Our crew of Big Ten reporters will occasionally give their takes on a burning question facing the league. They'll have strong opinions, but not necessarily the same view. We'll let you decide which one is right.
Saturday brings the first Big Ten conference game of the year, and it's an intriguing one as newly bowl-eligible Penn State travels to Rutgers, which will host its first-ever league game. Both teams are 2-0, too. So Today's Take Two question is: Who needs this win more?
Take 1: Brian Bennett
You know those scenes in prison movies where the protagonist has to go fight the biggest bully in the yard as soon as he arrives in order to show everyone he's not a weakling? Well, the Big Ten isn't jail, but there's some sort of metaphorical parallel here. Rutgers is the new kid on the block in the conference, and its bona fides have been in question even more than fellow newbie Maryland because of its, shall we say, mostly nondescript history.
The Scarlet Knights have a chance to make people take notice of them this Saturday. They already garnered some attention by beating Washington State on the road in the opener, and High Points Solution Stadium will be full and rocking for the Nittany Lions' visit Saturday.
Rutgers really wants to make this game a rivalry, and going 2-22 all time against Penn State before this week doesn't really bring that about. Scarlet Knights coach Kyle Flood is trying to stir the pot by referring to Penn State simply as "that school in Pennsylvania," sounding a lot like his colleagues in Columbus and Ann Arbor. But in truth, his team needs to knock off the most historically dominant program in the East to make the other side see Rutgers as anything but a nuisance.
There's a big recruiting angle here, too, as Penn State and Rutgers go after many of the same players in New Jersey and the region. A win by the Scarlet Knights in front of a great atmosphere could make a big impression on teenage prospects who don't really remember the Nittany Lions' glory days anyway. Flood, to his credit, isn't downplaying this week's significance.
"First impressions in life matter," he said Tuesday. "And this is our opportunity to make a first impression in the Big Ten."
That's why Saturday's game in Piscataway is more important to the home team.
Take 2: Josh Moyer
Brian, I would've agreed with you completely on Sunday. But my mind changed on Monday, with the NCAA's announcement that Penn State could be bowl-eligible this season.
That changes the dynamic of this contest just a bit, don't you think? The excitement around this Penn State team -- and this season -- is now palpable. Students were crowd-surfing on mattresses in downtown State College as several thousand fans converged to celebrate the news. Wideout DaeSean Hamilton and tailback Akeel Lynch even led a "We are ... Penn State" chant at one point. Two years of frustration, anger and disappointment just melted into relief and gave way to pure joy virtually overnight.
A win continues all that; a loss starts to derail it. James Franklin said Monday's news meant these players have the ability to chase their dreams. Right now, that entails a good bowl and a Big Ten title. A loss puts a damper on those dreams. A win? I'm telling you, Brian, it's going to be quite a sight if PSU manages to go undefeated heading into the night-time Ohio State game.
"Before, we were playing for each other, we were playing for this community," linebacker Mike Hull said. "But now, we know that we can do a little bit more than that. And it's really cool to be able to say that."
Next season, the PSU-RU game will be more important for Rutgers. And likely the year after that. And probably the year after that. Rutgers is still establishing itself as a big-time team, and it needs prospects and recruits to see the Knights as a program on the rise. But this year? This game? With all that's happened this week, the answer has to be Penn State.