Breaking News

Sports Columns

Point-counterpoint: Was the Big Ten right in letting Ohio State in its title game?

Yes, but I think the league missed a great opportunity to show out-of-the-box thinking that would have injected some needed excitement into the Big Ten. And that would have been to allow the Buckeyes — with the Big Ten’s help — to schedule the best opponent they could find for a date this weekend. The opponent could have been Texas A&M, which had its game with Mississippi canceled. The Aggies are currently ranked No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings behind the No. 4 Buckeyes, No. 3 Clemson, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Alabama. Talk about a game that would move the ...

Point-counterpoint: Was the Big Ten right in letting Ohio State in its title game?

Nothing is normal about this year. Nothing makes sense. When you’re living in a world where world where nothing is normal, you cannot try to rationalize things the same way you would during usual circumstances. Usually, rules are rules. They apply to everyone. It’s how we keep order in the world. This year, we have to be able to bend the rules. The Big Ten made a rule a few months ago that seemed like a good idea at the time. It turned out to be a bad rule, one that could have caused one major problem. It could have cost the Big Ten millions of dollars. So the rule had to be ...

New identity imposing Nittany Lions’ will

Football teams often talk about an identity. Through their 0-5 start, the Nittany Lions didn’t have one, other than a losing identity. They certainly didn’t have a defensive identity as they were lit up for 30 points weekly. Nor could they throw the ball effectively, even though they ...

Penn State’s Ciarrocca hasn’t lost confidence

Lion time Today: Penn State at Rutgers, noon Records: Penn State (1-5); Rutgers (2-4) TV: Fox Sports 1 Latest line: PSU favored by 11.5 When things aren’t going well — despite Penn State’s one-game winning streak – coaches who have enjoyed past success typically refer to ...

Victory breathes life back into Nittany Lions

There’s a fine line between winning and losing, but there’s a wide gap on how outcomes affect certain teams. Especially teams with big dreams. Penn State’s 27-17 victory Saturday at Michigan in an empty Big House sent a much-needed infusion of positivity through the Nittany Lions, ...

Time for Lions to start looking ahead

Since Penn State has never been 0-5, there’s no reference point in how the Nittany Lions handled that adversity. The closest stretch of futility was the early 2000s when the Lions managed four losing seasons in five years. Joe Paterno wanted a chance to bring the program back and kept insisting the program was just a couple players away, and he turned out to be right as the addition of speedsters and decorated recruits Derrick Williams and Justin King were difference makers. They sparked a resurgence that produced an 11-1 record and No. 3 ranking in 2005, which was followed by a ...