Anybody who covers Penn State football will tell you that the most common question they face is: “How long is Paterno going to keep coaching?” It’s not surprising because Joe Paterno will celebrate his 81st birthday in December, and is wrapping up his record-setting 42nd season as the head coach in Happy Valley. He’s been a member of the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff since Harry Truman was President.

The truth is that nobody in the media knows Paterno’s retirement plans, if there are any. But here is a compelling reason that as long as he remains healthy, Paterno is going to keep coaching for the foreseeable future: he is closing in on Florida State’s Bobby Bowden in the race to be major college football’s victory leader.

Heading into this weekend, Bowden leads Paterno on the all-time win list by one, 370-369. Paterno owned the mark from 2001-2003 but then was overtaken by Bowden, 77, near the end of a down period, when PSU suffered four losing seasons in five years.

But since 2005, the Lions are 26-7 and Florida State has struggled (19-14). And with very difficult roads games at Boston College, Virginia Tech and Florida coming up this season, Bowden and the Seminoles may struggle to avoid the program’s first losing season since 1976.

If that happens, Paterno could head into next season atop the list once again. Or the two Hall of Fame coaches could be tied. And unless Bowden decides to retire, Paterno is too much of a competitor to drop out of this incredible personal rivalry unless he is assured the top spot. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

During a preliminary hearing on Oct. 17, Penn State’s suspended tailback Austin Scott was officially charged with rape, submitted a plea of not guilty, and the matter is apparently going to trial sometime next winter. As a result, it’s almost certain that the fifth-year senior will never again play for the Nittany Lions.

And unless there is a significant injury the rest of the way to either starting tailback Rodney Kinlaw or new backup Evan Royster, PSU’s football team is probably better off without Scott on its active roster anyway. Some members of the team have privately conceded that this situation is probably “addition by subtraction.”

Scott was never really a model teammate anyway. And with the current charges hanging over his head, Scott would be even more of a distraction if head coach Joe Paterno was to allow him back on the field. The last two outings have shown us that the Kinlaw/Royster rotation has been much more productive than when Scott was in the picture in the season’s opening five games.

Yes, Scott is innocent until proven guilty. But for the sake of the program, it’s probably best that the Lions and their former can’t-miss blue chip recruit simply go their separate ways. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.
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It is probably safe to say that the first weekend in October was like no other in the 140 year history of Penn State football.

And let’s be clear: other than Saturday’s 27-7 victory over visiting Iowa, it was a very, very bad weekend for the Nittany Lions. As if the program hasn’t received enough negative publicity for a bunch of off-the-field legal and disciplinary woes, what happened in a three-day stretch from Oct. 5-7 was surreal.

Let’s set the timeline:
-- On Friday, the squad was notified that senior tailback Austin Scott has been suspended indefinitely for breaking an unspecified team rule. A week later, Scott was arraigned and charged with six felony counts, including the alleged rape of a woman he met in a bar.

-- And then around lunchtime on Friday, head coach Joe Paterno was apparently involved in a mild case of road rage following a near accident on campus.

-- Later that same evening, freshman Joe Suhey was cited for underage drinking.

-- Early Sunday morning, freshman Ryan Breen became the fourth PSU player in less than two months to be issued a citation for underage drinking.

-- Also early Sunday morning, there was a fight that resulted in at least one injury and allegedly involved some PSU football players.

All of the alleged misconduct listed above happened in a 48 hour span sandwiched around a football game. In retrospect, it is surprising the Nittany Lions had enough time to beat the Hawkeyes. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

A DVD on the history of Penn State football is titled “Success With Honor.” And when head coach Joe Paterno took over the program in 1966, he termed his effort to meld athletics and academics a “Grand Experiment.”

For decades, Penn State football fans – encouraged by the coaching staff, current and former players and administrators in Happy Valley -- have been saying that Penn State is different from all the other football factories across the nation.

But with that kind of grandiose self opinion comes pressure to constantly rise to that level. And lately, the Nittany Lions sure seem to have just as much off the field problems as all of the other programs that don’t claim superiority.

Two key defensive players, Anthony Scirrotto and Chris Baker, each face felony charges stemming from an off-campus fight last spring, and four other players faced similar charges that were later dropped. On Friday, freshman running back Joe Suhey was cited for underage drinking, bringing the total to three players similarly charged in the last two months (Andrew Quarless and Willie Harriott are the others.).

And late last month, former PSU defensive end Lavon Chisley was found guilty of first- and third-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. The evidence showed that the victim was stabbed 93 times. When asked about it recently, Paterno said: “I have no comment on that.”

But Chisley was recruited by Paterno, and spent nearly four years at Penn State before being booted off the team in 2005 due to academic problems. Trying to distance itself from Chisley at this point sure seems a bit hypocritical.

Many Penn State haters revel in each and every negative off-the-field problem that comes to light. But that is understandable in light of the holier-than-thou rhetoric that has been emanating from State College for a very long time. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

Two of the four teams currently tied for last place in the Big Ten meet on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State and Iowa have been the most disappointing squads in the conference so far this season, but the Hawkeyes have a legitimate excuse: a rash of devastating injuries and a couple suspensions. Other than opening with two league road games, the Nittany Lions have absolutely no valid explanation for their lackluster play so far.

It looks like Iowa will take to the field this weekend without its starting wideout (Andy Brodell), tight end (Tony Moeaski), linebacker (Mike Klinkenborg) and defensive back (Devan Moylan). They are all injured, some for the entire season. The Hawkeyes also haven’t had quality receivers like Dominique Douglas and Anthony Bowman all season because they are in trouble with the law.

With the expected return of guard John Shaw, Penn State will be at full strength on Saturday, not missing a single starter from the preseason depth chart. Not one. Shaw has been the only significant player to miss any significant playing time this season. And don’t forget, safety Anthony Scirrotto and end Chris Baker haven’t missed a play, even though both face felony charges.

The Lions have been remarkably fortunate so far with injuries/suspensions. That is why their 0-2 record is much more disappointing than Iowa’s. And why PSU has been the Big Ten’s most underachieving group by far. And everybody agrees it is not a vintage year for the league. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

As bad as things seem right now, Penn State fans need to take a deep breath.

Yes, the Nittany Lions are out of the Big Ten title chase before it really began. And, yes, going from top-10 in the nation to a last place tie in the conference in a span of seven days is awfully hard to swallow.

But believe it or not, PSU isn’t as far away from being a pretty good team as many now think. Two road losses by a combined 12 points? That is not exactly getting whipped. Right now, this team just needs to have some success, win a game and get some confidence back.

Before you completely write off the Lions, at least wait until Saturday. If Penn State falls to visiting Iowa this weekend at Beaver Stadium, then it is time to panic. The Hawkeyes are also 0-2 in the league and have unimpressive losses to Iowa State and Indiana. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN