Penn State Football: 5 Circumstances Under Which Joe Paterno Would Retire

Every year, the Joe Paterno debate begins. Is this the year that Joe Pa finally says it's his final season on the Nittany Lions sideline?

I'm not suggesting his immediate demise, but it's a popular topic with Penn State likely to continue struggling the rest of the season.

While everyone likely knows he will return in 2012, let's take a look at five possible scenarios in which Paterno calls it a career after 2011.

He's Old

We will start with the obvious. Paterno is ancient when it comes to today's game. You have to give him the credit for sticking it out this long, but one day age is going to make the decision for him.

Old age equals retirement. That's what old people do.

Bad Health

This is similar to being old, but when is the last time Paterno made it through a season without some sort of health problem?

Having said that, something serious could unfortunately happen to make his decision for him.

The Team Isn't Very Good

How long does Paterno want to coach what is basically an average football team. It would be nice for Paterno to ride off after winning a national championship, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Penn State doesn't have that type of talent at the moment and it could be a few years away, if they are lucky, to build back into that type of team.

Does he really want to sit around just for another trip to the Outback Bowl?

He's Forced into It

This is the least likely of all possible scenarios. The university has said time and time again that Paterno will go out on his own terms, but eventually someone has to get tired of this team not living up to standards.

Becoming a middle of the pack team in the Big Ten can't make many people happy in Happy Valley.

A Rose Bowl Trip

This could be just as unlikely, but if Penn State gets hot and goes on a run to win the Big Ten, it would be nice for Paterno to go out with a Rose Bowl appearance.

The Nittany Lions have enough talent to hang around in the Big Ten and if they can find a way to pull it out and win the conference, it may be the highest note the Nittany Lions and Paterno could possibly go out on.