Ty and Dan are joined by Ben Jones from StateCollege.com and Black Shoe Diaries to discuss the passing of Joe Paterno, the state of the university in the wake of the Sandusky scandal, the start of the Bill O’Brien era, and the Urban Meyer rumors that persisted throughout the season.  Plus, Dan breaks down the Chip Kelly-to-Tampa scare that gripped the Oregon fan base on Sunday night.

Ty and Dan talk with Mike Hall from Big Ten Network about the conference’s offseason storylines, the impact his network has had on college football, and his unconventional path to becoming an anchor.

With Dan feeling under the weather, Ty talks with Uncle Joe Colarusso about the BCS, Cam Newton and NFL combines, and then plows through the inbox with East Coast Elliott, who introduces a strange name game, disses Charlie Weis, and seals his deal for a trip to hell with talk of his Dead League.

Ty and Dan talk with David Jones from The Patriot-News about Penn State’s quarterback quandary, the overall direction of the program, expectations moving forward, and the possibility that Joe Paterno could be still be coaching in 2012(!)  Plus, Ty’s completely gratuitous theory for getting a new basketball coach in State College .

Ty and Dan discuss coaching moves at Maryland, Pittsburgh and (potentially) Michigan and haphazardly offer grades for various bowl teams.  Plus, previews for the remaining seven games, including the BCS Championship.

Ty & Dan discuss the latest in the Cam Newton pay-for-play situation and the need to renovate Husky Stadium, and break down all the Week 12 action.

Ty and Dan discuss a crazy week of high-scoring action and a very important statement win by TCU.  Plus, Reverbs and poking more fun at Ty’s locks.

Ty and Dan take a closer look at the stories to watch this spring in the Big Ten.  Plus, a spirited round of messages, a hater, and sidebars about Kirk Herbstreit’s tan and Lane Kiffin’s shirt size.

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Ty and Dan hand out the 2009 Verbie Awards.

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Ty and Dan welcome in Nate Bauer from BlueWhiteIllustrated.com to discuss the Penn State-Ohio State game this weekend, the future of the Lions’ team, the image problem of the Big Ten, and the issues (for away teams) in Beaver Stadium. Plus, e-mail, voicemail and the Week 10 picks of the week.

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Ty and Dan ramp up their efforts in preparation for the start of the college football season by inviting two guests to the program: Rob Moseley from the Eugene Register-Guard to talk Oregon and Anthony Dasher from UGASports.com to discuss Georgia.  Plus, some chit-chat about Rich Rodriguez and Dan’s adventure in the Canadian wilderness. (Episode 55)

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While Dan is off frolicking in the Canadian wilderness, Ty brings in a witty guest host to take his place and discuss Mitch Mustain’s third string status, Bryce Brown’s eligibility, possible (or make-believe) corruption in the Coaches’ Poll, and the logic behind growing a mustache. Plus, voice messages and e-mails from afar. (Episode 54)

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Throughout August, we will be counting down the top 25 teams (as listed here) going into the 2009 season.  Today, we take a stroll up College Avenue, stop by for a cone of Peachy Paterno, visit with the crazies at Paternoville, and close out the night with some ponies at the Rathskellar.

That’s right, boys and girls… WE ARE… PENN STATE!

First Impressions

It’s 8:00 AM on a football Saturday.  You need only listen to the hustle and bustle of downtown State College to understand the electricity surrounding Penn State football.  Close your eyes and listen; the sounds of the crowd tell the story.  The pitter-patter of thousands of shoes wandering down College Avenue is purer than raindrops on a tin roof.  The trumpets emanating from the Student Bookstore are crisper than the cool, autumn air of central Pennsylvania.  The chants of students echo throughout Beaver Canyon like a megaphone in a bandshell.

It’s four hours before game time, and this is Penn State.  WE are Penn State.

I proudly say “we”, because it wasn’t all that long ago that I was a student.  I know that football means a lot to this place, because it built this place — it transformed the area from a small farming school in 1855 to the tier-one university it is in 2009.  It’s an institution that built an institution.  Its profits are the bricks for the state-of-the-art buildings that dot campus.  Its coach’s impact has been, both literally and figuratively, monumental.

And so it is, again, with Joe Paterno‘s humble attitude that the Nittany Lions take the field this season — for the 44th time, to be exact — in hopes of getting over the humps and bumps of yesteryear and returning back to the glory of 1986, their last championship year.  A BCS championship was oh-so-close last season, but with veteran leadership returning this year Penn State lies in the weeds, lurking as a darkhorse contender, ready to pounce on an opportunity that has eluded the program for 23 years.

Last Year

Plain and simple, Penn State was one game away from playing for a BCS title.  A letdown 24-23 loss at Iowa only two weeks after beating Ohio State was all it took to knock the Lions from national championship contention.  Though a Rose Bowl matchup against USC was a respectable consolation prize, it was painful to be that close to the BCS Championship and come away empty-handed, especially for a exciting contingent of senior receivers named Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood.

You could argue that Penn State played a weak schedule — and it did — but outside that disappointing Iowa game, it outplayed every single opponent, including an Oregon State team that beat USC and an Ohio State squad that almost upended Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.  In a season as crazy as 2008, that feat was absolutely something of which to be proud.

The Lions used a “Spread HD” attack crafted by the much-maligned Jay Paterno to fuel its offense.  Led by veteran Daryll Clark, a breakout season by RB Evan Royster, and the aforementioned contingent of WRs, Penn State averaged 206 yards per game on the ground, and nearly 250 yards per game through the air.  Likewise, the Lions’ defense was just as successful, holding opponents to a mere 2.8 yards per rush and less than 200 passing yards per game.

People

This season will be known as the year of Daryll Clark, Evan Royster, Navorro Bowman, and Sean Lee.  Clark, who seems like he’s in his 85th year of eligibility, will need to improve his passing game in order to excel with a less-experienced group of receivers including Graham Zug, Brett Brackett and Chaz Powell.  However, Evan Royster — fresh off a 1,200-yard campaign in 2008 — should help alleviate some of that pressure, running behind an offensive line that is less-experienced than last year, but still fairly solid.

Defensively, the return of Lee from an ACL injury will make the Lions’ defense that much tougher.  Lee, who most definitely would’ve been a top NFL pick if not for his injury, will join up this season with Navorro Bowman, who led all Penn Staters last year with 106 tackles, 12.5 of which were for losses.

This Year

Penn State’s conference schedule is slightly more difficult than last season, meaning that another potential run at a Big Ten / BCS Title is a distinct possibility, but arguably harder.  Look for the Lions to roll through September with big wins over Akron, Syracuse, Temple, and an Iowa team that ruined its season in ’08.  But as the calendar turns to October, Penn State will face its first true test on the road against an Illinois team picked by many to be a Big Ten contender.  Three weeks later, the Lions hit the road again and travel to Michigan, for what should be a closer game than last year’s 46-17 massacre.  November poses two challenges: Ohio State in State College and Michigan State in East Lansing.

Conclusion

Penn State should be considered a favorite to win the Big Ten championship and be selected to a BCS bowl game.  However, there is no escaping the fact that the Lions lost a considerable chunk of their offense when their receivers graduated, and I just cannot see this team going undefeated, not with potential losses looming in the form of Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan State.  Consider the matchup with Illinois to be a bellwether for the remainder of the 2009 season — the Lions are 3-6 since 2000 in Big Ten road openers.

That said, there are at least 10 wins on this schedule.  No question about it.  The question, though, is can the Lions get back to 11 wins like they did in 2008.  The Big Ten will be better in ’09, and quite honestly, I’m just not comfortable saying they will.

Prediction

10-2

Highlights Set To Sweet Music From Varsity Blues and Aerosmith

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXJv_32KC4M

--Ty

Ty and Dan bring back Clay Travis to talk about various topics around the world of college football, as well as his new book On Rocky Top.  Plus, West Coast Kevin drops by Solid Verbal Studio West to react to e-mails and celebrate the 50th show.

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Ty and Dan are joined by Mike Frank from IrishSportsDaily.com to talk about recruiting at Notre Dame, Charlie Weis’ job as coach, and things to do in South Bend, Indiana.  Plus, Joe Paterno: unfiltered and the SEC coaches’ summit.

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Ty and Dan are joined by SI.com’s Andy Staples to talk about his preseason top 25, bizarre recruit names in the class of 2010, and overrated/underrated college programs.  Plus, Ty and Dan draft their “Crazy Coach Fantasy Teams” and hypothesize about a potential Royal Rumble of college coaches.

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Ty and Dan are joined by Robert Tuchman, sports travel expert and author of The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live to discuss the best atmospheres in college football, the differences between east and west coast fans, and the logistics of creating a playoff instead of the BCS.  Plus, wacky e-mails and whatever else is good in the college football hood.

For more information on Robert’s book, please visit: 100sportingevents.com or Amazon.com.

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Ty and Dan recap the BCS title game, the college football season, and wonder if they’d rather be anyone other than Tim Tebow at this exact moment.

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Ty and Dan hop in bed with iTunes as a featured podcast(?!?!) and release the first Solid Verbal Combine video on YouTube showing Dan’s upset victory in the 40-yard dash.  Plus, the tandem talks about:

• The pillow fight that was Penn State vs. Ohio State and the wonders of the spread offense
• Ty Willingham’s much-awaited resignation / firing from the University of Washington
• Why, according to regulations, Maverick’s role in Top Gun was not possible
• Colt McCoy’s spectacular girlfriend
• Texas Tech’s walk-on, contest-winning kicker
• Patrick Edwards’ gruesome injury
• The next leg of the Solid Verbal podcast
• The games of the week

E-mail the show at solidverbal@gmail.com or leave a voice message at 206-426-3252.  Also, check out the Solid Verbal YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSolidVerbal

Ty and Dan grapple with a variety of hard-hitting college football issues while battling debilitating technical issues:

• Dan’s trip into Gustav threatened Mississippi; Ty’s trip to “wine and cheese” country
• Oregon’s Nate Costa and his bum knee
• Penn State’s curious passing routes and rabid tailgates
• An eerie comparison between football guru Phil Steele and Lexington Steele
• Sleepers and busts for the coming season
• Quasi-previews of this week’s big games

E-mail the show with your thoughts: solidverbal@gmail.com

(Please excuse our dust while we hone in our sound equipment.)