It says a lot about Penn State student fans that we have an official body painters club to support the football team.

The Official Body Painters Guild, which became a recognized Penn State club this year, has been informally painting for games since 2006.

Members of the group say painting their bodies is not about being in the front row or getting on TV. Instead, painters want to cheer on the team and create a fun atmosphere in Beaver Stadium.

This type of excitement for Penn State sports embodies what the student section should represent. Every week, fans brave cold and rain to cheer on the team. If students want to live up to the title of best student section, we should come early, stay late and never sit down.

Other football groups have gotten more attention in the past few years than the new painters' club. Paternoville, an original student group that is featured at every home game, has helped Penn State stand out as a student section. Not every college team can say its fans camp out for a week to sit in the front row.

But the unknown groups, such as the Body Painters Guild, are comprised of students who regularly brave cold weather and long lines to support the team without any glory or recognition.

Few people have enough guts to strip down to the essentials for the weather that hit State College Saturday against Indiana. The Guild should be commended for even considering standing in the rain for three hours, although the members can't be blamed for thinking twice for their own personal health.

In the last game of the season this Saturday, Penn State will battle Michigan State in Beaver Stadium for the Big Ten championship and possible Rose Bowl berth.

In recognition of a football team that has fought hard this year to earn its BCS top-10 ranking, students should be willing to go the extra mile in support.

Students, fill our section early. Graduating seniors, pack the stands and say farewell to the greatest show in college football with the energy it deserves.

The Guild is just one way for students to express their support for the team. Not everyone is up for painting his or her bodies in the harsh State College weather. But every fan can find his or her own way to support the team and embody the football nation that defines Penn State.