Bona Fide Balance

Emerson once said that "people with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never."

Those words ring true across college football today. If you want proof, look to the top of the polls.

Following the conference championship games, there were seven one-loss teams ranked among the top eight. Like most people, I felt that these teams were a step ahead of their competition. Each showed that they could play good offense, defense and special teams, and each finished with one close loss - all of which came to teams that finished 8-4 or better. People talked about how balanced these seven teams were and pointed to that as the reason for their success.

But now I wonder, "What is balance and how do we know it when we see it?" Is balance a big scoring margin? Is it lots of yards on offense and little yards on defense? I used to think so.

Then Penn State went into Southern Cal's home away from home, Pasadena, and got smoked by Mark Sanchez and the USC receivers. The Nittany Lions, who suffered a 38-24 loss at the hands of the Trojans in the Rose Bowl Game, are USC's latest Big Ten victim. Southern Cal has now won each of its last nine games versus Big Ten opponents - all by double digits.

While many anticipated that this game would be as evenly-matched as the BCS Title Game, Southern Cal put that notion to rest before halftime. Quarterback Mark Sanchez led SC to a 31-7 lead at the half and finished the night 28 of 35 for 413 yards and four touchdowns. The difference in this game had a lot to do with balance - but not of the statistical variety.

All year I was under the impression that Penn State was one of the few balanced teams in the nation. They had an outstanding offensive line (which led to lots of yards running and throwing) and, as always, the Nittany Lions played great defense. Paterno-coached teams don't typically beat themselves, either. Penn State annually ranks near the top in terms of special teams, turnover margin and penalties. And this season was no different.

When it comes to balance, though, talent plays a major role. In order to be "balanced" a team must have talent throughout their lineup. Penn State may have looked balanced all year versus weak non-conference opponents and a run-heavy Big Ten, but their overrated pass defense was never tested. In the end, they were exploited.

Of course, the nine penalties (a season high) and three turnovers didn't help their cause - but they're no excuse. Great teams (see: Southern Cal) don't make that many mistakes and typically force teams into uncharacteristic miscues. Don't believe me? Okahoma and Florida currently rank first and second in turnover margin. They meet next week for the National Championship.

Southern Cal was as good as any team in '08 and this statement win over Penn State proves it. I doubt that anyone would want to face them in a playoff situation. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, lacked a strong secondary in late August and it proved to be their Achilles' heel in early January. Although the mainstream media will tell you differently, I think this game says more about Southern Cal and their talent than it does about Penn State and their lack thereof.

The disparity in this game taught me something about balance, though: It's not whether you have a good offense and defense, whether you can run and pass, or whatever the stats may say. Balance is having talent all your roster. Balance is having no weakness. The best team doesn't have to be the best at any one thing. They just have to be good at many things. The fact is, Nittany Nation: Southern Cal has some serious balance.