Joe Paterno, Penn State Flying Under BCS Radar

Since the original BSC rankings came out and since the resulting shock waves have subsided, little has been said lately regarding the chess match that is BCS decision making.

The usual subjects of BCS debate are, for the most part, story lines we as fans have followed all season long: Oregon and their turnaround season; Cincinnati as the little team that could; Florida as the squad determined to repeat.

But what happens when your team is flying under the radar?

When I played at UConn, as our team struggled to gain the respect we so rightfully deserved, we took on an "us against the world" mentality. And the results speak for themselves: 2007 Big East Champions and 2009 International Bowl Champs.

But while UConn this season has gone through hardship and has struggled to finish, another team in the BCS rankings has, all season long, avoided the media spectacle and remained largely out of the national consciousness.

I'm talking about Captain Coke Bottles himself, Joe Paterno, and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

They have faced only one ranked opponent in Iowa, a team they lost to 21-10 back in September. Their Big 10 schedule has let them down, but in their non-conference games? Well, apparently playing Syracuse, Temple, Akron and Eastern Illinois just doesn't bring the media buzz like it used to. I blame the economy.

This Saturday, though, Joe Pa's crew plays host to Ohio State. A win in Happy Valley could propel the Nittany Lions back to the national stage, getting them from "Hey, what about Penn State?" to a 9-1 record and "Hey, why not Penn State?" The Rose Bowl might be out of range, but with a fiery finish that included wins over Ohio State, Indiana and Michigan State, Paterno and Co. could be bound for a BCS bowl.