At the risk of speaking on behalf of others, I think it's fairly safe to say that USC is number two on our list of "stay away from our players" hate after the summer, right behind Illinois. With USC picking up another loss this weekend and now boasting a record identical to Penn State's, I thought it would be interesting to see how well Silas' "business decision" to transfer have been playing out for him to date.

From a team perspective, USC is #19 in the BCS with a 6-3 record; we are unranked with that same 6-3 record. USC has beaten one team with a winning record (Washington at 5-4), and Penn State has beaten two (Navy at 6-3, Northwestern at 7-2). Overall, teams USC has beaten are a combined 18-36; for Penn State, those opponents are 25-28. On the flip side, USC's three losses have come against teams with a combined record of 21-6; Penn State's losses have come to team's with a combined record of 21-7, with 3-6 Virginia heavily bringing that mark down. I won't bother getting into recapping that game.

My point in all this is simple: If USC is a Top 20 team, then Penn State is a Top 20 team. I have been very proud of what this team has done in spite of the sanctions, in spite of the transfers, and in spite of the country's seeming desire to watch the university and the program crumble. Even if you remove all that, this is STILL at Top 20 team who, even if it's just statistically and not based on NFL projections or "talent," is posting a season that matches up favorably against a school that was the pre-season #1 team in the country per the AP.