COLUMBUS, Ohio — Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley remains hopeful heading into Saturday’s game at Ohio State, even though history clearly isn’t on the Nittany Lions’ side.

They’ve only won twice in their last 10 trips to the Horseshoe.

“The `Shoe hasn’t been a great place for us,” Bradley said. “We haven’t played our best games out there. But, you know, every year is different. It’s a new team. I don’t worry about the past. I’m only worried about the present right now.”

The present has required more than enough attention.

Less than two weeks into a scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, arrested for allegedly molesting boys, and just 10 days away from the firing of coach Joe Paterno for not doing enough to stop the alleged abuse, the emotions and motivation for the Nittany Lions remain a major concern.

But in purely football terms, they have a lot to play for.

No. 21 Penn State (8-2, 5-1) needs one more win to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten’s Leaders Division title. A victory against the Buckeyes and another the following week at Wisconsin, and the Nittany Lions will play in the Big Ten championship game.

Despite the tumult still affecting the university and the team every day — and the many, many questions that remain unanswered — Bradley says his players still realize what they can accomplish out on the field.

“We started the meeting with it yesterday: We still control our own destiny, and we can still win this thing,” Bradley said. “And I told them what’s at stake. And they understand that. They’re well aware.”

There is one bit of trivia from the past that favors Penn State. In each of those two victories in Columbus — in 1978 and 2008 — they beat a Buckeyes team led by a freshman quarterback.

Note: True freshman Braxton Miller leads an Ohio State (6-4, 3-3) squad that has had a wildly erratic season. He’ll be trying to do something — beat the Nittany Lions — that Buckeyes rookies Art Schlichter and Terrelle Pryor were unable to do.

What many fans will notice first about the matchup are the two larger-than-life personalities who are not present.

Jim Tressel, Ohio State’s coach for the past decade, was forced out on May 30 for his role in covering up what he knew about players accepting cash and free tattoos from a man being investigated in a federal drug-trafficking probe. Ohio State is still awaiting final sanctions from the NCAA. Tressel was replaced by Luke Fickell, one of his defensive coordinators.

Bradley was elevated from defensive coordinator last week to take the place of Paterno, winner of a Division I-record 409 victories since taking over the Nittany Lions in 1966. The longtime assistant was on the sidelines for the Nittany Lions’ emotional 17-14 home loss to Nebraska last week.