[rmjvol]

Taking a look at the 2006 Penn State football schedule shows a typical year. It's a tough start with away games at Notre Dame and Ohio State in September. Traditional rivals spread throught the rest of the year.

Hopefully there's a little breather with Youngstown State and Temple but other than that, Joe Pa's gonna have to prove that last year wasn't a fluke.

I'm pulling for him to have a great year but this year's Penn State football schedule is about as tough as they come.

Do you guys see any surprises there that jump out at you?

[Lefty Noob]

Notre Dame on Sept. 9? Wow, is that going to be a good one. Had no idea that the Lions and the Irish played this year. Can't wait!

I'd like to think that Joe Pa can repeat last year's amazing season, but with road games against Notre Dame, Ohio State, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin, plus a game against Michigan, it's gonna be awful tough. Anyone know who's going to get the nod at QB for them in '06?

[wvuauthor]

I have not heard much about the QB situation yet, but I am sure things will work themselves out during spring drills.

It is going to take a lot of work to repeat last years season, especially with the loss of Robinson at QB. The good thing for JoePa is they open with Akron, a team they should be able to handle.

IF they can get past ND and OSU on the road in September, they may be able to run the table. That is a big "if" in my opinion!

[BigBadBuc]

Hey WVU,

I'm a fellow Pittsburgher. I live in the North Hills. I also have a deep love for the Mountaineer State. I went to college at West Liberty State.

BBB

[wvuauthor]

BBB,

Awesome!! Both of my parents went to school there quite a few years ago! I never miss a Mountaineer football game!!

[cjg11582]

Are Penn State fans really expecting similar results this year? The entire defense graduated and the prized QB is going to be a sixth round draft pick. Outside of the Derrick Williams and Paul Poluszny, is there anything else to reign optimistic about with this team?

[Lefty Noob]

Well let's see... they have first-team All-Big Ten left tackle Levi Brown, a decent duo of senior tailbacks in Tony Hunt and Austin Scott, and a veteran linebacking corps captained by the forementioned Paul Poluszny. Yeah, I think there might be cause for optimism. PSU needs to get their O-line in place, get healthy and find a secondary this spring, though.

[cjg11582]

And with no quarterback in addition to no O-line and no secondary, that is more than enough vulnerabilities in The Big Ten (or any conference for that matter) to land a team in the bottom half of the standings. Last years team was an aberration and if they finish higher than fifth it will be a result of a mediocre conference.

[Lefty Noob]

Just because they've lost at OL, QB and in the secondary doesn't mean that they won't find good replacement players there. In this day and age, even a freshman can step in and contribute immediately. I'm just saying that they've lost experience, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have "no quarterback in addition to no O-line and no secondary."

Robinson sure will be hard for them to replace, though. I'll give you that.

[cjg11582]

Well naturally I wasn't being literal. I am sure they will find adequate replacements for all of those positions. It is still Penn State. But one great year after three or four awful years just deosn't seem so promising to me. This team has to play Notre Dame, at Ohio State and Michigan. I would anticipate at least three losses.

[Lefty Noob]

Quite possibly. Notre Dame should be awesome this year. OSU has some holes to fill on D, but I can't forsee them having any trouble getting that done. I think Michigan's beatable, though. Again, there's another team like Penn State with a lot of question marks, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I'm not confident they'll be able to put it all back together so quickly.

[cjg11582]

Michigan is obviously weak on the defensive side of the ball. But they are returning more than PSU is, they beat The Lions last season (albeit on the very last play of the game, but a win none the less) and when comparing the two offenses, I don't think there is any question who we give the advantage to.

[Lefty Noob]

Thought maybe I'd go ahead and post the 2006 Nittany Lions schedule here:

Date Opponent Time/Result Audio/Video
Sat, Sep 2 Akron 3:30 pm --
Sat, Sep 9 at (9) Notre Dame 4:30 pm --
Sat, Sep 16 Youngstown State 3:30 pm --
Sat, Sep 23 at (4) Ohio State TBA --
Sat, Sep 30 Northwestern TBA --
Sat, Oct 7 at Minnesota TBA --
Sat, Oct 14 Michigan 8:00 pm --
Sat, Oct 21 Illinois TBA --
Sat, Oct 28 at Purdue TBA --
Sat, Nov 4 at (15) Wisconsin TBA --
Sat, Nov 11 Temple TBA --
Sat, Nov 18 Michigan State TBA --

No doubt about it, September is make or break time for Penn State. They can't afford two losses in the first four weeks if they hope to accomplish anything much in 2006.