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Come hell or high water, Joe Paterno is set on improving the Nittany Lions. The 70-something coach isn't about to retire, and given the amount of talent Penn State had last year, he shouldn't. With many returning starters in the skill positions, anything but a bowl would be a disappointment.

It's all up to Zack Mills on offense. After tempting fans for the first three years of his career, Mills has to come through in order to make this Penn State season a winning one. An ankle injury hampered his mobility, which is the key to his game. Now that he's healthy, he has to be the one on offense making plays. The better he performs, the better Austin Scott will do at running back.

Off-the-field problems have created some trouble on the defensive line, as three of its four projected starters may be suspended. If they're back, it's a good start for an unheralded but productive defense. A trio of sophomores will man the linebacker positions, and the incredibly underrated Alan Zemaitis will shut down one half of the field. If he performs to his All-Big-Ten standard, then that will change opposing teams' gameplans.

Penn State will have its work cut out for it, with road trips to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio State and hosting Purdue and Iowa in the middle of the season, but winning out is possible on the front and backside of that stretch. That alone would be enough for a bowl.