Blue & White Roundtable: Week 11

Other possible participants:

There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
W. F. Yurasko
Happy Hour Valley
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Zombie Nation
Nittany Whiteout

1. Do you agree with Joe Paterno, that teams shouldn't have to artificially inflate scores just to please the voters? We all know
it's just how college football works, but how comfortable are you with that?

We're alright with putting the game out of reach. You have to look at it from game to game. If you're playing a good team, you need to put them away. Remember Northwestern and Michigan State a few years back?

If you're playing a crap team that has no chance of coming back on you, then you send out the practice squad and whatever happens, happens. Just don't be callin for bombs when you're up 35 in the fourth.

2. Iowa has been a very up-and-down team this season, and it's defense can actually play. What are some of the unit-to-unit match ups you're looking forward to seeing this week? Which team will win your chosen battle and why?

Probably the most intriguing match up this weekend will be Penn State's offensive line versus Iowa's defensive line. We know, that's not very exciting, but that's where this game will be won. Iowa is second to Penn State in both scoring and rushing defense and is led on the line by senior Mitch King, who has 11 tackles for loss to go with three sacks and a forced fumble.

So obviously, Iowa's D-line has done a solid job this, but no line in the Big11Ten, offensive or defensive, has been as impressive as Penn State's O-line. They protect Clark extremely well, and as great as Royster has been this year, they've been the key to opening up the running game. So while it should be a helluva battle, we think the Lions' O-line will win this battle, allowing Royster to have another solid game and Clark to make plays down field.

3. Backtrack a week. There were riots downtown following the OhioState win. The State College Borough Council had plenty of discussion about "why" it happened, and what could be done to "prevent it" in the future. Of course, they got nowhere. Are wild, dangerous events like this just a part of life at a big-time football school? Or should (or, can) something be done about it?

No, they shouldn't be a part of life at a big time football school, not during week 8, anyway.

How retarded will those fans look if PSU loses a game? You save your parties for the National Championship, and nothing less. Sure, winning a big game is great, but it's meaningless unless you win the rest, too.


Lightning Round

1. Royster has a big game (100+ yds)?
Yes

2. Devlin sees decent playing time?
Not sure why he would.

3. Chances (%) PSU holds Iowa below 10 pts?
50%