Well, this is it.

The highly touted, much-ballyhooed Notre Dame game is here, and, regardless of how badly coaches may want to live it down, this is the type of event that attracts student athletes to play for schools like Penn State.

This is the type of game that inspires thousands of Penn Staters -- many of whom without tickets -- to make the college football pilgrimage to South Bend, Ind., just to be a part of the occasion.

This is the kind of game that inspires overly dramatic Under Armour commercials.

So, just how much of the hype is Joe Paterno allowing his Nittany Lions to buy into?

"I haven't got the slightest idea," Paterno explained. "Hype? Hype is hype. Someone would have to describe it to me. I'm not even sure I could spell it."

Try this for a description: As of Wednesday, nosebleed seats in the endzone were selling for $830 a pair on eBay. Traditionally, by the way, ticket prices come down in the days leading up to a game.

As big a game as this is, though, it is hardly the most important on Penn State's schedule. It's probably not even the second most important.

A loss to the Fighting Irish may drop No. 19 Penn State a few spots in the polls, but the Lions will leave Notre Dame with an unblemished record in the Big Ten. This year's games against Ohio State and Michigan will likely have more of an impact on Penn State's postseason plans than will tomorrow's battle.

Since the 2000 season, for instance, 11 teams have won at least a share of the Big Ten title. Eight of those championship squads dropped at least one game to a non-conference foe.

A win tomorrow would certainly be great for the Lions, but it would not mean nearly as much as a win against Ohio State and Michigan.

With that said, this is still Notre Dame, and there's nowhere I -- and the masses trekking west via Interstate-80 -- would rather be tomorrow afternoon than Notre Dame Stadium.

Though trying to live down the hype, Paterno couldn't help but reveal that as a Catholic schoolboy growing up in Brooklyn, he and his friends viewed Notre Dame as "something special." Even as Penn State's head coach, Paterno wanted his eldest son to attend Notre Dame.

Paterno is certainly not alone. Many football fans have a Notre Dame story or two.

One of my first sports memories is of Raghib "Rocket" Ismail returning a punt for an Irish touchdown against Colorado in the 1991 Orange Bowl, only to have the play brought back because of a penalty.

It goes both ways, though, as Irish safety Tom Zbikowski revealed earlier this week that he was a bit of a Penn State fan growing up.

The mutual respect for the two programs is genuine, and, unlike the excessive amount of hype, is something that both teams have bought into.

"You're always hoping when you're being recruited that they're knocking at your door," Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn said of Penn State.

With two talented squads ready to butt heads on one of the most hallowed grounds in college athletics for the first time in 14 years, tomorrow should remind fans of why they love the sport.

"If you don't enjoy this stuff you're in the wrong game," Paterno said of the intrigue of playing at No. 4 Notre Dame. "You ought to be a reporter who sits back and second guesses."

For this weekend, at least, this reporter is going to sit back and enjoy what is certainly going to be a special event -- just not the biggest.