Penn State Football: What a Win Against Nebraska Would Have Meant for the School

In the Penn State Nittany Lions first game following the scandal, they lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 17-14. A victory would have been monumental, not only because the Nittany Lions would have been 6-0 in the Big Ten, but also for the school and the community in University Park. 

With the Penn State scandal resulting in the school firing head coach Joe Paterno, the Lions played this game for the first time without Paterno in 46 years.

The Nittany Lions players and coaching staff faced so much adversity in this game that if they were to win, it might have caused huge changes. It wouldn't have given the school a clean slate, but it would have brought the community together and made them stronger.

You never want to put too much of an onus on sports making things better in a horrible situation like this, but a Penn State victory would have had a lot of involvement in a better start to the new era.

By no means is the university out of this scandal—it has only just begun—but steps taken this week have helped with PR. A victory could have calmed things for the students and people in and around the University Park community.

This game was huge in terms of seeing their team battle through adversity and play the game for the love of the game, and not allowing the distractions to get to them.

This scandal and its allegations are disturbing, containing things no human should ever have to go through. And with all of that still hanging over the program, there is also a season to finish. Penn State is 8-2 and if they win out, they could potentially find themselves in a BCS bowl game.

A victory in this game would have changed the rest of their season for the better. The Nittany Lions are in a position where their season can completely fall apart if they allow it to, or they could stick to the way of PSU and battle.

A victory over Nebraska would have meant more than just a football win. It would have meant a good moment in a time of sorrow, shame and tragedy.

A Penn State victory would have helped salvage what is left of a program that was completely dismantled this past week.

The legacy of PSU while Joe Paterno was coaching will never be the same, but the legacy of Penn State football from here on out doesn't have to suffer that same fate.

A win today would have helped the Nittany Lions create a new legacy.

John Bain is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist

Follow him on Twitter: @John_Bain