It’s starting. I don’t know if you caught the Charlie Weis-ND-ESPN media blitz yesterday. I caught part of his appearance on PTI. There is a transcript of some of his appearance on ESPN Radio.

Q: How much of an emphasis are you putting in the Pitt game?

A: “Two things. First of all, not to get into coaching analogies, but I think that because we are a game-plan team, you have to look at your season as 11 one-week entities. And because Pitt is the first one, it obviously is the most critical game on our schedule because it’s the next one. But, with that having been said, the one thing you have to d0 — winning that game would obviously do great to build the confidence of your team. At the same time, you have to make sure that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket so that if something negative came away, you can’t say, ‘OK, it’s time to throw in the towel.’ Obviously I have a lot of respect for (Pitt coach Dave) Wannstedt and his whole coaching staff, but I think the most critical thing for Notre Dame is to start playing football, playing smart intelligent football and playing it for 60 minutes.”

Obviously, no one is expecting him to start running smack. He’s going to avoid any bulletin board stuff. Weis may not be trying to put too much emphasis on that first game. Coach Wannstedt has mostly been the same way.

The thing is, I think the fans for both are. Starts of new eras. High expectations. Everyone has drunk the kool-aid (yes, I know I’ve been abusing that line for a while now with respect to both new coaches, but I haven’t found a suitable replacement that captures the feeling as effectively). That first game is the test to see if such faith and trust is warranted. Fair or not, that is the early sense I am getting.

The looking to the games has begun. College Football News.com has its early picks for key games up.

Saturday, September 3rd – Notre Dame at Pitt
It’s the battle of the new head coaches. While all eyes will be on Charlie Weis and Notre Dame, Dave Wannstedt will have almost as much pressure trying to keep Pitt at a high level. The Panthers won a classic between the two last year beating the Irish 41-38, but everyone seems to remember quarterback Tyler Palko’s f-bomb in the post-game interview more than the stirring finish. Palko will leave all of the talking on the field as he’ll riddle the Irish secondary for 300+ yards. However, Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn will also throw for a ton of yards.
Predicted score in late July: Pitt 31 … Notre Dame 24
Oasis Line: Pitt -3

Last year, Pitt was very, very good at not turning over the ball. That will have to continue.

Meanwhile at SI.com, there is interest in intersectional games:

It isn’t that I loathe great rivalries. It’s simply that those teams play one another every season. No, what I live for is seeing the teams who rarely meet, or have never met, play one another. I love to see unusual pairings.
…
Contests between schools who do not compete in the same conference are known as “intersectional games,” except in the Southeastern Conference, where they are known as “wins.” See, SEC teams rarely schedule worthy non-conference foes and even less often do they leave home to play them. Les Miles isn’t just an SEC coach; it’s an SEC credo. This year the 12 SEC schools will play a total of six intersectional games on the road. …

… The point is, intersectional matchups rock. Athletic directors owe it to fans to schedule at least one non-conference opponent who is better than a 10-point underdog each season. A cursory glance at the list above illustrates Miami and Michigan deserve extra-special props for giving the people what they want. Notre Dame, being an independent, plays nothing but non-conference games, so I did not include them, but the Irish always play at least three top-10 teams each season — or so it seems. This year they’re Michigan, Southern Cal and Tennessee.

Here’s my list of this year’s top 10 intersectional games (not including the previously mentioned Notre Dame games), in chronological order:
…
September 17: Pittsburgh at Nebraska. Let the commentators talk about ex-NFL coaches Dave Wannstedt and Bill Callahan. I’m more interested in seeing how Panther QB Tyler Palko operates amidst the Red Sea.

This is what scheduling good (or name) teams in the non-con does. It generates early attention for the program. Think Wanny and the coaches aren’t out on the road selling that, along with an easier route to the BCS bowls?