COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : Penn State, Auburn Start the Day Off

No. 15 Penn State and No. 16 Auburn, both 8-3, meet in the Outback Bowl today in Tampa Stadium in a game for early risers. It will be on ESPN at 8 a.m. PST.

It’s the first meeting between two of the nation’s premier programs. It is the Tigers’ first bowl game in five years. They stayed home for the holidays in 1991 and 1992 because of nonwinning records and the past two seasons because of NCAA violations that occurred under former coach Pat Dye.

Penn State is making its 26th postseason appearance under Joe Paterno, who at 16-8-1 is the nation’s winningest bowl coach. The Nittany Lions are playing on New Year’s Day for the fifth consecutive year, a claim only three other schools--Nebraska, Florida State and Notre Dame--can make.