PSU Nittany Lions

PENN STATE

Record: 4-2 (2-0 Big Ten)

When Sam Ficken's fourth and final wayward field-goal try hooked left Sept. 8 at Virginia's Scott Stadium, those who hadn't previously written off Penn State pressed the delete button on the Nittany Lions.

After an offseason like no program had experienced, complete with a midsummer player exodus because of NCAA sanctions, Penn State stumbled to an 0-2 start under Bill O'Brien. The downturn most had expected seemed to be starting early.

Five weeks later, there's a decidedly different mood in Happy Valley.

(Read full post)

As most of you know, ABC/ESPN exercised its one of its six-day picks for the Big Ten games of Oct. 20. Kickoff times and TV plans for three games -- Nebraska-Northwestern, Michigan State-Michigan and Purdue-Ohio State -- still had to be determined.

Now they have been.

Here's the full Big Ten schedule for Oct. 20 ...

NOON ET

• Purdue at Ohio State, ABC regional (ESPN2 in outer markets)
• Minnesota at Wisconsin, ESPNU

3:30 P.M. ET

• Nebraska at Northwestern, ABC regional (ESPN2 in outer markets)
• Michigan State at Michigan, Big Ten Network
• Indiana at Navy, CBS College Sports

8 P.M. ET

• Penn State at Iowa, Big Ten Network

Illinois is off.

The regular season is halfway over. Where did the time go? It's getting late early in the Big Ten race for some teams, which makes this a big week. Here's a quick preview of the Week 8 storylines:

Michigan State (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) at No. 23 Michigan (4-2, 2-0), 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network: Where's the threat? Or maybe we should say, are the Spartans still a legitimate threat to Michigan's Big Ten ambitions? This game has lost a lot of luster thanks to Michigan State's stumbles, but there's still plenty on the line. The Wolverines need to break a four-game losing streak in this rivalry, while MSU would be in danger of a losing season with a defeat here and Wisconsin, Nebraska and Northwestern up next. All eyes will be on Denard Robinson and a Spartans defense that has shut him down the last two years.

Penn State (4-2, 2-0) at Iowa (4-2, 2-0), 8 p.m., BTN: Raise your hand if you had these two teams atop their respective divisions midway through October. They're both doing it with defense, as Penn State is No. 2 and Iowa No. 3 in the Big Ten in points allowed, and some surprising contributors on offense (Mark Weisman for the Hawkeyes, a surging Matt McGloin and Allen Robinson for the Nittany Lions). Expect a slugfest, but hopefully one with more points than last year's 13-3 Penn State win.

(Read full post)

After a historic offseason of transition, the Big Ten endured a historic first half of ineptitude.

The league entered the fall with unique circumstances, as two of its premier programs (Ohio State and Penn State) couldn't compete in the postseason because of NCAA sanctions. But between a surging Michigan State program, a Michigan team coming off of a Sugar Bowl championships, a Wisconsin team that had made consecutive Rose Bowl appearances and a veteran-laden Nebraska squad, the Big Ten had ample reasons for optimism. They soon vanished.

Things got off to a rocky start at JerryWorld, as Michigan was stomped 41-14 by defending national champ Alabama. They only got worse in Week 2, the Big Ten's worst regular-season Saturday in recent memory. Big Ten teams went 6-6, including three losses at Pac-12 venues, including two by ranked teams (Wisconsin and Nebraska) against unranked foes (Oregon State and UCLA). The Big Ten went 6-9 against teams from BCS automatic-qualifying conferences and Notre Dame, with three wins coming from one team (Northwestern). Although Ohio State hasn't lost a game under new coach Urban Meyer, the Big Ten removed itself from the national title talk earlier than anyone expected.

(Read full post)

Oh, Gene Smith. If only Ohio State had self-imposed a bowl ban in 2011 before the NCAA did (for 2012), there's a good chance the unbeaten Buckeyes would be headed to some BCS game, perhaps the big one Jan. 7 in Miami.

As it stands, Ohio State is out of the mix (along with Penn State), and Michigan, despite two losses to top-10 teams, looks like the Big Ten's best bet to reach the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines have been dominant in their first two Big Ten games, and enter a crucial Legends stretch against Michigan State and Nebraska. Right now, Brady Hoke's squad clearly is the team to beat.

Wisconsin makes a nice move in the projections after dismantling Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium. Following back-to-back trips to Pasadena, the Badgers are pegged for a familiar bowl site -- Orlando, Fla. -- in the Capital One Bowl. Nebraska drops a spot in the projections, partly because of its struggles and partly because it visited the Capital One Bowl last season. Iowa, meanwhile, moves up after its road upset of Michigan State. Although Iowa and Northwestern could finish with similar records, Iowa's larger fan base gets it the nod to the Gator Bowl.

(Read full post)

Penn State tailback Curtis Dukes will finish out this season, but he's considering leaving afterward because of limited playing time, his high school coach told ESPN.

"We talked just 10 minutes ago, and he's still weighing his options," Indian River (N.Y.) coach Cory Marsell said. "There's a chance he can get his degree soon and then figure out what options he has."

Those options include staying with Penn State, transferring to another college or declaring for the NFL draft. Marsell believed the redshirt junior's size -- 6-foot-1, 245 pounds -- could translate well to the next level.

Dukes, who has just 69 career carries, first told the Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times he was unhappy with his playing time.

(Read full post)

With several of the nation's top football recruits taking both official and unofficial visits last week, our experts at RecruitingNation made some major tweaks to our top 10 recruiting battles with five new entrants in the fold. The top two remain the same, however, as Robert Nkemdiche and Laremy Tunsil maintain their spots as the two most impactful players on the recruiting scene.

For the latest edition of #BlueChipBattles, click here.

Matt Stankiewitch can't wait for this weekend so he can take a break from football -- by, well, watching football.

With the Iowa game eight days away, Stankiewitch planned to park himself in front of a TV on Saturday to perform some preliminary scouting on the Hawkeyes.

"I'd expect almost everyone on our team to be watching that game at 12 o'clock Saturday. I'm not going to be changing the channel even during commercials," Stankiewitch said, referring to the Iowa-Michigan State contest. "I'm going to be watching their defensive line and linebacking corps."

Bill O'Brien told Stankiewitch and his teammates to take it easy this weekend and heal up because, come Monday, the vacation's over.

So, most players traveled home after three days of practice to enjoy the brief reprieve. Stankiewitch is heading to his high school's homecoming. Steven Bench tweeted out a photo alongside two of his golden retrievers. Gerald Hodges expected some homemade fried chicken. And Jordan Hill planned to watch his old Steelton-Highspire team.

"It's big, especially because we're exactly in the middle of the year," Hill said. "It's big just to get rested up so all the bumps and bruises can go away. We get a chance to just relax for a couple days."

(Read full post)