Last year: 9-4 overall, 4-4 in Big Ten

On the Web: www.GoPSUSports.com

Ticket info: All seven home games are sold out, which might ensure that Penn State - which, with a seating capacity of 107,282, has the largest stadium in the country - leads all colleges in average home attendance. Last year, Penn State averaged 108,917 to finish second to Michigan (110,264).

Worth watching: Junior defensive end Maurice Evans, off the strength of his breakout 12 1/2-sack performance in 2007, is a preseason first-team All-America selection of virtually every college football magazine and Web site. Hope he doesn't mind fighting through two and sometimes even three blockers on every play.

Great unknown: Depth along the defensive line figured to be a team strength. But, with the dismissals of defensive tackles Chris Baker and Philip Taylor, and the broken ankle to another defensive tackle, Devon Still, the rotation has been thinned considerably. Another injury or two up front could have major implications.

It all comes down to: Will the quarterbacks (Daryll Clark, Pat Devlin) be playmakers, or caretakers? If it's the former, there's a chance this could be a 10-win or better season. If it's the latter, the 9-4 mark posted by the 2006 and '07 teams might again be as good as can be hoped for.

Circle the date: Oct. 18. Michigan arrives in Beaver Stadium carrying a nine-game winning streak over the Nittany Lions. Four of those victories have been by four or fewer points.

Number crunching: Since Joe Paterno succeeded his mentor, Rip Engle, as head coach at Penn State in 1966, there have been 817 head coaching changes in Division I (an average of six per school) and eight administrations of U.S. presidents.

SCHEDULE

Saturday: COASTAL CAROLINA, noon

Saturday, Sept. 6: OREGON STATE, 3:30

Saturday, Sept. 13: at Syracuse, 3:30

Saturday, Sept. 20: TEMPLE, noon

Saturday, Sept. 27: ILLINOIS, 8

Saturday, Oct. 4: at Purdue, TBA

Saturday, Oct. 11: at Wisconsin, 8

*Saturday, Oct. 18: MICHIGAN, 4:30

Saturday, Oct. 25: at Ohio State, 8

Saturday, Nov. 1: Idle

Saturday, Nov. 8: at Iowa, TBA

Saturday, Nov. 15: INDIANA, TBA

Saturday, Nov. 22: MICHIGAN STATE, TBA

*Homecoming