We live in an information age, with technology so advanced that we can watch television over the internet if we want.  We have many options when it comes to watching television - cable, phone companies and their DSL-based systems, and satellite.  But it's horrendeous when your DSL-based television system is DOA because your modem is DOA, and on television that night is only one of the biggest college football games of the year.  So my up to the second analysis of the game comes straight from the analog era - via the radio call from the Penn State boys.  Granted, I switched back and forth between the radio broadcast and streaming internet radio, but I had no option except to listen.  Going to a bar to watch the game wasn't an option because of personal things going on in my life right now. 

The game was sensational from the radio side.  It was tight, hard-fought, and obviously the play was at a very high level.  It sounded like both defenses were playing absolutely top-notch football - things you'd except normally from both Penn State and Ohio State.  And as the game wore on, the only thing that really mattered was the lone killer turn-over, a forced fumble that Penn State recovered and then turned into the game's only TD. 

Penn State has found Columbus to be a personal house of horrors.  They've never scored more than 10 points there since joining the Big Ten, and a few years ago Adam Tallafiero suffered a horrible injury to his spine at that stadium.  Usually Penn State loses because Ohio State is simply the better team - either slightly or significantly - and the home field plays a big role in that.  In the year that Ohio State won the national title, they had to scratch and claw to a 7-6 win.  Penn State was game and played the Bucs better than anyone else that year, but still came away the loser.  Ohio State has lost huge games at Beaver Stadium, and finally Penn State won that big game in the Shoe that they so desperately needed to win. 

This sounded like the kind of college football game in which you wanted both teams to win, or neither to lose.  Regardless, I'm quite sure that despite the pain of losing, this was a game that Ohio State fans can tolerate losing.  When you play an excellent game, obviously have a strong game plan, and basically play a slightly superior team to a draw, it's a good sign.  Even better for Penn State, that winning against the best competition they've faced yet, and in a hostile environment, signals exactly how strong this team really is.  Whether they play for a national title or not is not really up to them - either Texas or Alabama has to lose for that to happen - but it looks very good for Penn State to roll into a major BCS bowl sporting an undefeated record and the Big Ten title.

My only wish is that I could have watched the game.  Maybe when my TV situation is resolved, I'll catch a reply somewhere...