Will Penn State's Joe Paterno Go Out on Top?

Joe Paterno is considered by many to be the patriarch of NCAA football. Currently in his 43^rd season as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, Paterno's contract is up at the end of this 2008 season.

Having so far spent 2 ½ games coaching from the coaches box in the stadium rather than on the sidelines due to a recurring leg injury, Paterno's Penn State football program is having an excellent season. With an overall 7-0 record, Paterno currently finds his team ranked 3^rd in the AP, Harris and USA Today Coaches polls. Paterno-led teams have won two National Championships - in 1982 and 1986, long before the BCS existed. Joe Paterno is currently ahead in the neck-and-neck race with Bobby Bowden as the most winning major college coach.

Could this be the season Joe Paterno has been waiting for to announce his retirement? For the record, Paterno told ESPN's Ivan Maisel in April, 2008 ""As if I would not know when I couldn't get it done, you know what I mean? ... I don't need the money. I don't have anything to prove. I love this place. I always want it to be good."

The Nittany Lions are firing on all cylinders. Averaging 45 points per game, Paterno has led his Penn State team to resounding victories every week. While the win over Ron Zook's Illinois Illini could be considered the only "real" challenging game so far this season, the Big 10 pass defense leading Purdue Boilermakers held Penn State to just 20 points.

It is easy to foresee Paterno's Lions winning out the balance of the season, with just two ranked opponents (#12 Ohio State and #20 Michigan State) on the horizon. An outright Big 10 Championship is within their reach. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be on October 25 when Penn State travels to the Horseshoe in Columbus, OH to meet the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Third place in the rankings has Penn State behind also-undefeated Texas and Alabama. Texas has the toughest schedule remaining of the top three teams. Alabama, while significantly improved, will have a hard time ending the regular season undefeated. Will the voters put aside their "Big 10 is weak" bias and permit another Big 10 team into the BCS National Championship Game?