COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT / THE BOWL GAMES : GLAD YOU ASKED

Penn State received mild criticism for signing up with the Blockbuster Bowl before the season. But Coach Joe Paterno says the real culprit was Notre Dame. “The key was when the coalition decided that Notre Dame would go to either the Cotton, Sugar, Orange or Fiesta if it won six games,” Paterno said. “After that, Penn State was literally fighting to be part of a good bowl setup. I don’t feel good about it. Without being critical of Notre Dame, they sort of set a tone for things that nobody else can do. If you want to sit back and be holier than thou, maybe you can say some teams ended up being where they shouldn’t have been.”