Notre Dame

Forgive me for grabbing the low hanging fruit to start off. But aside from the obvious Notre Dame connections to Ireland, two of the most storied programs in college football playing a marquis game overseas would be fantastic. Add in the shared St. John’s Prep lineage of Bill O’Brien and Brian Kelly, and you have the makings of a great story.

Ohio State

There is no doubt that the Buckeyes are the premier opponent on Penn State’s schedule every season, and probably PSU’s biggest current rival. How great would it be to see one of the Big 10′s biggest annual games on the international stage? Now, this one falls in the “absolutely no chance” category for any number of reasons, but a guy can dream, right?

USC

This would be fun. You of course have the tradition factor with a program like USC, but there are so many great stories. Two programs that very much feel jobbed by the NCAA. The whole Silas Redd transfer situation. And I heard that the Trojans’ coach is something of a lightning rod of criticism. I’d love to see the Lions and SC get together anywhere, why not Ireland?

Temple

HAHA, not really. I don’t want to play Temple in Ireland, Philly, State College, or anywhere else. I may at least listen to arguments for Vegas, however.

Nebraska

When I think of historic Penn State rivals, Nebraska is probably at the top of the list.  There have been so many signature moments over the years in the meetings between these two programs.  This one gets hard with the elimination of the “protected” crossover game, and much like Ohio State, I doubt either school wants to concede a home Big 10 game against a big rival.

The likely path is probably a smaller profile school from a major FBS conference looking to generate more exposure with a game like this.  But it is certainly fun to think about how fun some of these matchups would be overseas.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State

Penn State vs. Miami – September 1, 2001

The game did not of course go how many Nittany Lion fans had hoped, when the top ranked Hurricanes came calling to christen the most recent expansion to Beaver Stadium. Personally, this one will always stand out for two reasons. One, it was my first time attending a game at Penn State, and I got to do it on the field with the Blue Band. Quite a way to get inducted! Second, well, I’ll let this video speak for itself:

The intensity in that stadium when I came out of the tunnel was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and the raw emotion when Adam ran onto that field. If the Lions had found a way to stay in the game, I can only wonder how much louder that crowd could have been.

Jan 31, 2013; Iowa City, IA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions coach Pat Chambers calls for a face guard foul against the Iowa hawkeyes in the second half at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Iowa beat Penn State 76-67. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Believe it or not, things didn’t start off too poorly for PSU, as they used an aggressive offense and solid free throw shooting to lead 15-11 about halfway through the opening half.  Warnings signs were apparent though.  Following a Sasa Borovnjak jumper with 13:29 to play, the Lions would go over 11 minutes before scoring from the field, on another Borovnjak jumper.  In between, the Lions would score 13 straight points from the free throw line.  For the half, PSU was 15 of 21 from the charity stripe.  Those 15 free throws kept them in game, in spite of 5 of 25 shooting from the field, trailing only 33-26 at the break.  D.J. Newbill lead the way with 6 points, all of which came from the free throw line.  Borovnjak added 5.  Alan Wisniewski, who drew his first action of the season, played with great intensity and added 4 points in the first half.

Things got out of hand quickly in the second half, as Nebraska began to find an offensive rhythm,, while PSU continued to find everything but the basket en route to an 12-2 Nebraska run to start the half that essentially ended the game.  The Lions would not come closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Penn State ended up 14 for 48 from the field, with a late flurry saving them from the dubious “more turnovers than made shots” mark.  Newbill ended the night with 17 points, but it came on 4 of 14 shooting.  Jermaine Marshall  again struggled from the floor (3 of 10), but did go a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line to finish with 16 points.  Wisniewski, the sophomore forward from Sterling Heights, Michigan scored the first 6 points of his career, and grabbed 8 rebounds in an energetic performance off the bench.  No offense to Alan, but 6 points, 8 boards and high energy should not be the bright side of a PSU basketball game. Nebraska was led by Dylan Talley’s 16 points.

Penn State has just 7 regular season games, and the Big 10 tournament left to avoid the first winless conference season in program history.  With two games against top 5 Michigan, and trips to Champaign and Minneapolis, Thursday’s home date versus Iowa could be PSU’s best chance the rest of the way.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State

THE LAST TIME OUT

The Lions hosted Purdue on Tuesday night in the Jordan Center in what was viewed as their best chance to date to get off the snide in the league.  Things started out great, and PSU methodically built a 21-12 lead.  Purdue would go on a 12-4 run from that point to the end of the half to close to within just 1 point, as the Lions defense lost their edge, and shots stopped falling, again.  Purdue’s star freshmen Ronnie Johnson and A.J. Hammons  took over in the second half and the Boilermakers pulled away for a 58-49 win.  PSU got 17 points and 7 assists from D.J. Newbill, but he was the only Lion in double figures.  Jermaine Marshall struggled to 7 points on 2 for 14 shooting.  Ross Travis showed signs of ending his long slump, with a renewed aggressiveness, adding 8 points on 4 for 8 shooting.

ABOUT NEBRASKETBALL

Nebraska has again struggled in their 2nd Big 10 season, and 1st under new head coach Tim Miles.  One of their 2 B1G wins came over PSU last month, when PSU struggled from the free throw line down the stretch en route to a 68-64 loss.  The other win came at home over Northwestern.  The Huskers struggle on the offensive end, averaging 58.7 points per game, and shooting 41.5% from the field.  For comparison, Penn State is at 60.7 points per game, and 38.5% . In the first meeting, Nebraska freshman Shavon Shields went off for a career high 29 points, but has struggled since, with just 24 total points in his last 4 games.  Ray Gallegos and Dylan Talley lead Nebraska at 13 points per game, with Brandon Ubel at just under 12.

THE MATCH UP

Penn State is yet to win a Big 10 road game under Patrick Chambers, and this could be their best shot to do so before 2014.  If that is to happen, Newbill and Marshall need to have their typical offensive night, while Ross Travis, Brandon Taylor or someone else steps up as a 3rd scorer.  On the defensive end, the Lions need to keep Shields (or anyone else) from going off, since they just don’t have the firepower to counter that.  I expect a close game, dominated by poor shooting good defense, and whoever executes down the stretch gets the win.  I’ll be a homer and say PSU ends two streaks tonight with their first conference road win under Chambers, and their first B1G win of 2013.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State

With 30 seconds left in the game, Jermaine Marshall made a three to make the score 66-63 Nebraska.  On the ensuing inbounds play, D.J. Newbill was able to steal the ball from Ray Gallegos with 25 seconds to play.  The last 25 seconds would be disastrous for PSU. Newbill got fouled after the steal and would go to the line for two free throws.  But, the referees also called a flagrant foul on Nebraska for an elbow to the face of Ross Travis. So, Ross Travis would get 2 free throws, and Penn State would get the ball.  In total, PSU would get four free throws and the ball back, only down three points.  Newbill, a 68% shooter, made 1-2.  Ross Travis, a 60% shooter, bricked both of his attempts.  Penn State, now down 2, inbounded to Jermaine Marshall, who drove to the hoop and drew a foul.  Marshall was 6-6 on the day and is a 76% free throw shooter, but you can probably see where this is going.  Marshall missed both of his free throws, leaving Penn State’s deficit at 2 with only 15 seconds left to play.  In total, Penn State went 1-6 from the foul line in a span of 10 seconds.  A team can’t choke like that and expect to win, and they didn’t. Brandon Ubel would sink two free throws to effectively put the game out of reach.  The final score was 68-64, dropping Penn State to 0-6 in the Big Ten.

Nebraska got a huge performance out of  Freshman Shavon Shields, who came into the game averaging only 6.2 points per game.  Shields shot 10-11 from the field and 8-8 from the line to get 29 points on the game, his career high. Penn State’s leading scorer was Jermaine Marshall with 18, but he was only 5-16 from the floor.  Penn State didn’t get much from anyone else, and leading scoring D.J. Newbill struggled mightily shooting the ball and looked extremely uncomfortable running the point.  Newbill has been playing out of position almost all year, and this game might have been his ugliest as a point guard.  He committed six turnovers, and seemed to lose control of the ball almost every time he tried to dribble past his man.  D.J. only scored 11 points on 3-11 shooting.  Both teams struggled to score the ball early, highlighted by Nebraska’s 1-10 start.  Penn State started 3-10, and that trend would continue, as they finished at a measly 38% shooting.  The Huskers, however, fixed their struggles, and finished the game at 47%.  Penn State’s defense has been a problem all year, and letting a team as bad as Nebraska hit almost half of their shots is pretty terrible.

Penn State’s next game is Wednesday night in Bloomington, Indiana as they take on the Hoosiers.  The game starts at 7 on the BTN and Penn State will again look for their first B1G win of the year.  The two teams already faced each other this year, with the Hoosiers winning  by 23 points.

Sep 24, 2011; Laramie, WY, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers cheerleaders warm up before the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Wyoming Cowboys. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Happy New Year!  Penn State may be home for New Year’s Day for the first time in five years, but there is plenty of football action to keep us satisfied all day.  For better or worse, 5 of today’s 6 games feature Big 10 teams, three of which pit our conference brethren against the SEC.  Buckle up, indeed.  Two of the premier early games take place in Florida, with Michigan taking on South Carolina in Tampa at the Outback Bowl, and Nebraska returning to Orlando and the Capital One Bowl for the second straight season, this time against the Bulldogs from Georgia.

OUTBACK BOWL

A year removed from a BCS win in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, Michigan took a step back this year, wrapping up an 8-4 (6-2 Big 10) campaign with a trip to Tampa, Florida and the Outback Bowl.  Their reward?  One time top #3 South Carolina (10-2, 6-2 SEC), and one of the nation’s top defenses.  Denard Robinson will wrap up a record setting career with the Wolverines against 2013 Heisman favorite, all everything defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

How They Got Here

Sep 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader on the sidelines before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan

Michigan opened the season in Cowbows Stadium against #1 Alabama, and, well, it didn’t go well.  Alabama cruised to a 41-14 win.  3 weeks later, Michigan would travel to South Bend and fall to then #11 Notre Dame in 13-6 defensive struggle.  While the 2-2 record after non-conference play was not where Big Blue expected to be, both of their losses wound up being to national title game participants.  Michigan went 6-2 in Big 10 play, falling to Nebraska and Ohio State on the road.  The former came after Robinson missed much of the game with a nerve injury in his elbow, the latter in Columbus against 12-0 Ohio State.  The Wolverines were carried by their defense, which ranked 16th nationally in scoring.  Devin Gardner has replaced Robinson at quarterback, and provides a better passing option, but Robinson will still see plenty of the ball.

South Carolina

Oct 1, 2011; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks cheerleader during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Tigers won 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The Gamecocks raced out to a 6-0 record, including a dominant 35-7 win over SEC runner-up Georgia, and a #3 ranking nationally.  Life in the SEC caught up to Steve Spurrier.  First came a trip to Death Valley under the lights against #9 LSU, which ended in a 23-31 loss.  There was no break as a visit to The Swamp and #2 Florida followed, with a 44-11 beating.  USCe would rebound the following week with a tough 38-35 win over Tennessee in Columbia, but they lost All American runningback Marcus Lattimore to one massive leg/knee injury.  The Gamecocks would win their final 3 games as well, including a big W over in-state rival Clemson, to earn their trip to Tampa.

Key Matchups

Jadeveon Clowney vs. Taylor Lewan

October 20, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) warms up prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

You’ve probably heard of the former, but not the latter.  Clowney has been a star since his arrival in Columbia, and has been downright dominant at his defensive end position.  If he was eligible for the draft, he would be a lock to go #1.  Taylor Lewan has anchored Michigan’s offensive line from his left tackle position, and has quietly played his way into a bona fine top 15 pick.  They may not go head-to-head every play, as Clowney will come off both the left and right end, but when they do, it will be interesting to see how one of the best pass protectors handles a guy that no one has had answer for in two seasons.

Devin Gardner vs. South Carolina Secondary

November 24, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (12) looks for an open receiver as running back Vincent Smith (2) looks to block against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 26-21. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Gardner took over for Michigan in their 35-13 win over Minnesota, which followed Robinson’s elbow injury in Nebraska, and Russell Bellomy’s….less than stellar efforts in Lincoln.  All Gardner did was throw for just over 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns in Michigan’s final 4 games, posting a 3-1 record.  Gardner did struggle to some degree in Columbus against the best defense he faced, but the Wolverines never really figured out how to utilize both Garder and Robinson.  Devin gets the start again at QB, and he will need to contend with one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, and a secondary that has picked off 14 passes this season.

Prediction

Neither team fields what you would call a potent offense.  South Carolina ran the ball over 150 times more than they went to the air this year, and only threw for 2,700 yards.  Michigan’s strength on defense has been in stopping the run, and that becomes even more pronounced with starting CB J.T. Floyd suspended for the game.  Michigan will need to find a way to get the ball to Robinson and allow him to use his speed and athleticism.  Expect tailback Fitz Toussaint to get a heavy workload too.  However, I think South Carolina’s superior athleticism on both sides of the ball will prove to be too much for Michigan.  It will be close on the scoreboard, but the Gamecocks will win comfortably.

Michigan 10

South Carolina 16

It’s been fun picking and not sure what the VBR Staff has planned for the Bowl Season, but I will probably partake in that.

Louisville (+2) at Rutgers (Big East Championship*)

*The de facto Big East title game to naturally be played on a Thursday.  ACC vs. B1G in this one and I think that Louisville is just way better a team.

Louisville 34 Rutgers 27

Northern Illinois (-6.5) vs. Kent State (#MACtion Championhip Game)

A Kent State win combined with a UCLA loss could mean Kent in the BCS automatically.  That makes this pick and easy one.

Kent State 30 Northern Illinois 29

UCLA (+10) vs. Stanford (Pac 12 Championship Game)

I’ll hand it to Stanford, they win games.  I’m still bitter over that play calling in the Notre Dame game, but I need them combined with that Kent game.

Stanford 28 UCLA 16

Florida State (-13) vs. Georgia Tech (ACC Championship Game)

Florida State is having a distraction of a week so they will come out flat.  Doesn’t matter, the game sucks bad,

Florida State 30 Georgia Tech 21

Nebraska (-2.5) vs. Wisconsin (B1G Championship Game)

Speaking of games that suck, this one is way up there.  A 3rd place team in Wisconsin vs. a spaz in Pelini.  Wisconsin could pose some issues, but Martinez will pull one out.

Nebraska 26 Wisconsin 24

Upset Special
Georgia (+7.5) vs Alabama (SEC Championship Game)

Screw the SEC.  I have no justification for this pick, but I just think that everyone is so hard up for Alabama Notre Dame, I just want to see the disappointment.

Georgia 23 Alabama 21

Season Record 49-28 (7-6 on Upset Specials)

Evil Bill O’Brien is not affiliated with Penn State University or head coach Bill O’Brien. 

Let’s take a look at the games and predict who, if anyone, will represent the Big Ten in those bowls.

ROSE BOWL (Big Ten #1):

Nebraska
The Huskers control their own destiny and have two winnable games left in Iowa and Minnesota. They should be favored over Wisconsin.

Potential Opponents: Oregon, USC, Notre Dame

-

CAPITAL ONE BOWL (Big Ten #2):

Michigan
Michigan probably won’t play in the conference championship, but they’ll deserve this bid after finishing the season with a likely 8-4 record.

Potential Opponents: LSU, Georgia, Florida

-

OUTBACK BOWL (Big Ten #3)

Wisconsin
If the Badgers aren’t careful, Northwestern could find themselves in this game. Should only take one more win for Wisconsin but they have Ohio State and Penn State left on the schedule.

Potential Opponents: Florida, LSU, South Carolina

-

GATOR BOWL (Big Ten #4-5)

Northwestern
If they could play worth a damn in the second half of games, they’d be in Rose Bowl contention. Still, it’s hard to see them playing before January 1st.

Potential Opponents: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, South Carolina

-

BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL (Big Ten #4-5)

Michigan State
Sparty still needs a win to become bowl eligible but they should get it against Minnesota in the final week of the season.

Potential Opponents: Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma State

-

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS (Big Ten #6)

Minnesota
The Gophers are the 5th and final Big Ten team that is currently bowl eligible. They’ll struggle to get another win but are all but guaranteed a bowl due to the circumstances.

Potential Opponents: TCU, West Virginia, Iowa State

-

HEART OF DALLAS BOWL (Big 10 #7)

Purdue
The Boilermakers have just 4 wins but play Illinois and Indiana in the next two weeks. They have the best shot at becoming bowl eligible.

Potential Opponents: Iowa State, TCU, West Virginia

-

LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL (Big 10 #8)

It’s almost impossible for the Big Ten to fill this bowl. Iowa needs to beat Nebraska and Michigan to make it happen. Indiana has a shot, but they’d have to beat Penn State and Purdue. If they do so, Purdue will not be bowl eligible.

Conclusion: The Big Ten may send only 6 teams to bowl games. Due to Ohio State and Penn State’s ineligibility, several of the teams will be slotted above where their talent says they should be. That could be bad news for the conference in bowl games.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez was the difference, throwing for 171 yards and rushing for another 104 yards as Nebraska out-scored Penn State 26-3 in the 2nd half. Running back Ameer Abdullah pitched in another 116 yards on the ground, but averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, including a 33 yard scamper.

In all, the Penn State defense did a decent job of bottling up Abdullah and they limited Kenny Bell to just two catches. It was Taylor Martinez who just seemed to find a way to keep his offense on the field on 3rd down whether it was with his legs or his arm.

Matt McGloin completed just 18-37 passes for 241 yards and was called for a safety late in the game when the refs decided that Zordich was not in the area. Zach Zwinak had another really good performance, rushing 21 times for 121 yards, including a 50 yard touchdown early in the game. Allen Robinson did what he does, catching 6 passes for 97 yards. Late in the game, Robinson got behind the defense for a 38 yard gain that could have been a touchdown had it not been under-thrown.

The controversial play of the day came in the fourth quarter when Matt Lehman seemingly reached the ball across the goal line before it was jarred loose. The refs saw it differently than everybody else and called it as a fumble, recovered by Nebraska. Penn State fans are becoming accustomed to these kind of things. Keep in mind, had Zwinak not fumbled in the red zone or McGloin thrown the interception, setting Nebraska up at the Penn State 4 yard line, that call may not matter. Penn State and Bill O’Brien both know that you never want to put yourself in position where the refs can change the game. Today, they did just that.

“We’re not going to get those calls here. We’re not going to get those calls anywhere.” -Matt McGloin

Penn State will host the Indiana Hoosiers next Saturday at noon at Beaver Stadium.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

I think the majority of the nation would agree that if Alabama wins their remaining games (Texas A&M, West Carolina, Auburn, SEC title game), they are as much of a lock to go to Miami as any of the unbeaten teams.  Alabama survived a scare in Death Valley this past weekend, only to see the finish line in front of them.  They need to be careful though because Texas A&M and their super freshman Johnny Manziel could present a bit of a problem for a defense that was definitely worn down by games end last week.  Assuming Alabama gets past the Aggies, I would expect smooth sailing until the reach the SEC title game, most likely against Georgia.  In the end, it would seem the number-1 team in the country controls their own destiny to get to the title game.

Oregon would now seem like the most likely partner for Alabama in the title game.  Chip Kelly’s squad is an offensive juggernaut to say the least.  I’m not even sure video games set on the easiest level could match the offensive output that the Ducks are capable of getting.  Oregon literally outscored USC Saturday night in the Coliseum.  USC really didn’t play that bad of a game yet they lost by double digits and gave up 62 points.  In fact, Oregon has scored at least 42 points in every game they have played thus far (Oregon leads the nations in average points scored per game with 54.3).  The remaining games for the Ducks include @ Cal, Stanford, @ Oregon State, Pac-12 Title game.  Of the undefeated top-5 teams, Oregon has the toughest remaining schedule, but winning out will also improve their strength of schedule enough that they should be able to leapfrog Kansas State in the BCS rankings.  At this point, some wagering sites have listed Alabama as a 4-point favorite over Oregon right now.  Interesting!

Kansas State is playing some of its best football right now.  Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein, nicknamed Optimus Klein, has not only given his team a shot at the national title, but also he has given himself a chance at the Heisman Trophy.  Klein left Saturday night’s game against Oklahoma State with what is believed to be concussion-like symptoms.  Early reports out of Manhattan say he is doing well and is likely to play this weekend.  Kansas State plays a tough schedule to end the year @ TCU, @ Baylor, Texas).  The bonus / problem for Kansas State is that there is no Big 12 title game.  Many teams, especially those in conferences like the Big Ten prior to last year, used to loathe the fact that their season was over in November while other teams played either into December or had conference championship games with which to impress voters.  Kansas State will essentially be done at the end of November.  So, while the Wildcats only have to win 3 more games to finish unbeaten, they also won’t have a chance to impress voters after that either.  It would seem that unless either Oregon or Alabama loses or has a poor showing, Kansas State will be left out of the national title picture.

Finally, Notre Dame would present the longest odds of making the title game out the four top-rated undefeated teams.  The Irish have been a breath of fresh air this season as their magical run to an unbeaten season continues.  The Irish were fortunate to remain without a loss after a 14-point come-from-behind victory over Pittsburgh this past weekend.  Notre Dame took advantage of the Panthers miscues and made the plays they had to in order to come out on top.  Unfortunately for Notre Dame and their fans, the Irish’s strength of schedule, compared to the other top teams is likely to go down.  Notre Dame’s remaining schedule looks like this: @ Boston College, Wake Forest, @ USC.  Most certainly voters will be tuning in to see how the Irish are able to do out in SoCal, but they are in a no-win spot by playing Boston College and Wake Forest.  If they win by large margins, well, they were supposed to do that.  If they lose, that’s even worse.  Close games are also no good for a team that really needs to impress voters.  While Notre Dame has had a remarkable season, one that many outside the program did not think was possible this year, I just don’t see how Notre Dame makes the title game without both Oregon and Kansas State losing a game along the way.

Some other teams that have title game aspirations would be the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes.  For Georgia its clear that their only shot at getting to the title game is to win the SEC title over an undefeated Alabama team as well as having two of the three other unbeatens (Kansas State, Oregon, Notre Dame) lose a game.  While that is not impossible, it does seem like a stretch.

Ohio State presents an interesting case because they are under NCAA sanctions.  As such, they are ineligible to participate in a bowl game as well as assume a ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll and BCS rankings.  How can Ohio State win the national title then?  Well, they are still ranked 5th in the latest AP poll and if Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State, and Notre Dame all lose prior to the bowl games, it could be possible an undefeated Ohio State team gets the nod as national champion.  It seems unlikely a split national champion would be crowned, but that is why college football is unique and exciting.

So, with the college football’s regular season winding down, the intrigue and the excitement is just heating up.  Time and time again I hear about November games are what separate the title contenders from the pretenders.  It seems like this year is just another example where that adage is proven correct.  I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen as we come down the stretch.

OK, before we take a look at the games we have on tap for week #11, let’s quickly take a look back at how my “prime-3″ games and extra points picks for week#9 fared (Sorry I missed last week!).

For Full Disclosure:

“Prime-3″ Picks from week #9 – 1-2 ATS, 0-3 SU.  On the season, my record stands at 13-14 ATS, and 14-13 SU.

Extra Points Picks (ATS) from last week – 12-10-0.  On the season, my record stands at 82-61-2.

…As always, I will try and do better this week!

“Prime-3 Games”:

In this week’s installment of “prime-3″, we will turn our attention to the number-1 team in the country and see how they fare after their emotional win last week.  We will then look at a game pitting two Pac-12 North teams, and finally we delve into a Big Ten match-up that will have Legend’s Division title implications.

We start with a look at some key match-ups involving the #15 Texas A&M Aggies and #1 Alabama Crimson Tide.  We then shift our focus out west as Pac-12 teams #11 Oregon State and #14 Stanford duke it out for 2nd place in the Pac-12′s Northern Division. Finally, we look at a Big Ten tilt that has Legend’s Division ramifications.  The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Lincoln to do battle with the #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

And, without further ado, let’s get to the “Prime-3″ games!

What can Penn State do to slow down Taylor Martinez?

Stopping Taylor is actually the easy part to stopping Nebraska’s offense. Blitzing Taylor Martinez is the key to slowing down this offense. It’s nearly impossible to stop it. With playmakers like Kenny Bell, and Jamal Turner on the outside big plays are possible on each and every down. Getting to Martinez before he can deliver the ball is the key. Martinez has not been as dangerous on the ground in his sophomore and junior seasons like he was as a freshman, but if he puts up 100 yards on the ground against Penn State, it could be a long day for Nittany Lions fans.

In his freshman season, Nebraska lived and died by the zone read, and getting Martinez out in open space. All of his runs of over 20 yards this season, including 4 touchdown runs have came up the middle.

Rex Burkhead is likely out for the game against Penn State. How comfortable are you with Ameer Abdullah in his place?

I don’t see any way Rex plays on Saturday. He hasn’t practiced in two weeks, and I really feel like this coaching staff is saving him for the Big 10 Championship game, because they would rather have 100% of Rex against Wisconsin/Indian then 60% of him for these last three games.

Sophomore Ameer Abdullah has rushed for over 100 yards in 5 games this season, including the last 3 against Northwestern, Michigan, and Michigan State. I think Nebraska’s offense becomes more dynamic with Abdullah in the game. I actually think Abdullah will be a more productive back than Rex by the time he is done in Lincoln.

What can Penn State do to find success against the Nebraska defense?

Traditionally Bo Pelini’s defense was a two gap defense. Which means that his defensive linemen were responsible for both gaps on either side of them allowing the linebackers to roam freely, and make plays. After the struggles against UCLA, and Ohio State, the defense has switched to more of a one gap, assignment oriented defense and it has worked out well for the Huskers.

The key for Penn States running game would be to run away from No. 46. Senior defensive end Eric Martin has emerged as one of the best all-around defensive players in the country this year. He’s had at least 2 tackles for loss in the last three games. Nebraska is very inexperianced at linebacker outside of senior Will Compton, so getting to the second level is going to be a must if Penn State wants to win this game.

Nebraska fans and head coach Bo Pelini have had a love-hate relationship in the past. What is coach Pelini’s approval rating right now?

I think I read somewhere that his approval ratting was a in the 47% range at the beginning of this season. Bo Pelini is one of 6 active coaches in the country, who have been head coaches for at least 4 years, and have at least 9 wins in each season they have coached. Nebraska fans love the fact that Pelini has pulled off upsets over Oklahoma, Michigan, and beat Ohio State in his first season. What they are not ok with is losing to Iowa State, and Northwestern at home. Pelini has been good for one great win, and one tragic loss in every season he has been in Lincoln. Nebraska fans want a BCS Bowl
win, and the dogs may be called off on Pelini, Taylor Martinez, and this coaching staff.

How much would it mean to Nebraska fans to play in and possibly win the Big Ten championship in just their 2nd year in the conference?

A lot of people don’t realize this, but Nebraska has not won a conference championship since 1999. When Nebraska played Miami for the National Championship in 01, they didn’t even win their division. Colorado won the Big XII North that season. They were the first team to play for the championship with out a Conference Championship up until Alabama last season. So it would be huge, and over due. Pelini got Nebraska to a Conference Championship in his first two seasons in Lincoln. He came up 1 second short against Texas, and gave up a 17
point lead to Oklahoma. It is lined up for the Huskers to have an easy road to the Rose Bowl this year, so it’s time to see if Pelini can win the biggest game of his head coaching career, but some Nebraska fans are skeptical about whether he will even make it there.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Taylor Martinez’s throwing motion.

It’s some combination of a 3/4 pitching release, shotput and what it looks like when a left-handed person tries to throw with his right arm. Nothing about it looks like a quarterback throwing a pass and to make it worse, his off-hand looks confused, as though it is preparing to catch the pass which appears to inevitably be traveling just a few feet.

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Ndamukong Suh

Recently voted the dirtiest player in the league, Suh’s NFL career is best known for his stomp of Green Bay Packers lineman, Evan Dietrich-Smith. This strategy of picking on the weak was perfected at Nebraska, where Suh used to beat up on the likes of poor lil Colt McCoy. And what kind of name is Ndamakong?!?!

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Bo Pelini played football at Ohio State and was a graduate assistant at Iowa.

Worst. Resume`. EVER.

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The least impressive Heisman Trophy winner in history.

In 2001, Nebraska QB Eric Crouch won the Heisman with a touchdown to interception ratio that even Tony Romo would look down his nose at. He completed 55% of his passes for 1500 yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In a whole season. Sure he rushed for another 1100 yards and 18 touchdowns, but who doesn’t do that???

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Nebraska borders Iowa.

We ALL know about the shortcomings of “Lake Iowa.” The absurd people, lack of bathing, etc. If you think some of that hasn’t leaked across the border into Nebraska, you’re crazy. With all of those cornfields, everywhere…all over the place…it’s impossible to know where Iowa ends and Nebraska begins. Especially for geniuses like Iowans…

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These guys:

Herbie Husker and Lil Red are every bit as creepy as Purdue Pete and his blow up doll…but with bibs, which makes it more likely that somebody gets killed in a John Deere accident.

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1994

Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Despite a better offense, better strength of schedule and larger average margin of victory, the Cornhuskers edged out the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions for the National Championship. While Nebraska didn’t technically have a vote in that, they also didn’t forfeit the trophy and title over to Penn State like good sportsmen would have. Selfish.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Nebraska has three games remaining including Saturday’s showdown with Penn State.  If Nebraska can win Saturday, they should be able to win out and claim the Legend’s division half of the Big Ten championship game.  Penn State, though, won’t be a pushover, and coach Bo Pelini knows it.  Nebraska has one of the most potent offenses in the Big Ten, but coach Pelini knows that the Cornhuskers have to sure up their defense to keep Penn State from scoring.  High scoring affairs against UCLA and Ohio State haven’t gone the way of the Huskers.

Under the old Penn State regime, a game like this would elicit thoughts of ball-control running and clock management.  No doubt Penn State wants to limit the number of times Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez has the ball, but they are going to have to score in order to win this game.  Penn State will take their chances through the air, but they will have to be more physical than the Cornhuskers secondary in order to be successful.

Continue reading to find out what are my keys to the game as Penn State takes on Nebraska.

Mary Clarke:

This week Penn State is coming off a relatively easy – albeit boring – win over the Purdue Boilermakers while last weekend Nebraska had to rally back from 10 down in the fourth quarter to Michigan State. The Cornhuskers lead the Big Ten in total offense and are currently ranked 18^th in the AP poll but the Nittany Lions have been consistently starting games off well, outscoring opponents 76-3 in the first quarter.
This weekend look for Penn State to come out with a strong first quarter, hitting early with the running game. With Nebraska’s running back Rex Burkhead’s status for Saturday still uncertain, expect them to try to air the ball out more. The game will be close to the end but the determining factor will be Sam Ficken (yes, Sam Ficken) – whose confidence has grown exponentially since the Virginia game – who will kick a perfect 3 for 3 field goals, giving Penn State the late win.

PSU: 30
Neb: 27 

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 81,091

Lincoln, Nebraska

Head Coach: Bo Pelini (39-16 career)

2011 Record: 9-4

2012 Record: 7-2

Key Players: 

QB #3 Taylor Martinez: Martinez is one of the best offensive threats in the Big Ten, as well as the country. Last week he had 365 total yards and became the all time leader in total offense at Nebraska. That’s a tremendous fete at a school that has seen the like of Tommy Frazier and Eric Crouch.

RB #22 Rex Burkhead: Burkhead has missed the last 4 games and Pelini says he is “day-to-day.” He was averaging 8.6 yards per carry before the injury and had 1400 yards last year.

RB #8 Ameer Abdullah: In relief of Burkhead, Abdullah has 826 yards and 8 touchdowns, including 5 100 yard performances. Bottom line, Nebraska is in good shape, no matter who lines up in the backfield.

WR #80 Kenny Bell: Martinez’s number one target, Bell averages nearly 19 yards per catch and has 6 receiving touchdowns on the year.

DE #46 Eric Martin: An All-Conference candidate, Martin has 40 tackles, 9.5 of them for loss, including 6.5 sacks.

SUMMARY:

The Penn State defense will face one of it’s biggest tests of the season this weekend. Offensively, think of Nebraska as “Ohio State Lite.” What Taylor Martinez lacks in running ability compared to Braxton Miller, he makes up for in running backs and throwing ability. Martinez has accounted for 2500 yards and 26 total touchdowns and is completing 62.9% of his passes.

The Nittany Lions are going to give up some points this weekend. But the offense will have a shot to punch back.

Nebraska has given up at least 20 points 6 times, including a 63 point performance by Ohio State. They’re 54th in scoring defense, allowing 25.2 points per game. In comparison, Penn State has only allowed more than 16 points 3 times and is giving up just 17.1 points per game.

Fun Facts:

• Taylor Martinez and Matt McGloin are tied for the conference lead in passing touchdowns.
• Neb and PSU have played two of the same opponents. Nebraska beat Northwestern 29-28 and lost to OSU 63-38. PSU beat NW 39-28 and lost to OSU, 35-23.
• Nebraska was the national champion in 1994, Penn State’s last undefeated season.
• Penn State and Nebraska were the last two teams added to the Big Ten
• Nebraska will face the third head coach in the last three meetings against Penn State.

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

Cincinnati 31 at Louisville (-4) 34 (OT)

Matt – Louisville (L)

Tim – Louisville (L)

Craig – Louisville (L)

Corey – Cincinnati (W)

Mississippi State 7 at Alabama (-23.5) 38

Matt – Alabama (W)

Tim – Alabama (W)

Craig – Mississippi State (L)

Corey – Mississippi State (L)

Florida (-6.5)  9 vs. Georgia 17

Matt – Georgia (W)

Tim – Florida (L)

Craig – Florida (L)

Corey – Florida (L)

Notre Dame 30 at Oklahoma (-10.5) 13

Matt – Oklahoma (L)

Tim – Oklahoma (L)

Craig – Oklahoma (L)

Corey – Notre Dame (W)

Michigan 9 at Nebraska (-2.5) 23

Matt – Michigan (L)

Tim – Michigan (L)

Craig – Michigan (L)

Corey – Nebraska (W)

Here are last week’s results:

Oregon 43 (-9) at Arizona State 21

Matt – Oregon (W)

Tim – Oregon (W)

Craig – Oregon (W)

Corey – Arizona State (L)

Michigan State 10 at Michigan 12 (-10)

Matt – Michigan State (W)

Tim – Michigan State (W)

Craig – Michigan State (W)

Corey – Michigan (L)

Kansas State 55 at West Virginia 14 (-3)

Matt – Kansas State (W)

Tim – West Virginia (L)

Craig – West Virginia (L)

Corey – Kansas State (W)

South Carolina 11 at Florida 44 (-3)

Matt – Florida (W)

Tim – South Carolina (L)

Craig – Florida (W)

Corey – Florida (W)

LSU 24 (-3.5) at Texas A&M 19

Matt – LSU (W)

Tim – LSU (W)

Craig – LSU (W)

Corey – LSU (W)

Penn State has a big game this week, but we found 5 more to take a shot at.  Point spreads are as of Monday evening.

Cincinnati (+4) at Louisville

I think this is a big game, or at least it would have been had Cincy not lost to Toledo.  Again, EBOB made a negative fashionable by losing to a MAC school.  For PSU, losing doesn’t impact our bowl game, but these coaches don’t realize this and just want to copy the master.  Louisville is overrated, but they will win this at the Papa John’s dome.

Louisville 34 Cincy 24

Michigan (-2.5) at Nebraska

I probably should have lost on my Michigan pick last week because if Brady Hoke had any integrity, he would have forfeited a win with 4 FGs and 0 TDs.  Of all the B1G coaches, Hoke doesn’t bother me yet, but that is probably because PSU rarely plays Michigan.  Pelini, on the other hand, would be better served at a Circus than a sideline.  Michigan is a hard team to figure out but I think the running QB will out do the shot putting QB

Michigan 24 (8 FGs) Nebraska 16

Florida (-6.5) at Georgia

I think Florida is going to lose, but I am just not sure again if this is the week.  Much like ND last week, I can see a struggle here, but I think they will win.  Georgia is a mystery to me because I just don’t watch them play.  They have not matched with my schedule all year so I am picking blind here.

Florida 26 Georgia 18

USC (-6.5) at Arizona

As always, I was tempted to pick this as my upset special and again, I just can’t.   I think Kiffin will get outcoached as always, but I think USC will overcome a few fumbles from their star transfer and pull one out.

USC 33 Arizona 29

Notre Dame (+9) at Oklahoma

Buck stops here for ND.  After some squeakers, Oklahoma looks like they have recovered from their early loss and are ready to stomp some leprechauns.  If ND only had a LB as good as Mauti.

Oklahoma 27 Notre Dame 17

Upset Special

Oregon State (-4) at Washington

Washington was my upset special earlier this year vs. Stanford and have done nothing since.  Mike Riley is getting pub for Coach of the Year and that needs to end, much like the Todd Graham nonsense from last week.   I need that ridiculous list to thin out so only BO’B is left standing.

Washington 34 Oregon State 31 (OT)

Season Record 33-14 (4-4 on Upset Specials)
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Follow Evil Bill O’Brien on Twitter!

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Evil Bill O’Brien is in no way associated with Penn State University or head coach Bill O’Brien.

In fact, this past week Nick Saban, head coach of the #1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, thinks that the speed with which offenses get up to the ball and snap it, is presenting a possible safety issue for defenses since they can’t substitute.  Of course this is all rhetoric since the offense has to play the same number of plays the defense does.  Saban is just looking for a way to slow down these teams!  Or, could he be thinking down the road to a possible Alabama-Oregon showdown for the national title?  No one is going to accuse Saban of running an offense as frenetic as Marshall (who leads FBS in plays run from scrimmage), or Arizona, or even Oregon for that matter.

College football is all about finding the right gimmick and making it work.  In the NFL, the Miami Dolphins first used the “Wildcat” offense against the New England Patriots, it worked, and now every team seemingly has a version of the “Wildcat” package in their repertoire.  Tim Tebow has made a very nice living off such a package!

In college football, the spread offense or even the read-option offense has become the “new thing” for many coaches.  The more they can spread out the defenses, force the linebackers into coverage against a faster and/or bigger receiver, and allow the offensive skill players to play in space, the better chance they have to score – and score they have!  There are currently 6 teams that through 5 or 6 games are scoring an average of over 50 pts per game.  There are 112 of the 124 FBS schools that average scoring 20 points or more per game.

The offenses will always have the advantage, the defenses are constantly playing catch-up.  Eventually, the defenses will figure out a way to defend all the spread offenses, and the offensive coordinators will have to devise a new scheme, and I’m sure they will!  Until that time, college football nation is going to have to adjust and get used to new forms of a spread or read-option offense as they are the offenses of the 21st century, thus far.

As we turn the calendar to October we move on to the week 6 slate, it brings us another set of dandy football games to watch.  There are five games featuring two ranked teams, plus a few other exciting games involving one ranked team and another perched, waiting for a chance to break into the top-25.  It ought to be another fun and wild weekend around the college football country.

For full disclosure, lets see how my “prime-3″ picks did from last week as well as my “extra Points” picks.  My “prime-3″ games let myself and a lot of other people down last week, as I went 0-3.  Those 3 losses dropped my yearly record in “prime-3″ games to 5-10 ATS and 6-9 SU.  My “Extra Points” picks were 8-11-1 for the week, running my yearly total to 31-26-1.  As always…I’ll try and do better this week!

In this week’s installments of the “Prime-3″, I am going to focus on two of the biggest games in the SEC this year.  The first game, #5 Georgia Bulldogs traveling to the “Cock Pit” to take on the #6 South Carolina Gamecocks.  In the second game, I am going to delve into the clash on the banks of the Olentangy between the #12 Ohio State Buckeyes and the #20 Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Finally, I am going to return to the SEC to look at a major cross-over game between #4 LSU of the SEC West traveling to “The Swamp” to do battle with #10 Florida Gators of the SEC East.

Stanford (-7) 13 at Washington 17

Matt – Stanford (L)

Tim – Washington (W)

Craig – Stanford (L)

Corey – Stanford (L)

Ohio State 17 at Michigan State (-3) 16

Matt – Ohio State (W)

Tim – Michigan State (L)

Craig – Ohio State (W)

Corey – Michigan State (L)

Wisconsin 27 at Nebraska (-13.5) 30

Matt – Nebraska (L)

Tim – Nebraska (L)

Craig – Nebraska (L)

Corey – Nebraska (L)

Texas (-2.5) 41 at Oklahoma State 36

Matt – Texas (W)

Tim – Texas (W)

Craig – Texas (W)

Corey – Oklahoma State (L)

Tennessee 44 at Georgia (13.5) 51

Matt – Georgia (L)

Tim – Georgia (L)

Craig – Georgia (L)

Corey – Georgia (L)

This week’s point spreads are as of Monday night.