Linkbacker-U is tossin' around the pigskin.

2009-2010 Lions Good at a lot of Sports....2011? Don't Hold your Breath

Another year another top 15 finish in the Director's Cup for Penn State. The Lions placed 11th in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, which ranks colleges based on their athletic success across the entire sports spectrum.

Betcha women's volleyball helped the school's rank. Basketball? Not so much. And I wouldn't bank on the Lions returning to the top 15 this coming year either. Not with Ben Heath going pro, Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass graduating, and well you know the questions surrounding the football team by now. But hey, at least Talor Battles back! Could be a long year for Penn State athletics...

What if Pat Devlin....

Every Nittany Lion football fan has thought, at least one time this off season, what if Pat Devlin didn't transfer. We wouldn't be talking about Newsome or Matt McGloin, talking about how the team is rearranging its seats on the Titanic. Instead, we'd be boasting how the Lions actually have a potential first round NFL quarterback, and poised to make a run at the BCS National Championship.

Cory Giger takes a look back at where it went wrong for #7 in the valley (no not you Scirotto, though your list of wrongdoings is much easier to carve)

"But frankly, Devlin not playing against Iowa gets overblown by fans who want to simplify things and therefore blame the situation on one specific game.

Even if Devlin had played and led Penn State to victory, he had to see the writing on the wall that Clark still would be the starting quarterback in 2009. Clark had done nothing to make anyone believe otherwise, and Devlin had to know he'd be sitting the bench for another season."

Linebacker U getting BIG (literally)

Can this brand new crop of starting linebackers fill the shoes of Sean Lee, Navarro Bowman, and Josh Hull? Your guess is as big as mine. But they won't fit into their jerseys either. Bob Flounders of the Patriot-News tells us that several members of the vaunted Lion defense is putting on weight to get ready for the season. Bani Gbadyu adds 13 pounds to weigh in at 242 lbs, and Mike Mauti and Gerald Hodges both add five. Now let's just hope that extra weight doesn't keep them from moving sideline to sideline.

NCAA gives PSU basketball, other mediocre majors, one more roadblock to tourney

As if the Lions didnt have a tough enough road to get to the Field of 64. Now, they will likely have to pass one more test to get there...that is of course...if they ever get there.

The NCAA came out with their initial plan at how to widdle the expanded 68 team field down to the traditional 64, and it is a plan that doesn't come as music to the ears of the major conferences.

"Two of the early games will match the tournament's lowest seeds, Nos. 65 through 68. The other two games will include the last four at-large qualifiers."

Odds that this will actually affect the Lions anytime soon? About the same chance Penn State can get an offensive rebound...or draw up an actual play in the closing seconds of a game..or (you get the drift).

Jay Pa Talkin' Recruiting QB's

Forget the fact that we STILL don't know who the starter is. That's not the only thing that stands out with this year's quarterback depth chart. While I can't say for sure as NCAA Football 2011 is still not out yet, I bet the speed ratings on this year's quarterbacks (McGloin aside) is higher than a large portion of the team's wide recievers. No not you Curtis Drake and Devion Smith, you are still freaks of nature. But the rest? I'd love to see Bolden, Newsome, or Jones race any of the other receivers on this year team.

Coincidence that these three QBs are perhaps the most athletic since Michael Robinson? Don't think so. Jay Paterno told the Collegian that it all starts with the recruiting, and that PSU is definitely intrigued by that speedy QB.

"If you can get a guy that can throw the ball and is athletic, you'd like that over a guy that's just stuck in the pocket, if they're similar throwing the ball," Paterno said. "If it's third and ten, and the left tackle gets beat, if you have a guy that can't evade anybody, you're punting the ball."