Big Ten pre-season fever begins to heat up today with the 41^st Annual Kickoff luncheon in Chicago, where the media will also be meeting players and coaches, although Penn State won’t have any members of its team available for questioning by reporters. It was revealed Wednesday that the Penn State football program faced a four-year "death penalty" in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. University president Rodney Erickson told ESPN the Nittany Lions would not have played football for four years if they did not accept the sanctions imposed on them on Monday. A four-year postseason ban, five years probation and a vacation of all wins dating to 1998 were among the significant penalties.  Penn State also must reduce 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period.  The school was also hit with a $60-million fine. Former head coach Joe Paterno was stripped of more than 100 victories, dropping him from first to eighth on the FBS all-time wins list.