I feel bad for Joe Paterno. I really do. Watching the 79-year-old Penn State coach get rolled on the sideline of the Nittany Lions' 13-3 loss to Wisconsin Saturday was tough to stomach. You never want to see anyone injured in such a frightful manner, especially someone as frail as my grandmother.

But Paterno's injury - he has a fractured left leg - could be the impetus to open up Penn State's offense. If Paterno is forced to miss this week's game against Temple, something that remains possible as of this writing, and Penn State's assistants have more leeway with the offensive gameplan, we could finally see the Lions make full use of their talent.

Quarterback Anthony Morelli has been wildly inconsistent, but he's got a gun for an arm. Tony Hunt is a bull of a runner. And Derrick Williams is one of the most talented - and underutelized - players in the NCAA. Williams had 30catches heading into the weekend (and four more on Saturday). He should touch the ball at least 10 times a game on a combination of receptions, runs and reverses.

Punt, pass and kick
Punt; Indiana blew its best chance to make a bowl with Saturday's loss to Minnesota, a reminder of just how fragile 19- and 20-year-old football players are. The Hoosiers don';t have a chance this week against Michigan, but still can beat Purdue in their regular-season finale.

Pass: You say Michigan and Ohio State won close games against Ball State and Illinois, I say so what? Yeah, both teams were looking ahead to their Nov. 18 showdown, but they're both good enough to do so.

Kick: We'll step out of the Big Ten for a minute, because the biggest game around these parts is Friday when Central Michigan takes on Western Michigan. Winner gets a spot in the MAC title game and likely the Motor City Bowl. Huge game for both programs and both coaches, who have built their teams into contenders from the ground up.