BallHype - Latest Penn State Nittany Lions News Articles

Penn St. faces long wait for BCS fate (AP)

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:52:02 +0000

The Big Ten season is over and it's a long, long wait until Bowl Championship Series bids get doled out Dec. 6. The wait may be particularly stressful for No. 12 Penn State. The Nittany Lions (10-2, 6-2) closed out the regular season Saturday with a convincing 42-14 win at Michigan State. But now they risk falling off the football radar while teams from the SEC, Big 12, Big East and other...

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Going Bowlin': Where Are the Badgers Headed?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:44:43 +0000

With the Big Ten season ending on Saturday, most teams are looking ahead to possible bowl match-ups. Wisconsin still has to travel to Hawaii in two weeks, but they too can start to scout for their bowl game because their game against the Warriors shouldn't make a difference in what invitation they receive. With their loss to Northwestern on Saturday, Hawaii is pretty much a meaningless game. If they had beaten Northwestern, they would have had the opportunity to go for 10 wins and an outside shot at a BCS bowl, but that all went down the drain Saturday afternoon in Evanston. A pathetic defense and costly mistakes ended any hopes of that. After that game, my outlook on the Badgers is pretty gloomy. Their defense hasn't improved all year and although their offense is effective, it seems as though they sputter in clutch situations. However, at 8-3 they still have a chance to get a good bowl game, and a win against Hawaii would definitely help their confidence going into bowl season. With ...

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Clark helps No. 13 Penn State cruise (AP)

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:32:01 +0000

Daryll Clark passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns as No. 13 Penn State wrapped up its regular season with a 42-14 victory at Michigan State on Saturday. Clark moved into first place in the school's record book with 23 TD passes in a season and 42 in a career. Penn State (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) now must wait to learn of its postseason destination.

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Lions blow out Spartans

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:25:42 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich.(AP) Daryll Clark passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns as No. 13 Penn State wrapped up its regular season with a 42-14 victory at Michigan State on Saturday.

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Sims' 3 Lifts Tulane Past Penn State 63-60

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:20:33 +0000

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Tulane's Kevin Sims made a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 19 seconds to play and the Green Wave held on to beat Penn State 63-60 Friday in the second round of the Charleston Classic at Carolina First Arena.

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Beat my grandma: Week 12 college football picks

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:32:23 +0000

Dave Curtis The Week 12 slate for Grams looks curious because of who didn't make the cut. No Florida, Alabama or Texas. No Ohio State-Michigan. No forecast on the future of Notre Done (more on this later). Go ahead and insert an "every week is a playoff" joke here. With the top 10 on furlough from national prominence, Grams considered a bye week here in November. "Got to rest up for Thanksgiving," she said. Don't despair, Grams. Somehow, five compelling contests emerged. Penn State looks to upgrade its Florida bowl trip (Orange trumps Capital One). Bill Snyder goes championship-hunting in Lincoln. The Big Game is, well, a big game. Here are the big five, straight up: No. 13 Penn State at Michigan State, 3:30 p.m., ABC The Skinny: As Grams gains steam down the stretch (that 1-4 week looks like an aberration), she's thinking JoePa and his boys might be losing it. "A couple of times, I picked them and ...

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Hayes' Week 12 picks: Ohio State dominance over Michigan will continue

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:54:51 +0000

Sporting News' Matt Hayes picks the 10 best games of the weekend and throws in his upset pick of the week as a bonus. Ohio State 27, Michigan 14: This will be another Buckeyes-Wolverines game in the mold of yesteryear: Neither team can throw the ball, and one team plays better defense. Iowa 20, Minnesota 10: Iowa has gone from the national championship conversation to Capital One Bowl talk in three weeks. A win would significantly improve Iowa's BCS hopes. North Carolina 24, Boston College 23: Imagine what could have been for UNC if not for two horrible home losses to Virginia and FSU. The Heels would be playing for an at-large BCS bowl spot. Oklahoma 31, Texas Tech 28: This matchup is a microcosm of the crazy season in the Big 12: Two teams with a handful of odd losses are scrambling for eight-win regular seasons. Notre Dame 31, UConn 28: These are two teams with too many off-field distractions, but one offense is more balanced than the other. LSU 19, Mississippi 16: The ...

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Bowl destinies on the line for Penn St, Mich St.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:31:03 +0000

The Rose Bowl is out of reach for Penn State and Michigan State.

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UNC-Wilmington defeats Penn State 80-69 (AP)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:12:46 +0000

Chad Tomko scored 21 points and North Carolina-Wilmington made 10 of 16 3-point shots to knock off Penn State 80-69 on Thursday. The Seahawks (2-1) held the Nittany Lions to 32.3 percent from the field (21-for-65) in the first round of the Charleston Classic. Penn State (2-1) got 29 points from Talor Battle, who made 11 of 12 free throws.

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UNC-Wilmington Knocks Off Penn State 80-69

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:10:28 +0000

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Chad Tomko scored 21 points and North Carolina-Wilmington made 10 of 16 3-point shots to knock off Penn State 80-69 on Thursday.

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New Penn St. tix plan to account for seat location

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:16:03 +0000

Penn State plans to adjust its season-ticket pricing guidelines in 2011 to account for where people sit in Beaver Stadium.

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Big Ten Picks and Predictions Week 12

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Well, this is it folks, the last week of the Big Ten Football season. It just seemed like a few weeks ago we started the 2009 season and now it's over before Thanksgiving. The big hopes we had of a Michigan turnaround, Illinois re-gaining it's form, MSU playing Big Ten spoiler and Penn State dominance didn't really come to pass. Ohio State again is the Big Ten Champion with steady play and a dominating defense. Iowa stepped up for awhile but we all sort of knew it wouldn't last. The good thing is the Big Ten won't be in the National Championship game this year. The good news is The Big Ten probably has the best basketball conference this year. Sorry ACC it's true! Now on to the Picks... The Big Ten Game of the Week (will be previewed on Friday) Minnesota at Iowa : Iowa played very well last week in the Shoe but came up a couple of plays short it overtime. Minnesota is a team that plays well at home put not so good on the road. Iowa is a little mad since they were on ...

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Penn State to tweak Beaver Stadium ticket plan

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:46:19 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Penn State plans to adjust its season-ticket pricing guidelines in 2011 to account for where people sit in Beaver Stadium.

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Penn State to adjust season-ticket pricing guidelines at Beaver Stadium

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:48:46 +0000

Penn State plans to adjust its season-ticket pricing guidelines in 2011 to account for where people sit in Beaver Stadium.

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Is the Big Ten Headed for Bowl Game Disaster Again?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:56:56 +0000

Bowl Season used to bring joy to the Big Ten. Now it brings a bottle of Jack Daniel's to make fans forget the pain and agony of the used-to-be powerhouse conference and its futility in the postseason. It seems like a long time since Ohio State won the National Championship in 2002. Since then the Buckeyes (2003, 2005) and Penn State (2005) are the only Big Ten Schools to win a BCS Bowl. Last year Iowa's 31-10 win over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl marked the only Big Ten victory in the postseason. Outside of that, No. 10 Ohio State lost to No. 3 Texas 24-21 in the Fiesta Bowl. No. 8 Penn State lost to No. 5 USC 38-24 in the Rose Bowl. No. 18 Michigan State lost to No. 15 Georgia 24-12 in the Capitol One Bowl. Kansas defeated Minnesota 42-21 (Insight Bowl), No. 23 Northwestern lost 30-23 to No. 21 Missouri (Alamo Bowl) and Wisconsin lost 42-13 to Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl). It can't get any worse this year, can it? Let's take a look at where the Big Ten sits in current CBS Sports bowl ...

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Big Ten Football '09: Week 12 Preview

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:01:57 +0000

The Big Ten can make the case for being the most exciting conference in college football. Every team in the conference still had the potential to be bowl eligible going into last week's games. Ohio State and Iowa lived up to it's billing as "the Clash of the Titans," being decided on a field goal in overtime. As long as Ohio State wins out, they've clinched a trip to the Rose Bowl. Penn State and Wisconsin continued to roll, and Indiana, Purdue and Michigan were knocked from bowl contention. This week several teams are jockeying for bowl position, rather than eligibility. Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5), (3-4) @ No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2), (5-2) 12:00 ESPN The Gophers should not even be bowl eligible. I don't think a win over a team named the Jackrabbits should qualify, but I don't have a say in the matter. Iowa will have a hard time getting up for this game, and it will be closer than expected. Gophers 20, Hawkeyes 24 No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2), (6-1) @ Michigan ...

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Five bowl matchups we'd like to see

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:12:12 +0000

Sun and Holiday Bowl selectors are salivating over the prospect of USC winding up in their games. Cincinnati appears on the verge of a perfect season … or the Meineke Car Care Bowl? And Notre Dame, whose tradition and following still are attractive, finds itself fighting to make the Gator Bowl. "It's important from our perspective for Notre Dame to excel in its last two games," Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett told Sporting News on Monday. As the bowl schedule starts to shake out, a bunch of intriguing placements and match-ups are emerging. This week's top five, based on SN Today's bowl projections: 1. Outback: Penn State vs. Tennessee The skinny: Two great defenses stocked with future pros and top coordinators in Tennessee's Monte Kiffin and Penn State's Tom Bradley. But Joe Paterno vs. Lane Kiffin might break the ratings meter. College football's bookends—the nation's oldest coach vs. the nation's youngest—would highlight the postseason. 2. ...

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Ohio St. ends key stretch vs. Michigan (AP)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:41:56 +0000

Ohio State had to beat Penn State to stay in the Big Ten race. The next week the Buckeyes needed to beat Iowa to win the conference and go to the Rose Bowl. With those missions accomplished the last two weeks, the ninth-ranked Buckeyes now face another big game against archrival Michigan on Saturday. What's on the line for Ohio State this week?

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Conference Call: Ohio State is Big Ten's best -- again

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:49:40 +0000

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 5. Big Ten 1. Ohio State 2. Iowa 3. Wisconsin 4. Penn State 5. Michigan State 6. Northwestern 7. Minnesota 8. Purdue 9. Illinois 10. Michigan 11. Indiana Rising Ohio State: Keep the pace, keep the faith. Last month, 'Bucks lost to Purdue. Four weeks later, they're Big Ten champs. Again. Falling Michigan: Defense has collapsed since 4-0 start: three losses by 10 points—where defense gave up 94 points—is the difference between no postseason and holidays in Florida. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com .

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Va. Tech, Cincy to play at FedEx in 2012 (AP)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:28:39 +0000

Virginia Tech has secured yet another game in the D.C. suburbs, agreeing to play Cincinnati at the Washington Redskins stadium in 2012. The game will mark the Hokies' third trip to FedEx Field, following a meeting with Southern California in 2004 and a matchup with Boise State next year. The stadium will also host Penn State vs.

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Indiana's Chance at Bowl Game Gone with Latest Loss

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:20:51 +0000

This isn't the first time the Hoosiers have dominated in the first half, only to let the opposing team come back and win. Yet, it is just as hard to take. Only one year removed from a 3-9 season, filled with injuries, lack of leadership, and terrible defense, the Hoosiers are now 4-7 and dangerously close to finishing two seasons in a row with no wins in their final five games. This year's Hoosiers are certainly better than last years team, yet they still can't find a way to finish games. If any song could define the Hoosiers season, it would be "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations. The Hoosiers start off so well and build us up in excitement, that maybe they will win. But then they just let us down in the rest of the game. In their last four games, the Hoosiers have started off with a bang, scoring at least a touchdown in their first possession, and sometimes going up 10 to 14 points. But every time, the Hoosiers would let the opponent get back in the game and would end up ...

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Big Ten Basketball Preview '09-'10

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:41:18 +0000

The Big Ten confernces is one of the strongest in the nation, besides the ACC. The Big Ten comes in with six teams ranked in the Preasons AP Division 1 Top Twenty-Five Poll. With Michigan State ranked second in the nation they are looking to come out strong and win a Conference title and go back to Final Four for the second year in a row. One team not in the polls was 2009 NIT champions Penn State Nittny Lions. Going to the bottom of the list the Hoosiers of Indiana are looking to get to double digits wins in the '09-'10 season. Begin Slideshow

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Week 11 Sporting News Top 25 college football poll

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:26:02 +0000

Sporting News Team Record Pvs 1. Alabama 10-0 3 2. Florida 10-0 1 3. TCU 10-0 4 4. Texas 10-0 2 5. Cincinnati 10-0 5 6. Boise State 10-0 6 7. Georgia Tech 10-1 7 8. Pitt 9-1 11 9. LSU 8-2 8 10. Oregon 8-2 12 11. Ohio State 9-2 ...

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Big Ten: Penn State struggles but prevails

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:50:00 +0000

Bowman's interception return for a touchdown sparks the Nittany Lions to a 31-20 win over Indiana. > Bowman's interception return for a touchdown sparks the Nittany Lions to a 31-20 win over Indiana.

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No. 19 Penn St. holds off Indiana 31-20 (AP)

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:50:06 +0000

Penn State nearly made Senior Day one to forget for its seniors. Linebacker Navorro Bowman had a momentum-turning 73-yard interception return for a touchdown, Evan Royster scored twice and the sloppy Nittany Lions overcame four first-half turnovers -- including two fumbles on special teams -- to defeat Indiana 31-20 on Saturday.

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No. 19 Penn St. holds off Indiana, 31-20

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:47:06 +0000

Penn State nearly made Senior Day one to forget for its seniors.

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No. 19 Penn State overcomes mistakes, Indiana

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:37:33 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.(AP) Linebacker Navorro Bowman had a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown and Evan Royster scored twice as No. 19 Penn State overcame four first-half turnovers to beat Indiana 31-20 on Saturday.

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No. 18 Penn State survives battle with Indiana

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:34:51 +0000

Linebacker Navorro Bowman had a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown and Evan Royster scored twice as Penn State overcame four first-half turnovers to beat Indiana 31-20 on Saturday.

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Big Ten Week 11 Preview and Predicitions

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Isn't it strange how the Big Ten conference implodes around Ohio State each year? Purdue beats OSU early in the year and opens the door to Penn State and Iowa. Penn State gets beat by Ohio State last week, and this week Iowa travels to Columbus to get similar treatment without its starting QB. Fun stuff! At least Ohio State will get to see what a Rose Bowl is like. The Big Ten Championship Game Iowa at Ohio State This game was much more interesting before Ricky Stanzi went down last week. Now it might as well be Ohio State playing Northwestern. The only way Iowa has a chance in this game is for their defense to create turnovers and points like they did when they traveled to Penn State. The line is huge in this one, and I think Vegas has it right—Iowa is getting 17 points. Iowa 10 OSU 31 Indiana at Penn State Penn State lost a chance at the Rose Bowl last week with their home loss to the Buckeyes. Indiana, which has played well in spurts this year, is going ...

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Pryor says Ohio State must avoid letdown (AP)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:02:38 +0000

Terrelle Pryor has a warning for his Ohio State teammates: Forget last week and take Iowa seriously. Pryor said Wednesday night that the 10th-ranked Buckeyes must be careful not to follow last week's big victory over Penn State with a letdown in the winner-take-all Rose Bowl battle against No. 15 Iowa on Saturday.

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Fearless Predictions: Week 11

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:43:35 +0000

Ohio St. blasted Penn St., and Iowa is up next. In his Fearless Predictions, Petros Papadakis says the Bucks control their Big Ten fate.

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Sports shorts

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:34:15 +0000

NFL: Steelers mum on L.J. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn't saying if the team has any interest in Larry Johnson, the former Penn State running back who was released Monday by the Chiefs and reportedly cleared waivers to become a free agent. * A f...

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Big 10 Power Rankings (Week 11) Part One: The Good

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:18:00 +0000

As promised, here are my Power Rankings for the future Heartland/Midwestern 12. There has been a lot of movement since I last did this a few weeks ago, especially in the case of Purdue (upwards), and Michigan (free fallin'). 1. Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) That's right, the Buckeyes are back on top. Most of their wins have been dominant this year. The three exceptions? A squeaker with Navy to open the season, which doesn't look so bad now that the Midshipmen are 7-2, and just beat Notre Dame, that awful loss to Southern Cal, which showcased Ohio State's weaknesses (conservative coaching in the Red Zone, underachieving offense), and the fluky upset against Purdue on the road, where Pryor just had an awful game. Since then, the Bucks have reeled off comfortable wins against Minnesota, New Mexico State, and a ranked Penn State squad. Also, their defense continues to excel, holding Daryll Clark and Penn State to a mere seven points. They play in their second consecutive huge game this ...

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One More Victory and Sparty Goes Bowling

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:58:20 +0000

As the college football season (sadly) concludes in less than two weeks, many programs are doing their best to differentiate themselves from everybody else. Some are leaving starters in longer to accumulate bigger scoring margins, while some are trying to gain some style points-just to get to play in the biggest bowl games in the land. Some teams, like the Michigan State Spartans (5-5), are just trying to get to a bowl game in general. That is what this season has come down to for the team with a .500 record. With two games remaining, the Spartans have to win at least one to become bowl eligible. Pretty simple, right? Well, yeah. The task is right there in front of them, but it is definitely easier said than done. Michigan State travels to Purdue this Saturday to get their first chance at accomplishing their goal. Purdue just defeated Michigan in Ann Arbor for the first time in over 40 years, and the Boilermakers also beat Ohio State earlier in the season. The team ...

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Conference call: Ohio State back on top of Big Ten

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 22:15:59 +0000

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 5. Big Ten 1. Ohio State 2. Iowa 3. Wisconsin 4. Penn State 5. Northwestern 6. Minnesota 7. Michigan State 8. Purdue 9. Illinois 10. Indiana 11. Michigan Rising Ohio State: Uncertain, drama-filled season ends like it usually does: with Buckeyes controlling their destiny in Big Ten race. Falling Penn State: Go down the schedule and find a marquee win for the Nittany Lions this fall. The best so far: Northwestern. Yet somehow, this team will win 10 games. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com .

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The Decade's Most Overrated College Football Programs

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 19:11:50 +0000

We are less than two months away from the dawn of a new decade. The past ten years have brought to our attention a new outlook on life. The Southeastern Conference is as dominant as ever while the Big Ten continues to buoy in mediocrity. We continue to reinforce the belief that preseason college football polls are worthless. Actually, any poll before October is practically useless. Also, if you can't win the big game, you are useless as well. Many schools are given respect based on their prestige from 10, 20, or sometimes even 30 years ago. That train of thought needs to go as well. Some of the most overrated college football programs have let everyone down this decade. Looking back on the decade that was, I see an entire flock of overrated football programs with nothing to show for since the Y2K bug scared the hell out of us. Begin Slideshow

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Penn State Football: The BCS Is Still Possible

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 19:05:37 +0000

I know, believe me, I know. You think I'm crazy. You think I'm delusional. You think I didn't take my meds today. But the fact is that Penn State, somehow, someway still has a shot at making a BCS bowl game. Do they deserve it? Absolutely not. They lost against the only two quality teams they've played at home and for much of those games they were dominated. Do I even want them to make a BCS bowl? No, I really don't. Despite the money and exposure it would be much more valuable to play in a lesser bowl against a more even opponent in order to build for next year. But can it still happen? Yes. Some things need to happen first but those things are not at all out of the realm of possibility. Let's break it down. Notre Dame losing to Navy was huge, they are out of the BCS picture. Cincinnati and Pitt play each other meaning one of them obviously has to lose. Penn State would be selected over a one loss Cincinnati or two loss Pitt team. Boise and TCU deserve to be there but the odds ...

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BCS-ing

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Turns out Boise State and the Western Athletic Conference could have waited a week and saved some money. Hiring that PR firm wasn't necessary as Iowa, Oregon, Penn State and Notre Dame all lost Saturday. Barring a major slip-up or a complete dis by the bowl...

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The kids are all right; it's the other stuff we're worried about

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 05:51:59 +0000

There is so much money flying around college football that sometimes we lose sight of what we're watching. We talk about how another bad officiating call loomed large in the LSU-Alabama game, or how Iowa's and Penn State's losses cost the Big Ten a second...

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No, Thanks: Seven Teams We'd Hate To See In BCS Bowls

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 23:51:17 +0000

We're less than a month away from selection Sunday, the monumental day where every team's bowl destination is decided. Another list of BCS standings has been released, and the bowl picture has become a little more clear. After the wacky upsets of Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State this weekend, it's clear that anything is possible in the BCS. Here are seven teams that might be able to capitalize on the continuing chaos and ride to a BCS bid. But the difference with these teams is, that's not something to be excited about. Take a look. Begin Slideshow

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Penn State's Offensive Line Needs to Improve

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 22:08:00 +0000

With no marquee wins to its name in 2009 thus far, Penn State fans can hardly go crazy about this season. The source of the team's problems can be found in its very weak offensive line. We knew that the offensive line was weak going into the year—Joe Paterno told us that he had worries about the line before a pass was even thrown. It's plain and simple, people. Ohio State destroyed the Nittany Lions' offensive line. We found more trouble against Iowa. But let's not get too upset, Penn State fans. We should see the Nittany Lions play in a January 1 bowl game this year. But after the losses against Ohio State and Iowa, it's hardly been a satisfying season. But then again, we did beat Michigan! That should make you feel better. Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

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