Well, Mike Tranghese will stay as Big East Commissioner until at least 2010. This is something of a no-brainer on so many levels. While I fault the Big East for not being forward thinking, myopic and not seeing the problems that were looming with basketball only schools interests conflicting with football schools — Tranghese not only found a fix for the short-term, but he preserved the BCS bid for the BCS and secured extremely favorable methodology to keep the BCS bid for the BCS.

Probably the biggest news, and that could have the furthest reaching effects in the next few years: CBS is acquiring CollegeSports TV.

The new cable programming entity will be operated by its founder and CEO, Brian Bedol, who will report to Moonves. The acquisition includes:

· A digital cable network featuring 30 men’s and women’s college sports events and nearly 15 million subscribers by year end and growing; license deals now include numerous sports agreements with colleges, universities and conferences across the nation;

· Online properties consisting of a network of more than 250 official college athletic websites — each maintained and managed for its institution by CSTV — featuring full video and audio, news, scores, community elements and e-commerce for retail college sports-related products;

· A fast-growing website, www.CSTV.com, that supports the cable networks and other online properties. In its most recent analysis, Comscore Media Metrix ranked the CSTV.com network as one of the top ten destinations with the greatest prior monthly increase in unique visitors during the month of September 2005, with a 43 percent increase from August, and more than 7.5 million unique visitors;

· Regional College Sports Networks to be launched in 2006, featuring the sporting events of the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA, including Utah, Brigham Young University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Memphis, Southern Mississippi, Marshall and others.
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Moonves further noted that the new collegiate sports business would work closely with the Company’s existing operations at CBS Sports and CBS Digital Media, assuring that the new cable sports operations are fully integrated into CBS’s activities in those arenas. With this acquisition, CBS Corporation will have a larger sports Web audience than any other online medium — 19 million unique users.

The two have already had some alliances. Last year CSTV partnered with CBS to air feeds of all the NCAA Tournament games over the net.

This could be very big for the Big East with their TV contracts now only a couple years from expiring. CSTV now has the backing to make a bigger offer, and partnered with CBS could mean more national games.

Interesting that ESPN, despite it’s 800 pound gorilla status, is suddenly seeing a lot more competition than it is used to for the college sports. You have the Fox College Sports Channels. CSTV launching its own regional networks, now getting bankrolled by CBS/Viacom and of course lurking out there is OLN/Comcast probing for more openings.

Lots happening behind the scenes.

You know what the big difference for Pitt was? 3rd down conversions. Pitt couldn’t make them, and Louisville did. Louisville was 8 -15 while Pitt was 2-10. That’s why Louisville had those long clock-eating, demoralizing drives in the second half. Pitt was, once again, unable to make the stop to get off the field.

Yes, Pitt was shut out in the second half for the first time all year. There should be some questions about the line play — especially in the second half — and the receivers not exactly working hard at getting separation. And if anyone has spotted Eric Gill making a play this year, let me know (why he continues to start at TE is a mystery).

But the absurd time of possession was not all on the offense. Louisville did not punt in the game. In the second half, they had the ball only 4 times and scored all 4 times. They held the ball, though, for 21:03 in the second half. On 2 drives they consumed over a full quarter. They absolutely ate the clock.

So, yes, the Pitt defense was tired in the second half. The primary reason, though, was that they did it to themselves.

Louisville did it mostly on the ground in the second half, but had solid passing. 220 yards in the air and 247 on the ground. As usual, there was very little pressure up front on the QB to compliment the lack of run defense.

Maybe it’s just the hangover, but I’m finding very little to be positive regarding this game. Pitt is winless on the road, winless on national TV and now 4 – 5.

Zeise had it about right:

Pitt tried a new version of an old bad habit last night against Louisville at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, and the result was another easy score for its opponent.

In recent weeks the Panthers have had a lot of trouble in their punting game.

Pitt allowed a punt to be returned by a touchdown against Rutgers in the fifth game of the season. In the seventh game against South Florida, the Panthers had a punt blocked and they repeated the feat the next week when Syracuse’s Anthony Smith blocked a punt.

Last night, the Panthers completed the trifecta of “bad outcomes on punt plays” when long snapper Mark Estermyer snapped the ball high over the head of punter Adam Graessle and it sailed through the end zone for a safety for the Cardinals.

When you read in various accounts that Pitt had only 62 yards rushing, keep in mind that -20 came from that safety.

Graessle did not have a good night punting. I know there was some wind swirling, but he had some that just did not have anything. Louisville in contrast, did not punt once.

Josh Cummings was kicking fine, but didn’t get many opportunities as Pitt couldn’t get close in the second half.

Louisville’s kicker, Camody, had a career game with 4 FGs, including that 47 yarder that barely cleared the upright to give them the halftime lead. I realize they blew it open steadily in the second half with long drives, but their kicking game really gave them a lift in the first half with that kick and the 46 yarder. It allowed them to get some points on the board when the offense stalled out. He was supposed to be reliable but not much beyond 40. Coming into the game he had only been 6 for 8 on field goals.

That 47 yarder just before the half was killer to me. It sort of reminded me of the UConn game last year (not for the “slide right” moment) when Pitt had managed to keep it together and at least have a tie. In both cases there was less than a minute on the clock, but the defense played soft and let the offense move the ball and get a field goal at the half to retake the lead. It seemed to establish the tone for the offense in the second half — go right at the Pitt defense.

Of course, Pitt pulled a shocker with that onside kick early in the second quarter. It was a good time for it, but Pitt needed TDs not FGs.

I don’t even know what to say about that opening 25 seconds.

The game started in wild fashion. Pitt’s Terrell Allen had the opening kickoff sail through his hands, and Louisville’s Deon Palmer recovered the football in the end zone.

“In a game like this, everything gets magnified and you can’t afford to make any mistakes,” Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said.

Allen quickly made amends, returning the ensuing kick 97 yards for a score.

Of course, Allen then did a dive into the endzone to get an unsportsmanlike penalty and helping field position for Louisville on the next possession by forcing Pitt to kickoff from 15 yards further back — Louisville ended up starting at their own 35.

The middle, left, and right.

I think it is, generally, very satisfying when “offensive geniuses” get their comeuppance for arrogant play calling. Unfortunately, Pitt gave Petrino and Louisville time to shake themselves from such in the first half. In the second half, they eschewed the “creativity” in favor of winning. Louisville went to just running the ball straight and continually at Pitt.

The Cardinals could have run for 350 yards against Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt’s arm-tackling defense but waited until the fourth quarter to grind the Panthers into submission.

The Cards moved the football — they just weren’t able to move it into the end zone the way they had all season at home. Averaging better than 7 yards per rush while rolling to 115 yards, Bush ran like the best player on the field until a sprained foot stopped him in the third quarter.

It was absolultely demoralizing to the defense, and you could practically feel and see the desperation on the offense to do something. No luck.

Although the Panthers were clearly overmatched, they still had opportunities to win the game and could have made it interesting had they not made some crucial mistakes in the third quarter. They trailed by two points at the half and by two scores going into the fourth quarter.

But poor execution, dropped passes by Greg Lee and procedure penalties by right tackle Mike McGlynn crushed any hopes. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said the mistakes were frustrating, but he stood up for Lee.

“You have to take advantage of every opportunity given to you against a good football team like Louisville, and we didn’t do that,” Wannstedt said. “We had the ball twice inside the 35 in the second half and came away with no points. Our offense scored 13 points and you are not going to beat a team like that when that’s the case.

“Greg is the best receiver we got, he will make those plays for us, he has to make those plays and he will get back at it next week. He had a bad night, it happens.”
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Palko also came to Lee’s defense but said the mistakes on the offense are not a coincidence.

“It is not one thing, it is a combination of things,” Palko said. “It is not good enough to come out and just be OK, it is not good enough. You have to have that kind of mentality and passion that Coach Wannstedt wants us to play with. I was always taught when you have high expectations, you better have the work ethic to match and our expectations are not going to be lowered, so you fill in the blanks.

“If we want to be a championship team and have those expectations, we need to work harder.”

Unfortuately, Lee has become consistent at dropping passes each game. It is something you see coming every game. All you can do is hope it isn’t during a critical point. Maddening as it was, there were plenty of problems on offense.

Still, the problem in this game was that the run defense was non-existent. That allowed Louisville to chew up more than 16 minutes on 28 plays in just 2 drives in the second half.

More in little.