Yeah, there's pride to play for, I suppose. Going out on a winning note and giving the handful of departing seniors some better memories of a disappointing final season.

But make no mistake about it, this game is important; Penn State isn't playing for a bowl game now, but it's still playing for the future. And no game may be as important as tomorrow's clash against Northwestern in that regard.

You may not recognize the players yet, but standing on the sidelines tomorrow will be an impressive collection of talent, though this group won't be wearing uniforms.

Several recruits will be taking their official visits to Penn State this weekend and the game against the Wildcats, making it perhaps the biggest single recruiting weekend of the season for the Nittany Lions.

While there are several impressive prospects who are supposed to be in attendance, among them Erie Cathedral Prep linebacker Andre Mathis, offensive lineman Dennis Landolt from Holy Cross High School in Delran, N.J., and a California receiver named Lydell Sargeant.

But the gem is Gateway's Justin King.

King is rated as the top cornerback prospect in the nation by www.rivals.com and is also ranked in the top 10 overall by the same Web site. The Lions' main in with the prep phenom is that his stepfather, Gateway coach Terry Smith, is a former Penn State wide receiver and that fact certainly has helped Penn State stay as one of the leaders for King's services.

But the Lions are locked in contention with Big Ten rival Michigan to land King and a quick check at the standings shows the Wolverines in contention for a conference title and the Lions in the cellar, yet to win a Big Ten game.

Michigan also has a seemingly better environment for true freshmen, as evidenced by Chad Henne and Michael Hart's enormous contributions this season to Michigan's perfect Big Ten record. Meanwhile at Penn State, Anthony Morelli stands suited up on the sidelines watching.

That's not entirely fair to the Lions, who have had several true freshmen seeing significant playing time, like linebacker Dan Connor and fullback Matt Hahn. But one can't help but think that King wouldn't like to see a little of Morelli, this team's future quarterback, under center.

Penn State should be thankful that this week didn't come during the last game against Iowa, when the Lions limped to a 6-4 loss to the Hawkeyes. Even a defensive recruit like King would have been more disappointed by the offense than inspired by the stellar defensive performance.

How frustrating to have King think that he and his teammates could play a perfect game and still not be able to pull out a win.

Now we start to see the importance of a seemingly unexciting, anticlimactic game against Northwestern.

Joe Paterno has made no bones about his love for two specific recruits -- King and Maryland athlete Derrick Williams, who is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the nation by several recruiting services and is projected to be a wide receiver.

Though NCAA regulations prohibit Paterno from mentioning either by name, he has done everything but that. On his radio show earlier this season, Paterno said that, in effect, he didn't care if they got any recruits other than these two guys.

Williams visited Penn State last weekend after the team returned from Ohio State. Maybe you happened to walk by Beaver Stadium on Sunday night to find the place inexplicably lit up. It's all speculation at this point, but it's probably a safe bet those lights were on for Williams. This same tactic was supposedly what helped sway Morelli away from Pitt last January.

So while these final three games may seem terribly unimportant to the casual fan, they may actually be the most vital of the season. It's one thing to be playing for a spot in the Sun Bowl and quite another to be showcasing a program, a school, a future to those who could help pull Penn State out of this quagmire of losing.