Sep 9, 2006 4 min read

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Penn State and Notre Dame have a lot in common. Both started playing football in 1887. Both wear old-fashioned uniforms recognizable to the most casual of fans. Both boast strong academics and student sections that take pride in game-day T-shirts. Both play in small towns that would be little more than dots on a map if not for their storied football programs.

On Saturday, for the first time in 14 years, they play each other.

“It’s a nice, natural rivalry, but it’s been a long time,” Irish coach Charlie Weis said.

Notre Dame has the second-most victories in NCAA history. Penn State coach Joe Paterno has the second most victories in NCAA Division I-A history and enters the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend this year.

Notre Dame has eight national championships and seven Heisman Trophy winners, one of whom will be honored at each home game this season as the school hopes to add an eighth in Brady Quinn. Penn State has five perfect seasons since 1966, two national championships and one Heisman winner.

It’s Happy Valley vs. the Golden Dome. Linebacker U. vs. Touchdown Jesus.

“The two programs are pretty deep in tradition and success,” Irish safety Tom Zbikowski said.

But both have been through tough times lately. Each wants to show that last year’s turnaround was no fluke. Whoever wins Saturday’s game between the No. 4 Fighting Irish (1-0) and the No. 19 Nittany Lions (1-0) will take a major step in that direction.

Tickets for the game were the most sought after in Notre Dame history and some were selling for more than $1,000 each. Some hotel rooms were going for more than $600 a night – with a minimum three-night stay.

About the only thing missing is a real rivalry. The schools are about 475 miles apart and have long histories as independent powers – until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Yet, they have met just 17 times, with series tied at 8-8-1.

The last time they played was in 1992, a November game that’s become known as the Snow Bowl because snow covered the grass at Notre Dame Stadium. Rick Mirer threw a 4-yard TD pass to Jerome Bettis and a 2-point conversion with 20 seconds left for the win. Irish fans voted it the fifth-greatest home victory.

Weis uses the past to motivate players, but said that game is too long ago.

“There’s nothing I’m really gaining out of that one,” he said.

He also likes to watch for bulletin-board material from opponents. But Paterno didn’t allow Penn State players to talk to the media this week.

“It’s been a bad week,” Weis said. “There hasn’t been anything.”

Well, there was a little bit of a dig by Paterno. While Weis has been widely praised for turning around the Irish, Paterno wasn’t ready to give him too much credit.

When asked whether he could see Weis’ imprint on the team, Paterno said: “I don’t look at it that way. … You have to give some credit, obviously, to coach Weis. Whether you say there is an imprint on the team because of him? I don’t know.”

Weis was more complimentary, saying he has no hope of matching Paterno’s accomplishments.

“But I think I have my own goals, and my own goals are just to run our program the way everyone expects us to run it,” he said. “If I do that, that will be enough for me.”

So would a win. Notre Dame hasn’t been a good home team and Penn State hasn’t been a good road team. Notre Dame is 10-8 at home the past three seasons and is 2-5 against ranked teams at home since 2001.

Weis, 4-2 at Notre Dame Stadium, admits he spent too much time early last season trying to shield his players from the distractions of playing at home rather than taking advantage of the home fans. Last year he referred to what goes on around the game as a circus. Now he’s calling it an event.

“The head coach is going to try to do better,” he said.

Since 2000, Penn State is 9-19 on the road and 2-12 on the road against ranked teams, including eight straight losses. Penn State’s last road win over a ranked team was four years ago and the Nittany Lions’ last road win over a top 10 team was seven years ago at No. 8 Miami.

“All I know is that the team we are going to play this Saturday is a very good, outstanding football team,” Paterno said. “And we have to play them on the road, regardless of whether they have a mystique stadium or what.”