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Bobby Bowden's 373 career wins puts him at the top of the list of all-time winningest major college coaches.

Ever the optimist, Bowden believes the plan has helped on the recruiting trail. He recounted a typical conversation with a recruit.

“’You boys we’re trying to recruit, I probably won’t be here the whole five years, or four years you’re here. But here’s the guy that’s taking my place and it’s worked good.’ It’s worked real good in recruiting,” Bowden said.

Bowden would need to average nine wins a year over the next three seasons to reach his 400-victory goal. He doesn’t want to leave after consecutive seven-win years, though he has conceded a losing season may likely end his tenure.

No such talk from Paterno.

He keeps talking about pacing the sidelines in his rolled-up khakis for at least another couple seasons, and possibly as many as five more.

“I obviously get tired of answering the same question. ’When are you going to retire?,’ when I don’t know and I don’t know what to say so many times,” Paterno said at Big Ten media day in Chicago. “I’d like to retire when I feel as if I cannot make a contribution to Penn State.”

But JoePa has had his own off-field worries in recent years.

While he appears as feisty as ever, even the most minor hiccup in his health makes news. There was a brief stir in Happy Valley when he was treated at a hospital in May for several hours for dehydration. Paterno returned to his normal schedule the next day.

Off-field trouble has nagged his team since April 2007, with a handful of player suspensions and dismissals. Paterno dismisses talk that he’s lost touch with players young enough to be his grandchildren.

“All of us are under the gun,” he said at Penn State media day when asked about cracking down on off-field trouble. “I think I’m under the gun. We’ve got to stay on top of things.”

The Nittany Lions can still point to having one of the best graduation rates among Football Bowl Subdivision schools, 83 percent in 2006. But Penn State lost out this past offseason on in-state super-recruit Terrelle Pryor to Ohio State. Paterno insists his undefined future hasn’t hurt the school in recruiting.

Whatever happens this season, Seminole and Nittany Lion fans might want to take a moment some Saturday and just enjoy the sight of their legendary coach on the sideline. These guys can’t do it forever.

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