One day, we'll all stop falling for Dave Wannstedt's tricks. Until then, however, we'll continue to believe in his Pittsburgh Panthers, only to have them make fools of us time and time again.
Today's "gotcha" moment came courtesy of Rutgers (Yes, the same Rutgers team that's delivered so few noteworthy performances this season, we're all still talking about Mike Teel's helmet-hitting habits and the tavern ruins unearthed during stadium excavations), which marched to a 54-34 win over the No. 17 Panthers.
It's only been two weeks since Pitt reasserted itself as a top 25 team after beating South Florida (whose latest woes are chronicled below) and already, it's lapsed back to its Week 1 ways and lost to an unranked opponent.
Rutgers, meanwhile, abandoned its former self, which had scored less than 20 points five times this season, and channeled the Big 12 scoring spirit. Teel threw for 361 yards and a whopping six touchdowns … on only 21 pass attempts.
It's still worth paying attention to the Panthers, if for no other reason than the thrill of watching LeSean McCoy, who had a monster 146 yard and four touchdown rushing performance. But after today, the only sure-bet in the Big East is Greg Robinson's impending unemployment.
• It's not that ACC teams lack talent, it's just that they're remarkably inconsistent. Last week, SI.com's Stewart Mandel awarded Georgia Tech with a 10-spot leap (from 25 to 15) in his AP ballot and SI.com Power Rankings strictly because the then 6-1 Yellow Jackets had been the conference's most consistent team. Virginia, on the other hand, had shown both flashes of brilliance (like in its dominant 31-0 win over Maryland) and total ineptitude (like in its ugly 52-7 loss to USC). So, naturally, the Cavaliers managed to pull this one out, beating the Jackets 24-17. Now, coaches everywhere can take solace in the fact that a team can lose three of its first four games by an average of 36 points and still lead its division heading into Week 10.
• I'd briefly entertained the notion that all this time, a lack of job security had been screwing with Rich Rodriguez's sense of self worth, but that after finally inking his Michigan coaching contract on Friday, he'd channel his newly inflated self esteem and lead his Wolverines over Michigan State. I was wrong. The Spartans ran all over the Wolverines (35-21), as State's Javon Ringer rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns and showed on a good day, he's one of the country's best backs. Ringer's counterpart Brandon Minor only rushed for 55 yards, but Wolverines fans were probably too busy lamenting Steven Threet's three interceptions to care.
• SI.com's Gennaro Filice put it best in the Saturday Morning Splurge when he said, "A Vandy-Duke game with buzz? Somebody check the temperature in Hell." Today, Duke won the Battle of the Bookworms (if that name sticks, I want a cut of the marketing profits) 10-7 and closed the door on Vandy's Cinderella season by handing the Commodores their third-straight loss.
• In 2006, it would have been unthinkable for college football fans to care more about Duke-Vandy than South Florida-Louisville. But today, most probably did. Louisville's descent from national power to conference doormat has been mind-bogglingly rapid, and USF's No. 14 pregame ranking couldn't have been enough to make people forget how shoddy the Big East (and even it's best teams) has been this season. Right on cue, the Bulls fell 24-20. Maybe this is the year the Big East should lose its automatic BCS bid.
Ashley Allen
DeLeah Caro
Back in Time: July 3
Manny Being Manny
Comments (31) Add A Comment
I love Big East football. I love the fact that the teams are always using unique strategies and have exciting players. I also love the fact that they have beaten up on the big boys in the BCS games.
However, the Mountain West is more deserving of that coveted automatic bid. It's a little thing called consistency, and they have been consistently excellent this year. BYU, Utah, and TCU all have the skill level, physicality and coaching required to beat almost any Top-10 team. Sadly, I can't say the same about USF, West Virginia, or Cincinatti. The Big East has been way too inconsistent for a so-called power conference.
Redwing19: taking a…
Ottawa, ON
Total Comments (32911)
Thanks for your comments on sub-Top 25 teams. I guess you haven't yet found the right words to describe how a No. 1 team beat a No. 6 team in a great game that started at 2:30. Maybe, first, you could expound on the Carson City State game versus Slippery Rock. Or maybe how Kevin Flambecker beat Roger Shugazzes in a game of horseshoes two weeks ago. Has it already been two weeks since that fantstic game? Wow. One for the ages. Now, how many yards did the Duke QB have in that game? Because his grandmother is curious.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
Wow. If only I could get a word in edge-wise in this blistering conversation regarding your coverage of "afternoon" games. Or if I could find a way into any Sweep updates. Oh, wait, there aren't any.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
What's really amazing is the total ineptitude of sports writers. They think so well of their ability to analyze teams that they don't even watch play... and these are the people voting in the polls. Way past time for a playoff system.
GlennAllen
Richmond , VA
Total Comments (198)
At this rate, I eagerly await your in-depth analysis of of the 1949 Army-Navy game.
Seriously, no one yet on "The Sweep" with an opinion on No.1 versus No. 6? Really??? Paid by the hour, or what? CNN/SI, careful eye on those expense reports!!
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
So South Florida-Louisville kicked off at the same time as Texas-Ok State and Georgia-LSU. This blog has a result for which game first? Give up? Not Number 1 versus number 6 or number 9 versus number 11. The Chicago Tribune in 1909 could beat you to press with commentary at this point.
At this rate, redwing19, GlenAllen or I should have ownership of this blog. Whadda you say boys, 33% each? And Mallory with 1%? I mean, she's probably new, right, let her keep a little bit of her own blog. Mabe she could be a ... contributing member.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
Not bitter at all. Truly.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
I feel like this is my own little performance space.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
I mean, really, I'm just kind of bored tonight. And I felt like the true writers might have left the server feeling a little lonely tonight. I mean, he probaby sees the activity on his server friends, and he's feeling like that poor little kid picked last for the team. SI writers, do you really want to do that to your poor little server? He only means to...serve...you.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
SI writers, all it takes is pennies a day to help out poor little Servie. Can't you give him a little content, today? Please help. Operators are standing by.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
Wow! Penn State and Ohio State fans just pledged a total of 10,000 words of column space for poor little Servie!! Listen, SEC and Big 12 fans, I know your day is over (without commentary), but please dig deep into your word processor savings, and give little Serive some help.
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
I would like to report abuse of this forum by bnix. Does this guy have nothing thing better to do or what? It seems like he's trying to post as many words as he can before any actual writers post anything. Can we get this guy banned or what?
bnix
Austin, TX
Total Comments (15)
Why pick on the Big East? Shouldn't this be the year the ACC loses IT's BCS berth? When was the last time an ACC team won a BCS game?
rutger80
Marietta , GA
Total Comments (4)
Why do the ACC and Big East need to lose their BCS bids? That's what the Orange Bowl is for....
schrecklich
New Haven , CT
Total Comments (16)
Mallory, please go back in the kitchen, you know nothing of football.
efw_west
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (15)
PS -- bnix, maybe try another college football website? When there's a big game like Texas-Oklahoma State, SI usually gives its own feature article rather than a blog post. It's right here
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/andy_staples/10/25/texas.oks tate/index.html
schrecklich
New Haven , CT
Total Comments (16)
efw_west:
****, Moron.
So, uh, Mallory, where did you come from? Come here often?
beachgator
Total Comments (401)
You all ever think maybe their bosses tell them what to write about on a certain day? I'm pretty sure most writers would rather cover Texas and Ok State then watch a Big East or ACC game right now.
Ashton G.
Washington, DC
Total Comments (39)
And Bnix, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/andy_staples/10/25/texas.oks tate/index.html is a little thing by an SI writer on Texas posted with a timestamp before your little rant. Probably explains why no one talked about it.
Ashton G.
Washington, DC
Total Comments (39)
Since when did SI writers start letting their teenage daughters come in on Saturdays and post the college football articles?
Klee Irwin
Total Comments (1595)
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