Back from exile in Cleveland

Due to having to perform best man duties this past weekend in Cleveland, my game watching time was cut down. However, I do have a few highlights I want to bring up, and then, of course, my take on Penn State's current situation:

1. Pitt wants a take back - So the loss to Notre Dame is forgivable/understandable. Charlie Weiss has done a lot with the talent on hand, and beat a talented Michigan team that some (though not me) thought was the heir apparent to the Big Ten title this year. But . . . Ohio? Frank Solich be damned, Ohio should not have beaten Pitt. Maybe now we know why Wannstedt wasn't doing well at Miami. Meanwhile, Stanford and Walt Harris are undefeated, with the narrow victory against Navy. Can I just say I'd really like to renew the PSU-Pitt rivalry right now?

2. Big surprises of the week -
a. TCU goes to Norman, and beats OU. Perhaps the trip across I-20 over to SMU was a little too much for them. Meanwhile, OU struggles with Tulsa, and makes itself look even worse. So I guess there won't be a Utah this year unless it is Utah. Who do the Utes get next? That's right, TCU. Time to see if this last game was just a letdown, or if TCU is just going to be a split personality team this year.

b. Vandy beating Arkansas. Vandy is likely to be 4-1 or even 5-0, depending on the upcoming Ole Miss game, walking into October. I'm not sure I ever expected to see Vandy to be 2-0. Ever. With a start like that, that put's them in great shape to be bowl eligible. Now, granted, once October starts, Vandy getting one or two more wins is going to be difficult, but a 5-0 Vandy on Oct. 2 need beat only Kentucky to be bowling come December.

c. Iowa - where have you gone? Injury problems plague the Hawkeyes once more, only this time it's Drew "Little Man" Tate, who carried Iowa on his shoulders last year. Perhaps Iowa State is resurgent and will actually win the Big 12 North this year. But in any event, Iowa must really hope that Tate comes back sooner rather than later.

d. South Carolina - While this game may just further my view that Georgia is overrated (though BSU did redeem itself, and Georgia, by playing the Beavers well in Corvallis), if not, the SEC East is facing the rise of a new power. Spurrier, with a South Carolina team that many expect to not even be bowl-eligible, was a missed extra point (and subsequent failed 2 pt conversion try) away from taking this game to OT. I still want to see Florida play someone, but so far both the Vols and the Dawgs don't seem to be on top of their game. It may not be too long before we see the Cocks rising in the SEC. (Come on, everybody's thought it - I just had to say it).

3. The Penn State Report -
So despite being in Ohio, I was unable to see the PSU-Cincinnati game, but here are my thoughts based on what I've read and seen of this game and the future opponents. The game was what I had hoped the USF game would be - a dominating effort. Once again, the Penn State D stepped up to the plate, causing 5 turnovers, 4 of which were converted into points. Disappointing is the offense - while the explosion in the third quarter was welcome, it is far too reminiscent of the Penn State of 99 to the present, except for 2002. With the Big Ten schedule looming, scoring one touchdown in 28 minutes of the first half isn't going to cut it. However, once the boys in blue got into the swing of things, it looked exciting, with big contributions coming from both Justin King and Derrick Williams. Perhaps EA Sports is right - maybe they are that good. Central Michigan is coming up, which, after their surprising win over a competitive-with-OSU Miami of Ohio, may not be as much the cake walk as I anticipated. The Big Ten schedule looks less imposing now as well. Ohio State acquitted itself well against Texas, but Michigan has continued to look vulnerable against Notre Dame and Northern Illinois, and Northwestern struggled against the Huskies as well. Wisconsin seems to be running full steam, but have yet to hit a team that can play big-time defense. Purdue allowed a pesky Akron to run up 24 points. All in all, assuming the offense can capitalize on the turnovers that the outstanding defense has been providing, this year looks like a return to bowling, with at least one of my preseason automatic losses (Michigan) looking a lot more winnable. We'll see how the Nittany Lions do against CMU, but at least three wins in the Big Ten looks very plausible. San Antonio, here we come!!!