To this day, Joe Paterno can't remember exactly when the tradition began. Who was the first quarterback lucky enough to lock down the front seat?

It could have been Todd Blackledge at the Sugar Bowl in the early '80s, maybe even Tony Sacca. No one is certain.

For those who are unaware of the ritual, before every Penn State home football game, the starting quarterback always sits in the first seat on the initial bus that arrives at Beaver Stadium, right across from Paterno.

It took five seasons before Michael Robinson got his turn to plop there.

Tomorrow, when the Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) host Wisconsin (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) for first place in the conference, Robinson will ride a final time, perhaps this ride more emotional than any other, on the blue bus that has now come to its final destination for 23 seniors.

"You get a rush that just goes to your body," Robinson said about the experience. "A lot of us wish we could go straight on the field from that. It's just a blessing to know that many people are interested."

Senior Day has crept up on the Lions, almost as fast as they did the rest of the nation this year. When the game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, that's when, Paterno said, he'll dig into the memory tank to encapsulate what this class has meant to him.

"When we go out on the field on Saturday and the seniors go out first, I am going to start thinking about the trials and tribulations we have had and the fact that these guys stuck with us and stuck with Penn State," Paterno said.

The sticking part has been hard, particularly on Robinson's watch. He once figured he'd have his pportunity to play quarterback long before this year. But when that never materialized, instead of leaving altogether, he simply moved someplace else -- to running back, to receiver, to punt returner, etc. During the offseason, he even played some wide receiver coach.

"I didn't really have a choice," Robinson said. "I was put in there to play wherever I was put to play."

Besides the Lions seniors, there will be another farewell occurring tomorrow, this one off the other sideline. Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez, who will step down at the conclusion of the season, will coach against Paterno for a final time.

"I think Barry has been a great coach," Paterno said of Alvarez, whom he once considered recruiting but eventually withdrew, saying he was too hefty. "I am sorry to see him get out of coaching."

Wisconsin doesn't figure to be a pushover, either. In many ways, the Badgers have just as much at stake as the Lions. Both teams have identical records, both should probably be undefeated, both feel they have a legitimate chance at winning.

"It should be a heck of a football game, but we are going to have to play really well to win," Paterno said. "And better than we have played, maybe all year."

The Badgers feature a premier tailback in Brian Calhoun; he is first in the conference among running backs with 19 touchdowns. Last week, he scored five against Illinois.

"I am not naïve to think that it is going to be easy," Paterno said. "We have come back from where we weren't able to do some things, and we've got a good, young football team. I hope they can have another couple of good football games."

There was a time when Paterno said Robinson was the best football player in the country, and he might still hold that conviction. Paterno recently said Robinson is one of the best football players he's ever coached at Penn State.

"I would hope these next two games, he will have good games," Paterno said. "He is certainly a great athlete."

Maybe Paterno will tell the bus driver to ease off the pedal a bit more than usual tomorrow, just enough to allow Robinson to soak up the moment as best as he can.

"There are things that you are never going to do again," Paterno said. "I would be disappointed if it wasn't something that was significant in his life."