Tonight in State College, Pa., No. 14 Indiana and No. 3 Penn State go to battle in a clash that will most likely determine the Big Ten regular season soccer champion. Few can argue Indiana is among the most storied programs in collegiate soccer, a status earned by decades of consistency and success. But, the same cannot be said for the Nittany Lions' soccer team. Sure, they have made vast improvements in the past few seasons, but they haven't had the staying power to make it to IU's level quite yet.\nWith that in mind, I searched for another way to link our soccer Hoosiers with Penn State. The answer was not hard to find, because when one thinks of Penn State, they automatically think football.\nI may be inspired, and perhaps a tad unoriginal, but I decided the only fair way for these two squads to battle it out was in a good old-fashioned "Tale of the Tape" showdown. So, without further ado, here it is…
IU "Futbol" vs. Penn State Football
• Number of Nationall Championships:\n IU Futbol: Five\n PSU Football: Two\n Advantage: IU Futbol
• Legendary Coaching Figure:\n IU Futbol: Jerry Yeagley \n PSU Football: Joe Paterno \n Advantage: PSU Football. Hate to say it, but you just can't root against "Joe Pa."
• Better Legendary Coach's Glasses:\n IU Futbol: Yeagley's "Aviator" shades\n PSU Football: Joe Pa's "Harry Caray Coke Bottles"\n Advantage: PSU Football. Come on, you can see the future in those things!\n \n• Better Stadium Improvements:\n IU Futbol: New bleachers and press box on "The Bill's" south side\n PSU Football: Adding thousands of seats and 40 luxury suites to become college football's largest stadium\n Advantage: IU Futbol. No selfish motives here folks… well, at least not in the soccer program.\n \n• Better Instrumental Ensemble:\n IU Futbol: The Soccer "Crabb" Band\n PSU Football: The Penn State Blue Band\n Advantage: IU Futbol. Hey, any band that plays "Saturday Night's Alright" and throws "friendly" taunts at the opposing side wins in my book!\n \n• Better High Profile Player On-Field Incident:\n IU Futbol: Nick Garcia's head butt in last year's College Cup Final\n PSU Football: LaVar Arrington's mauling of the Pittsburgh punter last fall.\n Advantage: PSU football. I don't know what LaVar had against that guy, but it sure was fun to watch!\n \n• Results So Far This Season:\n IU Futbol: 6-3, with some quality, big game wins\n PSU Football: 1-4, lost to Toledo by 18\n Advantage: IU Futbol\n And there you have it. By a 4-2-1 margin the soccer Hoosiers muzzle the annoying roar of the Nittany Lion in a battle that unfortunately can only be fought in our imaginations. It's all so simple when you break it down folks because, as the saying goes, the numbers never lie.
