Thoughts From the Valley

The Hangover

How I am feeling: Freaking excited. It's Ohio State week. The Most Important Week Of The Year. Let me tell you, folks: I watch a lot of sports. I watch college football. I watch Major League Baseball. I watch NCAA basketball. I watch NASCAR. I watch the occasional NFL (snore) game, the occasional NBA (snore) game, the occasional NHL game. I watch the four majors in golf. I watch the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four. That's a lot of sports, folks. A lot of seasons. A lot of games. But there is only one game that I truly care about in each calendar year. And that game is Penn State-Ohio State. This one means everything to Your Editor, folks. Everything. Saturday at 3:30 cannot get here fast enough.

What I am drinking: Victory Storm King, by the TCFA-Supported Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pa. I drank this beer last year during the Penn State-Ohio State game and we won. Hence I drink it now. Go Nits.

What I am listening to: Marah, "Rain Delay." And Marah, "Sooner or Later." And Marah, "Dishwasher's Dream." The Philadelphia Phillies are in the World Series, and Your Editor is Quasi-On-The-Bandwagon (when Cliff Lee pitches, at least). And for some reason, the music of Marah is just great for baseball tailgating. They're from Philly. They sound like Philly. And they let Harry Kalas do the voice-over intro for "Rain Delay."

My thoughts on the weekend: Your Editor doesn't have much this week, folks, as I spent much of my afternoon in the company of Longtime TCFA Friends Scott and Courtney Burke.

Why did I spent my afternoon in their company?

Here's why: They just had a baby boy.

Nathaniel Thomas Burke arrived in the wee hours of Thursday morning. We're all fairly excited about it.

Your Editor met Young Nate for the first time on Sunday afternoon.

My first words to the lad?

"Go Nits."

His father, as you may recall, is Pitt fan.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

Three ...: Let's go ahead and call it what it is: A miracle. The Miracle of North Broad Street, if you will. I speak, of course, of the Temple Owls, who are now 6-2 on the season after a 27-24 win at Navy this weekend. The win at Annapolis not only made the Owls bowl-eligible, but also ensured that Temple will finish with a winning record for the first time since 1990. Coach Al Golden has worked wonders in North Philly, folks. Not only has he made these kids believe in themselves, he's also (and this is the more impressive part) actually started to attract athletes (like, real athletes) to North Philly. I've seen the Owls play twice this year, folks. They're pretty good. Not great, but good. And if Golden sticks around, they'll good for years to come, too.

Two ...: Illinois 38, Michigan 13. Four weeks ago I thought Michigan might win the Big Ten. Today, I think Rich "Snake-Oil Salesman Wearing a Wizard's Hat" Rodriguez needs to begin worrying about his job. The Wolverines have a tough stretch run, folks, and if they finish up badly, RichRod's tenure up in Ann Arbor may end a lot sooner than we expected. Because, simply put, this team has not gotten better.

One ...: Time for my weekly thoughts on My Beloved Penn State Nittany Lions. Since I didn't mention this up top, I should probably state here that my Nits improved to 8-1 with a 34-13 win over a very feisty Northwestern team. Eight and one. That just sounds nice, folks. Once again, Daryll Clark was fantastic. Once again, Evan Royster delivered a big play. Once more, Derek Moye showed why he's The Best Big Ten Wideout Nobody Is Talking About. And once more, Tom Bradley showed that he can make in-game adjustments as well as any assistant in the country. In short, yes, this is a pretty good team. Good enough to beat the Buckeyes? Well, find out below.

Touchdown ...: Penn State has the advantage at quarterback. Penn State has better wideouts, a better tailback, better linebackers and better leadership. Ohio State is probably better along the offensive and defensive lines (slightly), and Ohio State has better special teams. But Penn State has the home-field advantage and, top to bottom, Penn State is The Better Team. Which is why I believe Penn State should win this game, folks. They should. But there's just one way they can lose it: If Terrelle Pryor can find any kind of consistency in the short passing game—if he can exploit Penn State's tendency to drop its corners five yards off the ball and, as a result, keep Penn State's linebackers back on their heels instead of rushing the backfield With Wild Abandon—then he could end up running like crazy on the Penn State defense. Here's the God's honest truth, folks: Pure running quarterbacks don't give the Nits problems. Good quarterbacks who can also run cause the Nits problems. Pryor is not a great passer. He is an outstanding rusher, however. So if he has a career passing day (for instance, a day such as the one Todd Boeckman had against the Nits back in '07), then the Buckeyes win. I don't see it happening, though. Penn State 27, Ohio State 21. And A Happy Your Editor Next Saturday Evening.