At his weekly press conference yesterday, Joe Paterno was slightly intrigued after hearing his team's updated Bowl Championship Series ranking.

"Four?" the Penn State football coach confirmed. "Interesting."

The No. 5 Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) will face a Michigan State team vying for bowl eligibility on Saturday, and Paterno warned his team cannot succumb to any assumptions about how the Spartans played this year.

"When you watch them play, they have made some mistakes," Paterno said, citing the Spartans' loss to Ohio State as one example. "It is not a question of talent or coaching. They have just made a lot of mistakes. We have to play a team that we figure can't make mistakes or is not going to make mistakes."

Paterno said he intended to practice in full pads on Monday; but, after consulting with his coaching staff, he was convinced to make Monday an easier practice day.

Yesterday's practice, per routine, would be in full pads, but Paterno said it would not be a "long practice."

"My staff feels the kids are ready to go. They want to go," he said. "I just think we have to have a good week in practice. Period."

Continually, the Lions clearly state they adjust week to week only for the next opponent, and objects like BCS bids and Big Ten Championships -- both could be clinched with a win -- don't obscure their preparedness.

"I don't like going into any particular football game knowing that there's something beyond the football game that's important," Paterno said.

His job is easier this year, especially after the dismal results in the Lions win-loss column the past two seasons, but a winning record one season has not reaffirmed Paterno's confidence. He knows a coach's work is never done.

"I got to push myself," he said. "I'm not a kid anymore. It's not like I'm 60 years old and I have to do 50 push-ups before I go to work, but I don't think there's anything different in my approach to it."

Certainly, Paterno's approach to BCS questions has not changed over the course of this season, and he was eager to share what he tells his team.

"Let's take care of our business and see what happens," he preaches. "We have absolutely no control over anything but our business."

Paterno was not even aware of which team, besides Southern California and Texas, was ranked above Penn State in the system used to determine the national championship.

"I'm not even thinking about that. We got Michigan State to play," Paterno said. "Who's Southern Cal play yet? If they lose, we get a shot ... Texas? Who does Texas play? Obviously, if both of those teams win, I'm going to be saying, 'Playoff! Playoff!' But, I can't worry about that."