It was a bad and frustrating loss, but it doesn’t kill the season. It was a non-conference loss, and how they rebound will say a lot. They have a big game against Texas A&M who also lost. A&M played on Thursday night, so they got a couple days head start on preparing for Pitt. The players say they are still looking at the big picture, and I hope they are. The big picture starts with this game. They have to run the table for a real BCS bid. The woulda, coulda, shouldas of Pitt being 3-0 going into this game are history.

Quick offensive keys for Pitt:

Running game. Miree was lousy against Toledo. 62 yards on 20 carries. The O-line needs to be better, and so does Miree.

Spread the wealth when passing. Fitzgerald had 12 receptions for 201 yards (out of 315 total passing yards). The RB, Miree, was second on number of receptions with 6. The supposed number 2 receiver for Pitt — Brockenbrough caught only 3 passes. Sooner or later, Fitzgerald will be shut down or some team will take a cheap shot to get him out of the game.

Use the Tight End. Kris Wilson is a stud TE, who will be a solid pro one day. Unfortunately, no one knows it, because he rarely seems to see the ball. He does a lot of blocking and running over the middle as a decoy. He’s being wasted.

Quick Defensive keys:

Kill. Kill. Kill. The defense has not pressured the QB in 3 games this season. Herriot has only one sack. More is needed up front.

I’ve been pissed about this since Saturday night. I’m only now getting to vent a little.

Two years ago, Pitt Head Coach Walt Harris nearly torpedoed the entire 2001 season and his job by instituting the spread offense over the summer before the season. Pitt went 1-5 to start the season before Harris stopped being stubborn and arrogant, and junked the spread. It had been obvious to everyone but Harris that the team hadn’t grasped the spread offense — every game with featured numerous delay of games and lost time outs because they couldn’t get the play in and everyone set up, and completely predictable playcalling. The excuses were that the team didn’t have the right players and that they didn’t have enough time to really teach the players.

Last year, West Virginia under second year coach, Rich Rodriguez, beat Pitt with the spread offense. They were able to continually move the ball on Pitt, and while the final score only said 24-17, Pitt was completely outplayed.

Now, Toledo, who also runs a spread offense and has the 4th largest offensive line in the country, generates well under 100 yards rushing (not including the QB — though it still falls short of the century mark), but gets 461 yards in the air. Pitt was not able to sack the QB once, despite better than 2-1 odds that Toledo would pass on any given play. (Apparently others are noticing Pitt’s problem with the spread.)

By far, to me, this quote from Harris was the most telling:

They had a great game plan and executed everything tremendously. They did a lot of things we hadn’t seen before and didn’t prepare for, so that is a tremendous credit to the way they executed.

Say what? That may be a credit to Toledo, but it’s also a hell of an indictment against the Pitt coaching staff. As Pat pointed out, Toledo made second half adjustments to help shut down the Panther offense, but Pitt made no changes and gave up 98 and 83-yard touchdown drives — each of which included a 4th and long that they got with the pass. In those drives, the Toledo QB, Gradkowski, went 20-22 on the drives. This has been a longtime criticism of Harris and his staff — no halftime or game adjustments. It’s maddening. The plan appeared to be build a lead and hang of for dear life.

Well, congratulations Toledo. You got screwed in both polls. The AP poll has you just outside the top 25, and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll really screwed you – by keeping you in the middle of the “others” including being behind Marshall — the team you beat last week. Enjoy the win now, and start looking for a new head coach. I’m guessing Tom Amstutz will be getting a few job offers after this season.

I’ve been pissed about this since Saturday night. I’m only now getting to vent a little.

Two years ago, Pitt Head Coach Walt Harris nearly torpedoed the entire 2001 season and his job by instituting the spread offense over the summer before the season. Pitt went 1-5 to start the season before Harris stopped being stubborn and arrogant, and junked the spread. It had been obvious to everyone but Harris that the team hadn’t grasped the spread offense — every game with featured numerous delay of games and lost time outs because they couldn’t get the play in and everyone set up, and completely predictable playcalling. The excuses were that the team didn’t have the right players and that they didn’t have enough time to really teach the players.

Last year, West Virginia under second year coach, Rich Rodriguez, beat Pitt with the spread offense. They were able to continually move the ball on Pitt, and while the final score only said 24-17, Pitt was completely outplayed.

Now, Toledo, who also runs a spread offense and has the 4th largest offensive line in the country, generates well under 100 yards rushing (not including the QB — though it still falls short of the century mark), but gets 461 yards in the air. Pitt was not able to sack the QB once, despite better than 2-1 odds that Toledo would pass on any given play. (Apparently others are noticing Pitt’s problem with the spread.)

By far, to me, this quote from Harris was the most telling:

They had a great game plan and executed everything tremendously. They did a lot of things we hadn’t seen before and didn’t prepare for, so that is a tremendous credit to the way they executed.

Say what? That may be a credit to Toledo, but it’s also a hell of an indictment against the Pitt coaching staff. As Pat pointed out, Toledo made second half adjustments to help shut down the Panther offense, but Pitt made no changes and gave up 98 and 83-yard touchdown drives — each of which included a 4th and long that they got with the pass. In those drives, the Toledo QB, Gradkowski, went 20-22 on the drives. This has been a longtime criticism of Harris and his staff — no halftime or game adjustments. It’s maddening. The plan appeared to be build a lead and hang of for dear life.

Well, congratulations Toledo. You got screwed in both polls. The AP poll has you just outside the top 25, and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll really screwed you – by keeping you in the middle of the “others” including being behind Marshall — the team you beat last week. Enjoy the win now, and start looking for a new head coach. I’m guessing Tom Amstutz will be getting a few job offers after this season.

The good news from Saturday was, the wedding went great, I had perhaps the most fun day of my life, my picks against the spread went 3-1, and my overall record for the season improved to 8-7. The bad news is, well, you probably already know…

TOLEDO 35, PITTSBURGH 31: Last week, I said that Paul Rhoades, Pitt’s Defensive Coordinator, had a “crapload of work” to do before we faced “the likes of Virginia Tech and Miami.” I was right in saying that he had a lot of work to do. However, my timeframe was a little off.

Pittsburgh native, Pitt reject, and Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski lit up the Panthers defense for 461 yards through the air with a spread offense that apparently Paul Rhoades never saw coming. On offense, we had literally no running game whatsoever. Although Rod Rutherford was able to pick apart Toledo’s defense to the tune of 315 yards, he also threw two key interceptions that put the Rockets back in the game.

I think that the better team on this particular night probably won, and I give the University of Toledo (as well as fellow MAC members Marshall, Northern Illinois, and Bowling Green) credit for showing that they belong in a BCS conference (perhaps the new Big East Football Conference should invite in Toledo and Marshall in addition to Louisville and Cincinnati?). But I can’t help but express my extreme disappointment in Paul Rhoades. Somebody didn’t take either the Toledo Rockets or the spread offense seriously enough.

MIAMI 33, BOSTON COLLEGE 14: I didn’t think that BC could stay with the Hurricanes for four quarters, and I was right. What more needs to be said about this debacle?

MARYLAND 34, WEST VIRGINIA 7: I said right up front that I was least sure of my pick for this game, and cripes, was I off… Before yesterday, Maryland just never looked all that impressive to me, while the Mountaineers often did. Well, the wheels have fallen off of the WVU bandwagon for me.

What a terrible day for the loyal members of the Big East. We got kicked around by both the ACC (ouch!) and the MAC (whimper). Maybe we don’t belong in the BCS after 2005.

OHIO STATE 24, BOWLING GREEN 17: Bowling Green, which is clearly in the top echelon of the MAC (with Toledo and Marshall) this year, did not disappoint me in this game. Meanwhile, Ohio State let its second opponent in a row come back from a 24-7 deficit (where’s the killer instinct?). But, BG receiver Craig Jarrett dropped a sure touchdown, Will Allen saved the day yet again with an interception, and Ohio State escaped its own stadium.

Ohio State’s defense slowed (although by no means stopped) the nation’s most prolific offense. And the Buckeyes running game was, for a change, respectable. Scott McMullen did an OK job at backup quarterback. Still, I can’t help but think that the defending national champions and their 18 game winning streak are, at this point, a lame horse, hobbling along, painful to watch, almost begging to be put out of its misery.

Tressel, overhaul this team now.

Incidentally, it was nice to see the previously invincible Michigan Wolverines go down in flames (it always is, and they always do). But it was awesome to see one of Kansas State’s regularly scheduled patsies finally rise up and punk the Wildcats.

Hail to Toledo, Marshall, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Oregon (bad uniforms and all), Will Allen, and a good, swift asskicking for Paul Rhoades. And Hail to Pitt Sports Blather contributors Chas (and his family), John (and his family), Patrick, and especially my best man Shawn for driving all the way to Altoona to spend yesterday with Jen and I. We both genuinely appreciated it. I’m sorry that I couldn’t spend more time with the gang.

There hasn’t been much to say leading up to the game on Saturday night. Under normal circumstances, we might have even discussed a roadie to Toledo. Of course this won’t be a normal time, since we will be attending Lee’s wedding. Lee made his prediction, and I can’t disagree. Toledo has the 4th largest offensive line in the country — in terms of pounds.

Even though, this is only Pitt’s third game of the season, the majority of teams are already looking at their 4th game. Pitt, it seems has been playing patsies forever this season. Toledo is no patsy, as they showed by beating Marshall.

Toledo has gotten juiced for this game. They are looking to be loud and take advantage of home field. A couple of the key Toledo players are Pittsburgh area natives, which has been the only angle even being played up in the Pittsburgh papers to this point.

Despite the worries, Pitt should win this game. Pitt has depth on the defensive line, which should lessen the impact of the Rockets’ big O-line, unlike Marshall which was just worn down by the end of the game.

The big fear is looking past this game to the Texas A&M game next weekend.

With a 5-6 record against the spread for the season thus far, I have no idea why I’m still picking games or why anybody out there would still care what my picks were. Perhaps it’s just an excuse to talk about the matchups that I’m most interested in this week. Perhaps I’m just trying to get away from my wedding preparations for a few hours.

Incidentally, for anybody rolling into Central Pennsylvania for my wedding this weekend, tickets are still available for that red-hot Penn State/Kent State game just 45 minutes down the road. Yeah, you heard me. The Nittany Lions STILL haven’t sold out Beaver Stadium. And that’s despite the fact that this will be the first completely untelevised Penn State football game in over six years.

Now that my requisite Penn State bashing is done, let’s get to my favorite games for this Saturday…

PITTSBURGH (-10) AT TOLEDO: Last week, I promised myself that I would never again pick Pitt to cover against a MAC team. Admittedly, that was before I saw how small this spread is. However, given (1) that Pitt will be the highest ranked team ever to play in the likely-to-be-sold-out-and-loud Glass Bowl, (2) that the Panthers almost certainly will (and probably should) be looking past this game to their showdown with Texas A&M next week, and (3) that Toledo looked somewhat tough (or at least a lot tougher than Kent State or Ball State) in beating Marshall in Huntington last Friday, I’ll stick with my oath. I’ll take Toledo and the points.

MIAMI OF FLORIDA (-12.5) AT BOSTON COLLEGE OF MASSACHUSETTS: If Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse, and Rutgers fans will ever be united about anything, they should all be united in support of Boston College this Saturday. This will be the first time that a loyal Big East Football Conference member squares off against either of the traitors who decided to jump to the ACC this past summer.

You know that I’ll be a temporary Eagles fan this weekend. And I definitely believe in the power of emotion and the power of a loud and vengeful home crowd (despite Tom O’Brien’s pleas). However, I just can’t make myself believe that Miami can’t paste at least two measly touchdowns on this somewhat depleted Boston College team. So I’ll take the Hurricanes to cover, and hope that BC proves me wrong.

WEST VIRGINIA (+9) AT MARYLAND: Ah, another Big East/ACC matchup. Of my four picks for this week, this is the one that I’m least sure of. I haven’t seen Maryland all that often this year, but when I have watched the Terps, they haven’t looked all that impressive. On the other hand, WVU looked great against an admittedly overrated Wisconsin team. I guess I’m just surprised that the Mountaineers are that big of an underdog here. I mean, is Byrd Stadium that tough of a place to play?

Given that Rich Rodriguez is always underrated and Ralph Friedgen is quickly becoming one of the most overrated head coaches ever (just because he’s unusually fat doesn’t mean that he’s unusually good, and heck, who couldn’t win the old ACC when FSU was down?), I’ll take the Mountaineers and the points here.

BOWLING GREEN (-14) AT OHIO STATE: I’m trying to stay away from picking too many Ohio State or Penn State games (this is a Pitt website), but this one looks particularly scary. Bowling Green is clearly one of the better MAC teams this year, defeating popular pre-season pick for the Big Ten crown Purdue 27-26 two weeks ago. Plus, the Eagles pasted over 60 points on both Eastern Kentucky and Liberty. Ohio State, on the other hand, has no offensive line whatsoever, subsequently cannot run the ball, and can only sporadically pass. Craig Krenzel has been practically all of this team’s offense since last year’s Michigan game, and Craig Krenzel will sit this game out with an injury.

Ohio State hasn’t lost to another Ohio school since the College of Wooster in 1913. Brace yourself. I’ll take Bowling Green and the measly 14 points, please.

Hail to National Talk Like A Pirate Day, tomorrow. And Hail to Married Life.

In the mailbag for SI.com writer Stuart Mandel, there was an interesting response to what seems like the ongoing question: What happened to Penn State?

Obviously, the easy target is Joe Paterno’s age, but I don’t think it’s that simple. Play-calling, philosophy, game-management — these things are insect bites. The real disease is recruiting.

Simply put, Penn State no longer recruits at a national-powerhouse level. Period. But it’s deceiving.

Every year, Penn State starts near the top of the recruiting rankings — TheInsiders.com currently lists them No. 1 — but by February, they’re nowhere to be found. Why? Because they give out the large majority of their scholarships to kids who are willing to commit before their senior year. In doing so, they’re missing out on the growing number of elite players who wait until January or February to announce their decision. Michigan, for example, had as many SuperPrep All-Americas in its most recent recruiting class as Penn State has on its entire roster.

“You don’t see Penn State hanging on in the latter stages of these recruiting races for difference makers,” said SuperPrep publisher Allen Wallace, who’s ranked four of PSU’s last five classes outside the nation’s top 10. “People like [Michigan safety and Pennsylvania native] Marlin Jackson.”

Clearly, the Nittany Lions need to revise their recruiting strategy. Unfortunately, it’s safe to say that nothing will change as long as Paterno is the coach. Not that it’s solely his fault, but when one man has control over literally every aspect of the program, it’s hard to imagine his staff effecting any real change.

This is a really good point. The usual explanations for recruiting that I’ve heard have been: the move to the Big 11 backfired for PSU — they thought this would allow them to recruit more from the midwest, but instead Michigan and TOSU have been raiding in Pennsylvania; Pitt’s resurgence has added competition for players (gee, that it wasn’t a problem in the 70s and 80s); other schools stress JoePa’s age when they come calling (funny that it doesn’t seem to hurt Bobby Bowden); and bad karma for ending the annual Pitt-Penn St. game.

Paterno doesn’t want to hold scholarships up until the end. He doesn’t want to compete for players on the fence. He’d rather know his roster for next season by November, than wait on a player.

Fastbreak recruiting is good when you are a program trying to build (or rebuild) or if you are a mid-major. After a point though, if you have succeeded in building the program, you have to be willing to hold off on some scholarships for the really big recruits who are basically trying to figure out where they can maximize and showcase themselves for the NFL. I look forward to the day when Pitt is at that point.

Pitt just landed a big verbal commitment for the 2004 recruiting class. A shooting guard that is already being labeled the heir apparent to senior Julius Page.

[Keith] Benjamin, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard renowned for his gravity-defying dunks, chose the Panthers after originally committing to Villanova. He also received offers from Providence, St. John’s and Seton Hall.

“He jumps to the moon,” said Mt. Vernon coach Bob Cimmino, whose school sits 10 minutes outside of the Bronx. “He’s a high-wire act. It’s a gift.”

Rated the No. 57 player in the country by HoopScoop and the No. 19 shooting guard by Athlon magazine, Benjamin averaged 18 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. His high school team is 51-3 the past two years, including 26-1 last season.

He backed out of ‘Nova because they have major depth at the guard position, while he stands a shot at starting at Pitt. Pitt has 2 other scholarships to offer for the 2004 class.

Here’s a few random thoughts while I watch Neil Rudel‘s weekly call in show on public access TV (listening to Penn State fans bemoan their fate has become something of an admittedly pathetic pastime of mine).

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This chat session from September 15, 2003, further explains why I hate ESPN college football analyst Trev Alberts so much. Last Thursday, during the halftime show of the Cal/Utah game, Alberts clearly guaranteed that North Carolina State would beat Ohio State this past Saturday. I know because I was watching (and blogged about it immediately here).

Mark May and Chris Fowler (who was runs with the second string boys on Thursday night) quickly teased Alberts about his guarantee. Fowler warned, “They’ll hear that in Columbus.” Alberts quietly responded, “Oh… I shouldn’t have said that.” However, Alberts DID NOT retract his guarantee.

I would respect Alberts for sticking with his guarantee after he let it slip. However, he hasn’t done that since Ohio State actually beat N.C. State.

Mike, OH-IO: Got any more guarantees this week? Betting against your predictions is usually easy money.

Trev Alberts: I think you are referring to the guarantee that NC State would beat OSU. I just watched the tape and guaranteed that Amato’s guys would be ready to play. I did not guarantee an NC State vicotry, I predicted a win. If it had not been for some boneheaded playcalling, I would have been right. If you are happy that you won against a 1-2 team in triple OT, good for you.

First off, either learn how to spell “victory” or use the spellchecker. Second, don’t try to change what you said. You had a chance to retract your guarantee Thursday night and chose not to do so. Third, don’t get so defensive about getting the Ohio State-N.C. State game wrong. No college football analyst gets it right every time. Heck, I went 1-3 this past week. You’re going to predict many games wrong. You don’t have to get bitter or insulting about it. Fourth, you should be used to predicting Ohio State games wrong by now (didn’t you guarantee that Miami would win too?). Fifth, N.C. State isn’t just your average 1-2 team. Many ESPN analysts — including yourself, I believe — predicted that they would win the ACC and that Phillip Rivers would be a legitimate Heisman contender. Ohio State was not playing a patsy.

Not surprisingly, I’m not the only college football fan who hates Pretty Boy Alberts.

Frank (Atlanta, GA): Who was more lucky last year? Ohio St to not lose a game or you to keep your job?

Alberts then gets into a pathetic little exchange that sounds like it belongs in junior high school.

Jim (DC): Trev, where do you live in Atlanta? Ever make it out to Makos or Hole in the Wall in Buckhead??

Trev Alberts: Yeah, I’m gonna tell you where I live so you can egg my house and beat me up! I live “somewhere” in Atlanta. Maybe you can find me.

Matt Bryant (Tallahassee): Are you saying that if Jim from DC found you, that he would be able to beat you up?

Trev Alberts: Well, let’s face it. Like I’ve always said, I will fight anybody. I’m not scared. But I would never say I could beat anyone up. I’m a farm kid from Iowa now. I always tell everyone, if you are going to fight somebody, make sure you can win. I don’t go lookin’ for fights, but I will defend my self if I have to. You don’t want to fight a farm kid! I’m a middle aged man! What do you want from me!

First, “myself” is one word. Second, just because you’re from Iowa doesn’t mean that you grew up on a farm. I DID grow up on a farm, and I was no tougher than my friends whose dads weren’t farmers (I just worked harder after school, that’s all). Third, you’re getting a little paranoid and defensive. Nobody threatened to beat you up, old man. Fourth, grow up.

I would seriously take the Nittany Lion/Notre Dame-worshiping little turncoat Pitt alumnus, Beano Cook, over Trev Alberts any day. And that’s saying a lot…

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Ivan Maisel’s piece on ESPN.com today turns up an interesting motivation for Michigan‘s remarkable success this season so far.

Upon more persistent questioning, however, some of the Wolverines said their motivation this season stems in part from the national championship won by their archrival, Ohio State, a year ago. “They are a great team and our biggest rival,” said tailback Chris Perry, who has emerged not only as a Heisman Trophy contender but as a leader in the Michigan locker room. “When they go out and win a national championship, you try to go out and one-up each other. That’s what rivals do. They’re one up on us.”

Now that’s a real rivalry. Perhaps what Penn State needs these days is a real rival to motivate it. Now if we only knew where they could find one to put on their schedule…

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Well, Rudel’s call in show is over. Nothing surprising. Nittany Lion Nation is indeed encouraged by Penn State’s gutsy performance in Lincoln, Nebraska last Saturday. Nevertheless, there were the usual spat of callers (probably an honest majority these days) who want Joe Paterno gone. Rudel thinks that if they have one more bad season after this one, empty seats at Beaver Stadium will force Penn State into asking Joe to resign.

One of Rudel’s guests asserted that Joe Paterno still has value, though, because Penn State has one of the top two recruiting classes in the country right now. I would love to dispute that fact, since I’m pretty sure that even Pitt (as well as Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Miami, and several other schools) has a better recruiting class brewing than the Lions do. However, I can find no 2004 early class rankings on the internet. Has anybody else seen anything?

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The student section at Heinz Field is so much more enthusiastic and fun than it was when I was at Pitt in the early 1990s that it almost embarrasses me. Of course, today’s kids have the luxury of a winning program. Nevertheless, they really should give the kids better seats, even if it comes at the expense of money-paying, old alumni season ticket holders like myself. You want your loudest fans where they can do the most damage. Think of the student sections in Cameron Indoor Stadium or in the crotch of the Horseshoe.

The kids’s booing Ball State both on and off the field was hilarious (if admittedly a little classless… I mean, wasn’t it bad enough that the poor bastards had to play a top ten team on the road?). However, I still don’t understand why security won’t let the kids throw a beach ball around a little. Maybe those balls are a lot more dangerous than I think.

Speaking of things that have improved since I was a student at Pitt, the Pitt Band is genuinely impressive these days. I love their field entrance. I just wish that the stadium would kill that Alan Parson’s Project music sooner when the team takes the field. I’d rather hear the Victory Song than that synthesizer crap.

Seriously (and don’t think that I won’t take a little crap for this from some of this site’s other contributors), Hail to the Pitt Band

In a word, crap.

My picks against the spread for last week came the width of T.A. McLendon’s ass from going 0-4. Fortunately, N.C. State’s Head Coach Chuck Amato couldn’t call a play right on EA Sports’s NCAA Football 2003 (even with the animated Lee Corso recommendations), Ohio State’s Will Allen made the hit of his career, and N.C. State came up a half yard short in losing to Ohio State 44-38 (3OT). It’s a shame, in that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of guys (snicker).

But despite their having beaten a rival who had openly circled September 13 on their calendar last winter, Ohio State revealed in this game (and in the last one) that it has some very serious problems. The Buckeyes simply cannot run the ball, and their senior-laden offensive line is getting repeatedly manhandled. They could get by on a sputtering offense last year, but that was with a far superior defense. I sincerely doubt that OSU can reclaim even the Big Ten crown without a fundamental overhaul.

So thanks to some luck in Columbus, I avoided the shut out and went 1-3 this past week — taking my new overall record to 5-6. What the hell went wrong? Well, I can come up with three main problems with my picks.

1. I am an idiot (PITTSBURGH 42, BALL STATE 21). In spite of my having followed Pitt football long enough to know better, I picked Pitt to cover the spread against a MAC team — based on Pitt’s impressive performance against Kent State two weeks ago. But under Head Coach Walt Harris, Pitt has generally played to the level of its season-opening MAC opponents for at least a quarter or two, if not all day. I should have remembered this.

But that first half — during which Ball State pretty much had their way both on the ground and in the air against our defense — was absolutely frightening. Add Walt Harris’s scattered episodes of predictable playcalling to Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoades’s woes, and I’m still shaking. The 9th ranked team in the country shouldn’t have trouble against Ball State, even if only for a half. I think that we’re lucky this game wasn’t televised.

Either way, both Paul Rhoades and Bob Ligashesky (our special teams coach) have a crapload of work to do before we face the likes of Virginia Tech and Miami.

2. Michigan is scary good (MICHIGAN 38, NOTRE DAME 0). This seemed like an easy pick at the time. Michigan never looks good three games in a row, and Notre Dame always plays Michigan close. But as much as I despise having to admit it, this year’s Michigan team is something special. Now watch the suckers get upset by Northwestern again.

3. Every now and then, Penn State actually tries (NEBRASKA 18, PENN STATE 10). After playing entirely flat against Boston College and Temple, one would expect that Penn State wouldn’t put much effort into this one (especially along the offensive line). But for some freak reason, the Lions actually tried. Perhaps the outcome of this game has as much to do with Nebraska sucking as Penn State’s improving. Nevertheless, I was somewhat impressed with the Lions.

Too bad they don’t play Michigan this year. I could root for lightening or a tornado or something…

Hail to Heinz Field Security Getting Off the Student Section’s Ass… I Mean, It’s Only a Freakin’ Beach Ball, Fer Chrissakes

Apologies for not getting this out any sooner. Saturday night was the bachelor party for one of us, and that is all I can say on the matter.

The game was alternatingly frustrating and predictable. Pitt came out in the first half and were sleepwalking on both sides of the ball. No spark. No energy. Ball St. was not rolling over for them. At the end of the half, the score was 14-14; and there were boos in the stadium for the performance.

The 3rd quarter was different. Pitt showed some spark and pride. The defense shut down Ball St. and Pitt put 21 unanswered points on the board. Ball State added a 4th quarter touchdown to keep more fans from breaking for the parking lot early — and insure that there would be no chance to cover the spread — on a mild, overcast day.

Ultimately, Pitt won the game with ease; and there are plenty of excuses for being so sluggish and even looking past Ball State to the game against Texas A&M in 2 weeks. Still, there is that upcoming game against the Toledo Rockets in the Glass Bowl. Toledo just came off a great win against Marshall in Huntington. Toledo may actually give them more of a battle than expected.

For WR Sophmore sensation, Larry Fitzgerald. It’s kind of superficial. It starts by pointing out that after the Kent St. game, Fitzgerald was the only athlete to come out an speak to the media in a suit — the rest of the college kids were wearing t-shirts and sweats. Still, it’s more notice for Pitt players.

My parents live in Yerevan, Armenia (why the hell not?). For taxation purposes, they cannot spend more than 30 days in any calendar year back in the United States. They just returned for the first time since Christmas to see my wedding (now eight days off). Thus, Dad, the man who taught me to love college football more than any other sport, got to sit down with me and see, for the very first time, the 2003 Fiesta Bowl — where my other alma mater won its first national championship in 34 years.

At the end of the game, Dad said, “That’s the greatest college football game ever that I’ve seen.” This means a lot, coming from a man who has followed the game closely since the mid-1950s, and who is certainly not a fan of Ohio State.

Despite what Maurice Clarett has done to tarnish this contest since then, it’s hard to argue otherwise. Four times, a team (twice Ohio State, twice Miami) stood at fourth-down-and-ballgame. Three out of the four times, the involved team survived. But beyond that, there’s nothing more thrilling than watching a significant underdog (13 points) struggling against a fabulously talented opponent, to the brink of catastrophe and back, over and over, through two overtimes, until they finally power their way, with their defense on the field, into a national championship for the ages.

And it certainly doesn’t hurt when all of your friends from Pitt are openly rooting for Miami out of loyalty to the Big East Conference. Too bad Miami didn’t return that loyalty.

In any case, only one sports-related event could mean more to me than my long-suffering Buckeyes winning a game like that. And that’s if my even-longer-suffering Panthers won it all. None of Pitt’s current players can remember how terrible Pitt was in the Paul Hackett days. Only those of us who were stubborn and (face it) stupid enough to adopt the Panthers then can, and that’s probably for the best. First, I thought that Pitt would never stay in Division I-A. Then, I thought that Pitt would never surpass (let alone beat) Penn State. Then, I thought that Pitt would never make the top ten. Then, I thought that Pitt would never sell out its stadium unless Notre Dame was in town. Now, I don’t know what to think some days (although my long-learned pessimism certainly isn’t dead).

That Pitt has rebuilt to the level it’s at now is miraculous, and I have to remind myself of that sometimes. If Pitt can even get a whiff of the national championship this season, I’ll be ecstatic. But if Pitt could actually rebuild all the way back to 1976 (and don’t even think of bringing up that “Back to the Future” crap)… well, could there be a bigger underdog? I mean, do you remember the Paul Hackett days!?

(By the way, just now, during the halftime show of the Cal/Utah game, Trev Alberts garanteed that North Carolina State would beat Ohio State this Saturday. That does it. I’m refinancing the house, running to Vegas, and putting it all on the Buckeyes.)

I don’t have any jpeg’s of hotties that ratings-starved Fox Sports trots out there in a pitful attempt get anybody to notice (didn’t O’Rielly make fun of CNN’s pushing Paula Zahn?), so I’ll just sign out.

Hail to Paul Hackett’s Sitting Somewhere Out There, Feeling Guilty For Ever Cashing a Paycheck in Oakland

She’s got a point.

“Let’s face it: Would you rather talk to me or some overweight dude with cheese-puff stains on his T-shirt?”

The following four games are the ones that I, personally, find most interesting this week. Let me put my 4-3 record against the spread on the line and discuss them a little more.

Ball State (+31) at Pittsburgh: This is obviously another name-your-price, sucker bet game that is almost impossible to pick against the spread. That being said, Pitt beat the living hell out of the spread last week against Kent State, and looked quite impressive while doing so. Plus, I doubt that Pitt will be looking past the Cardinals (yes, I had to look it up) to Toledo. I’ll suspect more of a let down next week than this week. So I’ll actually (gulp) take Pitt to cover.

Notre Dame (+10.5) at Michigan: First off, I sincerely commend the University of Michigan for refusing to play Notre Dame after this series until the Irish join the Big Ten Conference. It’s nice to finally see the Wolverines match the stand Woody Hayes took in the freakin’ 1960s (and that John Cooper broke in 1995-96). Personally, I think that Big East schools should refuse to play Notre Dame as well until the Irish join a conference (hopefully the Big East… think of all your subway supporters in the Northeast!).

Michigan has looked dominant this year, so far. And therein lies the problem. Neither Michigan nor Ohio State ever look dominant three games in a row. Add in the Wolverines historical slump against the Irish, and the fact that Michigan is about the biggest rival that Notre Dame has these days, and… well… this one seems easy. On history alone (as well as Ty Willingham’s strategizing), I’ll take the Irish and the points.

North Carolina State (no line) at Ohio State: No line? No freakin’ line whatsoever on the Buckeyes at home on national television against the team that got manhandled (not just upset) by an admittedly decent Wake Forest team last week?

I know that Ohio State looked pathetic against San Diego State, but I think we can assume that the Buckeyes might have been looking past the Aztecs to the only team that I’ve ever seen talk more trash than Michigan. And sure Maurice Clarett has been a distraction. Good. Ohio State has traditionally needed a reason to focus on big out-of-conference games like this.

N.C. State’s aerial attack against Ohio State’s secondary will decide this game, and I don’t think that the Wolfpack can keep it up all day. So I’ll take N.C. State to lead at halftime, and Ohio State to pull away in the end.

Penn State (+10) at Nebraska: Heck, these days a man could make his living picking Penn State not to cover spreads. Add in the facts that (1) Penn State’s defense couldn’t stop Boston College’s running game but now must face the Cornhuskers’s option, and (2) Zack Mills couldn’t pass against BC’s defense but now must face the resurgent Blackshirts? Forget about it. The world needs more easy picks like this.

(Incidentally, the fact that these two equally downtrodden programs are actually finding the time to talk trash about each other, to the level that even ESPN noticed, is the funniest thing I’ve seen this week.)

Hail to More Night Games at Heinz Field