STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Winning still means everything to Penn State linebacker Mike Mauti, but success this season won't be defined by titles or a bowl.

It's a view he holds in part by necessity after the NCAA imposed strict sanctions on the program for the child sex abuse scandal involving retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

After a stormy offseason unlike any other team has seen, the Nittany Lions have goals in mind other than championship banners and trophies.

''I'm not really a believer in moral victories,'' Mauti, a standout linebacker and senior leader, said Thursday. ''At the same time, when all is said and done, I don't think we're going to get judged on wins and losses.''

It's not the normal chatter heard at Penn State media day, when the talk is typically about jockeying with Ohio State and Wisconsin atop the Big Ten or pie-in-the-sky hopes for a trip to the BCS.

But this has been anything but a normal year in Happy Valley.

Among the NCAA penalties are a four-year postseason ban and significant scholarship cuts.

The Nittany Lions undoubtedly still want to win every game. But they're using other motivating factors like playing for each other and the fans who have rallied behind the squad, as well as bringing more awareness to the problem of child abuse.

But the sanctions remain a sensitive topic in Happy Valley. Several school trustees have told the NCAA that they intend to appeal the penalties, as have several former players.

''I respect everybody's individual decision to do what they have to do, what they think is right. That is their individual opinion or their group's opinion, and I respect that. I would never step into the middle of that,'' coach Bill O'Brien said when asked about the appeal notices.

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New look, new definitions of success for Penn St