STATE COLLEGE — The whispers of "Joe Must Go" that spread among some Penn State fans last year have been squelched by coach Joe Paterno's comeback campaign this year.

Still, win or lose, the question of how much longer Paterno will roam the Beaver Stadium sidelines will likely linger until he's no longer the head Nittany Lion.

When prompted by a reporter after the win over Wisconsin last Saturday, Paterno's son, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, said he thought his dad could coach another 20 years, something that Jay has said in the past.

Asked Tuesday if he felt the same way, especially after this season's success, Joe Paterno, 78, said, "I never felt that my age had anything to do with how long I could coach. The good Lord has been good to me. I've had good genes."

"So I don't know how long I can go," Paterno said during a conference call with Big Ten writers. "I don't sit here and say I'm going to coach one more year, two more years. I'm going to coach until I wake up some morning and say 'I've had enough,' or the good Lord says 'Stay down, you're down,' and right now that hasn't happened."

Paterno, in his 40th season as head coach, is in the middle of a four-year contract that expires in 2008.

After losing records in four of the previous five campaigns, No. 6 Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) can win the Big Ten title and a Bowl Championship Series berth this season if they beat Michigan State on Nov. 19 in the regular-season finale.

Paterno said he feels good physically. "I can run around and yell at people, scream at people. Everything I could do when I was a younger coach."

It appears that linebacker Paul Posluszny is probably coming back for his senior season next year.The guy players know as "Puz" said last week that he was entertaining the possibility of leaving Happy Valley early to enter the NFL draft, though he hadn't given it serious thought.After Penn State's win over Wisconsin last Saturday, Posluszny told a throng of reporters that he is likely coming back."Yeah, I've thought about it, but I've thought about a lot of different things," Posluszny said, according to the Altoona Mirror. "I love Penn State, and it would probably be a mistake for me to leave this great place early. I feel like I belong here."Posluszny leads Penn State with 106 tackles and has three sacks.

With Penn State having a bye this Saturday, Paterno didn't have his regular news conference Tuesday at the stadium.The Nittany Lions have played every weekend since Sept. 3. They are practicing this week, and Paterno said during his teleconference that his assistants can hit the road this weekend, if they choose, to watch recruits at their high school games.About the biggest piece of football news from Happy Valley this bye week has to do with next season: Penn State announced Monday that Louisiana Tech pulled out of a game with the Nittany Lions that had been set for Sept. 16, 2006 due to a scheduling conflict.The school is looking for a replacement, though that might be difficult since many teams have already filled their schedule for next season.

Penn State is fifth in the latest standings for the BCS, the college football postseason bowl system that Paterno isn't too keen on."The Big Ten is a little bit of a disadvantage because we have so many people who are so good," said Paterno, who has criticized the BCS in the past."I think we ought to have some sort of a playoff, and then you'd have three or four Big Ten teams in there for a playoff," Paterno said. "But there again, I can't control some of that stuff. If I could, I would."

The season finale at Michigan State on Nov. 19 will kick off at 4 p.m. EST and will be televised nationally by ESPN.