Mike Kern: Can Penn State fit into BCS picture?
TODAY'S QUESTION, class, is: Can Southern Cal's loss at Oregon have any effect on Penn State getting into a BCS bowl?
Glad you wanted to know.
Well, let's assume the Nits finish 11-1, yet don't make it back to the Rose Bowl, which would be the scenario if Iowa also goes 11-1. There are four at-large spots available for the four non-title BCS bowls. Boise State or Texas Christian almost certainly gets one, as long as they don't lose. They probably won't get two.
So what shakes out after that? It depends. If Florida and Alabama are both unbeaten, which isn't necessarily a given, going into the SEC final, the loser will get a bid. Unless maybe they get selected to play a rematch for an even better trophy, which isn't likely but not impossible. Let's go with isn't likely. That leaves two openings.
Notre Dame, 22nd in the BCS standings, has to end up 14th to be eligible. So the Irish need to win out, against Navy, at Pitt, Connecticut and at Stanford. If they do you can book them in as well, Dan-O.
What if Texas goes 12-0 but gets upset in the Big 12 finale? The Horns would still figure to get in. That's a long shot, sure, but stuff does happen.
Realistically, the bigger problem could be a 10-2 USC. The Trojans haven't played in anything but a Rose Bowl since the 2004 season, when they went to the Orange for the second time in 3 years. They made their one appearance in the Fiesta in 1981 (where they were beaten by Penn State) and have never been to the Sugar.
Don't think those sites wouldn't want USC, even with an extra blemish.
As usual, the best thing the Nits have going for them is their Nation, which travels extremely well. And they haven't been to a Fiesta since 1996, or the Sugar since winning their first of two rings in 1982. Which is hard to believe, actually.
My money would still be on the Lions, just because. Maybe they will even get matched up against Notre Dame. Or a Big East champion, Pitt. The mind boggles at the options.
Or, college football being what it is, there could be 10 upsets in the next month and Penn State will be back in that national-title scrum.
Trivial pursuit
Which was the last Big Ten team to win the Rose Bowl? Hint: It wasn't Northwestern. See Answer man.
Have you noticed?
* Michigan was 4-0, which included a win over Notre Dame. Now the Wolverines have lost four of their last five. The one win since September was over Delaware State. They host Purdue this week, go to Wisconsin and close with Ohio State at home. Bet you can't wait for that bowl game, assuming there is one. Maybe against Temple in Detroit the day after Christmas.
* Iowa has won at Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. The only other Big Ten team to do that was Michigan, in 1997, en route to a co-national title.
* Oklahoma's Landry Jones, Sam Bradford's replacement, has thrown for 17 TDs. That's six more than any other FBS freshman.
* If Kentucky beats visiting Western Kentucky, it would be the Wildcats' 18th consecutive nonconference win. That would break a program record that's stood since 1960. They have the second-longest current streak in FBS, behind Louisiana State (22). They're just ahead of Texas (16) and USC (15).
Answer man
Wisconsin (with Ron Dayne) won it in 1999 and 2000, beating UCLA (38-31) and then Stanford (17-9). Since then the Big Ten has gone 0-6.
