BCS Rankings: How Penn State Can Make a BCS Bowl This Season

Penn State has plodded to an 8-1 record and is ranked No. 16 in the latest BCS poll.

It's unlikely, given their schedule and current rank, that Penn State will be in contention for an at-large berth.

In order to reach a BCS bowl game this year, Penn State will have to come out as Big Ten champions.

This is how Joe Paterno and his team can get it done.

Inside Track

With only three games remaining, Penn State has a nice cushion atop the Big Ten Leaders division. The Nittany Lions hold a two-game advantage over Wisconsin and Ohio State in the loss column.

The Lions next host the Nebraska Cornhuskers before closing out the regular season with trips to Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin was a prohibitive favorite to finish first in the division and play in the championship game in Indianapolis.

Now, with the Badgers suffering back-to-back losses, the door has swung wide open for Joe Paterno's crew.

The schedule is daunting, but Penn State has the ability to control its own destiny.

If Penn State can take two out of their three remaining games, a berth in the championship game is all theirs.

Ugly Wins Are Still Wins

The games are not always pretty, but the record is.

Penn State will not earn any style points, but if the game ends with a win, that's all that matters.

Ugly wins over Temple, Indiana and Illinois come to mind as lackluster performances. Common sense says there is no way Penn State can keep winning like this.

But at a certain point, one must acknowledge that these Nittany Lions just know how to win. Regardless of score or circumstance, this team has gotten the job done.

Penn State will continue to grind the ball and play tough defense during the marquee contests of the coming weeks.

Coming up with several more "ugly" wins this year will put the Lions into BCS position.

Silas Redd

Silas Redd has been unstoppable during Big Ten play.

The sophomore has racked up over 1,000 rushing yards this year and has at least 129 yards in each of the team's conference games.

Opposing defenses know that in order to beat Penn State, they must shut down the run. However, with the exception of Alabama, nobody has been able to do so.

He will be tested by tough defenses during the final three games, but Redd has given fans no reason to doubt him.

It's clear this team will go as far as Redd's legs can carry them. Right now, it looks like that could be all the way to a BCS bowl game.

Tough Defense

Penn State wins with defense. The Nittany Lions rank fourth in the nation, allowing only 12.4 points per game.

Devon Still and Jordan Hill have been rocks in the middle.

Nathan Stupar and Gerald Hodges have stepped in and performed well at linebacker.

Nick Soukay, Chaz Powell and D'Anton Lynn have brought senior leadership to the secondary.

Outside of Still, the Penn State defense lacks star power but has performed extremely well as a whole. A low-scoring offense is not nearly as worrisome when your team has these guys on the other side of the ball.

This unit will need to play well in order to slow down the likes of Rex Burkhead, Boom Herron and Montee Ball in the coming weeks. 

These matchups will be strength-on-strength Big Ten brawls. The Penn State defense wouldn't have it any other way.

Quarterback Continuity

Rob Bolden saw limited action against Illinois, but it has become clear over the last two weeks that Matt McGloin is the quarterback of this team.

Penn State's quarterback play has been subpar all season, and the revolving door has not helped the situation.

The transfer of Pat Devlin several years ago shook Paterno.

The situation has stuck in the coach's memory and is a big reason the team has played two quarterbacks this season.

While neither has lit the world on fire, the consensus is McGloin gives the team a better chance to win.

That's what it's all about.

With McGloin getting starts and playing the entire game, Penn State will have a chance to build continuity. Having the same player under center will help this offense develop and stay in rhythm throughout games.

Penn State will be a running team, but establishing a quarterback is a must for any BCS contender.