THIS IS ONE SPECIAL UNIT

It's the eve of one of the biggest college football games of the 2008 season, and many questions loom.

Will tomorrow night's clash in Columbus set the stage for Penn State's National Championship dream, or will Ohio State continue its run of 3 consecutive Big Ten Championships?

Will Daryll Clark continue to exhibit poise, making decisive decisions, while leading the nation's most balanced offense?

Can Terrelle Pryor live up to all of the hype, and have a break out game in what's set up to be a prime time clash of the ages? Remember, Pryor has only averaged 14 pass attempts per game since taking over as the starter.

Will Lee Corso be sporting the Buckeye head, or the Nittany Lion face during ESPN's College Gameday tomorrow morning?

These questions will be answered very shortly, but in the meantime, there is one thing that Penn State fans can be certain of. Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow night's game, the 2008 Nittany Lions have a very special team.

In the spring, the senior leader of the Penn State defense, Sean Lee, tore up his knee in practice and would be lost for the entire 2008 season. It was a few months later that defensive stars Phil Taylor and Chris Baker would be booted off the team for off the field problems. Outside The Lines aired a special broadcast indicating all of the "trouble-makers" that Penn State has been recruiting in recent years.

The week leading up to the opening home game, a starting quarterback hadn't even been decided on yet. How could Penn State contend without announcing a clear choice to be the leader of the offense?

To top it all off, a week into the season, the defense took another huge blow losing Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma after police found some seeds and stems in their apartment. (Snoop Dogg could not have been proud). Joe Paterno looked as if he was losing control of his football program.

The Penn State football team could have easily succumbed to their losses and suffered from all of these setbacks. But they didn't. They used all of these problems as a tool to get better. Oh, how they have got better. This team is coached by an 81 year old raspy voiced, rolled up khakis legend. It all starts with him. Joe Pa has delegated his powers to an excellent coaching staff who believes in their players. The players, guided by a plethora of senior leadership, have rallied together and answered the criticism. This team is where nobody outside Happy Valley thought they would have been at this point in the season. 8-0, ranked #3 in the country. They have proven they are truly special.

Tomorrow night is Penn State's opportunity to once again respond to the critics. The Nittany Lions are up against a very good Ohio State football team. But here's the thing. Penn State is better. The Nits deserve to win this football game. If they come out and execute their gameplan, limiting mistakes, they will. Either way, this is definitely a very special group of men.