Terry Gilliam / AP

Penn State cornerback Lydell Sargeant (10) celebrates after making an interception in the end zone with safety Anthony Scirrotto (7) during the fourth quarter of the Nittany Lions' 13-6 victory Saturday.

The argument will be that the Big Ten is inferior. That the Midwest has sent a representative to the national title game the past two Januarys and each contest was over by halftime. Which is true. Penn State might not be Ohio State, but there’s guilt by association. And the Nittany Lions did not attract new disciples Saturday evening with an offensive attack that might best be described in this current political climate as “pro-American.”

“Oh, I understand,” says Penn State offensive coordinator Jay Paterno, who sat a couple seats over from his dad in the visiting coaches' press box during the game. After Penn State missed a potential game-tying 45-yard field goal late in the third quarter, Jay’s old man, who happens to be an old man, barked, “For cryin’ out loud, would you open it up?”

At that point, Penn State's spread HD offense more closely resembled an old Quasar black-and-white TV.

On the other hand, underestimate the Nittany Lions at your own peril. Four times in his career Paterno has led his team to an undefeated season and been denied the national title. A fifth time, in 1986, Penn State was allowed, grudgingly, to face Miami in what everyone involved was sure would be a gruesome mismatch. Then a 20-year-old fan of the game, I was lucky enough to be in the stands for the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. And I watched as the Nittany Lions forced the Hurricanes and their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Vinny Testaverde, out of the highly caffeinated game that they’d hoped to play. Penn State won the national championship with a 14-10 victory.

If that score does not scare Big 12 offensive coordinators, it should. And by the way, this Nittany Lion offense is far superior to that one.

“I actually think we’re a pretty sexy offense, too,” said Jay Paterno, whose given name is Joe. “Each week my 8-year-old son (also named, yes, Joe Paterno) tells me, ‘Hey, Dad, Texas is playing so-and-so, or Oklahoma is playing whoever' — I don’t care. We just have to worry about Penn State.”

“Doesn’t matter if the score is 100-99 or 2-0,” said Rubin, who, having out-touched Michael Phelps in his life, is not one to be easily awestruck. “As long as we win, it doesn’t matter.”

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