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so farfetched. As Simon told ESPN.com, "I think now [the Penn State case] might have been handled differently by both parties." The decision to reduce the sanctions was seen by some as a validation of the view that, rather than conducting a legal assault, Penn State needed to let its allies at NCAA headquarters and in the Big Ten work behind the scenes to reach a new agreement. In August, O'Brien told the board of trustees that lawsuits against the NCAA were not helping the program's cause. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett had filed an antitrust suit in January, only to have it thrown out five months later by a federal judge who called it a "Hail Mary pass. In addition, the Paterno family sued " in May, along with a group of faculty members, trustees and former coaches, seeking to void the original consent decree. Last month, the NCAA filed a motion to have the suit thrown out of Centre County court, claiming that the Paternos "are the wrong plaintiffs and they have sued the wrong defendants. Lawyers for both sides " are set to make oral arguments on Oct. 29 to determine whether the case should go forward. O'Brien was asked recently whether he saw the NCAA's decision as confirmation that his was the right approach. He declined to discuss the controversies, shifting focus instead to the road ahead. "We're just trying to do what's right for the student-athletes here, he said, "and we're " trying to do what's right for Penn State. " So, where do the Lions go from here? The return of lost scholarships and the potential for a resumption of postseason eligibility in 2015 or even next year raise some tantalizing possibilities for a program that seemed resigned to a much longer period of exile. One of the more immediate changes will likely be in Penn State's message to recruits. When the program was penalized, the Nittany Lions were forced to take an approach that de-emphasized bowl games and title aspirations and focused instead on the primacy of the regular season and the game-day experience, while also stressing the usual points of emphasis: graduation rates, career opportunities and "We're just trying to do what's right for the student-athletes here, and we're trying to do what's right for Penn State." BILL O'BRIEN a wide variety of potential majors. Among the players who bought in was running back Akeel Lynch, a member of O'Brien's hastily assembled first recruiting class. It wasn't bowl games that brought him to University Park, he said. "It was actually more than just football. It was the academics and social life and fans and everything else around football. " Recruits also responded to O'Brien's pro pedigree and the opportunity that he gave them to sharpen their NFL potential. People in the Lasch Building started using the phrase "next level," and not just in their day-to-day dealings with players; the team also put it on the cover of its spring and fall media guides, a none-toosubtle cue that Penn State wanted to present itself as a proving ground for the pros. But with the scholarship restrictions eased and the postseason ban possibly ending early, the Nittany Lions can offer recruits the same shot at bowl success that their opponents enjoy. Another change is that the Lions suddenly have more to offer O'Brien himself. His future at Penn State has been the subject of much speculation during his short tenure, especially after Penn State restructured his contract earlier this year. The revisions, which reduced his NFL buyout to $6.7 million after the 2013 season and $2.8 million after 2014, were seen as an acknowledgment of the severity of the sanctions and an effort by Penn State to do right by its new coach, who perhaps didn't want to spend the best years of his career trying to keep the Nittany Lions competitive while waiting for better days to arrive. But with the sanctions reduced, it looks as though those days are going to arrive more quickly than expected. The new consent decree "certainly makes it easier to compete and to be able to devote his time to the student-athletes that we have there and the [others] that we're going to be able to bring, " athletic director Dave Joyner told SI.com. "It certainly changes a little bit of the paradigm of his day-to-day activities, which has to be gratifying to him. " If Penn State's recruiting picks up – and its 2013 class was ranked sixth in the Big Ten by Rivals.com despite the sanctions – the team will be poised to bounce back strong from a difficult stretch in which its numbers are down and its fan base is disengaged, at least by Nittany Lion standards. And if it holds onto O'Brien, it will have achieved a coup that few would have thought possible a year ago. Players are eager to see the program regain its customary spot in the Big Ten's upper eschelon. And while they may not be focused on the long-term future as they deal with the weekly demands of the conference season, they're proud of the role they have played in helping build a bridge to the post-sanction era. "We did stick it out, Ficken said. "That's " a testament to the courage of this team and how we all fought through it. We're coming out as better players and better I people."

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