Penn State is not going to a BCS bowl game because it lost two of its last three games. But when the college football bowl schedule was announced on Sunday night, the Nittany Lions were disappointed to be dealt a Tickey City Bowl matchup with Houston.
Several bowls passed on Penn State because of a recent sex abuse scandal which has ensnared the university. Former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged with multiple accounts of child molestation. He denies the charges.
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The Nittany Lions (9-3) finished with the fourth best record in the Big Ten. The Gator Bowl, which has a tie-in with the fourth best Big Ten school, instead took Ohio State, a team Penn State beat on Nov. 19. Northwestern and Iowa -- two more teams Penn State beat during the season -- were also selected ahead of the Nittany Lions.
"We feel a little disappointed we got passed up by some teams we beat in the Big Ten," Drew Astorino said on the Big Ten Network after the announcement (via Reuters).
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