No one’s sure. The Spartans struggled to eke out a 27-17 win against the Idaho Vandals (who were blasted the following week by Washington State 56-10), and then the win against Eastern Michigan caused just as much head scratching.

It was like three games in one — a blowout early for Michigan State, a stunning rally by Eastern Michigan and then a blowout late for Michigan State.

The Spartans took a 24-3 lead before the Eagles scored 17 points right before and after halftime. But it was all Michigan State after that as it reeled off 28 straight points to finish a 52-20 rout.

What a shock. Michigan State uneven, unpredictable and potentially explosive. All in one game. Game. Season. History. All kind of the same.

By Sunday morning, Michigan State should have returned to reality. Strip away the excitement of Trannon’s outing and the display of firepower after halftime and you still have a group that hasn’t shown evidence of being the much-improved team it claimed to be in the preseason.

What does it say about the Spartans when they need an expletive-filled halftime speech to fire them up against a team that historically has been one of the worst in the Mid-American Conference? Yes, the Spartans responded, but it has to be unsettling to MSU fans to know that coaches and team captains had to light a fire under certain players to get them going in only the second game of the season.

Apparently, they aren’t that unsettled.

It’s only 2 weeks into the college football season and bizarre statements are flying faster than ever. In this random statements of the uninformed, I saw this nugget.

Tyler Palko may be the best QB that nobody is paying attention to. His stats have not been great and he has been helped a lot by a stellar receiving corps, but he’s got Pitt on the verge of the Top 25 and could make the Big East very interesting.

Now, I’ll agree about the first part and the stuff after the “but.” The part in the middle has me scratching my head. Here’s why:

The poster boy for the flop that was the 2005 Tennessee season, Ainge currently leads the nation in passing efficiency with a 226.6 rating; over 12 points higher than the number two man, Pitt’s Tyler Palko…

Yes, it’s true. Palko has the #2 QB rating. I admit, the QB rating stuff confuses the hell out of me since I don’t study the formula closely. Still the stats look good. 65% completion, 6-1 TD-INT and 550 yards (it would appear that yards/completion is a big factor). Seem pretty good numbers to me.

And how the hell did the receiving corps go from question mark (at best), to stellar?  They have been great, not knocking them. It’s just a little early to remove the question marks and proclaim their greatness.

3-0

That’s the record this weekend for present and former Pitt QBs in college.

Not only did Pitt win, but a couple disgruntled transfers won games as well.

Luke Getsy and Akron had the big upset of NC State in Raleigh (when I was watching the clip of Amato at the post-game press conference, the wife asked if he was crying).

Joe Flacco now with D-1AA Delaware had it easy as the Blue Hens pounded on D-II Westchester 30-7.

I guess it depends on when you turned in your column, or if you are a “half-full” or “half-empty” kind of guy.

Pitt did win. They didn’t lose. Pitt made their own luck and took advantage of mistakes. Something they never did on the road last year.

Give Pitt credit for surviving and advancing. They did so largely on the backs of a stout defense and a stellar receiving corps that continues to be the story of the young season.

They also did it without tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling (ankle) and with right guard John Simonitis on the bench because of an ankle injury sustained on Pitt’s first play. Pitt’s new game-breaker is junior receiver Derek Kinder, who torched the Cincinnati secondary for touchdowns of 80 and 55 yards in a 16-point third quarter (believed to be a River City Rivalry record).

The game’s pivotal play, however, occurred with a little less than 3 minutes left in a hideous first half, when Bearcats quarterback Dustin Grutza dropped back at his 21-yard line. Heavy pressure from Gus Mustakas forced an errant pass that wound up in the eager arms of cornerback Kennard Cox at the 18.

Two plays later, Tyler Palko absorbed a huge hit as he delivered a 15-yard strike to Oderick Turner – another one of those eye-catching receivers — in the corner of the end zone.

Pitt carried that momentum to the first play of the second half, when Palko and Kinder connected on an 80-yard scoring play – tied for the longest of Palko’s career. Kinder completed half of it on his own, splitting two defenders at the Bearcats 40 and running away from safety Haruki Nakamura on a cross-field sprint to the end zone.

In other words, he made the kind of play Greg Lee failed to make in that crushing loss to Nebraska last season.

A little perspective. Kind of how I was feeling after a little sleep this morning.

Then there’s the column written just after the game. The frustration is a little higher. As were expectations.

OK, so maybe it is some kind of sign of improvement for Pitt that we’re nitpicking after it wins. It wasn’t so long ago that it would have lost this game. Can you say Ohio U. last season? How about Rutgers?

Be thankful for small favors.

At least Pitt won.

On the road no less.

But that doesn’t change the fact this Pitt win almost felt a little like a loss. Tell the truth. You almost were ready to give your heart to the Panthers after their convincing 38-13 thumping of Virginia in the opener last Saturday night, an impressive start to Year 2 of the Dave Wannstedt era that was better than anyone expected. Now you’re not so sure after this largely lame performance against one of the Big East Conference bottom feeders. You want to see a little more before you commit. The offense that was so impressive against Virginia did next to nothing, a couple of terrific individual efforts by wide receiver Derek Kinder aside. There were special teams breakdowns galore, including two big ones by punt returner/cornerback Darrelle Revis, the team’s best player. Thank goodness for the defense. It didn’t just shut down the Cincinnati offense until weakening in the fourth quarter. It made the play — a second-quarter interception by cornerback Kennard Cox deep in Cincinnati territory — that swung the game Pitt’s way.

Kind of mirrors my immediate reaction after the game, so it’s not like I can criticize.
Over in Cinci, where the loss was expected, the focus is on the lack of fans. They did crack 20,000 for the game, but the are averaged around 22,000 last year. So far they are behind even that average.

Even with the coach’s pleading, UC attracted just 20,611 souls Friday. Blame it on high school football or a Reds home game. Blame it on Rio. Regardless, counting heads remains as much an interest at UC football games as counting touchdowns. Until the Bearcats win games such as this, and win them often, life won’t change.

Dantonio this week could have been Rick Minter five years ago, who could have been Tim Murphy a decade back. At least now, the Bearcats are on national TV. Speaking of the uneasy marriage between television and football programs such as UC’s:

You can’t have it both ways. If you want the TV exposure, you take the time slot they give you. A Big East official at the game Friday night said UC could have rejected the Friday night slot. Or, at the very least expressed its reluctance. UC did not. The Bearcats wanted the ESPN2 national attention. Which is fine, but if you make your bed with television, be prepared to lay in it.

Did anyone else get a big laugh when the announcing crew kept talking about how Cinci is a Bengals town and has always been a Bengals town?

33-15 Pitt wins.

Well, Revis needed that interception at the end run back for a TD. If for no other reason, his confidence had to be somewhat shaken after a bad game handling punts, missing tackles on coverage and just having to play soft the entire game with the defense.

This game had more of a feel of the wins Pitt had last year. Just shaking your head and muttering that, “hey, it’s a win.”

The entire team seemed to start sitting back at some point in the 3rd quarter after going up 23-0. They came out in the second half fired up, but once they got the lead everyone coasted. And that included the coaches who seemed to encourage killing the clock to killing the opponent.

That Pitt didn’t finish Cinci and put them away before the end of the 3d quarter meant the starters had to stay on the field for the entire game. When Blades cramped up, I got sweaty palms. This game should have been done. We should have seen Stull at QB, Dickerson in the backfield, just more players out there because the game was completely over.

Just frustrated feeling right now. And this was a win.

11:07: Fumbled hand-off exchange. Now Cinci is inside the 20. Just an overthrow away from a TD as the defense blew coverage. Jeez. Effin hell. This is why you can’t just sit on the ball. H.B. Blades is cramping up for the second time.
11:00: The defense wasn’t even in prevent. It was just soft and gooey. 2 minutes or so to go down and score. 26-15 Pitt. 4:35 left. Onside kick failed.

10:54: Frustrating in the last quarter. Pitt has gone too conservative. Conent to kill time on offense. No sense that they are even trying to do more than maybe kill a couple minutes at a time.

10:15: Revis! Having a horrible night handling the punts. Fumble, turnover to Cinci at 17. Not good since he was quoted saying Pitt can’t turn the ball over, then tried to backtrack saying he didn’t mean to put it on the offense. I guess, he was putting it on himslef.

10:05: Safety, when Cinci QB Davila shovel passed in endzone. 16-0 Pitt. Nothing like the other team screwing up to help make the cushion better. Gets the Jugular by a 55 yard TD pass to Kinder. Not even good pass interference effort. 23-0, despite flubbed snap and hold.

9:51: Anyone getting the feeling that there was a pretty good halftime chewing out by Coach Wannstedt?

9:46: 5 yard pass, 75 yard run for a touchdown 28 seconds into the second half. Palko to Kinder. 14-0 Pitt. Looks like Kinder has more speed then given credit going into the season.

Halftime: 7-0 Pitt. With, I’m frustrated to say, a little luck.

Wannstedt at the end of the half, very frustrated by the O-line. Essentially says the team doesn’t seem to have its mind in the game. Erp.

Hope you took the under on this game. It’s hard to have clear thoughts when you grind your teeth so hard because the play calling crew is driving you to distraction.

Does the whole team just tighten up on the road? The whole team looks a lot slower and less sound in tackling and on the lines.

9:15: TD to Oderick Turner!! That will work. 7-0 Pitt. 1:49 until halftime.

9:14: Big interception by Cox on a screen. Defense got pressue to blind Grutza to the coverage. Now Pitt needs to do something with it.

9:10: Palko to Kinder!! Looked like a face mask at the end as well. Palko made a great throw across the field to Turner, but just broken up at the end. Once more the O-line doesn’t hold against the blitz

9:00: That lack of depth on the O-line — I don’t see Simonitis back in there — is an issue, but what’s the excuse for the defense and special teams play? Cinci is willing to blitz more and is not losing on that gamble.

8:48: Crap. The call wasn’t bad to QB draw, but he was still short before the fumble. Pitt is not looking like the same team on either side of the ball.

8:42: T.J. Porter has shown a good burst to get the needed yardage on the end around and the screen.

8:36: Defense is in Rhoads’ “bend but don’t break” mode. I’m dying.

8:30: Pitt’s pass protection for Palko is not looking good. Okay, scratch that. The whole O-line seems to have gone back to last year.

Trevor Matich is a hideous color commentator. “Good” Palko or “evil” Palko? Grife.

Okay, sorry for blog silence. Just found out I’ll be homeless for the next month or so. Trying to get things put together so I may be a little spotty. I plan to liveblog the game.
As I have remarked on occasion, the wife is a Cinci grad. She’s not sports ignorant. She does suffer as a loyal Brown’s fan, but at least she knows and likes pro football. She’s fairly typical for Cinci fans. Loves her Bearcat basketball, loves (loved?) Huggy-bear, and never went to a footbal game. Her thoughts on Nippert Stadium is that they dumped a lot of money into a facility that was used mainly by cheerleaders and the Greeks to sunbathe during the year.

Undaunted, I talked to her about tonight’s game. I think it is typical.

Me: So, do you think the Bearcats will win tonight?

Wife: Basketball doesn’t start until November.

Me: No, I mean in football.

Wife: I thought college football was on Saturday?

Me: No. ESPN — well that’s another story — It’s tonight. It’s supposed to be a rivalry game.

Wife: (slightly interested) They’re going to play Xavier?

Me: Um, no. Xavier doesn’t play 1-A
Wife: Louisville?

Me: Er, Pitt. It’s the River City Rivalry.

Wife: (blank look)

Me: Nevermind. They’re playing Pitt, it’s in Cinci. It’s on TV tonight. What do you think?

Wife: Wait. I’m stuck in a hotel with only one TV, one room and you are going to watch Pitt?

Me: Uh-huh.

Wife: [stream of expletives deleted]

Me: So you don’t like Dantonio’s team’s chances?

Wife: Who?

Me: The head coach of Cinci.

Wife: I don’t care.

I hate to generalize, but I suspect that is reflective of the interest of most Cinci fans.

And the excitement leading up to it is palpable. Especially here in Northeast Ohio. Why, that other Ohio team that’s playing somewhere in Texas tomorrow is barely registering a blip.

For Pitt, starting tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling is listed as questionable for the game. If he doesn’t go, Shane Brooks might get the start after his 9 carries for 43 yard effort in relief last week. Of course, Conredge Collins at fullback is at full strength so he might see some more touches. Plus, Coach Dave Wannstedt said Dorin Dickerson is nearly 100% finally, so he could be used.

The defense for Cinci is their strength with 10 starters from last year — though still quite young.

On defense, two starting linemen, a linebacker and cornerback are sophomores. On offense, the left tackle and the fullback are freshmen, while the quarterback is a sophomore. Other sophomores are the right guard and a wideout. So, the Bearcats are extremely young, but not without talent.

“I think their secondary’s very athletic, and their corners are very big,” Palko said. “They’re taller kids, and No. 13 (junior FS Haruki Nakamura) is a heckuva ball player. He’s a tough kid, and their linebackers are stout and athletic. Their D-line was young last year, but they’re much-improved.

“They love to get to the quarterback. They play hard, and they’re great football players. They have a very talented defense, and Coach D has them hyped up and ready to go. So, we have to be prepared for that.”

The beat writer for Cinci has also noted that getting pressure on the QB, even just knocking him about not necessarily sacks, is part fo what the Cinci D likes to do. Cinci feels good about their 1-AA shutout but knows there’s something of a difference.

“Pitt’s a little better than Eastern Kentucky,” [Cinci DC Pat] Narduzzi said.

EKU had an accomplished quarterback in Josh Greco, but Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko, a three-year starter and fifth-year senior, plays at a higher level. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Palko is a two-time second-team all-Big East selection who has passed for 5,755 yards in his career, which ranks fifth on Pitt’s career list.

UC head coach Mark Dantonio said Palko reminds him of former Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari.

Now, anyone who remembers Bellisari knows what a cheap shot that is.

Finally Pitt has a few strands of frustration and futility it needs to snap in this game.

Pitt was 0-5 on the road last year. The Panthers failed to score an offensive touchdown in their first 10 quarters on the road, then lost by a combined score of 87-33 in their last two road tests.

The Panthers also ended the 2004 season with a 35-7 shellacking by Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. To make matters worse, they have not fared well in Friday night games, either.

Last year, the Panthers played two Friday night games and lost them both, including a 16-10 overtime loss at the hands of MAC lightweight Ohio University.

And to complete the sad tale, the Panthers are 0-2 in their past two trips into Ohio.

Oh yeah, the Toledo game in 2003.

No, brackets aren’t available yet – although I am sure Joe Lunardi is on his fourth edition of his braketology by now – but yesterday, Pitt released the 2006-2007 basketball schedule. Much of this had already been reported, but this put a bit of a final stamp on it.

The University of Pittsburgh released its entire 31-game 2006-07 men’s basketball schedule on Thursday. Pitt will play a school record 15 national television games and host 18 contests at the Petersen Events Center.

Overall, Pitt will play 12 games against opponents who advanced to NCAA Tournament play in 2005-06, 18 contests against teams advancing to either the NCAA Tournament or NIT last year, 14 games against teams that won 20-plus games in 2005-06 and 17 games against opponents that won at least 18-plus games last year.

The 15 national games are awesome for me – since I’m in Maine – and enough to make me stop thinking about buying a CBB package from my cable company. Thanks again for coming back Aaron Gray. The national exposure can’t hurt recruiting either.

As we already knew, Pitt’s schedule is much tougher this season, thus creating a nightmare for guys like Doug Gottlieb who will need to find something new to write about the Panthers.

Pitt opens the season at West Point Nov. 12 against Western Michigan, which is sure to be both amazing and heart wrenching at the same time. I am going to look into buying tickets to that game, but I am sure they will be next to impossible to get.

Here’s my little schedule breakdown, highlighting some of the big games (this is not an entire schedule):

Dec. 3 @ Auburn – First semi-tough road game (way earlier than the last few years)

Dec. 16 @ Wisconsin (ESPN) – First big test (comes a bit earlier this year).

Dec. 21 @ Okalahoma St. (ESPN2) – This is Pitt first huge test. State will have already been tested earlier in December in the Jimmy V. classic, where they open play against Syracuse, plus it’s on the road. Note: I had this as home at first. My mistake.

Jan 4 @ Syracuse (ESPN) – A little revenge perhaps.

Then there are three HUGE home games in eight days:

Jan 13 vs. Georgetown (ESPN College Gameday) – Big East regular season game of the year.

Jan 16 vs. UConn (ESPN2) – A down year for UConn? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Jan 21 vs. Marquette (CBS) – A budding rivalry continues.

After playing Louisville (ESPN), which I am not labeling as a big game because it is at home, making it a game Pitt really should win, Pitt has a bit of an anomaly:

Feb. 16 vs. Washington (ESPN) – I love this game. It boosts the non-con a bit later in the season, and get some the team some exposure to non-Big East basketball before heading into the NCAA Tournament. Pitt always gets caught off guard by officials and style of play once the Big East season ends and NCAA Tournament play begins, this game will help prevent that.

The end of the schedule is road heavy – three of the last four are on the road with the lone home game coming against Div. IAA West Virginia. I like having the road heavy bit come late, better then early in my eyes. I also like that Pitt faces tough teams like Georgetown and Marquette at home before having to face them on the road. Here are the final three road games:

Feb. 19 @ Seton Hall – Down year for the Pirates, but a possible trap game on the road. New coach Bobby Gonzalez will have them playing tough by this point in the season, and Seton Hall may be fighting for a post season spot, giving them a lot to play for.

Feb. 24 @ Georgetown (CBS) – Could decide the Big East regular season title and who gets the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament.

March 3 @ Marquette (ESPN) – A possible trap game to finish the regular season.

Oh, and the Final Four is scheduled for March 31-April 2. Mark your calendar.

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).

I’ve followed the Athlon Spirit contest for the last 3 years, and vote stuffing has been almost as obvious as other types. I’ve always wondered about who and how they plug certain co-eds. This year, the Cinci Scout.com site is leading a charge.

Alright Bearcat fans! Let’s help on of our own as she competes against other cheerleaders across the country in the Athlon’s “Sideline Spirit” contest. Brittany Hartigan has been selected for this contest and is now in the first round. She needs our support and the support of the Big East.

Alright Bearcat fans, now is our chance to help one of our own and it’s very easy to do. During the course of covering the Bearcats I’ve enjoyed the chance to cover the Bearcats Co-Ed Cheerleaders during many of the past football and basketball games. One of the members of this year’s squad is involved in a contest called “Sideline Spirit” sponsored by Athlon Sports.

[Emphasis added.]

Now, I just hate to see the integrity of this fine contest ruined by such cheap tactics as appealling to conference loyalty (this article seems to be popping up on other Scout.com BE team sites). Besides, looking at the participants, this one got my vote.

I knew the reporting of the Pope-goes-to-Florida mess seemed fishy. He will be playing for Aliquippa in the winter after all – or at least that is what is being reported, for now.

Pope supposedly had transferred to Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Fla. Pope’s friends had said he was at Country Day, and the school’s coach, Rex Morgan, told a Kentucky newspaper that Pope would be on the team this season. Country Day officials never confirmed Pope’s enrollment, claiming privacy rules.

Pope was unavailable for comment, but this is the second consecutive year Pope has gone to Country Day and then returned to Aliquippa. Last year, he was back for the start of classes at Aliquippa. Pope is ranked among the top 30 seniors in the country by some scouting services.

I still have yet to find the Rex Morgan quote in the Kentucky Newspaper.

So Dokish was wrong on this one. It happens. I did find it weird that he had no source or quote in his original report. However, in his defense, reporting on where Pope is seems to be the equivalent of reporting on where Osama Bin Laden is — no one knows. Yes, I just compared Pope to Bin Laden and no, I do not feel badly about it. Who knows, Dokish could still end up being right on this one. I won’t believe Pope is playing for the Quips until I see him wearing their uniform and getting T’d up for his antics.

Dear Pitt; say no to Pope!