It will not be the national championship game that Lion fans thought it might be before police blotters, injuries and Lady Luck got in the way of an undefeated season.

No, Penn State at 7-4 will not be playing for all the marbles New Year's Day when it clashes with No. 13 Stanford in the Blockbuster Bowl.

But don't think for a minute that the game has lost some of its luster for Coach Joe Paterno and his Lion squad.

"I think we're going into the game as if it were a national championship game," Paterno said at a news conference yesterday. "This is a big, big game for us. I think we still have some things to prove."

"I think the Blockbuster Bowl will give us a chance to show what kind of team we really are," added outside linebacker Reggie Givens.

The team Givens is referring to is the one that outplayed No. 1 Miami but came up just short on the scoreboard (17-14). The same team that had No. 5 Notre Dame on the ropes at South Bend, Ind., before some late heroics by Irish quarterback Rick Mirer gave Notre Dame a thrilling 17-16 win.

In all, three of Penn State's losses were by a combined total of seven points and all four Lion losses came at the hands of teams currently in the top 25.

Considering all of the problems that befell the Lions, Paterno was pleased with the outcome of the season.

"I think it was a good 7-4," said Paterno when asked to assess the season. "I said to the players that with a little more luck, a little better coaching, a little better officiating at times, who knows?"

But that's water under the bridge, so to speak and the Lions are looking at the Blockbuster Bowl as one final chance to show the country that it is indeed better than its record and ranking might indicate.

"I really believe we are a lot better team than our ranking shows," said offensive guard Greg Huntingdon.

To be continued . . . Jan. 1.

Notes:

-- Paterno once again defended Penn State's signing with the Blockbuster Bowl last May.

"Every once in awhile someone takes a shot at us for signing something so early," Paterno said. "They ought to take a shot at the people who started it. Without throwing rocks at Notre Dame, Notre Dame goes into the coalition and locks itsaelf into the Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Fiesta Bowls. People are critical of us for locking into Blockbuster Bowl.

"I'm not going to make any excuses for what we did because I think we were forced into it."

-- Paterno had no hostile feelings toward the coalition that left his Lions out in the cold.

"I think everything's come out fine," Paterno said. "I think the coalition got what they wanted, we got what we wanted."