly 230 yards has eight rushing touchdowns.

Penn State's running game, besides Clark, is led by a dynamic thunder and lightning duo.

The thunder, Evan Royster, is the main back who is powerful and agile. He has 135 carries for 970 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He averages over seven yards per carry.

The lightning, Stephfon Green, has ran the ball 73 times for 434 yards, which is nearly six yards per carry. He has four rushing touchdowns, which are mostly long runs in which he breaks through the front seven and speeds through the secondary.

Penn State's receiving corps is led by the trio of seniors Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood. I don't even need individual stats to describe how good they are.

Combined, they have over 10 total touchdowns, over 1,000 receiving yards, and over 85 catches. They also have touches from rushing, returning, and sometimes even passing. They are all great receivers and all-around players, but Derrick Williams is the best all-around player.

Now for the prediction.

Penn State is a great team. Its offense averages over 40 points per game and its defense allows just over 10 points per game. Iowa scores just under 30 points per game and gives up over 13 points per game.

The Lions, however, have played better teams and better offenses than Iowa. Penn State has faced better defenses than the Hawkeyes. I expect the Lions to come out a little rusty after a bye, but they will start to come alive towards the end of the first quarter.

Their defense will hold up and I believe it will give up no more than 14 points in this game, and that's at most. Penn State's offense will score in many ways against this Iowa defense, and the home field won't be much of a factor after PSU gets the lead.

Penn State will show why it is arguably the best team in the nation. It will completely dominate this game.

Penn State 48, Iowa 10

Isaac Luber's Unofficial BCS Rankings: Week 10

Isaac Luber — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:09:06 -0500

I grade teams on a scale to 1,000. 400 comes from performance of teams, 200 comes from record, 100 comes from strength of schedule, 100 comes from quality wins, 100 comes from conference strength, and 100 points are ones that every team gets, and points that good teams in weak conferences have so they can be in the Top 25 if they are good.

The numbers in parentheses and italics are last week's rankings. The numbers that have decimals and are in parentheses are their percentages based on my scale, and LW is last week's results.

After the most recent BCS rankings, I was very upset. What happened was just wrong. For all those people who say that I would rank PSU ahead because I'm a homer, I would not. If Texas Tech wins out, they will be No. 1. However, they don't jump all the way up to one after one win.

Here are my BCS rankings for Week 10.

1) Penn State (1 ), (.998) LW-Idle.

2) Texas Tech (4 ), (.996) LW-W 39-33 vs. Texas

3) Alabama (3 ), (.995) LW-W 35-0 vs. Arkansas State

4) Florida (5 ), (.994) LW-W 49-10 vs. Georgia

5) Texas (2 ), (.992) LW-L 39-33 at Texas Tech

6) Oklahoma (7 ), (.989) LW-W 62-28 vs. Nebraska

7) Oklahoma State (9 ), (.987) LW-W 59-17 vs. Iowa State

8) USC (8 ), (.983) LW-W 56-0 vs. Washington

9) Ohio State (12 ), (.977) LW-Idle.

10) Boise State (13 ), (.973) LW-W 49-0 at New Mexico State

11) Michigan State (10 ), (.970) LW-W 25-24 vs. Wisconsin

12) Utah (11 ), (.968) LW-W 13-10 at New Mexico

13) LSU (17 ), (.964) LW-W 35-10 vs. Tulane

14) Georgia (6 ), (.963) LW-L 49-10 vs. Florida

15) TCU (16 ), (.961) LW-W 44-14 at UNLV

16) North Carolina (20 ), (.958) LW-Idle.

17) Ball State (19 ), (.953) LW-Idle.

18) California (23 ), (.949) LW-W 26-16 vs. Oregon

19) Missouri (15 ), (.943) LW-W 31-28 at Baylor

20) Georgia Tech (NR ), (.938) LW-W 31-28 vs. Florida State

21) West Virginia (NR ), (.936) LW-W 35-13 at Connecticut

22) Northwestern (NR ), (.935) LW-W 24-17 at Minnesota

23) Cincinnati (NR ), (.930) LW-W 24-10 vs. South Florida

24) Minnesota (14 ), (.927) LW-L 24-17 vs. Northwestern

25) Maryland (22 ), (.924) LW-Idle.

On the edge: Kansas, BYU, Air Force, South Carolina, Florida State, Tulsa, Oregon, Kentucky, Miami

Stay tuned for Week 11's unofficial BCS rankings!

*All rankings are subject to change based on performance, strength of schedule, and record...and some other things will be taken into account as well.

Hey Bleacher Report: Stop Using Age As An Argument!

Isaac Luber — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:24:08 -0500

Okay, first off, let's get this out of the way. Yes. I, Isaac Luber, am 15 years old. Now, what is wrong with that? Nothing? Some fans beg to differ.

Michael, commenting on my article "NEWS FLASH: THE BCS IS TOTAL BS!!!".

"Nobody takes you seriously because you are 15."

Jeff, commenting on my article "Isaac Luber's Unofficial BCS Rankings: Week Nine".

"He's just 15...he'll grow out of it, Kent. When we were 15, I'm sure we thought 'our team' was the best no matter what logical evidence was put in front of us. They were 'our team'—of course they were the best!"

Thomas, commenting on my article "NEWS FLASH: THE BCS IS TOTAL BS!!!".

"don't you have some homework to do or something? thomas why are you not in school?"

Calvin, commenting on my article "Ok...Lets Face It, The AP Poll Sucks and Is Completely Biased".

"Are you sure you're 15 years old and not 5 years old? Because your reasoning resembles that of a 5 year old."

"Sorry, young turd—Texas Tech has defeated more good teams than Penn State.".

There are more of these types of comments, I am just unable to find them. Some of them, like Calvin's, are disrespectful. Others, like Michael's, are just lame arguments used when people know that they can't win so they use your age to make you seem like you don't know anything.

Even if it's more of a joking and fun comment, like Jeff's, it still is not right to put age as a factor on this site. It is unfair to young people who know a lot about sports to be demoralized by other people who say they know nothing because they are young.

Kudos to writers like BabyTate and Gray Ghost, who appreciate the young community. I know there are other writers like this, but these two are the ones who are the most outspoken to me when it comes to the acceptance of young writers.

At first, I let this get to me, and I became angry that people used age as an argument. Now I realize that is a lowly attempt to bring down your credibility when a person does not agree with you.

Please everyone, can we just leave age out of this? Once again, it is not fair to all the young writers out here, like Anthony Elias, Micah Green, myself, and others. (I name them because those are the two that I am fans of, and they are also my fans).

The young writers are very talented on this site, as Gray Ghost pointed out in his article about young writers. I feel disrespected when people discredit my arguments and articles because of my age, and although I no longer let it get to me, it is still not right.

Again, Bleacher Report...can we please leave age out when arguing about sports? Thank you.

NEWS FLASH: THE BCS IS TOTAL BS!!!

Isaac Luber — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:32:58 -0500

Wow, well what do you know? Penn State got jumped by Texas Tech...the BCS always comes through and keeps itself as the king of all bull (explicit).

Do you remember the 1994 season? Penn State went undefeated, completely demolishing every team in its path. Powerhouses, great teams, good teams, and bad teams all fell at the mighty feet of Penn State.

Penn State, however, was robbed of the National Championship that year. They were sent to the Rose Bowl, where they completely demolished Oregon. In the National Title game, Nebraska won by one point.

Not only did Penn State get robbed, they didn't even get a split of the National Title. Wow! What a disgrace! They system was hating on Penn State, and it looks like another 1994 all over again!

Texas Tech beat the previously ranked No. 1 Longhorns on a last second TD, and they jumped ahead of probably the best team in the Nation. Penn State had a bye week, and were punished for it.

Even though Penn State was ranked No. 2 in both the Coaches' and Harris Polls, they ended up at No. 3 in the BCS standings. Why? Computers!

Computer polls and the AP media (biased bull) polls put Texas Tech as No. 2. However, the AP poll does not count towards the BCS rankings. Its strange how one-third of the polling can propel a team that was voted No. 3 in the other two-thirds of the polling into the No. 2 spot in the overall standings. It technically shouldn't happen.

But did it happen? Yes! Was there a malfunction? Did something go wrong? Was there a typo? Who knows? Something must have went wrong. When two-thirds of what is counted in the BCS standings votes PSU as No. 2, and the other third votes for Texas Tech as No. 2, then clearly PSU should be No. 2. The last time I checked, two-thirds is greater than one-third.

Hey, maybe basic mathematics changed. Maybe one-third is now greater than two-thirds because really, that would be the only logical explanation on how Penn State could have been jumped by Texas Tech in the BCS rankings this week.

Let's Face It, The AP College Football Poll Sucks and Is Completely Biased

Isaac Luber — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:46:54 -0500

Hey everyone, the newest AP rankings came out, check them out:

Alabama (46)
Texas Tech (12)
Penn State (6)
Florida (1)
Texas
Oklahoma
USC
Oklahoma State
Boise State
Utah
TCU
Ohio State
Missouri
Georgia
LSU
Ball State
BYU
Michigan State
UNC
WVU
Cal
Georgia Tech
Maryland
Florida State
Pitt

OK...last week Penn State was No. 3 and Texas Tech was No. 6. How the hell do the Raiders jump PSU? Second, how are two MWC teams and one WAC team ranked Nos. 9, 10, and 11? How are those teams ahead of Ohio State? Why is Missouri at No. 13 when it has two losses and almost lost to Baylor?

At least the USA Today Coaches' Poll has PSU at No. 2. Show some respect. Thank G-d the only poll that counts is the BCS poll, but if the Lions aren't No. 2, it's just not fair.

You can move 'Bama up to No. 1 with a win over a Division II team, but PSU gets punished for a bye? Especially after the fact that PSU beat Ohio State at the 'Shoe, where Ohio State, including its loss to PSU, has lost only four times in the past eight years?

The AP poll loves its SEC and Big 12 teams. Giving Florida a first-place vote already? The Gators have one loss and a long way to go! This is a disgrace, and this is why the media should not be involved in picking the best teams in college football!