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The biggest weakness, both in terms of how weak and how important, is the offensive line. Ohio State's superb defensive line was able to shut down the run game (Penn State had just 76 yards rushing) and apply constant pressure to quarterback Daryll Clark, without having to blitz or stunt.
That meant the Buckeyes could hurry Clark and also fill his field of vision with six, seven, even occasionally eight white jerseys in coverage.
Given all that, the Buckeyes only had to come up with 2-3 big plays on offense and special teams to get to Ohio State 24, Penn State 7.
For some reason, Penn State has as much trouble rebuilding O-lines as any national power. (Good luck trying to get Joe Paterno to acknowledge that, much less talk about it.).
Last year's line was filled with third- fourth- and fifth-year players, and the Lions went 11-1 in the regular season, sharing the Big Ten title and earning a Rose Bowl bid.
This year's line consists of five players starting at their current position for the first time.
That fact, as much as any other, is the difference between a BCS bowl and the Alamo or Outback.
On the other hand, Saturday's game may have revealed an underlying strength of the Penn State program.
Despite all of the above, the Nittany Lions came into Saturday's game 9-1, No. 11 in the BCS standings, with a very real chance at, short of a national championship, everything a college team can accomplish in a season.
Part of that is the weakness of the schedule, without question. But Penn State probably deserves some credit for beating the people they should beat.
If you think that's as easy as it sounds, look around.
As physically superior as Ohio State looked Saturday, it lost to Purdue (now 4-6, then 1-5) just two weeks ago. And it wasn't even real close.
There are games like that every week. Iowa's dreams were crushed Saturday by 3-3, 6-4 Northwestern. USC, supposedly with more talent than anybody, trips over an ordinary Pac-10 foe seemingly annually. This year it was Washington (3-6).
Notre Dame lost to Navy, which probably doesn't have a single player Notre Dame would deign to recruit, Saturday for the second straight year.
Consider Michigan-Appalachian State 2007. Consider West Virginia in '07, ranked No. 2 and with a clear path to the national title game, losing 13-9 to Pittsburgh, a 29-point underdog.
In the five seasons since Penn State's program turned around, starting in 2005, the Lions have been beaten in a game in which they were favored only three times: by 24-23 at Iowa last year as a 7-point favorite, 35-31 at Michigan State in 2007 as a 2-point favorite, and 14-9 at Michigan, also in '07, as a 2-point favorite.
Hardly major upsets. You probably shouldn't be able to win 9-10 games a year just by handling your business, but it is something.
Nit-News: The Lions sagged to 18th in the latest BCS standings, announced Sunday. In order to be eligible for a BCS berth (leaving aside provisions for possibilities that are too arcane and involved to get into here), Penn State must win the Big Ten title, which isn't happening now, or finish in the top 14 in the BCS standings, which is possible but not likely.
If the Lions win out they figure to finish third, either alone or with Wisconsin, in the Big Ten. The Big Ten champ goes to the Rose Bowl. The league's No. 2 tie-in bowl is the Capital One, in Orlando. No. 3 is the Outback, in Tampa. No. 4 is the Alamo in San Antonio.
Barring an utter meltdown, Penn State will go to one of those. More will be known based on the results of the Iowa at Ohio State de facto conference championship game Saturday….
Although the Ohio State defense vs. Penn State offense matchup was decisive, Saturday was at least statistically the defense's worst day of the season. Ohio State's 24 points, 228 rushing yards, and 62-yard touchdown pass were all season highs against the Lions' defense.
It was also the first time this year Penn State did not have a sack or force a turnover.
