STATE COLLEGE — Idle on Saturday, unbeaten No. 3 Penn State plans to use down time this week to relax a little and rest aches and pains before refocusing on a promising final month of the season.

The same goes for hobbled coach Joe Paterno, who will get his ailing hip and right leg checked out today by doctors. Surgery could be a possibility.

But don't think the injury is keeping the 81-year-old Paterno from thinking about his future after this campaign ends, either.

"I think I'm going to have something get done, but I want to find out from (doctors) what needs to be done and get it done as soon as I can after the season is over so I can get on the road to recruit," Paterno said Tuesday as part of a long answer to a question about health at his weekly news conference.

The Nittany Lions (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are off to their best start since 1999, when LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown starred on defense. A win in their next game, Nov. 8 at Iowa, would give Penn State its best start since the undefeated 1994 campaign.

Best of all for Paterno, he's got Penn State squarely in the national championship hunt, third in the BCS standings behind Texas and Alabama.

The Nittany Lions navigated a daunting October schedule flawlessly, blowing out Wisconsin on the road; using a dominating second half to end a nine-game skid to Michigan; and pulling out a 13-6 win over Ohio State at the Horseshoe.

Penn State is the first team in Big 10 history to beat the three conference stalwarts in consecutive weeks, regardless of which order the opponents were played, according to Penn State's sports information department.