(Garrett Sickels)

Despite NCAA sanctions of Penn State being likened to the "Death Penalty," the Nittany Lions appear to at least be on life support with a good number of the program's 2013 class confirming their verbal commitments this weekend.

Eddie Robinson (AP)The NCAA's decision to strip Joe Paterno of his all-time Division I wins record earned praise from supporters of the man who now moves from second to first on that list.

Pamela Breedlove, city attorney in Grambling, La., told Yahoo! Sports she felt vacating the 111 wins Paterno amassed from 1998-2011 was an "appropriate" punishment for his role in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Breedlove along with the city's mayor had sent a letter to the NCAA last week asking for some of Paterno's 409 wins to be vacated, thereby making legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson's 408 a Division I record once again.

"Mayor Jones and I both believe that the NCAA's corrective and disciplinary action announced this morning was appropriate and the right thing to do," Breedlove told Yahoo! Sports. "We also commend Penn State for making the Freeh Report public and accepting the decision of the NCAA. We hope that the university is able to move forward in a positive direction. Our hearts go out to all the victims and hope that they will be able to find a way to move forward."

Grambling was coached by Robinson from 1941-1998, where he accumulated all of his 408 career wins as a head coach. Paterno surpassed Robinson with a win over Illinois last October, but as a result of the sanctions he officially now falls to fifth on the all-time wins list with 298.

"The decision announced this morning completely resolves the request that we made to the NCAA on behalf of the City of Grambling and hope that college football and all athletic programs at all levels will learn from this tragedy and never allow anything like this to ever happen again," Breedlove said.

Follow Yahoo!Sports Kristian R. Dyer @KristianRDyer

Bill O'Brien (AP)When Bill O'Brien became the 15th head football coach in Penn State history this past January, he knew he was taking over a program in crisis.

What he may not have known was just how unhappy this valley would get.

With Monday's news that the Nittany Lions will undergo historic sanctions including the loss of 10 scholarships a year, a bowl ban that will last four seasons and a tremendous $61 million fine that is the equivalent to the athletic department's revenue for a year, O'Brien's job just got tougher. But the former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots isn't going anywhere in light of the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, per a statement released by the school.

"Today we receive a very harsh penalty from the NCAA and as Head Coach of the Nittany Lions football program, I will do everything in my power to not only comply, but help guide the University forward to become a national leader in ethics, compliance and operational excellence," O'Brien said.

"I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes."

Despite the severity of the penalties levied against Penn State as a result of the school's complacency in the Sandusky coverup, neither O'Brien nor other school officials expressed any anger or disappointment. A source close to the situation tells Yahoo! Sports that the university fully complied with the NCAA in its handling of determining sanctions and showed a willingness to agree to whatever the NCAA dealt the program.

Franco Harris (Getty Images)The recent issuing of the Freeh Report along with reports of an alleged cover up is not enough to deter former Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers star Franco Harris from defending the legacy of his former head coach, the late Joe Paterno.

A first round pick out of Penn State in 1972, Harris defended the longtime coach against recent attacks and criticism of complacency for his role in an alleged cover up of the Jerry Sandusky abuse scandal. Recently, CNN reported that Paterno and university officials sought to cover up Sandusky's sexual abuse of young boys and last week's Freeh Report cited Penn State officials for a "total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State."

Despite what appears to be a mountain of evidence beginning to build against the once revered Paterno, Harris is steadfast in his belief that his former coach wouldn't be involved in a cover up.

"After I read the Freeh Report, I feel even more strongly about

Jimbo Fisher (US Presswire)

No hashtag required here.

In a bold move, Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher announced earlier this week that he is banning his players from using social media site Twitter in order to keep them from embarrassing the program in 140 characters or less.

The once impeccable legacy of the late Joe Paterno continued to get hammered Thursday, first with the much-anticipated release of the Freeh Report followed by afternoon news that the Joe Paterno Child Development Center on the Nike campus in Beaverton, Ore., would be renamed.

Former FBI director Louis Freeh released his report on Thursday morning that likely will create more headaches for Penn State in their handling of the Jerry Sandusky incident. The report hammered former university president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley, late head coach Joe Paterno and others for being "able to make decisions to avoid the consequences of bad publicity."

(Gary I. Rothstein/AP)

With no guarantee Notre Dame will receive the priority treatment it enjoyed under the current BCS system, the university is in talks with the ACC to preserve a prominent bowl relationship.

Multiple reports have surfaced that the Fighting Irish are in talks with the ACC about a possible tie-in with the Orange Bowl, giving Notre Dame a platform somewhat similar to the one it currently enjoys. Under the current BCS system, which expires after the 2013 season, Notre Dame was guaranteed a BCS bowl game if it finished in the top eight in the BCS standings.

And while that guarantee will be gone with the transition to a four-team playoff, the Chicago Tribune is reporting Notre Dame is trying to keep its name in the game by striking an Orange Bowl tie-in agreement that's similar to the same agreement the SEC and Big 12 enjoy with the newly created Champions Bowl, and the Pac-12 and Big Ten enjoy with the Rose Bowl.