Top Ten reasons why Penn State will defeat Southern Mississippi tomorrow:

10. Joe Paterno — Many of his 324 wins came against the "Beasts of the East" or more recently, Big Ten opponents, but Paterno put his name atop the victory list mainly by beating the teams he was supposed to beat. The Golden Eagles may be two games better on paper right now, but the Nittany Lions are the better team.

9. The Nittany Lions are a better team — This is not the same ragtag group that Miami ran past, Wisconsin ran through and Michigan ran over. The last two weeks, Penn State has played better in every phase of the game. The offense has literally doubled its production, the defense continues to come up with big stops and the kicking game has been superb. Though the Lions still continue to dig themselves holes, they are learning to climb out of them, and know that they are in every game until the final gun.

8. Zack Mills — We knew he could throw. We knew he could stay cool under fire. Last week, we found out he could run, too. The Lions' freshman signal-caller is probably the most exciting offensive player the team has had since Curtis Enis. No one's denying Matt Senneca is a capable quarterback, but the offense just seems to play better with Mills at the controls. Southern Miss' 'D' is ranked as one of the best in the land, but the rookie appears to be up to the challenge.

7. Homecoming — The Lions have lost just three homecoming contests in 35 years under Paterno. They won't want to disappoint a crowd of nearly 110,000. Penn State pride is riding high this week, which should provide the team with plenty of emotional juice.

6. The opposition is undermanned — Three Southern Mississippi players — Wideout Kenneth Johnson, running back Timmy Blackwell and center Brock Anderson — will remain in Hattiesburg this weekend due to an unspecified violation of team rules. Blackwell, an upstart sophomore, is the team's leading rusher, while Johnson is second on the team in receptions. Conversely, the Lions have no such suspensions, and are also extremely healthy, with enough depth at most positions to withstand an injury or two.

5. A Nittany Lion is cooler than a Golden Eagle. (Hey — my hat's off to Letterman. It's hard to come up with 10 reasons.)

4. Southern Miss' 'D' is overrated — Sure, the Eagles are allowing just 13.3 points per game. But the offenses they've played — Louisiana-Lafayette, UAB and Louisville — haven't exactly been world-beaters. Quarterback Jeff Kelly and Company may put some points on the board, but if Penn State's offense performs half as well as it has the last two weeks, the Lions will be fine.

3. The emergence of the offensive line — This group, maligned during the disastrous start to the season, has come together during the past two games. Tackles Gus Felder, Matt Schmitt and Chris McKelvy, guards Tyler Lenda, Greg Ransom and center Joe Iorio still have a ways to go, but lately they've done a more than commendable job of opening up holes for the Lions' quartet of tailbacks as well as protecting Mills.

2. The Lions haven't put themselves in position to overlook anyone — In past years, this would be a scary game. Penn State would probably be coming in at 5-1, focusing on Michigan or Michigan State. But at 2-4, Penn State is taking things one game at a time, and will treat Southern Miss no differently than any Big Ten foe.

And the No. 1 reason Penn State will win tomorrow is...I'm picking the Lions this week. No, you didn't read this wrong. After making the notorious cynic look like a chump each of the last two weeks (yes, I went against them both times), I know the Nits won't let me down the one time I actually support them (right, guys?)