2012 Bowl Games: Penn State Will Take out Frustrations on Houston

It's been a long month or so for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, but they have a shot to take out some of their frustration on the Houston Cougars at the Ticket City Bowl, and perhaps finish this season on a positive note.

It seems almost impossible to think of Penn State right now without thinking about the allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, the fallout that included the firings of legendary head coach Joe Paterno and other Penn State staff members and the student riots that took place in response to the situation.

Unfortunately, that is a part of Penn State's history that can never be forgotten and it will never be blotted out.

It's also unfortunate that the scandal and all the surrounding negative press essentially erased a pretty good year by the Nittany Lions on the football field, that saw them go 9-3 and 6-2 in the Big Ten.

Their one out-of-conference loss came against a fantastic Alabama team, and the Big Ten losses came against Wisconsin at the end of the year and Nebraska in an emotional loss the week after the scandal went mainstream.

According to Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press, Penn State is going to be rewarded for their good season with a trip to the Ticket City Bowl to play the previously undefeated Houston Cougars:

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A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that No. 24 Penn State will face No. 20 Houston in the Ticket City Bowl on Jan. 2.

The person requested anonymity because there was no authorization to release the matchup before the official announcement later Sunday.

The Nittany Lions (9-3) finished tied with Wisconsin for first in the Big Ten Leaders Division.

But the program is in turmoil after former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was charged last month with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year span. In the aftermath of Sandusky's arrest, Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno was fired in his 46th season.

The Ticket City Bowl, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, had the seventh selection out of bowls with Big Ten tie-ins, after the BCS games.

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While this bid is a good one for the Nittany Lions, it's going to be a disappointing consolation for the 12-1 Cougars who lost their shot at a BCS bid and undefeated season with a 49-28 loss to the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in the Conference USA championship game.

While the matchup with Penn State will be undoubtedly easier for the Cougars than the potential BCS game game, the Nittany Lions still have an advantage over the Cougars, at least on defense.

If we learned anything about Houston in their loss to Southern Mississippi, it's that they can be exposed by an aggressive defense.

Penn State finished fifth in the nation defensively, only giving up 15.7 points per game, and I expect that the opportunity to play in a bowl game, plus the opportunity to perhaps vent some of the frustration of this season will come out on Houston.

It's been a long year for the Nittany Lions, but they have the chance to make some of that better with a big win in a bowl game.