If Penn State Has Shot at Urban Meyer, Should JoePa Retire?

Joe Paterno has earned the right to retire when he wishes to retire.

He has been the most consistent thing in college football for the past 45 years.

Like the sun rising or the Red Sox imploding yet again, it has been inevitable that he will be roaming the Penn State sidelines with that piercing glare and crossed arms.

Coach Paterno, if you care about the program, the time to step down is after this season.

That is, if the reports swirling about Urban Meyer's interest in the position are true.

It has been reported that Meyer was contacted by PSU officials,  but PSU president Graham Spanier has said that those reports are "inaccurate."

According to Jeff Rapp, Meyer has stated he would get back into coaching for a position at Ohio State, Texas or Penn State.

While Paterno has kept PSU's football program from falling completely into oblivion, the program has not exactly flourished in the Big Ten.

Nobody wants to be the guy who pushed an aging legend out of his job, and Meyer seems a decent enough person not to try it.

However, as earlier stated, if Coach Paterno wants to see PSU succeed once again, he will step down and allow the school to pursue Meyer, a proven winner.

Meyer would pull in the type of recruits PSU has not been able to haul in for a decade or more, while giving the Big Ten another credible BCS threat, something the conference desperately needs to remain relevant.

It's Paterno's call, and he has earned the right to quit when he wants, but this is a potentially huge opportunity for the Lions, and should not be missed.