By BRAD HURLEY

bhurley@tnonline.comShould the Penn State sanctions be lessened? Should the Penn State football program have even been penalized at all?Those two questions along with a slew regarding the same issue have been debated among college football fans and the media since the NCAA handed down the sanctions two years ago. Now, the debating is over. All those heated arguments between buddies and all the live TV banter from football analysts are over.The NCAA made a decision yesterday to end Penn State's postseason ban immediately and restore its full allotment of 85 scholarships starting next season. The decision came just minutes after former Sen. George Mitchell's progress report on the university. Mitchell recommended in the report that the sanctions be put to rest and the NCAA certainly followed suit.The NCAA also made a decision yesterday to the let the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania control the $60 million fine that Penn State agreed to pay as part of the Consent Decree. The university has agreed to pay the state the money, which will be used to help victims of child abuse.The banishing of the sanctions comes about a year after Mitchell's first progress report where the NCAA first lessened the sanctions. Before today's news, Penn State would've had 80 scholarships available next season and now that number jumps to 85 and obviously, Penn State wouldn't have been eligible to play in a bowl game until 2016. The Big Ten also followed the movements of the NCAA and announced yesterday that Penn State will also be eligible to compete for the Big Ten Championship.Simply put, business has picked up in Happy Valley.After all the misery and dismay over the years, the horrible actions of Jerry Sandusky, and the media mess caused by it all, it looks like things will be returning to normal in State College.So what does this now mean for the Nittany Lions football program? Basically, it means head coach James Franklin has now be given the tools to potentially make Penn State a national power once again."We are very appreciative of the opportunities the NCAA and Big Ten have provided with today's announcement," Franklin said. "This team plays for each other. We play for Penn State, our families, the former players, our students, alumni, fans and the community. We are so proud to represent Penn State and the Big Ten Conference and are working hard to prepare for our Big Ten opener at Rutgers."Franklin already has done wonders with recruiting and his aggressive tactics. Penn State currently has a top 10 recruiting class for 2015, according to rivals.com and that was with the sanctions in place. Now, who knows what Franklin can do and if the team continues to perform well even more recruits could come the Nittany Lions way.Both the scholarships being reduced and the bowl ban being lifted in my opinion are equally important, but the "right now" is the fact that Penn State can now compete for a Big Ten title and head south in late December/early January for a bowl game. With a 2-0 start I don't think there is anyway Penn State won't qualify for a bowl. I also don't think a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title is out of the question either. Michigan and Ohio State didn't look good on Saturday and Penn State gets the Buckeyes at home in a night game, which will be jammed pack. Michigan State, who Penn State hosts in its last game of the season, is no doubt still the favorite to win the East Division.Obviously a lot of things have to go the Nittany Lions way and winning at Rutgers this Saturday and at Michigan on October 11th won't be easy. If they can get through those two road games unscathed I think they really have a good shot.The future for the PSU program looks bright, but now let's take a look at the past. I think it's important for Penn State fans to realize how vital the players and specifically the seniors of the 2012-13 team were in keeping this program together. Despite all the backlash and all the scrutiny these young men stuck together. Guys like, Michael Mauti, Matt McGloin, Stephon Morris, Gerald Hodges, and many more are the reason why Penn State is in the position it is today. Looking back, football wise I think that's the true story that should be taken away from this whole thing. To see those young men deal with that kind of adversity and still compete at a high level was truly remarkable.Another group that deserves high recognition is Bill O'Brien's coaching staff. O'Brien and his staff took on a monsoon of issues and made the best of it. Anybody that thought O'Brien was going to stick around for the long haul was kidding themselves. O'Brien has and always will be an NFL guy and he saw his opportunity and took it. The fact of that matter is that he came in, handled things like a professional, was extremely organized, and did a fantastic job. So, give credits where it's due.When I mentioned above that the debating is over, I'm probably being a little hopeful. There's always going to be a debate on whether Penn State should've or shouldn't have been given sanctions. There's some people out there that still believe the Nittany Lions should've received the "death penalty." Whatever you believe, I don't think you can argue the fact that the student athletes at Penn State University have handled themselves in the absolute best way possible.That's a story that should be told and remembered for years to come.