Penn State coach Joe Paterno has said that playing in a bowl game is a reward for the players who have toiled through the practices and the games of a long college football season.

For the Nittany Lions, the Alamo Bowl, a so-called mid-tier bowl, isn't much more than that.

Despite the topsy-turvy finish to college football's regular season, Penn State's four losses dealt it out of the BCS mix. Really, though, if you're not playing in the BCS Championship game, aren't all the rest mid-tier bowls?

Anyway, Penn State gets to tour the Riverwalk in San Antonio before it tangles with Texas A&M at 8 p.m. Saturday (ESPN).

Presumably, the Lions will try to beat the Aggies to show the country that they are better than their 8-4 record.

You've got to love, however, PSU linebacker Sean Lee's candid assessment of the Nittany Lions' record.

"We are who we are, and we deserve to be where we are because we didn't get it done in big games," he said. "It's definitely frustrating."

To what degree Penn State can relieve that frustration with a win over the Aggies is personal to each of team's players. But it makes for a nice hook in getting ready to play.

"It's not necessarily saving anything," said Lee, when asked if a win Saturday might put a nicer shade on the four-loss season. "We want to end with a win. It would definitely improve our mood, especially after the last game."

That, and probably nothing more.

But the number of games in a player's college career is small so each one takes on some meaning, even if it's against the University of Buffalo.

This being a bowl game, level notwithstanding, there is a certain spotlight.

That spotlight may have dimmed a bit Wednesday with the news that both NBC and CBS will join the NFL Network in televising the Patriots' bid to complete a 16-0 regular season at 8 Saturday night. Sort of like being part of a television show that runs in the same time slot as American Idol or, for the slightly older viewer, All In The Family.

Whether the Giants shock the world or the Patriots complete the sweep will take a backseat in a lot of living rooms around here. The Nittany Lions will be on, and everyone will be eager to see if quarterback Anthony Morelli can duplicate his performance of a year ago, when he led Penn State to a 20-10 win over Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

Then they will wonder why he couldn't do the same against Michigan and Ohio State.

The game will mark linebacker Dan Connor's last bow as a college player. The team's career leader in tackles will certainly have his name chiseled next to Penn State's linebacker greats. For nearly three years, opposing offenses game-planned to avoid him, with little success.

"I wanted to be a captain here," said Connor, explaining why he didn't enter the NFL Draft last season. "I wanted to be a middle linebacker."

That Connor, Paul Posluszny before him and Lee next season have come in succession is an anomaly that not many non-Penn State football fans get to witness.

While serving as an adieu to Connor and other graduating seniors, the bowl game will serve to remind Penn State fans what they can look forward to next season.

On offense, running back Evan Royster's play since Austin Scott's exit has provided an answer to those who wondered who would be the Lions' primary running back next season. The offensive line, a question mark in September, solidified behind the play of center A.Q. Shipley and left guard Rich Ohrnberger. In fact, the graduating John Shaw will be the o-line's only loss.

On defense, Lee will be back, despite testing … and only testing, he insists … the NFL Draft waters. Maurice Evans, who blossomed at right end, will get better with an off-season of conditioning and weight training.

Like Penn State's offense, the defense will suffer few losses. Connor being one and maybe cornerback Justin King, who is eligible to come back but may submit his name for the draft.

The off-season's biggest question mark will be the successor to Morelli at quarterback. At this point, it may come down to a camp battle between Darryl Clark and Pat Devlin.

But first things first.

Time to focus on the Alamo Bowl.

"Obviously, we want to send the seniors out on a high note," Shipley said. "We owe it to them, and they deserve it. But in the same sense, you can tell there are a lot of young guys working hard and trying to make their point for next season. There are a lot of guys returning, and we know that. We just have to make the most of it."

Making the most it may just be avoiding a mid-tier bowl game next season.

Note: A Penn State win over Texas A&M and a Florida State loss to Kentucky would move Paterno one game behind FSU coach Bobby Bowden in all-time wins as a Division I-A head coach. Paterno is at 371 wins, Bowden 373.

E-mail: kfreeman@lnpnews.com