Penn State Football: Latest News, Injuries and Team Updates

The Nittany Lions are preparing to begin a new chapter in their legendary history after a horrible offseason and the death of coach Joe Paterno. It is now Bill O'Brien who will run the show, and he has a lot more questions than answers at this point, with only five starters on both sides of the ball returning.

Penn State now enters the offseason, before it begins fall practice and the regular season.

Here is the latest Penn State Nittany Lions news and updates as we inch closer to the 2012 season.

Bill O'Brien Would Like to See Pitt Rivalry Pick Back Up

The rivalry between Penn State and Pittsburgh began back in 1893 and was considered one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football. But once both teams decided to give up being independent and join separate conferences, the matchup began a slow death, and they haven't played each other since 2000.

Much like many college football fans across the country, head coach Bill O'Brien will like to see things change.

“I would love to see that game played on an annual basis,” O’Brien told the Tribune-Review. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for (Pitt coach) Paul Chryst and their program, and that’s a great rivalry. For the fans of Pennsylvania to be able to see that game every year, I think that’s pretty neat.”

Don't expect anything to change anytime soon, but good news is that these two teams will meet up in 2016 and 2017.

Who Will Be the Starting Quarterback?

Penn State had a passing game that ranked 96th in the country a season ago, so there's good reason that everybody is focused on who will be named the starter this season.

Will it be fifth-year senior Matt McGloin who struggled last year? Junior Rob Bolden, who also didn't play well? Or redshirt sophomore Paul Jones?

Head coach Bill O'Brien says he has a pretty good idea of who it might be. (Via Penn State Live)

"I've reviewed the spring practice myself and the Blue-White game and, you know, and I have a pretty good idea about the quarterback situation,'' O'Brien said.

There's also a chance that we might find out sooner than later what the decision will be, once he talks to the rest of the coaching staff.

"I don't know, that's part of the discussion over the next few weeks,'' O'Brien said about when he'll announce the start to the public.

Any guesses on who the starter should be?

Penn State Not Ranked in New Poll

In a new ESPN preseason poll that was released last week, the Penn State Nittany Lions are nowhere to be found. Some of the teams that made it ahead of them include Florida, Texas, Boise State and Notre Dame.

This could have a lot to do with a new head coach, no answer at quarterback and losing a lot of depth on the defensive side of the ball. Still, it's weird not seeing Penn State in a Top 25 poll.

Updates

This article will be updated throughout the offseason and through the fall with any injury updates, position battles or any other breaking news concerning the Penn State Nittany Lions.