In a sense, when head coach Joe Paterno looks at Cam Cameron, he sees himself.

When quarterback Zack Mills looks at Antwaan Randle El, it's like he's peering into a mirror.

Actually, when the entire Penn State and Indiana football teams line up today and look across at each other, they could exchange uniforms and realistically fool the fans into thinking that they were wearing the correct colors.

Now you're probably thinking this argument is pretty asinine right now.

How could you compare the mighty Paterno, who has 325 career victories and has been part of the Penn State program for over fifty years, to the inexperienced Cameron, who has a measly 16-36 record in just over four years as the head Hoosier?

And how is it possible to measure a young freshman like Mills against a world-class athlete like Randle El who has been mentioned in the same breath as Heisman Trophy since last season?

Plus trying to compare these two teams. . .come on!

Penn State has two national championships, seven perfect seasons since it started football in 1887.

It already has a Big Ten championship after being in the conference for only eight seasons.

Meanwhile, the downtrodden Hoosiers have only 409 wins in their 114 years of existence, haven't won a Big Ten title since 1967 (and only have two total since being admitted to the conference in 1899) and haven't been bowling since 1993.

Where's the comparison?

Well to tell you the truth, you really can't compare these two programs based on a historical perspective because the fact of the matter is, there is no comparison.

But we're not talking about the history of both programs here folks. We're talking about the 2001 version of these teams. When you step back and look at both teams from that angle, the similarities are striking.

As stated before, you have the head coaches.

Nothing about them personally looks similar, but the jobs they've done this year lie on the same parallel.

At the outset of the Hoosiers' season, Cameron was raring to go with a brand new offensive plan that saw Randle El lining up in a variety of positions in order to jump start the offense.

However, the plan fizzled. But Cameron was heady enough to realize that and made the necessary changes to get his offense back on track.

Likewise, Paterno realized midway through his season that Matt Senneca just isn't of the same mold of quarterback greatness that Mills is cut from. Hence, the 74-year-old living legend took the reigns from Senneca, handed them to Mills and rejuvenated the Nittany Lions' sputtering offense.

Because of the actions of their coaches, Mills and Randle El also mirror each other in some ways.

OK, so obviously Randle El is a superior athlete, although Mills is no spring chicken.

But these two players mirror each other in that they both give their teams the best chance to win.

Throw out the athletic element for a minute and realize that these two guys are natural leaders.

However, all in all, the two teams as a whole really bear a resemblance to one another. Especially when you consider the paths that both teams have taken this season.

"They have played some good teams. . .and we've played some good teams," Cameron said. "They have some games where if they make a few more plays, they would have won. And if you remember, I said we have a bad record but we don't have a bad team. Your record isn't always indicative of what kind of team you have."

The Hoosiers stumbled out of the gates after losing their first three games before heading to Wisconsin to absolutely shock the Badgers 63-32. Similarly, the Lions fell on their face in their first four games before heading west to upend Northwestern 38-35.

"They are a different football team now," Cameron said.

"You don't do everything different.

"All you have to do is find one or two little things that give your team a spark, especially when you have some talent."

Looking even deeper, you'll find that the parallels run even further. Both teams seem to have a bend but don't break defense that does just enough to keep their team in the game.

Offensively, when the right pieces are in place, both teams can up some serious numbers -- although it took Penn State's a little while to get going.

But aside from all that, the most important connection between these two teams will ultimately make them different after their matchup today.

You see, both teams are 3-5, but that's not the oh-so paramount parallel between the two teams that will be skewed after today's contest.

What will be changed are the postseason plans each team has.

The winners still has a shot at running the table and playing in a bowl game during the holiday season. The losers can make plans to spend Christmas with their families.

"Our backs are against the wall," Randle El said.

"But they're in the exact same situation.

"It's literally going to be a fight. Each team has to win out if they want to go to a bowl."

And no matter how much the coaches say they don't focus on bowl games at this point in the season, the possibility of playing more football in late December lingers in every player's consciousness.

"I am sure in the back of their minds they would like to get there, but they have to zero in and give it their best efforts this week," Paterno said. "They have to try to get a little better in practice. . .and then try to come out of the week of practice ready to play the best football game they have played all year.

"Then, maybe some good things will happen to them at the end of the year."