It’s tomorrow for basketball. Last year, the Big East and CSTV showed Media Day activities live on TV and streamed. Apparently that was too much fun and too much content.

Fans can access video from 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. ET on both days. It will also be available in an archived version shortly thereafter.

BIG EAST Media Day Central has full BIG EAST men’s and women’s basketball media day coverage, including previews, rosters and schedules for each team. The preseason coaches’ poll, news releases and media guides will be also be unveiled at 9:30 a.m. ET on each respective media day – along with additional quotes and features taken from the players and coaches on site.

On the Media Day Central site, you can read a capsulized preview of Pitt along with the other 15 teams. Pitt is expected to be the pre-season top team in the Big East. Georgetown would be the darkhorse surprise.

Okay, before I get to the main stuff, a couple more picks worth noting. Stewart Mandel at SI.com goes with Rutgers to my relief (he also picked Toledo to upset Pitt a few weeks ago). Of course that was spoiled by seeing Bruce Feldman pick Pitt (ESPN Insider).

Pitt 24, No. 19 Rutgers 20: It pains me to pick against the Scarlet Knights, but even though RU QB Mike Teel is coming off a career game, I think the Panthers speedy and talented back seven will give him a long day. Keep an eye on Knights RBs Ray Rice and Brian Leonard against Pitt LBs H.B. Blades and Clint Session.

Thing that has me sold: The Panthers hard-hitting duo is the best tandem Rutgers will face all season.

Damn. I’m getting all freaked and superstitious ahead of this one.

Interesting little tidbit about Pitt from Ivan Maisel’s blog.

Pittsburgh is tied for second in the Big East with nine interceptions. What’s odd is that those nine picks had been made by eight different Panthers, from defensive tackle Gus Mustakas back to left corner Darrelle Revis, the Panther with two interceptions.

Yeah, wow.

The Big East Notebook from Joe Starkey (Insider subs)doesn’t have much that hasn’t already been discussed or particularly interesting: Pitt hasn’t played anyone, attendance issues, good punters on both sides, Palko has 58 TD passes Rutherford 59, Van Pelt 66 and Marino 79. For Rutgers it’s QB Mike Teel needs to play well, so will DT Ramel Meekins.

Finally, and while I would love to excerpt the whole thing because it alternates between interesting and clueless it would definitely exceed the bounds of fair use, the ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. breakdown of the Rutgers-Pitt game. It was this passage when talking about the Rutgers offense versus Pitt defense that made me laugh bitterly.

MLB H.B. Blades plays with a mean streak and he takes the shortest path to the ball but DT’s Rashaad Duncan and Gus Mustakas lack ideal size. They won’t be able to hold their ground when the Scarlet Knights run right at them. That will allow one of the interior offensive linemen, whether it’s LOG Mike Fladell, OC Darnell Stapleton or ROG Cameron Stephenson, to release up to the second level. Even if Blades is able to shed the block quickly, he’ll be forced to wrap Leonard up three-to-four yards downfield rather than at the line of scrimmage. However, it’s important to note that SS Sam Bryant is a powerful open field tackler who is big enough to line up close to the line of scrimmage. Rhoads will likely move Bryant into the box regularly and that should help limit the production of Rutgers’ ground game.

[Emphasis added.]

Now check a little lower over what Zeise wrote in response to the Q&A about stuffing the box against the run. Yeah, Bryant would be the eighth man in the box. The odds of him being brought up regularly are…?

One other part that I found interesting since there has been some talk about Rutgers pass rush.

The good news for Rutgers is it recorded seven sacks last week with Meekins and DE William Beckford finishing with two each. The bad news is it recorded just 12 sacks over the first five games of the season and Pittsburgh’s pass protection has been sound for the most part. In addition, the front four must stay in their rushing lanes because Palko is mobile enough to make plays with his feet when he breaks contain or a seam opens up between the tackles.

Navy was playing with a back-up QB in a scheme meant to have the QB move around a lot, and take off fairly often. Palko should have time with the shorter drop that has been utilized all season.

His Q&A is up with questions about filling the stadium, how good is Rutgers, and from the department of “because that would make too much sense.”

Q: I don’t think Rutgers is very deep at receiver. Can Pitt cover man-to-man and then load the box and bring the house to stop the run?

ZEISE: That’s not been Wannstedt’s style. He doesn’t like to commit too many guys to any one area and he doesn’t like to blitz a lot because it leaves a defense vulnerable. I’d expect they’ll play a lot of their normal cover two and cover three stuff as well and let their corners play up in bump and run. I’d be shocked if they commit more than eight guys up inside to stop the run on a consistent basis. The defense is built on the concept of your defensive line getting the job done by winning one-on-one match-ups and thus allowing the linebackers to clean up all the rest. The line has played fairly well and it has worked so we shall see what happens now.

Aaiigh!

Rutgers hasn’t played from behind all year. They have yet to be put in a position where they are forced to throw. They are weak at receivers and Mike Teel has been inconsistent at best. This is not about blitzing. Like committing to the run, it’s committing to stopping the run. You have to at least bring the safeties up and force TE Clark Harris to stay in and block — taking away their best receiver in the process.

From his chat yesterday.

FearTheStache: Hi Paul, If Rutgers double teams Kinder then Turner will kill them deep and vice versa. how do you see Rutgers defending the pass?

Paul Zeise: They like to play a lot of man coverage, which Pitt has eaten alive any time any team has tried to do it. They will certainly need some safety help to stop Pitt’s passing game, but their real strength comes in the fact that they can put lots of heat on passers without having to bring the kitchen sink since their front seven is so good. If Pitt’s O-line can block well, which they have all year, I think Palko could have a big day.

I expect a couple early deep balls. To test their corners and also see how the pass protection looks against Rutgers.

I’ve got a bunch of open tabs I need to clear out, and not enough time to do it.

Welcome to our world Mr. Mandel.

By this point in the season, you’d like to think you have a pretty good grasp on how good a team is, particularly when that team is 6-1. But I have to admit, I still have no idea how good this year’s Pittsburgh Panthers are — and I’m not sure they do, either. “Maybe we’re just getting lucky,” joked quarterback Tyler Palko when I spoke with him last Sunday.

We watch them every weekend and don’t have a consistent opinion.

It is blatantly obvious to the most average sportswriter that this is the game of the week in the Big East.

Context, please.

It’s easy to show Pitt QB Tyler Palko‘s rejuvenation with this obvious number: His pass efficiency rating has jumped from 126.7 last year to a nation-leading 188.6 this season. The underlying reason is that coordinator Matt Cavanaugh tweaked his West Coast approach to stretch the field and accommodate a quarterback who throws a nice deep ball. That leads us to a more revealing number going into this week’s key Big East game against Rutgers: Palko is second in the nation with 10.3 yards per attempt–way up from last year’s 7.0. Any offensive coordinator will tell you that number is the most important statistic for a quarterback.

It’s a good number. An interesting number, but I’m not quite sure as to why it is “the most important statistic for a quarterback.” Anyone care to supply the answer?

I like that SI.com considers Palko about the 5th best QB in college football. Now, here’s what I’m wondering. Does anyone actually know what kind of offense Pitt is running versus what it had run under Walt Harris? Look at the comment “…In this, his second year in coach Dave Wannstedt’s pro-style system…”

Excuse me? I thought the passing game for Pitt was now more of a true West Coast from OC Matt Cavanaugh and that Harris ran more of the pro style. Of course, I’ve read it the other way in the past. Honestly, and maybe it’s just because it’s late, but I don’t know anymore. I’m not sure anyone really knows anymore.

While on the subject of Walt Harris, there was this in Stewart Mandel’s mailbag (I saw it Frank, but was going to let it go).

Stewart, Stanford managed just 52 yards of total offense in its Homecoming game, a loss to Arizona. The Wildcats entered the game ranked 118th in the nation in rushing yards and ran for 223 yards against the overmatched Cardinal. Stanford is now 0-7, the fans and players have quit on Walt Harris, and it’s clear that the program has been in complete disarray since Ty Willingham left in 2002. Have you ever seen a case where one coaching change has so drastically crippled a college football program?
— Tony Barber, Mountain View, Calif.

No, I have not. The program has gone from being a regular Pac-10 title contender under Willingham to the absolute worst team in the conference by a country mile. The Cardinal was bad under Buddy Teevens, too, but not nearly this bad. And what makes it all the more puzzling is that Stanford showed promise last year in Harris’ first season. As you may recall, they came dangerously close to knocking off Notre Dame in their regular-season finale, which, if they had, would have sent them to a bowl game. Even stranger: This is not a young team. They returned 16 starters, including 10 on offense (though several have been injured).

That said, I knew something was fishy when seven of Harris’ assistants left after one season. Though Harris did an admirable job of turning around Pittsburgh’s long-suffering program, he was generally despised there by the end of his tenure. And now he’s not exactly inspiring confidence in Palo Alto. In addition, the athletic director who hired him, Ted Leland, left the school last year and was replaced by former Iowa AD Bob Bowlsby, who you know is looking forward to the opportunity to make his mark on the program. Cutting ties with a coach after two seasons certainly doesn’t help a program’s stability, but at the same time, I don’t know if it’s possible for the Cardinal to become any less stable than they already are.

This will be a bit of a rant.

Anyone remember Harris’ first year at Pitt? Remember how the team turned around in one season and in one of the greatest Backyard Brawls ever (and the best game I ever saw in-person) beat the Hoopies in Morgantown? Remember the next year when Pitt went 2-9. Losing to Rutgers and Temple? I do. It was my first year as a season ticket holder since graduating. I sat through a bunch of those humiliations. When the team regressed badly. Players were not that good and being shaken out of the program.

I had bounced around for a bit in Chicago, law school — in Ohio when Pitt played and was crushed in the home-and-home with OSU — and generally just not connected to the school and the team. This was pre-net so there was no way to stay aware of what Pitt was doing outside of little box scores in papers and very little info in general. Hackett and then Majors with the assistance of an uncaring administration had nearly destroyed Pitt football.

Walt Harris brought Pitt back to respectability (that and a job in Youngstown that made trips to the ‘Burgh an easy thing). Slowly. Surely. There were steps back. There was also progress. There were times when it was thought he might leave. Alabama. Ohio State. They sniffed. Whether he or they were serious, nothing came of it other then some extensions, raises and some nervousness by fans at the time.

When Harris left Pitt/was forced out, I was torn. Harris had probably reached the end of the line with Pitt. There was something of a plateau. He had alienated a lot of people. If he had stayed, it is very likely he could have done harm to Pitt.

At the same time, I felt like I owed Coach Harris. I owed him a debt. This, despite not knowing the guy. Never meeting him. At times being as eager as anyone else to throw him over.
Walt Harris brought me back to caring and following Pitt and college football. I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I wouldn’t be writing for AOL on college football. None of that, if it hadn’t been for what Walt Harris did to bring Pitt back into mainstream Division 1-A college football.

So I hope he turns the corner at Stanford. Just as he did in time at Pitt. Rebuilding doesn’t come easy at all places.  I know not everyone feels the same way. That’s fine. My view is just that. My view. Just don’t expect me to revel in his struggles.

A round-up of some stuff from national sites on Pitt basketball.

From a chat with ESPN’s Andy Katz:

Paul (San Diego – Pitt Alum): Is Pitt able to live up to the hype this year. They are being touted as a final four team again but I just see us settling for another Sweet 16 exit. Can you ease my mind?

Andy Katz: Yes they can. Aaron Gray is better and so are the guards in Ronald Ramon and Levance Fields. Levon Kendall has become one of the top role players in the Big East and a capable scoring option. I still say there is a high ceiling for Sam Young. So, yes, they should be in the group that goes for a Final Four berth.

Luke Winn at SI.com blogs his “All-Attribute team.”

THE GLASSMASTER-AT-BOTH-ENDS CENTER: Aaron Gray, Sr., Pitt.

Rebounding percentage — not total rebounds, but the percent of available boards grabbed while on the floor — was the determining factor in this pick. And in that department, no one comes close to Gray, who ranked in the top-10 nationally in both offensive and defensive rebounding. The Panthers’ 7-footer, who matured from reserve to national star last season and was a late scratch from the 2006 NBA Draft, got his hands on 15.7 percent of offensive boards (seventh in the country) and an amazing 27.0 percent of defensive boards (fourth in the country) — better than such monsters as Tyrus Thomas of LSU, Leon Powe of Cal and Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech. The pros may have been skeptical about Gray’s athleticism, but he’s welcome on this team any time.

Meanwhile Seth Davis sits down with Jamie Dixon and Orlando Antigua for dinner at an old favorite Tessaro’s in Bloomfield after taking in a Pitt practice. He raises some serious questions about the team leadership, but comes in at the end with this.

Bottom line: Not only has Pitt not reached the Final Four since 1941, but the Panthers have not been past the Round of 16 since then either. They’re one of only four schools to make the NCAAs in each of the last five years, and three of those times they reached the Sweet 16. This feels to me like a program ready to break through. Pencil in the Panthers to at least reach the Elite Eight. If they get a little lucky, a trip to Atlanta is definitely within their grasp.

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News thinks Pitt will end up redshirting Freshman Center Austin Wallace. It makes sense with Gray, Tyrell Biggs and Doyle Hudson all ahead of him. Next year it will just be Biggs. Give Wallace time to really learn and have full eligibility. Not that he has a big shot of getting meaningful playing time.

The P-G Pitt football beat reporter had his online chat yesterday and his Q&A today. The Q&A was on the short side because of tonight’s game, and not much new there.
I think the online chat has gotten to the point where people are trying to bait him over playing Bill Stull. Interesting comments on T.J. Porter and his maturity. I have to agree with this part from the chat.

Vic_Damone_Jr.: What is the biggest difference in the defense this year?

Paul Zeise: I think it is clear that the defensive line is playing at a much higher level than they have been. A lot of that has to do with having better players, but I also think moving Greg Gattuso to defensive line coaching was a brilliant move because he has clearly helped upgrade that position. If you look at it Pitt doesn’t have a bunch of studs on the defensive line but they are effective now, they get off blocks and as a result they make everyone elses job easier.

I made note of the Gattuso move making a difference earlier this week. I think it helped in that Gattuso is a good coach and teacher, and also it got the attention of the rest of the defensive coaches. They survived the change in head coaches without any turnover. This probably served as a none-to-subtle notice that things had better improve or else.

This part of the chat made me smile.

Vic_Damone_Jr.: Why do you constantly defend Paul Rhoads? He has not done a good job the last four years.

Paul Zeise: I don’t constantly defend anyone. I just don’t think it is fair to throw the guy under the bus given some of the issues personnel wise he’s had to deal with. I think he has shown when he has good players, not great ones, but good ones at a majority of the positions, he can do a good job. It is hard to coach defense when your defensive line is being pancaked more than the batter at the Waffle House. Do I agree with everything he’s done or everything about his scheme? No. But I could say the same about just about every coach, so I really just don’t think it is fair to destroy him like so many people would like.

[Emphasis added.]

Heh-heh-heh.

Halfway through the season and this year Pitt is getting noticed a little. The Pitt Athletic Department pointed out that H.B. Blades was named to CBS Sportsline’s “Halfway” All-American squad. Dennis Dodd in his write-up regarding the halfway point sends some direct love to Pitt.

Best comeback(s): Both Washington and Pittsburgh are three games better than they were at this point a year ago. The Huskies (4-2) were 1-5 after six games last year, headed toward a 2-9 season. Now they seem destined for the school’s first bowl since 2002.

Pittsburgh (5-1) started 2-4 in ’05 on its way to a 5-6 debut under Dave Wannstedt. Now the Panthers are a dark horse to win the Big East.

He also lists the L-ville-Pitt game at the end of the season as one of the expected best games to come.

Over at ESPN.com, Bruce Feldman blogs his “Midseason hot 100” [Insider subs.]

45. Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh QB: Quietly putting up magnificent numbers: 71 percent completions, 15 TDs, 3 INTs.

…

64. H.B. Blades, Pittsburgh, LB: Squatty 240-pound LB is the Big East’s leading tackler with 11.3 stops per game.

In the mid-season review of the Big East, Joe Starkey didn’t list Pitt for any “honors” which isn’t too shocking. Pitt isn’t the biggest surprise or disappointment so far. And they aren’t ready to be considered an alpha dog either.

In his individual reviews of each team [Insider subs.] he offers a rather standard summary.

This time last year, the Ricky Williams ordeal had to be looking like a preferable alternative to new Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt. His team was 2-4, its only victories coming against Cincinnati and Division I-AA Youngstown State. Today, the Panthers are 5-1, though it’s hard to tell how much better they are, considering their wins were against Virginia, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Toledo and The Citadel. Pitt failed miserably in its biggest test to date, a 38-23 home loss to Michigan State in which the Spartans rushed for 335 yards. Pitt still must prove it can stop the run against good teams (or even mediocre ones).

Midseason MVP

Tyler Palko was outplayed by Michigan State’s Drew Stanton in the Panthers’ only loss to date, but he has otherwise been brilliant running offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s West Coast system. Using shorter drop-backs than a year ago, Palko is ranked second in the country in passing efficiency (186.01) and first in the Big East in passing yards per game (248.2). He has 15 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.

What’s next

Another less-than-stellar opponent in Central Florida on Saturday, followed by the real season, which begins with a home game Oct. 21 against No. 24 Rutgers. It’s not inconceivable Pitt could be 8-2 or even 9-1 going into season-ending home games against conference powers West Virginia and Louisville.

Actually, I’d argue there is a noticeable improvement — not withstanding the MSU game. Last year against opponents like that, Pitt struggled. And I know I’ve pointed this out before. After just about every win last year, you just found yourself shaking your head and could only say, “at least they got the win.” This year it’s different. The wins are more decisive. The team and/or coaches are still struggling to completely put a team away, but the game is that much sure-footed.

The chat transcript from yesterday and the Q&A today. First, something that amused me in the chat transcript.

ether: How much would you account last weeks showing to a. Poor execution by the players b. Poor planning and adjusting by the coaching staff or c. Michigan State the having superior players?

Paul Zeise: Good question. If I were grading I’d give both the defensive players and defensive coaching staff a failing grade for that game. It seems like it has gotten to the point where every team that runs a spread and runs some option turns into the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. I mean, sooner or later you’d think Pitt would have some degree of success against these kinds of offenses and plays. But again, players have to make plays. The Panthers linebackers need to not just get to the point, but make the play once they get there. The defensive ends need to take better angles to the play. The secondary guys need to do a better job of getting into the action and stopping plays. Michigan State no doubt was physically superior to Pitt, but not 335 yards worth. This was hopefully for Pitt’s sake just a bad day.

[Emphasis added.]

Now, see what happens when the DC is directly indicted.

BringBackWalt: How is Paul Rhodes still employed? How many years now have teams run all over his defense?

Paul Zeise: The defense started off good this year. They’ve had two good games and one bad one. I’d say wait until the end of this year, now that there are some better pieces in place, before you try and run him out of town. He’s a good coach and I think you’ll see that again as some of these younger players continue to develop and gain some experience.

Since the question didn’t specify the kind of offense that runs over the D, Zeise ignores the issue of Paul Rhoads being clueless against the spread and option over the years this time. Instead focusing on this year and the first two games — against teams that don’t run the option. Unlike in the earlier question where the guilty DC wasn’t named, where it was conceded that the Pitt defense has never learned to defend the spread or option.

It’s two things. One, by all accounts, Rhoads is a rather personable guy and well-liked. It means the media doesn’t want to have to take shots at him if they can avoid it. It’s the sort of thing that has helped Dave Wannstedt in his career — until things reached a certain point of disappointment and frustraton is reached.

The second, is that Zeise is a beat writer. He has to see the players and coaches on an almost daily basis and depends on access to them to do his job. To that end, he wants to avoid directly bad-mouthing the players and coaches.

It’s a frustrating gray area for readers and the writers. Think about how many times in this season and in training camp there has been non-specific talk of bad chemistry in the locker room last year. How the beat writers from bothw papers own writing suggest they were well aware of the problems. Yet, if you look back at all the stories from the past season you will not find a single story about bad chemistry, locker room issues and such.

That’s the double-edged sword that is access. You get the access to write stories and provide more information. But that access also demands controlling how much is shared — lest the access be cut-off. Personally, I think the beat writers for Pitt are a little too secretive and concerned about access issues.

On the other side, they would then be busting and putting a lot more on the players. The kids who are still learning about dealing with the media and everything else with life. Plus, everytime they report something negative, there is that loud minority of fans who accuse the paper and the writer of having and agenda, bias or anti- the team.

Sorry, just went off on a tangent there about the media.

A lot of the chat also concerns the idea of moving Conredge Collins to RB rather than FB. The previous couple of seasons, there was probably no bigger champion of Brandon Mason than Zeise. Collins is now his latest. Probably a reflection of the kind of RB he thinks is best, as much as anything else.
In the Q&A for today, Zeise does his best to oppose letting the kids play yet. He comes off as neutral on Dorin Dickerson and Elijah Fields getting playing time, not caring about getting the back-ups any work, “Who cares about getting the back-up quarterback experience? What about the back-up center? Or third string safety? They might have to play some day soon, too. Walt Harris used to burn redshirts for two series of “experience” for the back-up.” He doesn’t want to see the younger players taking more work in the games. Essentially backing the coaches decisions and the status quo.

I’m open to the possibility that he sees that the kids aren’t ready yet in practice, but really doesn’t say that (except for Fields). It just seems as much about trying to not upset the present starters and not second-guess the coaches decisions on who to play.

Well, good luck seeing the game if you aren’t going. ESPN360.com will be showing it, and the results can be spotty. On the bright side for those attending, an extra pre-game treat.

…the illustrious Summerall Guards will be performing twice at Heinz Field. The Summerall Guards will perform their full routine outside Gate A of Heinz Field before the game and will perform a six-minute routine on the field at halftime.

…

Consisting of 61 members, the Summerall Guards are first-class (seniors) cadets who go through a rigorous physical training and initiation process and are chosen for their physical stamina and drill proficiency.

Membership is considered a high honor at the military college. The platoon’s purpose is to exemplify, through a unique series of movements based on the old German close order drill and performed to a silent count, the exactness and thoroughness with which The Citadel cadet is trained. The series has never been written and has been passed down since 1932 from class to class, through strict rehearsal and memorization.

The Citadel is taking the money this season. This will be their second 1-A opponent they face this season.

It is The Citadel’s second game with a I-A team this season, its sixth in the last three years, and its ninth in the last five years.

In his first 14 games as the Bulldogs’ coach, Kevin Higgins has faced Florida State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Pitt – not to mention defending I-AA national champion Appalachian State, Furman and Georgia Southern of the Southern Conference, the so-called best I-AA league in the nation.

“It’s a challenge,” is about all Higgins will say about the schedule.

Most teams in The Citadel’s position would be playing Mars Hill this week – defending I-AA champion Appalachian State did last week. Furman played West Georgia before losing to North Carolina, and Western Carolina ends its season with Florida, after starting it with Chowan.

The football team will earn $750,000 for the school against Texas A&M and Pitt this season, and has totaled about $2.8 million for eight “money games” since 2002.

By the time the Bulldogs play Arizona in 2010, they will have made about $5.1 million in 14 games against I-A teams in a nine-year period.

Well, The Citadel is not even a good 1-AA team, so they are in demand. Especially with the upsets and close games better 1-AA teams have given other schools this year. If you are going to play a 1-AA team, you damn well better be sure you can beat them.
The Citadel is coming off a tough 38-35 loss to Charleston Southern. The Citadel HC Kevin Higgins saw good things from the game.

“Our wide receivers only had two big drops against Charleston Southern. They did a much better job that game.”

So, they have that going for them.

Mainly press release stuff.

Punter Adam Graessle is on the Ray Guy Award Watchlist for the best punter in college football. No shock, though, arguably he may not be the best punter in the Big East (of course a Syracuse punter gets a lot more chances to punt then most).

Speaking of Syracuse, the October 7 game in the Carrier Dome will be at noon and a ESPN Regional/Big East game of the week.

ESPN360 will be airing the Citadel-Pitt game at 1:30 on September 23. Guess we can rule out being able to see that game streamed on Pitt All-Access as well.

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.

Let me take another run at the ESPN-Big East deal. Frank the Tank, did a much better job than I did (and in less words) in partially explaining my displeasure at the deal. I have annoyance at how many of those “guaranteed” games will be weekday program fillers, while the news coverage has focused on the total number of games or the big jump for basketball. Let’s face it, though, the basketball side of the Big East is not a concern or really an issue as far as health, publicity and strength.

My main ire, though, is over the future distribution channel controls. The broadband and cellular offerings and content. Those will stay with ESPN. Understand, very clearly, the allure of having one’s own channel is not simply as some conference vanity project. By sticking with ESPN regional, Pitt has remained without control over the distribution and content of its own games. That means the Big East schools and the conference will not be able to offer streaming of the video of the games through their own sites. That will remain with ESPN and they will reap the money from it. Not to mention any other digital packaging that develops or evolves. Conferences with their own channels and control of their distribution will make more money.

For the Big 11, they can still offer games on the ESPN Gameplan or on a local station if they aren’t showing it on their channel or any of the Mouse stations. They have the control over it ultimately. They produced it. They own the production.

The Big Ten Channel will be available to satellite and cable distributors nationwide and will be available through the Internet, i-Pods, cell phones and other technologies, the league said.

That will be the same for all of the conferences that go to their own channel. They won’t be seen any less. They won’t get promoted by ESPN any less. They will however be bringing in more money in the long term as the technology keeps developing.

This is why all professional sports teams are now creating their own channel. They aren’t necessarily going to make any more money at first than if they had stayed contracted with the regional Fox Sports channel. After all, they have to now pay salaries and get ad revenue and all that fun stuff. It’s that they have full vertical control of the product — right down to distribution formats. It’s about long-term revenue creation.

The Big East loves to tout how it was the first to recognize the importance of cable and the dealings with ESPN. Unfortunately that is some 20+ years ago since the last time they were forward thinking about the media distribution. Now, they don’t look forward only react to the immediate situation.

Well if you live in Charlottesville, you can go to the campus arena and watch the game — since few without a dish don’t get ESPNU.

Obviously that won’t help most people. So this might be of interest.

ESPN launched a new website Monday to package all the network’s college sports content.

ESPNU.com is designed to be a companion for the ESPNU television network, the company said.

It will include news, scores, columns, video and audio highlights, podcasts and the live streaming of games.

The streaming will include both live simulcasts of televised games and events that will be exclusive to the Internet, the company said.

[Emphasis added.]

Now, looking on the site, I couldn’t confirm that they will actually live stream the game on Saturday. For all we know, that is still a pending feature. The other thing to remember is that if they do, it will still be the somewhat less than smooth streaming if the prior previews I’ve watched of live game streaming on ESPN Gameplan and Fullcourt are any indication. Still, if it’s all there is, it’s better than nothing.

Well the news conference to announce it was “exclusive” ESPN360 content, so I didn’t see it. Here’s the media release from the Big East.

For football.

A minimum of 17 home games involving BIG EAST Conference teams will be televised on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, including four Thursday night games and two Sunday night games on ESPN or ESPN2. In fact, this commitment represents the largest number of guaranteed appearances on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 in the history of BIG EAST Conference football.

At least one conference game will be a part of ESPN’s Saturday Prime Time package and two games – one on ABC or ESPN, the other on ESPN2 – will be on Championship Saturday in December.

In addition, ESPN Regional, the nation’s largest football regional network reaching more than 30 million homes, will broadcast nine games and will continue its Game of the Week package, which is syndicated throughout BIG EAST markets and beyond. Most games produced by ERT are also offered as part of the ESPN GamePlan pay subscription service.

Finally, the conference will also have a minimum of five home contests televised by ESPNU. The minimum number of football games involving BIG EAST teams on television increases further when taking into account appearances in non-conference away contests.

Now for basketball.

The BIG EAST will continue to be the only conference in the country to have each and every one of its men’s basketball tournament games televised by ESPN. There were record audiences for the 2006 BIG EAST Championship, including the final game, which was the highest-rated cable tournament final of the year (2.58).

In addition, ESPN Regional will carry a minimum of 80 games (66 conference and 14 home non-conference) and continue its weekend Game of the Week package, which reaches approximately 30 percent of the nation’s homes and has a total household reach of more than 30 million. Most games offered by ERT are also available nationally as part of ESPN Full Court, the pay subscription college basketball outer-market service.

…

Minimum 60 games on ESPN or ESPN2

• 49 regular season games – 41 conference and eight home non-conference
• 11 BIG EAST Championship games

110 additional regular season games broadcast on the remaining ESPN platforms

• 80 games on ESPN Regional (66 conference and 14 home non-conference)
• 30 conference games on ESPNU/ESPN360

Minimum of 10 conference or non-conference games on CBSThe above gives the BIG EAST a minimum grand total of 180 television games each year.

The BIG EAST will continue to be featured each week during the conference season on ESPN’s Big Monday. A new element to the agreement will allow ESPN to also feature a BIG EAST Conference match up on Thursday each week. The agreement also provides that each BIG EAST team have a minimum of 10 games telecast on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic or ERT.

Short-term (the next couple of years) very good for the Big East and its members. The money will be nice. Long-term, it puts the BE schools further behind the other schools in terms of growing revenue streams and control.

The agreement will also cover content to be provided on broadband and cellular services.

And guess who has the control?

The new contract extensions give ESPN, which is on the cutting edge of new media technology, the right to distribute its BIG EAST inventory on any new potential consumer-based platforms. “We will be on the crest of the wave of the future,” Tranghese said. “The BIG EAST is proud to allow ESPN to explore new ways to give the Conference even more national exposure through innovative technology.”

Thanks for giving that property away in this contract. ESPN controls the rights, content and control over the most important long-term media area.

That’s where the big growth areas and new revenue streams are. I know some of you think I’m being ridiculous about this, and my notes that Mountain West premiere’s its channel this week and that the SEC is planning its own cable channel along with the Big 11 in the next couple of years.

I asked this question back in June when the BE deal was first leaked.

It’s a real concern to me that this conference seems to lack any foresight or desire to try and see what is coming. All it seems to do is react and get into a defensive stance.

This next TV deal is supposed to be for a lot of money, and that’s great. But does it consider the distribution of content in other ways? Does it take into account possible broadband video and audio distribution, podcasts and whatever else is next? Or did it all get left in a vague terms that would require a lawsuit later to resolve actual ownership, distribution, fee rights and such?

At least part of it was answered. It’s not vague at all. Disney gets it all.

Pitt’s running into that now with its “Panther Access.” They are expecting $70/year subscriptions for people to get Internet radio broadcasts for football and basketball? ESPN won’t be giving away the internet TV rights to those things. They have their full court and gameplan packages to sell. But the SEC, Big 11 and Mountain West will all be able to do that. They’ll be able to offer conference and team packages for seasons online. They’ll be able to offer a download to watch the game later — an online TiVo.

Hell, guess what? The Big Sky conference is already doing it online. That’s right, the Big frickin’ Sky conference.

This season, the entire nine-school Big Sky Conference will webcast all football, basketball and volleyball games, using technology from Salt Lake City-based SportsCast Network LLC.

Fans will be able to choose which team’s audio feed to which to listen. Games will be archived and can be downloaded to portable devices like Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod.

“This is the future,” Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said. “The fan will decide what they are going to watch and when they are going to watch it.”

Northern Arizona does TV broadcast of its games online, and the rest of the conference is following suit. The Ivy league is also doing it.

“We can produce our own television and reach, literally, the entire world on the Web, without having to go through the issues of, is there cable availability? Is there satellite availability? Is there advertising support?” said Jeff Orleans, commissioner of the Ivy League.

He expects most of the league’s sporting events will be online within seven years.

Seven years. Remarkable coincidence. That’s how long the BE contract with ESPN runs.

You know the ACC and Big 12 have been paying attention to these movements. They have their contracts coming up and they will follow suit.

By the time the BE contract comes up for renewal, all the other schools will already have established their channels and their broadband outlets. The BE, once again, will be reacting and playing catch-up.

For those of you who are thinking that the good thing is that the BE will become that much more important to ESPN and more games will be shown on the mouse family, no. They still have their TV deals and will show plenty of games. That’s why the BE will only have 17 games aired, with only a few guaranteed for non-weekdays. Not an encouraging sign.
It’s just that the other conferences will have more control over their content and the revenue from it. The BE football will continue to be used like the Mountain West was to fill programming on the weeknights.

The kicking job is still up in the air, and it doesn’t make anyone feel better about it improving when the back-up punter, redshirt freshman Lucas Stone is now getting mentioned into the mix.

Senior WR Joe DelSardo was back with the team and practicing. He’s still suspended for the opening. DT Mick Williams was also back on the field after dealing with headaches and problems after sustaining a concussion early in training camp.

The Big East has the audio of the weekly coaches teleconferences (link on the right side of page, about halfway down). No archives, but they will keep each Monday’s conference up for the week. There’s something amusing about listening to the whole thing as you hear which writers are looking for their storyline. Not to mention, some strangely loaded questions — one WV based writer — with a long deliberate drawl — asked WVU Coach Rodriguez if “his boys were ready for the intensity in the Marshall game.” Nothing like a leading question to get the sort of quote needed.
This writer was after comments on the screwed up new rule in the game where the game clock will start after a change in possession rather than from where the ball is kicked.

Strangely, Bob Petrino didn’t get nearly that many questions you would expect. Petrino seems like a decent quote. I wonder if it’s because of the rest of the BE is still uncomfortable with the newcomers. Dave Wannstedt faced more questions. The most questions and plenty of media beyond simply the BE Beat writers was of course for Rich Rodriguez. They eventually had to cut off questions.

USF continues to have issues. More players suspended, and their starting QB has been dealing with back spasms.