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2012 record: 8-4 2012 conference record: 6-2 (second, Leaders Division) Returning starters: Offense: 8; defense: 6, kicker/punter: 2 Top returners RB Zach Zwinak, WR Allen Robinson, TE Kyle Carter, OG John Urschel, OT Donovan Smith, DE Deion ...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Steven Bench didn't expect this. Nor did his family. Nor the fans. The subject of Bench transferring wasn't broached over the weekend. His father said they chatted about school and, well, football -- what else? The topic o...

The NFL draft starts tonight after endless months of hype. Here at the Big Ten blog, we thought, "Why should the NFL guys get to have all the fun of making mock drafts?" So we're going to out-mock the mockers by creating our own, totally fake Big ...

We're taking a page from our friends at the ACC blog and examining whether certain Big Ten teams will be contenders or pretenders in the 2013 season. The series does not include Ohio State, Michigan or Nebraska -- three teams that, in our view, have ...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Welcome to Year 2 of the Bill O'Brien era. Fans saw the first glimpse of what's in store for the Nittany Lions this season during Saturday's annual Blue-White Game. And while many starters saw limited time and others were hel...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Bill O'Brien crossed his arms and furiously chewed a piece of gum when the inevitable question was asked Saturday: Was the Penn State coach any closer to naming a starting quarterback? He had to know the question was coming. ...

We'll recap the Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin spring games on Monday. Wishing you a happy and safe weekend. After this week, we need it. To the emails ... Andrew from Fremont, Ind., writes: Adam you went to Purdue this spring and aft...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Saturday's annual scrimmage, known as the Blue-White Game, will offer fans a nice reprieve as they wait more than 20 weeks for the college season to kick off. Saturday will be the first time most of last season's freshmen wil...

Welcome to NittanyNation's mailbag! We asked you to tweet or email your questions, and we've selected three to answer in depth this week. Corey Hunter (@realhuntdog23) writes: What REALISTIC expectations should fans have at the Blue-White Game? Is...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Bill O'Brien maintained an even tone Wednesday afternoon as reporters surrounded him to pepper in questions about his two quarterbacks. He remained stoic as he explained "no guy has really stood out above the other guy." Cons...

By this point in our ultimate Big Ten road trip, we're probably looking a little haggard. Too many fast-food binges, too little exercise and too much time in airports and hotels likely has made us delirious. Good thing it's just imaginary, then. W...

The panic about Penn State players leaving school in the wake of the severe sanctions imposed last summer has largely subsided. But some Lions fans might have had their heart rates spike if they were browsing Twitter late Sunday night. Several pro...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Bill O'Brien wasn't overly pleased with his quarterbacks at the beginning of Wednesday's practice. The fiery coach yelled early on at the four signal-callers, "You do not want me to play quarterback, because I can't throw." T...

We're winding our way through the 2013 Big Ten season, armed with an unlimited travel budget, no nagging editors (or wives) and the freedom to choose where we go to watch football each weekend. It barely resembles how things actually play out in our ...

As we'll remind you, oh, several thousand times during the fall, we don't pick the games we cover each week. But in a perfect world -- one with an unlimited travel budget and invisible editors -- we'd craft our own football itineraries. We can dream,...

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- While Bill O'Brien's voice carried over the field Monday afternoon, quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher directed his players in a calmer manner. During position drills at Penn State's first spring practice, Fisher stood about f...