Nebraska vs. Penn State: Why Fans Will Embarrass School Even Further

Saturday is going to be must-see TV.

Not only are two of the best Big Ten teams squaring off when No. 19 Nebraska visits No. 12 Penn State, but the viewer will get a glimpse as to how life is conducted just days after the worst college sports scandal of all-time.  

I’m not here to rehash the story, at this point it has been told in a million different ways. Receivers coach Mike McQueary, who witnessed a little boy in the shower with Jerry Sandusky and didn’t notify the police, has been forced to avoid Beaver Stadium according to Peter Thamel of The New York Times:

Who knows where the threats are coming from, but this is just a preview of coming attractions.

After watching the students form an ill-advised pep rally in front of fired coach Joe Paterno’s house on Wednesday night, it’s clear that the priorities of Penn State students are severely out of whack. Throwing rocks and tipping over a TV van happened on Wednesday, all because they were showing support for a man that let knowledge of a appalling felony crime slide under the rug.

What are they going to do on a Saturday, where they can drink all morning (12 p.m. EST kickoff) and are placed in an environment that encourages lots of yelling, screaming and other testosterone enduing actions?

I won’t attempt to guess what students are thinking about doing, but when you consider the raw emotion that has engulfed Happy Valley, anything is in play.

This isn’t meant to single-out PSU students and fans. This would happen to plenty of universities if they had to experience this nightmare. Yet, the strong connection these fans feel for JoePa is enough to make even the most rational person do something completely out of character.

With over 100,000 fans crammed into Beaver Stadium, the potential for something horrific to happen is big. What exactly is that? No idea.

That’s what makes the situation so scary.