Has it really been 84 years since Pitt visited Cinci to play football? I guess that’s why it’s a rivalry game.

There is some credit being given to the Cinci defense (the offense is not getting any).

Paul Zeise: No this is going to be a tough game for Pitt. It really will. I think the thing people need to realize is last year was a complete rebuilding season for the Bearcats but two years ago they were in a bowl game. They have somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 starters back and they are always going to be a good defensive team with Dantonio — who was the defensive coordiantor at Ohio State the year they won it all. The thing that I don’t like is that they use two quarterbacks, I think that is a losing formula all the time. Pitt should win but they better be ready to play.

…

Paul Zeise: Well, let’s see. They can’t turn the ball over. Do you remember the Ohio game? Pitt destroyed that team but lost because they turned it over. That’s the number one thing. The second thing is — Pitt isn’t good enough to show up and beat anyone, they better not think that because if they aren’t focused and play with intensity they’ll get beat. Also, they need to stop the run game. The passing game is not going to be an issue for Pitt given their athleticism but you have to admit, Virginia wasn’t much of a test in this area and really didn’t even try to run the ball. The Bearcats at least have a chance of trying to establish a run game, which will be a good test for Pitt’s rebuilt defensive line.

Against 1-AA Eastern Kentucky, Cinci picked off 3 passes. So, no, Cinci can’t be taken lightly. Pitt is in no position to take any team lightly. Especially in a road game. Coach Wannstedt can claim not to have been aware of Pitt’s struggles on the road last year, but it is a concern. Not to mention that this is a conference game.

“We’ve already put the Virginia win behind us and have been practicing and focusing a couple of days on Cincinnati,” Wannstedt said. “We know the importance of the first conference game, and how tough they are to win this early in the season, and we’re even traveling on a short week with the game on Friday night, so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

Still, it’s hard to pick against Pitt in this game.

What will happen: A better protected Palko finally has depth at receiver and looks poised for a rebound season. He’ll be the difference in a game that’s dominated by turnovers and the defenses.

CFN Prediction: Pitt 27 … Cincinnati 17 … Line: Pitt -8

A receiving corp with question marks going into the season, after only one game is now declared to have depth. That’s great.

Today’s word is “tough.”

But no matter how much people talk about Palko, the one word that will always comes up is “tough.”

“He’s a tough kid,” said UC safety Haruki Nakamura. “Pitt’s had a tradition of good quarterbacks, he fills the role very good. He has the ability to scramble and throw on the run. His toughness gives that positive vibe as a leader. When you have tough leaders like him, players are going to follow and try to follow in his shoes.”

Nakamura said last season Adam Roberts and Trevor Anderson got in their shots at Palko during the Panthers’ 38-20 victory at Heinz Field.

“Every time he gets hit, he gets right back up,” Nakamura said.k 30 sacks las
Palko didn’t have his best game against the Bearcats, going just 14 of 32 for 175 yards and a touchdown, but it was good enough to get the job done.

“Tyler Palko is a very exciting player,” said UC coach Mark Dantonio. “He plays with great enthusiasm and great toughness. He’s a left-handed quarterback. He reminds me of (former Ohio State quarterback) Steve Bellisari in his toughness and effort.”

There’s the magic word yet again.

Palko, though, doesn’t see too much special about his so-called toughness.

“That’s just how it is when you’re from Pittsburgh – not everyone from Pittsburgh’s tough, but it is part of the city’s identity,” Palko said. “My family was old school where both mom and dad worked. My dad had to work two jobs. That’s just how it went. I was raised to appreciate what I have. Being tough and respectful is just how I was raised.”

Palko took 30 sacks last season. Didn’t miss a game, only a handful of snaps not taken. Tough is a good descriptor.
New Jersey high school football feels like puffing its chest out a bit by pointing to players now at the college level including Oderick Turner.

Bergen County high school football has developed into a hotbed for college recruiters.

You need only to look at what happened during the first week of the college season to understand the impact Bergen players are having.

…

Former Teaneck teammates Oderick Turner and Lance Ball also enjoyed success. Turner, in his first game at Pittsburgh after being redshirted as a freshman, caught two passes for 92 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown, in Pittsburgh’s rout of Virginia.

“Oderick should have had two TDs because I missed him on one,” said Panthers quarterback Tyler Palko.

Reflected glory.

I’m not sure when Pitt dropped the price on All-Access. They originally priced it at $69.95 for the year or $9.95/month. That seemed quite high. Apparently the initial sign-ons weren’t quite what was expected as the price has now dropped. They are now offering it for $59.95/year or $7.95/month. I can’t say I’m surprised, though the price should be lowered a bit more. They had a table at FanFest and I saw no body even approach it for information.

The Pitt website is run through CSTV.com, and the All-Access is part of their service. CSTV just launched a publicity campaign about the service being offered.

Football and other sporting events from dozens of colleges and universities will be available live over the Internet through a service launching Friday.

Notre Dame games will be free, while other schools will charge $4.95 to $9.95 a month each for an “All-Access” broadband channel that includes live audio and video feeds of some games, news conferences, highlights, play-by-play animation and other features.

CBS’s CSTV Networks, which is running the service, will also sell access to CSTV XXL, the entire package of more than 100 schools for $14.95 a month or $99.95 a year.

The schools do have the ability to set the price however they want. For Notre Dame that is easy to give away free audio. With every home game nationally televised on NBC, and ABC/ESPN happy to fall to their knees to air the game, and essentially a national radio broadcast meaning if you can’t catch the game on a radio or TV, you’re not trying.

If you’re wondering about the chance of seeing games in streaming video. Well…

Because of existing television contracts, however, live video of football and basketball games will initially be limited.

Notre Dame, for instance, promises audio only for every football and basketball game, but video will generally be limited to less-prominent sports, such as hockey, baseball and volleyball, Bedol said. Video highlights of football and basketball will be available.

Bedol said every school will have some live video, but only half will show some football games and up to two-thirds will carry basketball games. Audio is expected for most of the schools, primarily for football and basketball.

He also said more schools should be able to carry video as they re-negotiate deals with television rights holders. In some cases, he said, video could be restricted to viewers outside a broadcaster’s coverage area, and a school might share online revenues with the rights holder.

[Emphasis added.]

I’m hoping this might make it a little clearer some of my annoyance at the BE TV Contract where all broadband rights remained with ESPN. Unlike the Big 11 and the SEC, who will have control of those rights. They won’t have to provide a cut to ESPN to show their own games on their websites or be flat out refused — like teams in the Big East until 2013. They will have the control and can make the decisions. That’s part of the key to the ownership of their own station. Ownership. Of. Their. Own. Content.

For a conference like the Big 11, their big games will still get the wide network and cable distribution. The other games, the games of key interest to their fans and alumni will be there for them. This is about being able to strengthen the ties and connection to those fans and alumni. Creating more loyalty. It also means being able to offer more value.

I don’t see a point in getting the All-Access. Watching coaches press conferences is not something I place a high economic value upon. The main value is access to the live games. Frankly, I’m not willing to pay that much for streaming audio. That’s really all they are offering. Extended highlights. Great. But it’s just streaming content. Not downloadable, not a keeper.

Note: I think some readers may be getting confused on the author of posts. I am Keith, and Chas graciously lets me write here. Check the author under each headline to see who is writing the post. Or, you can look for typos and the more you see the more likely it is that I wrote the post.

The Miami Dolphins kick off their season tonight. I have no clue who they are playing, but I know that we can’t expect any NBCOBB (non-Big-Chin-or-Big-Ben) sports news from the local papers for awhile.

It’s Big East week over at CHN and they have in-depth previews on each team. They are a great refresher course on where each team stands as far as who they gained and who they lost – I’ll be refering to this preview as the season draws closer, I’m sure. It’s worth a bookmark.

The rankings they offer aren’t too bad. They have Pitt picked as the top-team in the conference – no complaints here.

Once 7’0″ senior center Aaron Gray decided to spurn the NBA and return to college, Pittsburgh became the favorite to win the Big East. The Panthers are the deepest team in the league as Coach Jamie Dixon’s “second five” would be extremely competitive playing against some other conference teams’ starters.

With all the depth, I fully expect Dixon to use the same crazy, sometimes criticized, rotations we saw last year. I have no problem with that. It will be fun to watch – and write about.

Finally, Dixon is an excellent coach. His players work hard on both ends of the court and run a team-oriented offense. He has done a terrific job of managing egos and has avoided losing talented players to the malady of transferitis.

Come early March, Pitt should find itself sitting at the top of the Big East standings. If the Panthers catch a break here or there, they could find themselves playing in The Final Four later in the month.

Read that again if you like. It sounds good.

Dixon has done a great job managing egos. However, I think that is as much a testament to him as it is to the players – and the quality of characters — he recruits (I think you may know what I am hinting at here).

A good case could be made for Georgetown, who CHN puts at No. 2, as the No. 1 team.

Any discussion of the Hoyas’ prospects for this season has to begin with two of the premier players in the league, 7’2″ center Roy Hibbert and 6’8″ forward Jeff Green. Both will likely be lottery picks next season if they declare for the NBA draft. Hibbert became a force last year after being a limited-role player as a freshman. He averaged 11.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg in only 24.0 mpg and shot 59% from the field. Even modest progress from last season, and Hibbert could be nearly unstoppable.

…

The only area of concern that keeps the Hoyas from being my preseason favorite to win the conference title is the lack of a proven three-point threat on the wings.

Hmm, where have we heard that before? If any group of fans know what a lack of a 3-point threat can do to a team, its Pitt fans. I think a matchup between Pitt and G-Town could come down to something as simple as foul trouble. Kendall on Green and Gray on Hibbert. Pitt’s depth will help them here because it gives the Panthers more bodies – and fouls — to throw at Georgetown’s top guys.

Pitt’s biggest obstacle this season will be expectations and the pressures that come with. Remember the start of last season? Few expected Pitt to do much. That changed fast, but it’s an easier situation to be in. This year, a loss to anyone but Georgetown will — and should — be considered a disappointment. That’s a difficult situation to be in, especially if you’re Dixon.

As for the other teams:

Syracuse (CHN No. 3) and Marquette (No. 5) can beat anyone on a given night. For the record though, I’d put Marquette at No. 3. Louisville (No. 4) is a huge question mark in my eyes. UConn (No. 7) will get better as the season goes on. They are very young. I look at them as last years Syracuse – a suspect regular season and a dark horse in the tournaments. However, as the preview says, they lack any senior leadership, which ‘Cuse had in G-Mac. St. John’s (No. 8 ) has given Pitt fits lately and will be better this year. Finally, WVU (No. 15).