Penn State Football: 5 Reasons to Watch the Blue-White Game

Penn State's Blue-White game is an annual event. Fans flock to Beaver Stadium to get their first looks at next year's Nittany Lion squad.

The themes change every season, but the idea remains the same. Coaches want to see how their players will look at game speed. Players want to separate themselves from the pack, and the team wants to come together as one cohesive unit.

This year's edition will be slightly different in Happy Valley. Joe Paterno will not be running the show. Instead, Bill O'Brien will take his first shot at holding the Nittany Lion reins.

The Blue-White game is always interesting, and this year is no different.

Here are five reasons to watch this year's Blue-White contest.

New Players

Penn State's 2012 recruits will have their first chance to prove themselves on a large scale in the Blue-White game.

The 2012 class was not stacked with blue-chip talent, but a few players will fight for playing time this season.

Eugene Lewis is the prize of the class. If he has a solid spring, he could fight for time in Penn State's receiving corps. Devon Smith is facing possible legal trouble, and someone will need to step up the depth chart. 

Akeel Lynch will also fight for time, but will not participate until the summer. Lynch will have a chance to become Silas Redd's primary backup with Curtis Dukes sitting out this spring to focus on academics.

Lynch is an underrated prospect who had a huge high school career. A solid offseason could earn him considerable playing time this season.

New Coaches

Penn State's coaching staff will look completely different this season. The Blue-White game is their first chance to show the progress they have made in Happy Valley.

Bill O'Brien and the rest of his staff are taking this game seriously. O'Brien considers this a business day, as he should.

The Nittany Lion coaching staff needs to have a solid showing. Fans have gotten behind O'Brien's approach when it comes to recruiting, but progress must be shown on the field.

The focus is always on the Penn State players throughout spring practice. Just as many eyes are on the new coaching staff this season, starting with the Blue-White game.

Position Battles

The battle for starting spots—and key reserve roles—are appealing to fans. Fans want to see what players will emerge and who will fade away.

The Nittany Lions will hash out competitions on both sides of the ball.

Cornerbacks and strong safeties will fight for depth chart positions on defense. Offensively, running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks (of course) will battle it out.

Players who play above their potential to grab a starting position show a lot to their fanbase. It is much harder to steal a starting position than to lose a starting spot.

Nittany Lion nation will watch these battles play out in this year's Blue-White game.

Who Wants to Play Quarterback?

Penn State's success next season hinges on the quarterback battle this spring. Who wants to lead this team onto the field this season? The Blue-White game will be a major deciding factor.

Matt McGloin has the inside track. He has the most starting experience, but his experience has not been good. He is a turnover machine with a marginal arm. McGloin's biggest asset is his moxie, but that does not make up for his lack of production.

Pushing McGloin will be Rob Bolden and Paul Jones.

Bolden has been extremely erratic, but has big potential. Bolden's arm strength is a big plus, but he must learn to play the position.

Jones is finally eligible to play, and is easily the most exciting choice. He oozes upside, but has yet to prove himself in real game action.

All eyes will be behind center in this year's Blue-White game.

The Start of a New Season

The Blue-White game marks the beginning of a new season for Penn State football. This is exciting for players, coaches and fans alike.

A new season is reason enough to get excited. Die-hard fans get excited for football the second the prior season ends.

Penn State will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself throughout the course of the season. The first chance to analyze the new team is the Blue-White game, and fans love those chances.

The first season without Joe Paterno at the helm adds a somber tone to this year's Blue-White game, but it is exciting nonetheless.