Penn

Graham Spanier, former president of Penn State University, was arraigned and released on bail Wednesday on charges that he had hid allegations that former football coach Jerry Sandusky had sexually abused boys. Spanier, 64, was charged last week with perjury, obstruction, endangering the welfare of children, failure to properly report suspected abuse and conspiracy in connection with the Sandusky scandal. Two  former university officials,  athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz, face the same charges.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The charges filed last week accusing three former Penn State administrators of engaging in a "conspiracy of silence" to cover up child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky raise questions about whether legendary football Coach Joe Paterno could have been charged if he were still living. Former university President Graham Spanier and the others face charges including perjury and endangering the welfare of children. "To be fair and consistent, you have to read this as a posthumous indictment of Joe Paterno," said law professor Wes Oliver of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Lawyers representing Graham B. Spanier angrily lashed out at prosecutors and Pennsylvania's governor, saying charges brought against the former president of Penn State University were politically motivated. Spanier was charged on Thursday with being part of a cover-up of details in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. Two other former Penn State officials, who had been previously charged, face new charges as well, prosecutors announced. “Graham Spanier has committed no crime and looks forward to the opportunity to clear his good name and well-earned national reputation for integrity,” his lawyers said in a statement emailed to reporters.

Former Penn State President Graham B. Spanier was charged Thursday with conspiring with top university officials to cover up the actions of football coach Jerry Sandusky, convicted of abusing young boys he first groomed with gifts. Spanier, president of the university for 16 years, is the third top university official to be criminally charged in the Sandusky scandal. The others, Timothy M. Curley and Gary C. Schultz, have been previously charged and will face added counts, Pennsylvania Atty.

The unlikeliest of road trips, "This Must Be the Place" puts a retired Goth rocker, played by Sean Penn, on the very cold trail of a Nazi war criminal. If the movie doesn't entirely get past its hard-to-buy premise, director Paolo Sorrentino does have the courage of his convictions, not just embracing every contradiction but spinning many of the story's contrivances into moments of strange, aching beauty. The loopy events concern the dazed but knowing Cheyenne, with Penn striking a tricky balance between eccentricity and childlike honesty.

Five things to watch this week in college football. 1: Off to its best start since 2002, Notre Dame (7-0) heads to Oklahoma in search of a signature victory that can keep the Fighting Irish in national title contention. Notre Dame has dominated Oklahoma historically, losing only once in nine meetings. The one-loss Sooners appear to have recovered from their home loss to Kansas State. 2: Texas Tech (6-1) at Kansas State (7-0) probably was not a game anyone had circled on the calendar in the preseason, yet it has blossomed into one of the better games on Oct. 27. Texas Tech's only loss was in Lubbock to Oklahoma, and Kansas State firmly positioned itself in the national title race with Saturday's dominating win at West Virginia.

Although USC's passing attack has come under fire for falling below expectations, the Trojans' running game is developing into a fairly consistent asset. Penn State transfer Silas Redd has rushed for more than 100 yards three times and has averaged 95 yards a game, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12 Conference. The No. 11 Trojans, who play Colorado on Saturday at the Coliseum, have averaged 165.7 yards rushing a game. That's 34 more than at the same point last season and three more than their 2011 average.