STATE COLLEGE — JoePa vs. Jim Tressel. Daryll Clark vs. Terrelle Pryor. The best defense in the Big Ten against the league’s second-best unit.

It looks like Saturday’s game between No. 11 Penn State and No. 15 Ohio State should be another star-powered, high-stakes slugfest.

The winner remains alive in the Big Ten race, in position to pounce should undefeated Iowa falter in the final three weeks of the season.

The loser probably says goodbye to a shot at a BCS bowl – not that Paterno is trying to heap more pressure on his No. 11 Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1).

“Well, the consequences of the winning and the losing of it are obvious to everybody, but you can’t go at it that way,” Paterno said Tuesday. “I think we just got to say, ‘Hey, let’s play it. Go out there and have a little fun. Let’s not beat ourselves. ... What happens afterward happens.’ ”

If recent history in this series is any indication, the latest edition of one of the Big Ten’s highest-profile rivalries could be another last-minute thriller.

Like safety Mark Rubin’s fourth-quarter hit on quarterback Pryor last year that caused a fumble in Buckeye territory to set up Penn State’s go-ahead touchdown in a 13-6 win.

In 2005, defensive end Tamba Hali’s forced fumble with 1:21 to play cemented Penn State’s 17-10 win.

Michael Jenkins’ 5-yard TD catch with 1:35 left lifted Ohio State to a 21-20 win two years earlier, overcoming Penn State cornerback Alan Zemaitis’

78-yard interception return.

The common theme in each of those games: Big defensive plays – just how Nittany Lions linebacker Sean Lee likes it.

“For sure, (it will be) a tough physical game that’s going to come down to a few mistakes,” Lee said.

As if a game against Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) needed any more intrigue, this year’s meeting includes two new wrinkles.

Saturday’s game will be the 300th in the 50-season history of Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions are 241-58 at the stadium since it opened in 1960.

There’s also the return of western Pennsylvania native Pryor to his home state for the first time since the sophomore spurned Paterno two years ago in one of the most closely watched recruiting contests in recent memory.

Pryor helped the Buckeyes get to the Fiesta Bowl last year, though he’s felt pressure from fans this season for the inconsistent Ohio State offense.

That criticism might be paltry compared to the unfriendly response Pryor should get Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Paterno has shown only respect for Ohio State’s dangerous dual-threat sophomore.

“Tremendous ability. He started a little bit slow, but the last few games, he’s been very, very overpowering,” Paterno said.

If there’s any team that has the talent to stop Pryor, it’s Penn State – the Big Ten leader in scoring defense (FBS-leading 9.3 points per game) and total defense (254 yards).

Unfortunately for Paterno, he’s got the Ohio State defense to worry about, too. The Buckeyes allow 11.7 points and 260 yards per game, second in the conference behind the Nittany Lions.

Despite all the big-game hoopla – including an early opening for the students at the Paternoville tent city outside the stadium and a pep rally Friday – Paterno said he’s approaching this week in practice like any other.

“If there’s a little more thrust, enthusiasm, emotion in the way we teach things, or my involvement in it ... I think the kids could tell you better than I could. I try not to though,” Paterno said.

Lee, a senior, doesn’t need any new motivational tricks to get ready for Saturday.

“We had a lot of pop in practice, everyone was excited,” Lee said. “I think we’ll have a lot of fun in this game.”

Still, this year’s meeting doesn’t have quite the luster as last year’s, when then-unbeaten Penn State handed the Buckeyes their only Big Ten loss of the season.

This season, Iowa (9-0, 5-0) controls its own destiny and can clinch a Rose Bowl berth if its wins out.

But the Hawkeyes have faced questions about their viability as BCS title contenders, in part because of their tendency to have to rally from behind for victories. The strength of the Big Ten has also been questioned by some national pundits because of Ohio State’s recent losses in high-profile games, as well as Penn State’s loss to Southern California in last season’s Rose Bowl.

Asked Tuesday if he was bothered by the conference’s national reputation, Paterno offered his oft-repeated suggestion of expanding the conference to extend the league schedule – possibly with a conference title game.

“I think it’s hurt us some, but it’s obvious why,” Paterno said. “We back out of the national scene” in mid-November, when Big Ten teams end their regular season.