They are calling it the best Saturday in college football these days, and in years past, the town in which they are referring would be far from a mystery.

Four losing seasons in five years will definitely give the national media selective amnesia, forgetting where they once stamped college football's most passionate fan base.

This season the spotlight has remembered what direction the flash should be pointed. It is squarely on Beaver Stadium's Gate A landmark, also known as Paternoville.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is on the cover of this week's issue of Sports Illustrated On Campus, which features a descriptive list of 102 More Things To Do Before Graduation. Last year was the first installment.

Atop the magazine's annual list is the experience of camping out for tickets at Penn State's Paternoville, the home of Beaver Stadium's student section entrance.

The site was also named the top 2005 Game-Day destination by the magazine's editors.

Six days prior to the Nittany Lions' dramatic 17-10 win against Ohio State three weeks ago, Penn State students began camping out at the site to obtain optimum seating for the most-hyped affair in State College since the Nebraska game in 2002.

"There's an amazing Renaissance going on in Happy Valley with the football team and JoePa," said Adam Duerson, spokesperson and reporter for SI On Campus.

Duerson said his board of editors wanted to find the most fanatic atmosphere throughout the world of college football.

The dubbing is a welcome complement to the fact that State College was also voted as the nation's No. 1 tailgating venue recently.

Duerson said the newfound fire that Paterno appears to be fueled by these days attracted the magazine to take a trip to State College to perform the photo shoot.

The magazine showed up at the doorstep of the Penn State sports information office and requested Paterno's services early last Wednesday. Paterno obliged to participate in a late afternoon shoot in the Lasch Football Building, squeezed into a 10-minute slot directly before his team's practice began.

On the cover Paterno is dressed in his normal gameday attire -- khakis, necktie, blue Penn State jacket, trademark glasses -- and is surrounded by four Penn State students dressed as mini JoePas, in the same ensemble. All are carrying trick-or-treat baskets filled to the brim with candy, establishing the Halloween theme.

During the shoot, Paterno was asked to ensure that the face of the jack-o-lantern on the treat basket he held faced forward, and he took the opportunity to joke with the photographer.

"People are going to confuse me with [the jack-o-lantern face]," Paterno said. "You should have brought [my wife] Sue in; she's the one who eats the chocolate."

The Lions returning to their winning ways makes SI's cover selection very appropriate, as does the fact that Penn State is still a legitimate BCS bowl contender. But the shot of Paterno grinning with Halloween treats should be enough to entice students across the country to pick up the publication.

"As old as he is, he's still charismatic," Duerson said. "Everyone thinks he's been done for so long, but he's found that reserve tank."