From ESPN's Pat Forde in this week's Forde Minutes:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4899366

Coach Who Should Take The Bus To Work This Week

Ed DeChellis (39) of Penn State. He presided over the Nittany Lions' 11th straight loss Saturday, at home against Minnesota, to stay winless in the Big Ten. The earnest young folks at Penn State's Daily Collegian ran a story this week under the hopeful headline, "Losing brings team closer." The Minutes suspects that the Nittany Lions have had all the closeness they can stand.

BIG TEN

Worst Basketball Town: State College (20).

Comment: "No one cares unless they're good ... and they're never good."

Larry Jr. Uses Slurs

Ohhhh, wait, its from his own son.  And it's yet another episode in the "Larry Jr.: The Boy Who Never Grew Up" drama. 

Larry has had publicized issues with his last four head coaches: Joe Paterno, Dick Vermiel, Herm Edwards, and now Todd Haley.

Larry Sr. does great things with the defense, but it amazes me how a supposed leader of great men can have such an irresponsible and immature son.   And you can't help but wonder if failed leadership has any connection to the number of defensive lineman come and gone.

Nittany Lion fans are giddy in excitement over their team's post season chances...a shot at the National Championship.

While an easy non-conference schedule drew the ire of the talking heads, the Nittany Lions did what they needed to do through it, and were well positioned for conference play.

The Big 10 was "down" this year and didn't necessarily help the Nitt's reputation.  Their conference slate was highlighted by a huge road win at the conference's traditional power.  A place Penn State hadn't won in anyone's recent memory, if ever.

It had all the makings of a wonderful and historic season and had the kiddies at BSD sucking down kool-aid.  Then along came a trip to Iowa.  An inability to finish in the closing moments of the game sent the Lions home with a season killing defeat.

But a successful campaign was not completely hopeless...postseason triumph was still a possibilty.  Until the Trojans of USC rose to their feet.  They won...and we lost.

Thanks Iowa.  Thanks USC.  Its been fun.

`the scarier this game becomes.

They've posted field goal losses on the road to Illinois and Michigan State, a one-pointer at Pitt.  A home blow-out of Wisconsin.

The obvious is to say Penn State is better than Iowa.  PSU is #3, Iowa is nothing.  Greene isn't better than Beanie.  On and on....but I still can't shake the fact that Iowa just looks like one of those teams that wakes up and over performs against a team that, while better, has been known to come out a bit shy on the road.   I can't shake the fact that despite reason pointing to Penn State, college football so rarely follows reason and logic.

Penn State has lost their last 2 games in Iowa City.  Penn State has lost twice to Iowa in double overtime....both games Penn State was favored.
Anyone remember the magical 6-4 game?
I realize those invovled vastly different Penn State teams, but the eery feeling remains.

I realize I'm in the minority, and hopefully I've just got a Halloween hangover, but Kinnick Stadium has all the makings of a haunted house come Saturday.
 
I know this is the year of all years...the Michigan streak is no more, 30 years of futility at Ohio Statdium is a distant memory...

#1 Alabama at LSU, #2 Texas Tech vs. Ok State, #3 Penn State @ Iowa....
Someone is losing on Saturday, may it not be the Nitts.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081009/WDH0101/81009047/1981

The Badger band is back despite 'asinine, disgusting, and degrading behavior'.

This will drastically affect the format of the pre and post game ceremonies.  Yet despite what many believe, it will have zero affect as to how the game is played on the field.

Looks like a beautiful day of sunshine and fall temperatures in Madison on Saturday.  Anyone tailgating? 

BSD had better represent!

The daily appearance of black-outs at schools is increasingly annoying. 

Florida State started this thing a few years ago, and it was so flawed, I'm flabbergasted to actually see other schools trying to copy it.

There are two significant problems that make a black-out not nearly as breath taking as a white.

1.  White reflects light.  A White-out is simply going to look brighter and more spectacular because its white.  Same prinicple that keeps you from wearing a black shirt on a sunny day is the same for whether you should wear it under stadium lights.

2.   The majority of people who attend a college football game are white.  White on white works.  Black on white looks like black with a lot of tan skin mixed in.  It looks silly.  Big play...arms go up...black out goes away.  Camera angle from above...part black out, part caucasion out. 

Speaking of caucasion out...how cool would it be if a Florida school or Arizona State (or basically any school not in the MAC, Big East, or Big 10) did one of those?  College co-eds at their finest, all in honor of college football fandom.