JoePa, Royster on verge of milestones

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a milestone in itself that Penn State icon Joe Paterno is still coaching in the twilight of his years. So it comes as no surprise that the bespectacled legend is approaching 400 career wins.

His traditional white-laced Nike's and khaki pants have strolled the sidelines in Happy Valley since the 1960s, leaving many to wonder when Paterno will finally call it quits. It's unlikely the all-time leader in career wins among FBS coaches will shoot for the unprecedented 500-win mark since he's currently 394-129-3 (75.2).

Paterno will enter his 45th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, who kick off the season Saturday afternoon against Youngstown State. The young squad returns 13 starters from a year ago which could make it tough for Paterno to become only the third coach in NCAA history with 400 victories, joining John Gagliardi (471) and Eddie Robinson (408). Paterno, whose tenure as head coach at PSU is the longest at one institution among major college coaches, won 300 games faster than any other at his position.

Inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in December 2007, Paterno's best years may be behind him. But his love for the sport and Penn State is as fresh as the morning dew.

"I'm feeling really good. And as long as I enjoy it, I'll continue to coach, unless I don't think I can do a good job or anybody else doesn't think I can do the job," Paterno quipped during Big Ten media day.

Let's be honest here.

Who in their right mind at Penn State is going to tell Paterno it's time for him to hang up the cuffed khakis after all of the revenue and popularity he has created in his time in central Pennsylvania?

Some may argue the game has passed Paterno by, but he can simply point towards the four Bowl wins over the past five years, back-to-back 11-win seasons, a myriad of players drafted in the NFL and nation-wide respect from both players and coaches. Paterno has also been fortunate to have great scouts who recruit top-tier athletes around the country.

Enter running back Evan Royster.

Royster is from a hot bed of talent down in Farifax, VA, and has transformed himself into one of the nation's premier backs during his days in State College. Penn State is known for sending its linebackers to the next level, a place where Nittany Lion running backs go to die. Royster will most likely be a mid-round pick in 2011 if he stays healthy and looks to avoid the bust label players such as Blair Thomas, Ki-Jana Carter and Curtis Enis are all too familiar with.

Keeping able-bodied is tough to do at any level of football. Former PSU backs Curt Warner, Tony Hunt and Thomas were able to avoid the trainer's room and are the top three rushers in school history.

Royster, who is returning for his senior season, enters the 2010 campaign with 2,918 career rushing yards and needs 481 more to break Warner's record of 3,398 yards set from 1979-82. He needs only 82 yards to become the sixth Penn State tailback to eclipse the 3,000-career rushing mark. He should get that before halftime versus Youngstown State.

"I wanted to return to finish my degree and for my final year at Penn State," Royster told PSU's official website. "I'm looking forward to next season."

Penn State fans should look forward to seeing Royster become the school's all- time leading rusher sometime in October. The Nittany Lions have three fairly easy games in their first four weeks of action (Youngstown State, Kent State, Temple) save a Sept. 11 road bout with defending national champion Alabama.

In other Penn State news, true-freshman quarterback Robert Bolden is expected to start under center for this weekend's game against the Penguins. Paterno is not well known for throwing young players into the proverbial fire, but then again this a matchup Penn State is expected to win with ease.

Paterno had to pick between several signal callers, including last year's backup Kevin Newsome.

"Based on what we have seen to this point, Bolden has a slight edge right now, but we are confident all three quarterbacks are ready to go and hope to give them an opportunity to play until we settle on the one that gives us the best chance to win," Paterno told the team's website.

Paterno should make that decision Saturday night before the team prepares for a tough showdown with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Rivsls NCAA Football Betting News

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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