Coach: Joe Paterno (45th season, 394-129-3)
Last year: 11-2 overall, 6-2 Big Ten
On the web: GoPSUSports.com
Ticket info: Another season, another sellout of 107,000 in Beaver Stadium
Worth watching: British import Jack Crawford came to America in 2005 to play basketball, but he's sure getting the hang of the U.S. version of football, isn't he? Jack the Ripper had 5.5 sacks as a starting DE in 2009 and could double that total as a nearly unblockable force off the edge.
Great unknown: Nobody really pays attention to offensive linemen, right? Well, this year might be the exception. The success of the Nittany Lions' 2010 season could well hinge on how quickly a relatively inexperienced and unheralded blocking front coalesces. Senior RG Stefen Wisniewski, moving over from center to his preferred position, is a consensus All-America, but what about the other big bodies in the trenches? Can LT Quinn Barham, LG DeOn'tae Pannell, C Doug Klopacz and RT Lou Eliades protect the passer and open running lanes for tailback Evan Royster, who needs only 481 rushing yards to break Penn State's career record?
It all comes down to: Is there a quarterback who can seize the starting job and make it his? Maybe that guy is Robert Bolden. Or Matt McGloin. Or Kevin Newsome.
Circle the date: Sept. 11 at national champion Alabama. The Crimson Tide is also the consensus preseason pick to repeat. The Oct. 2 trek to Iowa also should be underlined; the Hawkeyes have beaten the Nits the last seven times the schools have played.
Number crunching: The countdown to JoePa's 400th career victory, which would make him the first coach in Football Bowl Subdivision history to cross that threshold, and only the third overall. John Gagliardi, who is in his 62nd year at Division III Saint John's in Minnesota, is 471-126-11, while the late Eddie Robinson went 408-165-16 in 55 seasons at Football Championship Subdivision Grambling State. If form holds, Paterno should get No. 400 on Oct. 30 against Michigan or Nov. 6 against Northwestern, both home games.
