Throw out the record books, throw out the scandal, and throw out the fact that Joe Paterno is one of the most well known coaches on Earth.  Throw out everything he’s accomplished, everything that eventually brought him down, and your opinions on what his legacy will come to be.

And focus on the fact that no matter what you think of the man they call Joe Pa, that today is a sad day.

Today, we found out that the man who once seemed destined to coach forever, was on the verge of leaving the world forever. The Citizen’s Voice reports that Paterno is near death.  Even his greatest detractors, and the people involved with the Jerry Sandusky scandal still very much swirling around Penn State’s beaten and bruised program and the many who were affected, couldn’t have wanted this.

They used to say that Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno hung around as long as they did in the coaching game, because if they left it would be their demise from the world.  Football gave them purpose, football kept them going, football was in many ways, the world they had built for themselves.

So when FSU decided to move on, cutting Bowden loose just a few seasons ago, many wondered if he could live without football.  So far, so good.  People wondered the same for years about Paterno, whose health had been failing in recent years. Paterno is in serious condition it’s being reported, just months removed from his November 9th firing at Penn State.

It was just days after that fateful night that Paterno was diagnosed with cancer.  Now the radiation and chemotherapy, which has weakened him to his bare bones, appears to be a dead end without hope, leading to a final goodbye. We last saw Joe Pa outside in his house, appearing to be in good spirits, the night he was removed as head coach of Penn State, a position he held from 1966-2011. That memory will be seared in my mind for a long time.  The riots, the outpouring of support, the idolization a community had of a football coach, worthy or not.  You remember where you were on nights like that. I remember where I was when 9-11 happened.  I remember where I was when Osama Bin Laden was killed.  And I will remember where I was when Joe Pa came out of his house to say, what almost amounted to be his final goodbyes.

Who could have thought that night, when he and his wife waved goodbye to a crowd of adoring and bitter fans, that it would be his true farewell.  Everything has gone downhill ever since.

While trivial in nature, Joe Pa left the game of college football as the all-time wins leader in NCAA FBS with 409. He stands alone as the only coach to win 400 games and 5 of his Penn State teams won major bowl games. In 2007, Joe Pa was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Today, down to possibly his final few hours, maybe days, his longtime wife, Sue called close family and friend to say their goodbyes.

A call no one ever wants to make.

I never met Joe Pa the person, so I can’t make a judgement call on who he was and what he stood for.  What I know is this: it’s always terribly sad to say goodbye to a loved one, no matter what their celebrity status. At the end of the day, we’re all just people, and we’re all equally vulnerable.

And that’s all there is to it.

Paterno is 85.

The BCS Championship is over. Mercifully. Or to put it as the championship hats read: done! As in the SEC can have it’s moment in the sun, while it pours on the other side. Did LSU’s no-show, help propel us closer to a Plus-One? Did Alabama put up the greatest defensive performance in BCS history? Does Honey Badger care? Did Alabama just kick another Field goal? And where in the word was Jarrett Lee?

Juiced Sports Radio breaks it all down. Plus, is Oklahoma State worthy of #2 once more?

The top 2 teams in the land have arrived in New Orleans, where on Monday January 9th they will clash heads in a rematch of their scintillating (cue the sarcasm) Game of the Century: a bone-crushing 9-6 offensive shootout, which sent offense back to the 40’s (hey look, there’s Tim Tebow and the Broncos!)

And while ESPN has the hype train rolling, trying to build anticipation for a game that only the analysts seemed to want, it’s hard to get jacked up for two teams that we’ve already seen.  Like that terrible old MTV reality show, Next, we’d like to stick this matchup back on the bus and try again.  But it’s what we’re stuck with, so what the heck.

After 4 BCS bowl games of pure, unadulterated offensive explosion, the final game of the 2011 college football season will be settled by two powerful defenses.  The two offenses were invited to come along, but they had to find their own ride, because it’s been the D that’s carried both of these teams to the last step.

So no, the 308 combined points we’ve seen in the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange (West Virginia just scored again!) will make the BCS Championship game look like the ugly duckling, but in a strange way, after the video game numbers we’ve been seeing, it might actually be — wait for it, wait for it, refreshing to see some real defense.  The 77 total points average per game is likely to be significantly lower when the Tide and Tigers meet for a second time, even if the two offenses have had a month to prepare (which they have).

We know the Tigers deserve their #1 spot, and the bowl season has only further cemented that lofty notion:

Just look at that schedule and drool over the remarkable strength of teams that LSU has plowed through.

Oregon just won the Rose Bowl.  West Virginia just won the Orange Bowl.  Mississippi State won the Music City Bowl. Florida won the Gator Bowl. Auburn won the ChicFilABowl. Alabama is in the national championship, Arkansas plays Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl tonight, and Georgia lost an epic 3 OT thriller to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl.

Which means of the 13 teams LSU played this year:

- 5 teams won their bowl game (2 won a BCS game)
-  1 lost their bowl game (Georgia)
- 1 plays tonight (Arkansas)
- 5 of their opponents failed to make a bowl game (Northwestern St, Kentucky, Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and Ole Miss).

If Arkansas wins tonight, LSU can lay claim to beating 3 of the AP’s final top 5.  That’s insane.

And that’s before LSU even takes the field.

That said it’s hard to argue — even with a loss — that anyone was better than LSU this year. The voters are going to have quite the dilemna if the Tide pull off the win.

A special thanks to the fine people at H&R Block who emailed me this nifty little infographic (if you’ve followed Juiced throughout the years you know how much we love infographs)! This one is particularly neat in not just its design but in the depth of its information. So while you prepare for LSU-Alabama after a slew of video arcade game scores, check this thing out. And impress your friends with your newfound sports knowledge (chart after the jump, click on it to zoom in).

It’s been a fun, crazy, and as usual, controversial season in the wonderful world of college football.  That didn’t just go for the teams involved.  The Heisman trophy, the most coveted individual award in sports arguably is up for grabs tonight.  The field has been narrowed to  a fantastic five, but there were plenty others who were more than deserving for the little guy with the stiff arm.

When tabulating our Heisman winner, Juiced Sports writers and staff weren’t limited to just voting for Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Montee Ball, Trent Richardson, and Tyrann Mathieu.  So who did we choose?  Our votes after the jump.

Mitch Blatt

1. Robert Griffin III / QB / Baylor

Robert Griffin III had the best season and led Baylor into the top 25. He did it in the big games, too, throwing for 430 yards against Texas A&M, 425 against Oklahoma State, 479 against Oklahoma and 320 against Texas.

2. Montee Ball / RB/ Wisconsin
3. Andrew Luck / QB / Stanford

Brad Clark

1. Robert Griffin III / QB / Baylor

RGIII took home the Davey O’Brien Trophy on Thursday and seems he is the frontrunner for the Heisman on Saturday. The junior signal caller has posted just shy of 4,000 passing yards, 36 TD passes to 6 INT’s and has ran in 9 more scores. I’m pretty sure that should do it.

2. Trent Richardson / RB / Alabama
3. Andrew Luck / QB / Stanford

Scott Jacobs

1. Matt Barkley / RB / USC

I was absolutely baffled when Barkley was shafted by the Heisman voting committee.  The number one QB out of high school, Barkley finally lived up to his lofty billing this season, quietly leading USC to a 10-2 record and a top 5 ranking.  Barkely threw for 3528 yards this season to go along with 39 TDs and just 7 picks.  But here’s why he gets my vote: USC was ineligible to play for the post-season, which for some might’ve made it difficult to stay motivated.  Not Barkley.  He simply got better as the season went on, and so did the Trojans.  If you don’t have to be a national title contender to win the Heisman (see Griffin III), why can’t Barkley get consideration?  And for my money, he might just be the best player in college football when it’s all said and done.

2. Tyrann Mathieu / CB / LSU
3. Andrew Luck / QB / Stanford

Mike Kaye

1. Trent Richardson / QB / Alabama

His team is in the National Championship game and he is the best offensive weapon on the team. If you look at the QB and WR play on Alabama, it is obvious that without Richardson, the team is devoid of play-makers and would solely rely on their defense.

2. Robert Griffin III / QB / Baylor
3. Andrew Luck / QB / Stanford

Shane Smith

1. Trent Richardson / RB / Alabama

2. Case Keenum / QB / Houston
3. Robert Griffin III / QB / Baylor

Photo: AP

West Virginia is not a football powerhouse.  But the soon to be newest member of the Big 12 next year, is a name.  They’ve been on the BCS stage before.  Remember their 13-9 loss at home to Pitt?  That cost them a berth in the national title game in 2007.  Pat White and Steve Slaton were prime-time names in college football for years.  West Virginia has been here before.

Plus, they’re 9-3 (respectable enough I suppose in the whacky world of BCS automatic qualifying) and they’re ‘wait for it, wait for it,’ actually ranked! Yeehaw.  So after the Mountaineers quietly held on to beat a disappointing USF team in Tampa last night, assuring them at last a share of the comedically mediocre Big East, it kept hope alive that the Big East wouldn’t be the first team to send not only an unranked team to the BCS, but an unranked 5 loss team.

Yup, Louisville completed their season by also beating USF 34-24, assuring themselves of a Big East title as well.  Louisville is 7-5, has losses to both Marshall and Florida International (though FIU is halfway decent this year) and lost 3 games in a row in October.  They might be a nice comeback story, but they’re the nightmare scenario the Big East and BCS has to to be dreading.

So here’s where we stand: All the cards appear to be in Cincinnati’s hands.  The Bearcats (remember them/wish you could go back in time Brian Kelly?) can also clinch a tie in the Big East with a win over Connecticut this Saturday, which would give us a three way conundrum in the Big Least.  Should Cincy drop the ball and allow the Huskies to prevail with a win, it would hand the Cardinals a BCS berth via the fact that they won the head to head matchup over West Virginia.

A 7-5 team in the BCS?  While a team like Boise State (no chance for the BCS), South Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin perhaps etc. falls to a 2nd and 3rd tier bowl.  People have been clamoring for change.  This could be that moment.  If Cincy wins, thereby creating the afformentioned 3-way tie, the winner of the BCS berth would be awarded to the highest rated BCS team.  Since West Virginia is the only ranked team amongst the group, they’d get the trip to Sun Life Stadium, against either Clemson or Virginia Tech.  While far from a spectacular matchup, it’d be a heck of a lot better than say Clemson versus Louisville (yikes!)

People clamoring for the BCS to whisk their automatic qualifying status away from the Big East may actually get their wish, as the higher ups may be forced to take action should this embarrassment occur.

While far from a star, West Virginia brings credibility to the conference with a 9-3 record.  A 7-5 Louisville team in the Orange Bowl just might bring shame.  And the worst BCS ratings in … history?

The world has gone mad.  First Rebecca Black’s horrific song, ‘Friday’ which spawned a plethora of hate and hilarious spoofs, and eventually got her on national news, has re-emerged just in-time for the holidays.  Black isn’t in Kohl’s new commercial, but the song is clearly molded in her well scolded name.  And trust me, it’s awful.

Then, Mississippi State goes out and hashtags (literally) their end-zone, for Saturday’s Egg Bowl.  Which of course goes glowingly with their awkward gold numbered uniforms (see the unis after the jump), which read (you guessed it) Hail State on the back.  Hail, the higher ups at Mississippi State that they didn’t do the unthinkable and (gasp) hashtag their uniform.  Though you know there’s someone sitting there watching all this, going, ‘we could do that.  We totally could.’

And on a uniform note, why does every college football team striving to be cool, feel the weird need to put gradients in their uniforms? Gradients only look good in print ads and on HD.  They don’t look good on football jerseys (cough, cough Maryland).

So what does this mean?  Is Twitter paying for this?  Is Mississippi State doing this to bolster their name?  Is this some unique P.R. stunt to get the nation talking about a hashtag?  Is this the real life version of a sponsored tweet?  We still don’t know the answers to this, but I will tell you this: it’s brilliant.  It’s Maryland flag uniforms brilliant.  People are talking about it.  Afterall, in today’s world, Twitter now equals people talking.

As for the 50 year old, 20 year season ticket holder who looks at the endzone on Saturday in Starkville and asks, “What the hell is that,?” well… this isn’t for him (or her).  It’s probably aimed at the recruits.  If you can’t buy Cam Newton, maybe you can attract a star with a pound sign.

You knew Twitter was rolling when during the MLB Playoffs, baseball simply posted a #POSTSEASON behind the backstop for every game and the millennial generation never questioned it.  Hashtagging things is becoming as American as apple pie.  Or a stupid Kardashian story. It’s part of the pop culture. To quote NPH in How I Met Your Mother, “Wait for it, Wait for it,” it’ll probably soon be in the dictionary. If ‘Google’ is, #hashtag or #hashtagging has to be on its way.

I’m not sure if that’s scary or fascinating: probably a mix of both.

Nevertheless, going back to Mississippi State, it’s a fascinating idea that could have social media repercussions on how Twitter and Facebook and future social media sites operate and get their name out there.  For a school caught in the doldrums of mediocrity and nailed to the corner of irrelevance and invisible (as it pertains to the SEC and the college football spectrum) it’s a bold move which will be heard.

And yup, tweeted.

“Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good.”

- Legendary now ex-Penn State coach Joe Paterno

Ironically enough, the recent Penn State scandal which is both shocking and appalling will undoubtedly taint the success JoePa had throughout his illustrious career.

As a former journalism major at IU (concentration in public relations), a huge sports fan, and a fellow Big 10 member, I’m fully aware of what Coach Paterno has meant to PSU. With 45 ½ seasons as head coach, the most wins of any college football coach (409), 7 undefeated seasons, 24 bowl wins, and 2 national championships, clearly Paterno is good at what he does (or did). There is no denying his passion for the game and his ability to bring in highly touted recruits and take their game to the next level.

So, no, this new light shed on Paterno’s legacy isn’t about anything football related. This is about something much simpler than what it takes to win a football game against a formidable opponent. This is about knowing right from wrong.

Here is a quick recap of the situation in case you haven’t turned on your television, computer, or radio over the past few days. In 2002, Paterno was informed about an alleged sexual assault case by his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, who had retired in 1999. Coach Paterno reported the incident to Tim Curley who was the athletic director. According to the authorities, he fulfilled his legal obligations.

I agree that by legal standards, Paterno did just enough to fulfill his obligations. Yet morally there was so much more that should have been done. If I was the coach, I would have spoken to the police and recommended some good movers to help Sandusky load up his stuff and get him away from my team as well as the institution.

Sandusky was charged with assaulting eight boys over a 15 year span of time. Yet, after his retirement, and the team learning of his alleged sexual assault case, he had access to the athletes and team facilities. The only thing the school did was issue a ban prohibiting him from bringing children with him.

The general public, including myself, are outraged that more wasn’t done with the information that Paterno and the school athletic department had. If more was done, some of these children wouldn’t have had to suffer through the abuse they endured and justice would have been served to Sandusky much sooner.

As soon as the news broke, there were a number of people publicly rallying against child abuse, calling for the firing of Paterno and questioning Penn State about just how much they knew – and why they continuously did next to nothing with the horrifying information. But there have been just as many, or maybe even more people standing in support of Paterno, including PSU students. Student rallies have been broadcast all over television and twitter, and some passionate fans even have even turned violent. Hundreds of students stood outside of coach Paterno’s house showing their support for him and sticking with him despite the recent events.

If you follow Big 10 sports, I’m sure you’ve heard your fair share of Bob Knight stories from his time at IU: cursing out players and opposing coaches, throwing chairs, and even getting physical with players. A lot of people wanted to see him fired, but his team and IU supporters stuck by his side through it all, and many still do to this day. Bob Knight didn’t hide the fact he had a fiery personality. Even other great coaches have had their own share of controversy with NCAA violations. They suffered the consequences, and some, with the support of the athletic department and student body, still kept their jobs.

As a sports fan who has seen controversy come and go in college athletics, I understand standing behind someone who has done so much for the reputation and records of your school’s athletic team. But by remaining for all intents, silent, Paterno singlehandedly erased all of the good he had done. Students should see him not only as a poor representation of their school, but also someone who very publicly has tarnished PSU’s good name that their beloved football team must bear on their jerseys for the rest of the now sullied season. Paterno deserved to be fired for what he did (or rather, didn’t do). There is no “sports excuse” when it comes to moral obligations.

As a result, when Paterno is brought up in conversation, even beyond just this last week, the first thing that will be said is how he was forced into retirement in the middle of a scandal that has left many confused, angry and hurt. Not the fact that 87 percent of his student-athletes graduated or the memorable wins he led his teams to, as he probably expected.

However, Paterno made his choice a long time ago to remain silent. As a result, the world of sports has every right to speak out. And because of it, Paterno will go down in Big 10 history as someone who could have been a beloved football hero.

Instead he’s been turned into a scorned public enemy.

Photo: Reuters

Since 1950 Joe Paterno has manned the sidelines for Penn State. For 46 years he has been the Nittany Lions head coach. On Wednesday Night a phone call changed everything. When a press conference was held to make it official it sent the sports world into a feeding frenzy, and State College into disbelief and disarray. Was this the right decision and was this the right time? Could Penn State have gone about this a different way? Should JoePa be fired over something that was a matter of ethics and not law? Juiced Sports Radio breaks down all the sadness going on in a once Happy Valley.

Also, if this happened in a bigger city, would the reaction have still been this extreme to JoePa’s firing?

It’s a sick situation and an outcome where no one wins. It’s a story that goes beyond sports and breaks into news. And it’s a long way from being fully resolved.

A phone call.

That’s how it ends. 62 years of service. 45 1/2 seasons as head coach.

A child-abuse scandal centered around former defensive coordinator Jerry Sanduksy, and the actions (or lack of actions) by one of college football’s most legendary coaches. A story that happened in 2002, and came to light on Saturday.  And the end of an era, Wednesday November 9, 2011.

It’s a dark day in sports.  It’s a dark day at Penn State. With allegations not going away anytime soon, football becomes a sideshow at State College. 409 wins, 24 bowl wins, 2 national championships, and 7 undefeated seasons. And it ends with a press conference.  One he wasn’t at.  One that shook the sports world to its core.

I’ve been to Penn State.  It’s a quaint town in Pennsylvania, and that college is like the hub of State College. They love their football and Beaver Stadium is a 100,000+ seat temple, built for just that.  Joe Paterno for all intensive purposes is Penn State.  Outside of Pennsylvania, outside of the academic community, chances are you don’t know about Penn State without Penn State football. It’s a great school.  A fabulous school.  But look no further than the press conference.  When it was officially announced that both Graham Spanier, the school president and Paterno were fired, the reaction was markedly different.  For Spanier camera clicks, but not a whole lot of outrage and shock.  For Paterno, a slew of “whats?” and pure disbelief.

It’s just hard to believe that Paterno was axed this quickly and it’s amazing that within less than a week he went from ‘god’ to gone. A sea of white and blue outside his door in quiet sadness, offering their support.

Joe Paterno didn’t do enough for those young boys.  That clearly seems to be the consensus.  JoePa wanted to at least retire on his own terms. But just hours after he made his announcement, Penn State made their decision: it was over.

In 2004, Penn State asked Paterno to resign, and he said, “no.” That was Paterno’s power at Penn State.  He owned that town.  They loved him.  But none of that matters now.  In the wake of one of sports’ most heinous scandals in recent memories, Paterno is done. It’s a stunning story and a crazy end to a whirlwind week for a very proud instituion.

So this Saturday, Nebraska goes to Beaver Stadium in what will be one of the most unbelievable and intense atmospheres in recent college football memory. That will be some scene.

“We are Penn State,” students and fans chanted.

I learned that chant well when I spent 3 1/2 weeks in State College. I remember visiting Beaver Stadium and seeing its massive stature and its symbolism in that town.

It was larger than life.

Just a week ago, so was Joe.