The Big 33 is celebrating its silver anniversary this season. But if a color would be associated with the future of this high school football all-star game, it would be gray -- as in cloudy.

Pennsylvania will meet Ohio in the 50th Big 33 at 7 p.m. today at Hersheypark Stadium. No one is claiming there won't be a 51st game, but there are a number of questions about where the game is headed.

	At a glance The game: Pennsylvania vs. Ohio, 7 p.m. today, Hersheypark Stadium. TV: The game will air on tape at 9 p.m. Friday on PCN cable television and at 4 p.m. June 23. The series: This is the 15th year in a row Pennsylvania has played Ohio, and each team has won seven games. Pennsylvania also played Ohio from 1972-76. The first: Pennsylvania beat the U.S. All-Stars, 6-0, in the first Big 33 in 1958. Super stuff: There has never been a Super Bowl without a Big 33 alumnus. Pitt-Penn State: Pitt has six recruits on the Pennsylvania roster and Penn State three. Big 33 Fooball Classic rosters

First, who will run the game? Mickey Minnich, the longtime executive director of the game, will retire Aug. 31.

Who will Pennsylvania play next year? Pennsylvania's contract with Ohio is now year by year.

Where are some of the top players? Some of the best in Ohio will not play. Instead, they will play in Ohio's North-South game tonight. Some top Pennsylvania players also are missing because for various reasons.

"I think the game is solid, but there are those variables now that we have to deal with," Minnich said. "We're hearing from some Division I college coaches that the NCAA might want to eliminate these summer all-star games. I think that could be right around the corner.

"Supposedly, the NCAA is going to want these games played in December and January. But we don't have a domed stadium in Pennsylvania, so where would we play it?"

An NCAA rule instituted last year has affected the game greatly, forcing it to be switched from July to mid-June. The Big 33 is for graduated seniors who have yet to play in college.

Under the new NCAA rule, colleges are allowed to pay for summer school for incoming freshmen. In the past, if an incoming freshman football player wanted to attend summer school, he had to pay his way until he was on scholarship for the fall semester.

Many colleges are taking advantage of the new rule. If the Big 33 didn't move its game from mid-July, most scholarship athletes wouldn't play.

But by moving the game, the Big 33 is now in conflict with Ohio's long-standing North-South game, which is played at Columbus Crew Stadium. Some top Ohio players are not in the Big 33. For example, there is not one Ohio State recruit on Ohio's Big 33 roster, which is a first. But there are seven Ohio State recruits in the North-South game.

"Ohio is doing the best they can," Minnich said. "They have their sponsors for the North-South game that they have to take care of. I know they're trying to maybe move their North-South game to maybe the spring game at Ohio State."

The Pennsylvania Football Coaches Association and the Big 33 board of directors will decide whether to continue the series with Ohio and will hire Minnich's replacement.

"I still think Ohio is still our best matchup, even in spite of the way they select their teams," Minnich said.

There has been some discussion of Pennsylvania playing New Jersey, but Minnich said, "That won't happen because New Jersey kids graduate from high school too late to play.

"There are some great players in Maryland, but Maryland doesn't have the tradition that Ohio has."

Some top Pennsylvania players also decided to skip the game this year. Coatesville's Derrick Morgan, a highly rated defensive lineman, already is taking classes at Georgia Tech. Woodland Hills tight end Rob Gronkowski is doing the same at Arizona. Central Catholic lineman Stefen Wisniewski, a Penn State recruit, declined an invitation.

The Big 33 also has lost some players who graduate from high school early and start college in January. Greensburg Central Catholic receiver/defensive back Nick Sukay and Gateway tight end Jon Ditto enrolled at Penn State in January and thus couldn't play in the game.

Attendance is still fairly good for the game, though. Minnich expects a crowd better than last year's 14,043. Most times, the Big 33 draws 15,000 or more.

"The game is still big up here [in Hershey]," said South Park coach Tom Loughran, who is Pennsylvania's coach. "It's interwoven into the fabric of the community. The Hershey people love it and embrace it.

"But the lifeblood of the game is the players. You have to get the players to make the game go."