For starters, this marks the Wolverines first visit to Happy Valley since an entertaining 2010 game that saw Matt McGloin, making his first start for Penn State, throw for 250 yards and a touchdown, in a 41-31 win.  This year’s game will also mark the return of an annual meeting between two of the most storied programs in college football.  Starting in 2014, this game becomes a divisional matchup that will see the Nittany Lions and Wolverines meet annually, as it should be.

Brady Hoke is going to be tasked with replacing one of the most dynamic playmaker in Michigan football history, with Denard Robinson gone to the NFL.  Devin Gardner took over under center towards the end of last season, but the Michigan offense seemed to revolve almost exclusively around Denard at times.  On the line, they return Taylor Lewan, who was a likely top 10 pick at left tackle, along with Michael Schofield on the right side.  They will need the interior line to come together quickly, or a running game that already is a question mark becomes bigger.  Fitzgerald Toussaint’s return from injury, and the arrival of Derrick Green have Michigan fans optimistic, but there is much to prove.  So much of Michigan’s rushing attack revolved around the thread of Robinson, and they must now take the next step to more of a pro style running game.

So why does this game get top billing over, say, Ohio State?  For one, location.  We only get 7 or 8 football Saturdays in Happy Valley every year.  And anytime you get a program with the cachet of Michigan in your house, it’s special.  Add in the 5:00 start and homecoming weekend festivities, and you have the makings of a special Saturday.  This is also PSU’s first chance this season for that real signature win.  One of the biggest things I took away from the 2012 season was how well O’Brien and his staff got their players up for these big moments, especially with the lack of a post season.  Michigan’s visit will be their first big chance to show that in 2013.

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• DT Thomas Holley – The big tackle from Brooklyn is probably the biggest target left on the Lions’ big board, and with good reason.  He’s the top player in New York, one of the top 10 defensive tackles in the country, and top 100 players overall.  Holley is very high on Larry Johnson, and the Lions’ history of putting defensive lineman in the league will help as well.  But, no decision is imminent, and the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame also pursing Thomas hard, don’t count on anything here.
• DT Ricky Walker – Ricky is one of the top players in talent rich Virginia, and has Penn State firmly in his top 5-6 schools, along with Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Boston College, and Maryland.  Like Holley, Walker likely won’t be making a decision anytime soon.
• DT Derrick Nnadi – Derrick is another Virginia prospect, ranked by 247 as the 6th best player in the state.  Penn State is in good shape, but again goes up against heavy hitters like Ohio State, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State, who join the Lions among his favorites.  As with Holley and Walker, Larry Johnson will play a key role.
• DB Troy Vincent Jr. – PSU is still in very good shape with Troy, but he has made some additional visits to a number of southern schools (Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina) in the last few days. I am not reading too much into those visits, as PSU is still a strong leader according to everyone in the know.
• DB Montae Nicholson – The Gateway High School star could be one of the top players in the state this year.  If Thomas Holley isn’t the top player left on Penn State’s big board, it’s Montae.  He can play either safety or corner, although his size (6-3, 200 lbs) trends more towards safety.  The 247 Crystal Ball heavily favors Michigan, but this is another recruitment that is likely to go into the fall.
• DB Dravon Henry – Penn State has been in Dravon’s well known top 4, along with Ohio State, West Virgnia, and Pitt for quite some time.  The Aliquippa native was initially thought to be favoring the Panthers, as so many Aliquippa stars have, but has dropped hints he may not be the lock he was once thought to be.  Of all the players listed, Henry could be the most likely to end up in Happy Valley.

These are by no means the only players left on the Lions’ board, but with the available slots dwindling, the staff is going to be very picky about who they keep their offers open to.

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In a change form the Jim Tressel era, OSU’s offense will be the focus going into the season, and rightfully so.  The Buckeyes return arguably the most electrifying offensive player in the Big 10 in Heisman contending quarterback Braxton Miller.  He accounted for over 3,000 yards through the air and on the ground, and 28 total touchdowns last year.  Back as well is Carlos Hyde, who emerged as the Buckeye’s best running back during the 2012 season.  Philly Brown caught 60 passes last season, and returns at receiver along with big play threat Devin Smith.

On defense, Meyer needs to replace the entire starting defensive line, as well as 2 linebackers.  That task is not as daunting as it may sound, however, as the Buckeyes are very deep at both spots, and return plenty of experience.  The strength of the OSU defense is in the secondary, where they return 3 starters, including Bradley Roby, the top DB in the Big 10 in my opinion.

I am not going to lie about this game.  It scares the crap out of me.  While Penn State has had better success in Columbus over the past 5 years, The Horseshoe has still been a house of horrors for the Nittany Lions more often than not.  This year’s game kicks off under the lights, and they are facing one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation, and what I feel is a very underrated defense.  Irregardless, this will always be one of the biggest games on the PSU schedule, and one certainly worth looking forward to.

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Nebraska, along with Michigan, should be favored to represent the Legends division in the Big Ten championship game for the second straight season. Last year Nebraska was blitzed by Wisconsin in Indianapolis and eventually lost to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. The Cornhuskers return a lot on offense including one of the most explosive dual threat quarterbacks in the country in Taylor Martinez, as well as a solid group of running backs and receivers.

However, it’s that “Blackshirt” Nebraska defense that will be under close watch throughout the whole season. Nebraska gave up 26.2 points per game last season, which ranked in the bottom part of the conference. That included giving up 36 points to UCLA, 63 to Ohio State, 45 to Georgia and 70 to Wisconsin in the aforementioned Big Ten title game.

With this being Penn State’s second to last game of season, hopefully whoever the quarterback is will have a good handle on the offense. I see a high scoring and exciting game here due to the fact that both teams have a plethora of offensive weapons and some question marks on defense. A lot can change over the course of the season before these teams meet and hopefully the third time is the charm for Penn State against Nebraska.

2013′s encounter with Bucky will almost certainly fall short of the 2012 version, but most anything would.  However, on a schedule with plenty of intrigue, the season ending contest in Madison provides plenty of intrigue.

Gone, of course, is Bielema, who bolted for Arkansas and the SEC over the off season.  In, is former Utah State head man Gary Andersen.  Also moving on is one of the best college running backs in recent memory, Montee Ball, who parlayed his outstanding collegiate career into a 2nd round NFL Draft selection to Denver.  Gone too, is Danny O’Brien, one time hotshot transfer quarterback, who lost his starting role early in the 2012 season, and never regained it.  At running back, James White figures to take over as the #1 option running the ball, but there are plenty of questions surrounding the quarterback spot.  If we learned anything last year, it might be that whoever is under center when PSU visits Camp Randall, may very well not be who was there to start the season.

This also marks the end of PSU and Wisconsin’s brief season ending rivalry game, with the Big 10 divisions realigning in 2014. Even with new faces on the Wisconsin sideline, this still figures to be a great, physical, late winter game.  It will also mark the halfway point of the Lions’ post season ban, and Bill O’Brien figures to have his squad ready to leave everything on the field once again.  Sounds like a recipe for great football to me.

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Since 2004, Penn State has signed the following blue chip caliber quarterbacks: Anthony Morelli (2004), Pat Devlin (2006), Kevin Newsome (2009), Rob Bolden (2010), and Paul Jones (2010).  All of those players had at least 4 stars, but in the time all 5 were on campus, it was unheralded Daryll Clark (3 stars) and walk-on Matt McGloin, who had the most successful tenures.  In fact, Morelli was the only player in that time frame to even finish his career at Penn State.  Devlin, Newsome, Bolden, and Jones all transferred out of the program.

It is not just at Penn State where elite quarterbacks seem to struggle.  All it take is a quick look through the careers of Elite 11 Finalists to see the best prep QBs often are MORE likely to struggle when they take the step to college.  In just 2005, Mitch Mustain, Kevin Riley, Jevan Snead, Neil Caudle, Zach Frazier, Cody Hawkins, Juice Williams, and Devin were all named finalists at the Elite 11 camp.  Riley’s 2007 Armed Forces Bowl MVP could be the highlight of those Division 1 collegiate careers.  Sure, Tim Tebow, Matthew Stafford, and Jake Locker rounded out that Elite 11 class, but were of course in the minority for collegiate success.

I don’t write this to rain on Penn State’s recruiting parade.  O’Brien and his staff, notably Fisher, should be commended for bringing in the type of talent they have in just 17 months on the job.  But before crowning any of these young men the next great PSU quarterback, just remember, PSU entered 2010 with Newsome, Bolden, and Jones on the roster.  By the end of the season, Matt McGloin was the starter.

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On the field, this one would not appear to be that interesting.  The wise guys in Vegas have already made PSU a 19 point favorite, after all.  But with the drama of 2012 still fresh in everyone’s mind, Beckman’s first (and last?) trip to State College since then will surely generate plenty of discussion among Penn State fans.

As for the Illini team, the good news is they return 9 starters on offense, and bring in new offensive coordinator Bill Cubit.  The bad news is those 9 starters came from a unit that ranked last in the Big 10 on offense.  On defense, the strength of last year’s team was on the line, but they will be replacing 3 starters there this fall.  Perhaps the biggest worry for Beckman’s team was a total lack of discipline or emotion displayed.  In practically every chance to make a statement or salvage a season quickly spiraling out of control, the Illini came out flat.  The big question will be can this team rally around their staff, or will they again fall short, and perhaps send Beckman packing after just 2 seasons.

By the time they arrive in State College in early November, those questions will likely have been answered.  But you can be sure that this one is circled on the calendar of many Penn Staters.

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#PennState picks up quarterback commit from #ESPN150 QB Michael O’Connor (@thetrueqb): es.pn/13szPTS

— Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) June 8, 2013

O’Connor’s commitment gives PSU one of the top pro style quarterbacks in the country for the second straight year, along with 2013 prospect Christian Hackenberg.

O’Connor picked up an offer from Penn State in early April, becoming Penn State’s top target at the quarterback position.  At the time, he would have become the Lions’ 4th scholarship quarterback on the roster,  a luxury a team with 65 scholarships probably could not afford.  But just a few weeks later, PSU was put in a tough spot with Bench’s transfer, and landing a quarterback in 2014 became a top priority.

O’Connor picked Penn State over Mississippi State, Michigan State, Rutgers,, Missouri, and Vanderbilt.  247 ranks him as the 12th best pro style QB in the counry, with 4 stars.  He is expected to enroll in January, participate in spring practice, and perhaps push Hackenberg and Tyler Ferguson for the starting job in 2014, but at the very least, provide additional scholarship depth at the most important spot on the field.

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MATT DE BEAR – VBR LEAD EDITOR

Mr. O’Connor has been an intriguing story since early this spring, when he earned an offer from Bill O’Brien and Penn State.  At the time, it seemed a tad odd that PSU would be offering a quarterback, given the scholarship restrictions, and depth situation.  However, by mid April, Michael had his offer from the Nittany Lions, and it seemed pretty obvious BOB wanted a quarterback in this class.  However, when Steven Bench opted to transfer to South Florida, it became almost a requirement to land a QB in 2014.

From the time that O’Connor got his offer from PSU, it was obvious he was the staff’s top choice.  From all indications, the IMG Academy signal caller is favoring the Nittany Lions, and I fully expect him to pick Penn State later today.  O’Connor is a very refined QB, having worked with Heisman winner Chris Weinke, and upon his arrival in State College in January of 2014, I expect him to push both Tyler Ferguson and Christian Hackenberg for the starting job.  Perhaps more importantly, Bill O’Brien has again shown he can attract one of the top signal callers in the country.

TIM TOLLEY- FANSIDED RECRUITING EDITOR

Before Steven Bench transferred, fans were a little skeptical about bringing on another scholarship quarterback. Now, the idea of not adding a quarterback seems borderline scary. Fortunately for Penn State, Bill O’Brien has quickly developed a reputation among QBs and that has him in good shape with Michael O’Connor. The buzz about O’Connor for some time has been that Penn State is in the lead and will become a Nittany Lion. In fact, I used my first prediction on the 247Sports Crystal Ball to predict that O’Connor will commit to Penn State.

O’Connor will add immediate depth to an already strong Penn State quarterback unit. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m concerned a little about his ceiling and upside. However, it’s hard to imagine a quarterback not getting better under the coaching of Bill O’Brien.

COREY HUNTERY-VBR STAFF WRITER

The Bill O’Brien era at Penn State has been filled with many surprises, both good and bad, but mainly good!  Saturday be another one of those “good” surprises.  One of the nation’s top prep quarterbacks, Michael O’Connor from the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, is set to make his much-anticipated college decision.

O’Connor, the #3-ranked pocket passer in ESPN’s top-150, has a strong arm and the vision to be able to hit his target anywhere on the field.  If O’Connor chooses Penn State, coach O’Brien will add another top-level passer to his ever-growing arsenal.  It is believed that due to scholarship reductions for the next 2 years, Penn State would not be actively recruiting a quarterback in the 2014 class with the recent additions of in-coming freshman phenom Christian Hackenberg and sophomore JUCO transfer Tyler Ferguson.  Penn State also has a compliment of run-on quarterbacks in DJ Crook and Austin Whipple.  However, the unexpected springtime departure of Steven Bench, who was not only Matt McGloin’s backup last year, but also an heir-apparent for the starting position entering 2013, has left the Nittany Lions with a void at one of the most important positions on the field.

While the cupboard may look full at the quarterback position for Penn State, a deeper inspection shows that while there are many bodies for the position, most have little game experience and none of the quarterbacks on the current roster have ever played a game at the Division 1 level.  Coach O’Brien was forced to address the issue, and while many recruiting analysts have indicated that he will hold a scholarship for O’Connor if he chooses Penn State, the lack of developed talent and depth at the quarterback position has become even more pressing issue.  Having a quarterback with the pedigree and overall skills that O’Connor possesses would be a huge plus for the Nittany Lions, which makes Saturday’s decision by O’Connor even more important for the Lions.

Penn State is in good shape to land O’Connor who has also received scholarship offers from schools like Mississippi State, Michigan State, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, and Syracuse, just to name a few.

I will not be shocked, if Penn State and coach O’Brien are able to pull off this minor coup and pull a player, especially one with the skill level that O’Connor clearly possesses, out of the South.  I look for O’Connor, who has a strong relationship with PSU quarterback coach Charlie Fisher, to deliver some good news to Happy Valley on Saturday and pick the Nittany Lions over the multitude of “also-rans”.

ERIC SION-VBR STAFF WRITER

As many others have pointed out leading up to O’Connor’s decision, Penn State appears to be in good shape to land the four-star quarterback. I don’t see him committing to Vanderbilt, Rutgers or Michigan State because those schools already have quarterbacks in their 2014 class. O’Connor is also considering Mississippi State and Missouri. Even though those two schools reside in the country’s toughest conference, they’re two places where O’Connor could probably get playing time early in his college career. With all that being said, my gut tells me that Penn State will be O’Connor’s choice. Everyone knows what Bill O’Brien and Charlie Fisher are capable of in terms of working with and developing quarterbacks. And even though O’Connor would take a back seat to Christian Hackenberg for a couple years, the logical choice for him would be Penn State.

This will be Syracuse’s first game as a member of the ACC and it will also revive a long-time rivalry that has been on a four-year hiatus. Penn State’s all-time record against Syracuse is 42-23-5. The last meeting between the two schools was on Sept. 12, 2009, where Penn State won 28-7. Obviously both football programs have been through some big changes since that last meeting.

Scott Shafer is entering his first season as Syracuse’s head coach after spending the previous four seasons as the Orange’s defensive coordinator. He inherits a team that went 8-5 in 2012 and beat West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl. Syracuse returns five starters on offense and six on defense. Penn State certainly has an advantage in terms of talent and it will be interesting to see what kind of a feel Shafer has for his team in week one. For the Nittany Lions, the obvious thing to watch in this game will be how the new quarterback, whether it’s Tyler Ferguson or Christian Hackenberg, fares in his first collegiate start.

The 2013 football season at MetLife Stadium starts with Penn State-Syracuse on August 31, 2013 and it ends with Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014. Even though this probably won’t be the most exciting or entertaining game on Penn State’s schedule, the experience of the game being at MetLife will certainly be a fun one.

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Olaniyan was a star at his high school in Warren, Michigan. His performances garnered praise from across the nation, as well as scholarship offers from some of the NCAA’s top programs. He turned down schools such Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Big Ten rivals Michigan in order to come play in Happy Valley.

After redshirting his first season on campus, Olaniyan seldom saw the field in 2011. He was awarded the starting job opposite Barnes in 2012 by now departed defensive coordinator Ted Roof. While he showed flashes of the raw talent that led Rivals.com to rank him the 14th best defensive end in the 2009 class, Olaniyan often struggled to make simple reads, a flaw that led to his playing time being severely cut toward the end of the season. With a full season under his belt and the starting job secured, he can now focus on polishing off an already impressive repertoire of moves, as well as improve the mental aspect of his game.

The emergence of Barnes as an elite college defensive end can only be seen as a positive for Olaniyan. Offensive lines will be forced to shift there attention Barnes’ way, allowing Olaniyan to face one-on-one blocking for the majority of the season. This should allow him to exhibit the quickness and athleticism that made him such coveted recruit.

Another factor helping C.J. to progress is the level of competition he faces day in and day out in practice. Olaniyan often works against starting left tackle Donovan Smith, himself a highly sought after recruit and a guy considered by many to be Penn State’s best pass blocker. The ability to face one of the Big Ten’s best tackles on a consistent basis will likely prove huge in preparing for what should be an impressive year for Olaniyan. The pieces are in place, and the ability is there, expect Olaniyan to play a big role on what will likely be one of the Big Ten’s top defenses.

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For one, Minnesota is a program improving steadily under now 3rd year coach Jerry Kill.  Last year saw the Gophers in a bowl game for the first time since 2009, and they nearly sprung a huge upset, falling 34-31 to Texas Tech.  Other than quarterback turned wide receiver MarQueise Gray, and fullback John Rabe, the Gophers return everyone on offense, including all 5 members of what was a pretty good offensive line.  For me, the key to the Gophers was getting Philip Nelson in at quarterback, and getting him comfortable.  To have success, however, they will need to improve on a passing game that was in bottom quarter of FBS, and an offense that only topped 17 points twice in their final 10 games.

On the defensive side, Minnesota loses two leaders at linebacker in Mike Rallis and Keanon Cooper, along with experienced defensive backs Michael Carter and Troy Stoudermire.  The defense was of course the strength of last years team, and will need to step up in 2013, along with an improved offense.

Now why does this rank where it does?  The road game factors in highly, as anytime you are away from home, it’s more of a challenge.  Minnesota is also a program on the rise, and a win over Penn State, regardless of any sanctions, would be huge for the program.  In short, you now you’re going to get Coach Kill’s squads absolute best.  From a Penn State perspective, this is one of those “must have” games if you want to have a successful season.  There is of course no bowl game on the line, but this is one that PSU should still expect to win, but not one that gets written in as a W in early June.

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It’s nice to get a look at Bell, who may be forced into action a little earlier than the coaches may like. With depth being what it is, Bell may appear on the two-deep at middle linebacker at some point this fall.

Enjoy!

• Troy Vincent Jr. has been the name Penn State fans have been expecting to commit next.  That could very well be the case, but another name we’ve featured prominently the last two weeks, QB Michael O’Connor, could be nearing a decision by the end of this week, according to Cory James from 247:
  

  Hearing QB Michael O’Connor will announce within the next 2 weeks. June 8th sounding likely. He will enroll in January at his choice school

  — Cory James (@CoryJames247) June 1, 2013

  The popular opinion has O’Connor choosing the Lions, primarily over Vanderbilt.  In any case, this one should be decided in the next week or so.

• I mentioned Beh committing at PSU’s 1 day camp on Saturday.  There was some other big news as well though, as O’Brien offered arguably the top CB in the Class of 2015, Jersey City, NJ’s Minkah Fitzpatrick.  He told Audrey Snyder from PennLive.com that he came away impressed with both the staff, as well as the Penn State program and campus.  It will be quite some time before any top programs are named, but at least early on, one of the best players in next year’s class is quite impressed with Penn State.
• It has become more apparent that Penn State will find a way to take the full allotment of 15 scholarships allowed.  How they get there will be interesting, as they need to of course stay at 65 scholarships on the roster as well.  Beh gave PSU 10 commitments for the class that will sign in February of 2014.  Should O’Connor and Vincent join up as well, I would expect things to slow down for the balance of the summer, and PSU to be very judicious in those final spots.

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The George O’Leary-Bill O’Brien relationship will likely get a lot of play in the days leading up to this game, and with good reason.  O’Leary is the one guy BOB brings up more than anyone else when talking about mentors and guys he credits for getting him to where he is now.  On top of that, this is very likely going to be the program the Lions face in Ireland to kickoff the 2014 season.

On the field, this should be an intriguing matchup.  UCF won 10 games a year ago, and will be returning rising sophomore QB Blake Bortles, who threw for over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns a year ago, along with top receivers J.J. Worden, Rannell Hall, and Jeff Godrey.  That passing attack will be a strong test for a rather green PSU secondary.  The Knights defense, which was their strong point in 2012, will be tested after losing 5 starters, including 2 defensive backs, and 2 linebackers.

This could also be a key early season recruiting weekend as well.  I would expect a good crowd, and a great atmosphere with the start time, and that is of course something the staff will want to expose as many recruits to as possible.

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Looking at Beh’s size, (6’5″, 245 lbs.) might make you scratch your head a little bit, wondering if he will have the size to compete in the Big 10.  Before you panic, however, keep in mind not only has Beh played both sides of the ball throughout his high school career (some schools even preferred him on the defensive line), but he also does not have the benefit of a full time strength and conditioning program.  You can bet the second his letter of intent comes through the fax machine in February, Coach Fitzgerald will already have a plan in place to begin adding size and strength to Beh’s frame.

Beh becomes the 10th commitment for the Class of 2014, and the first lineman on either side of the ball.  Barring any surprises, Noah could likely be the only offensive line recruit in this class.  With the 65 scholarship limit, and an OK depth chart on the line, it’s hard to see O’Brien bringing in another lineman, unless it’s a big time prospect.

Welcome to Penn State, Noah!

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Staying on the offensive line, 3-star prospect Alex Bookser trimmed his list to 8 schools, including Penn State.  Joining the Lions are Pitt, Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, MSU,  and Northwestern.  Bookser is WR commit Troy Apke’s teammate at Mt. Lebanon, but BWI’s Ryan Snyder doesn’t think that will play much of a role.  What could play a part, however, is one Mark Emmert:

Been saying for awhile now that Apke isn’t going to play a major role here. Sanctions will hurt PSU w/ Bookser. Been saying that for months

— Ryan Snyder (@BWISnyder) May 31, 2013

More the point, however, could be the dwindling number of scholarships available for the 2014 class.  Beh would make 10, while possible commitments from Troy Vincent Jr. and Michael O’Connor, both of whom appear to favor PSU, and will likely make decisions sometime in June, would push that number to 12.  PSU’s magic number appears to be the maximum 15 allowed by “you know who”, and it seems unlikely that O’Brien and the staff would use all of those spots this early in the process.

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• With Bell and Ball gone, I was more than a little curious to see who earned the top spot.  I was also surprised to see him go with the Badgers.  Sure, James White is a very talented player, but he’s never carried the ball more than 156 times, and that was in 2010 as a true freshman.  I probably would have gone with his #2 team, Northwestern.  They return Venric Mark, who with over 1,300 yards a year ago, is the top returning back among Big 10 teams.  They also have depth guys like Mike Trumby, Malin Jones, and Treyvon Green.
• What in the world is he doing putting Ohio State at #3? Yes, Braxton Miller is an incredible ball carrier.  Braxton Miller is also a quarterback.  Carlos Hyde is a big, powerful back, who had 970 yards last season,. Behind him, however, there is a lot of talent, but not much production.  Guys like Jordan Hall and Rod Smith could have a big year, but they haven’t exactly done much to make me think they’re the 3rd best unit in the league.
• Perhaps more ridiculous is Michigan at #5.  Now the ranking may make sense, but ahead of Penn State, who returns a 1,000 yard rusher? Fitz Toussaint is a very talented guy, going for over 1,000 yards himself in 2011, but he’s also coming off a broken leg.  Michigan also won’t have some guy named Denard in the backfield this fall.  You’re fooling yourself if you don’t think that helped guys like Toussaint.  Behind him? Freshman Derrick Green may very well be the starter this fall, he’s that good.  But he’s also taken as many snaps at the collegiate level as I have.
• Speaking of teams that utilize a rushing QB, Nebraska should be better than #4, but I don’t know if you can put them there.  I’m a big fan of Ameer Abdullah, who racked up 1,137 yards last year, becoming the de facto starter with Rex Burkehead’s lingering injuries.  A guy like Taylor Martinez should help open more holes for his backs as well, if the Huskers elect to take advantage of his running ability.

We will get into our position rankings over the summer, but this one just caught my attention for a number of reasons.  But it also did it’s job.  Here I am talking about it.

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In all seriousness, this game does generate at least SOME interest in my mind, and certainly more than the first three we looked at.  Sure, the Hoosiers have never beaten Penn State, but the Lions travel to Bloomington this season, and third year head coach Kevin Wilson seems to have the program pointed in the right direction for the first time since the tragic passing of Terry Hoeppner in 2006 from brain cancer.

Wilson returns 21 starters from a team that went 4-8 a year ago.  While the wins didn’t come in 2012, the Hoosiers lost 4 of those games by 5 points or fewer, including a near upset of undefeated Ohio State in Memorial Stadium.  The strength of the team will again be on offense, and specifically the passing game.  Sophomore QB Cameron Coffman would appear to have the starting spot locked up, but he will get competition from Nate Sudfeld, and Tre Robertson, who returns from a broken leg suffered early last season.  On the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers allowed over 35 points per game a year ago, and gave up at least 45 points in their final three games, and over 40 three additional times.

Indiana is probably one of only a handful of Big 10 teams that has the passing attack to challenge the PSU secondary, which would seem to be the weak link on defense going into the season.  And while Memorial Stadium isn’t exactly The Horseshoe, it’s still a road game, and Indiana played much better in Bloomington a year ago.  The Lions are certainly the favorite in this one as things currently stand, but at least this match up gives us SOMETHING to talk about.

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• All everything defensive back Jabrill Peppers out of New Jersey made his announcement on Sunday live on ESPNU, and as expected, verbally committed to Michigan.  While the Wolverines had long been considered the favorite to land arguably the top player in the nation, PSU was a close second according to the man himself, when he spoke to NorthJersey.com.  To make matters worse, Jabrill was not shy in sharing a major reason he stayed away from PSU: NCAA Sactions.  Well, I guess his Emmertness finally got one.
• 247 called Penn State’s top QB target Michael O’Connor one of the 5 best uncommitted signal callers in the country.  The 9th ranked pro style QB in the land told 247 he expects to make a decision by the end of June, and PSU is thought to hold a slight lead.  His other top choices remain Vanderbilt and Michigan State.
• As we alluded to last week, Noah Beh and Troy Vincent Jr.  are probably the two players on “commitment watch” for PSU.  The Lions are said to be leading for both players, but Boston College is also in the picture for Beh, while home state Maryland, along with Pitt and Wisconsin are in the running for Vincent.
• If you missed it at the end of last week, LB commit Jared Wangler out of Warren, Michigan picked up a scholarship offer from LSU.  That is no reason for PSU fans to panic, however, as Jared remains a solid verbal commitment to Penn State.

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