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western could throw a scare into them, surely Penn State could parlay its combination of NFL-tested coaching acumen and overachiever gumption into a serious upset bid. Right? Wrong. By the second quarter, Ohio State had stripped away any illusions of parity that fans may have been entertaining. It made its statement, and in the process, it made plain the standard that Big Ten teams will have to meet in the coming years if they want to win a conference championship. The Lions could be eligible for that championship as early as next season, depending on whether the NCAA and Big Ten decide to cut short their postseason ban. But there is no quick fix. As the Illinois and Minnesota games showed, Penn State's talent base, particularly on defense, has been eroded to the point that every game is a potential dogfight. The Nittany Lions have come back to the pack just as Ohio State has separated itself. Of course, this isn't the first time a hotshot coach with a couple of national championships on his resume has come into the Big Ten and immediately started stomping around like he owned the place. When Penn State entered it in 1993, the league was known for its isolationist culture that treated the Rose Bowl as if it were more important than the national championship. It had been 23 years since a Big Ten team had finished No. 1, but Joe Paterno was accustomed to vying for college football's biggest prize, and by winning 14 of their first 16 Big Ten games and putting together the league's first unbeaten, untied season since 1968, they forced everyone to raise their game. Within five seasons of Penn State's arrival, seven Big Ten teams had changed coaches. The newcomers tended to be highly efficient technocrats like Michigan State's Nick Saban, Michigan's Lloyd Carr and Minnesota's Glen Mason. They weren't as apt to crack jokes or spout old country sayings as their predecessors – Purdue's Joe Tiller was the exception – but they were a lot better at beating Penn State. Carr defeated Paterno nine times in a row, and in 1997, he won the conference's first national championship in 27 years. The good news for Penn State as it looks to recover from the devastation of the past two years is that it may already have the coaching staff it needs to get the program back to an elite level. O'Brien and his staff have proven they can recruit under the worst possible circumstances, and those circumstances are steadily improving. And while the on-field decision-making has come under heavy message-board fire this year with the team's record hovering around .500, it's clear that many of the problems, particularly on defense, are personnel-related. If Sean Lee, NaVorro Bowman and Bryan Scott were suiting up for the Nittany Lions on Saturday at Wisconsin, nobody would be calling for John Butler's resignation letter. The question facing the rest of the Big Ten now is whether any of its other 13 programs will be able to raise their game to the level necessary to compete with Ohio State. The Buckeyes have gone national. They are bypassing the Ohio prospects who lifted the program to the top of the league standings under Jim Tressel because, thanks to Meyer's clout, they can pull recruits out of any part of the country they want. A few weeks ago, Ohio State's Evan Spencer was asked by reporters about potential BCS title matchups against either Alabama or Florida State. The freshman receiver said he thought the Buckeyes would "wipe the field with both of them. " Who knows? Maybe they would. Maybe Ohio State is going to dominate the Big Ten for the duration of Meyer's career at the school. Or maybe the handful of schools with the resources and tradition to compete on that level are going to raise their game accordingly. Penn State is one of those schools, so if it can be done, the Lions are as likely as any Big Ten team to do it. If not, it may be time to expand again. Is the Duquesne Athletic Club available? I www.AmericanAleHouse.net 821 Cricklewood Drive, Toftrees State College Now in 2 Locations

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