Penn State Scandal: Penn State Must Think About Reputation More Than Football

Nobody cares that Penn State lost to Nebraska on Saturday.

Everyone was still thinking about the nightmare that had been uncovered a week earlier.

The irony about the Penn State scandal, in which former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky allegedly sexually abused at least eight boys in a period of 15 years, is that the Nittany Lions had been enjoying a great deal of success on the football field.

Penn State, which entered the season unranked, had climbed to No. 12 in the BCS rankings headed into the matchup with No. 19 Nebraska on Saturday, boosted by a dominant defense that was allowing 12.3 points per game this season.

But while football certainly matters in Pennsylvania, Penn State's No. 1 focus needs to be repairing its image and restoring some dignity to the university with a new regime.

So far, the school continues to delay, putting athletic director Tim Curley and receivers coach Mike McQueary on administrative leave (with pay) instead of firing them.

Each day Penn State delays in putting together a new regime, a storm continues to blow through campus. The university should have already fired Curley and McQueary by now and started looking forward, but it continues to look shadier and shadier by the minute.

Penn State won't forgo a bowl game in wake of the scandal and I honestly don't think it should (the athletes shouldn't have to pay for a few people's alleged transgressions). But even a bowl-game win isn't going to save this school: it must save itself first.

A lot of people said the loss on Saturday only capped off what has been the worst week in Penn State history.

But the reality is a win wouldn't have changed anything, either. Nothing Penn State does on the football field will overshadow the scandal. Changes must be made off the field before Penn State becomes a worthy institution again.