This week's Blue White Roundtable is being hosted by Devon of Nittany White Out. (Who else did you think would host during Whiteout Week?)This week's paticipants include the 2theLion, Happy Hour Valley, Nittany Lounge, Nittany White Out (Kevin), William World News, and Zombie Nation...
Subscribe to Penn State Clips via EmailQuestion One: As this week's matchup with Iowa represents not just Penn State's first conference game but their first real test, take a look back at the 3-game preconference schedule. What was the one thing that stood out to you most, either as a success or a failure?
Answer: The thing that stood out to us the most was the utterly uninspired play of the Listless Lions. Joe threw the team out of practice on the Wednesday before the Syracuse game and the captains held a team meeting. But even that failed to light a fire under the boys. If we come out flat against Iowa, the nation's #5 team is going to crash and burn...
Question Two: Iowa, on the other hand, has been tested twice already this season, both by D1-AA Northern Iowa and by Arizona, a solid Pac-10 team. How much of an advantage, if any, will the Hawkeyes have over Penn State as a result?
Answer: We always admired the way John Chaney prepared his Temple basketball teams for the NCAA with brutal non-con schedules. Considering the Hawkeyes survived the UNI Block Party and looked pretty good against Arizona, we feel they are better prepared for a tough Big Ten game than are the Listless Lions. But will this be enough to overcome Penn State's apparently sizable talent advantage?
Questions Three: It seems like both Penn State and Iowa have been hit pretty hard by the injury bug early in the 2009 season, with Iowa losing the services of RB Jewel Hampton, LT Bryan Bulaga, TE Tony Moeaki, and WR Darrell Johnson-Koulianos and Penn State potentially without both Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman, along with Graham Zug. How will both teams adjust to playing without some of their star players?
Answer: None of the Iowa players were on the field for the Arizona game, so the players who will be starting against Penn State got valuable experience. We believe Bowman will play, making up for the loss of Lee. The loss of Zug hurts because he appears to be Penn State's best possession receiver.
That being said, we suspect the Hawkeyes will struggle if they attempt to run. We expect Scrap to put the burden of proof on Ricky Stanzi. Can he beat us by himself? We remain skeptical.
Question Four: Last year a loss to Iowa knocked Penn State out of the National Championship race. This year they're in a similar place, as they largely control their own destiny. Do you see Penn State running the table in the Big Ten and, if not, where is the most likely slip-up?
Answer: We have opined since spring turned to summer than no Big Ten team will finish the regular season undefeated (to the relief of most of the college football world!) and we've seen nothing to alter our opinion.
The Ohio State game has an obvious fear factor, but we're actually more concerned about Penn State's trip to the Big House on October 24th. Big Ten road games are always tough and Tate Forcier looks like the real deal.
If you offered us 11-1 and a share of the 2009 Big Ten Football Championship right now, we'd take it!
Question Five: This will be the fourth year that Beaver Stadium hosts a White Out and it's universally regarded as one of the best traditions in the NCAA. What suggestions would you have to further improve gameday conditions at the Beav?
Answer: We live in the Midwest's largest metropolitan area and are thus limited to road games. (Thank goodness Penn State is in the Big Ten instead of the ACC or Big East!)
So we can't comment on the gameday conditions per se, but we do have one suggestion: Penn State should vow to never, ever again play a I-AA team, even if it means paying more for a MAC or other mid-major team. We're STILL embarrassed that Penn State signed Indiana State, one of the worst teams in all of Division I football, for a game in 2011.
Lightning Round...
1. Who runs for more yards, Iowa or Penn State? Penn State will run for more yards, as Iowa is held under 100.
2. Last year's Whiteout game drew 109,626 people to Beaver Stadium. How many come this year? The attendance will improbably land on exactly 110K.
3. If you had to win just one of the two, would you rather Penn State beats Iowa or Ohio State? Much as it would hurt to lose to Iowa for the seventh time in eight games, Ohio State is more important in terms of recruiting and winning the Big Ten Championship.
4. Does Corso put on the Lion or Hawkeye head? Definitely the Nittany Lion.
5. Does Penn State get revenge, or does Iowa make it 7 of 8 against the Lions? We think the weight the Iowa offense is too big a load for Ricky Stanzi to bear by himself. Expect to see a REALLY Happy Valley Saturday night!
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