Strong postgame

Whoa... Coach Strong is furious. Never seen him like this before.

CJ video of Bridgewater touchdown

Charlie's still in the locker room

Paul Rogers is saying on the radio right now that he's hearing Charlie Strong deliver the most severe tongue-lashing that he's ever heard the coach deliver. It sucks to lose, but I'm glad I'm not in there.

A culture of losing is not acceptable. Wins cannot, and will not, be given away.

That's what I'm imagining is being said... worded perhaps a bit differently.

Louisville blows lead when Teddy throws two late INTs: Herd over Cards 17-13

We saw lots of evidence this afternoon why Teddy Bridgewater will be an exceptional quarterback for the University of Louisville. In the final quarter, however, we were reminded that for all his talents, he remains a freshman quarterback playing in his third game.

Teddy threw two interceptions at the end of this ballgame that effectively cost Louisville the victory. His first INT came with Louisville protecting a narrow 13-10 lead, setting up Marshall 30 yards away from the go-ahead score; the Thundering Herd quickly capitalized. The second came on the next drive, on a throw that was tipped as Bridgewater tried to drive Louisville downfield with under two minutes to go. Bridgewater's mistakes capped a very uneven second half offensive performance and, in my opinion, uninspired play-calling. Mike Sanford continues to show an inability to adapt when there is difficulty establishing the run. And there was no run established today -- 60 total yards on the day, many earned when Bridgewater scrambled.

The interceptions negated what had been an otherwise solid first start for the heralded young quarterback, hinting at the explosive brand of football that he is capable of showcasing.

In the first twenty-five minutes of Louisville's game against the Thundering Herd, the Cardinal offense could not move the ball against Marshall. What was more alarming was that Louisville's respected defensive unit surrendered a touchdown on Marshall's opening drive that was all too easy. To top it off, ESPN3 experienced technical difficulties and was unable to show the game through most of the first quarter, which didn't affect most of you but certainly irked me. To put it mildly, things were not going well by the five-minute point before the end of the half. Flashbacks to the FIU game blinked furiously against the collective mind of the Cardinal faithful.

Then Bridgewater got hot.

Buoyed by the no-huddle offense, Bridgewater finally came to life and led the Cards 93 yards, firing bullets downfield the way he was able to do against Kentucky. A perfect strike to Chi, who after catching the ball in stride almost lost his balance when he turned upfield, squared his shoulderpads, and realized there was no one near to hit. Bridgewater then located a precision lob to Jarrett Davis in the back corner of the end zone, but the touchdown was negated due to an illegal procedure penalty by the same player. Then, in a play that electrified Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, on 3rd and goal from the 9, Bridgewater scrambled toward his left, evaded two defenders, and leapt into the end zone for the game-tying score.

For those who saw it, it was the boldest statement yet of this young man's athletic ability and potent explosiveness.

But by game's end, he had reminded everyone that he's just a freshman.

Stats here.

Trace Adkins trivia

The country star will be singing the national anthem at Papa John's tomorrow. But like I said before, I think Louisville's own Nicole Scherzinger could be performing completely topless and you'd still have this back and forth going on in the Green Lot at 3:25...

UofL fan 1: How much you got left? (shaking an almost empty can side to side)
UofL fan 2: 'Bout 3 quarters.
UofL fan 1: Alright then (dipping into the cooler for another).
UofL fan 2: You just got new speakers on this, didnya?
UofL fan 1: You know it.
Paul Rogers: (over radio) WELCOME LADIES AND GENTS TO A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT PAPA JOHNS WHERE THE 2-1 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS...

Annnnd scene. Like I've said before, you just gotta embrace it. It's part of our charm. Anywho, here's a few did-you-knows for the folks around you if you manage to make it in time to hear the country crooner...

* Had his pinkie cut off in an accident while working a job before his music career began. Since he was going to lose dexterity anyways, he asked the doc to reattach it at a peculiar angle. His crooked pinkie finger is now one of his trademarks.

* Is a lifelong member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter in Louisiana. Umm, moving on.

* Was shot by his second wife during a domestic dispute. He never filed charges.

* Got discovered singing at a Nashville pub when an executive at Capitol Records just happened to catch his show.

...and predictions

The big story heading into tomorrow's game is the pending decision to start Teddy Bridgewater over Will Stein. So you can pretty much count on OC Mike Sanford to deflate all that by stubbornly and repeatedly stuffing the ball up the middle all throughout the first half, in his sacrificial and quixotic journey to "establish the run."

Will it work? This week, yes. Marshall's defense is not quality enough to stop the likes of Dominique Brown and Jeremy Wright, the latter of whom must not fumble the ball or there will be some serious confidence issues in development. More importantly, the offensive line, which gained so much confidence and momentum from the Kentucky game, will use their new assertiveness to steamroll the Marshall defensive line, much to the delight of those fans paying specific attention each week to line play.

The improvement will be noticeable on this fine day at Papa John's. Nonetheless, Cards fans will be abuzz about Devante Parker. He will record his fourth touchdown reception on the season, and next week we will have to assess just how special a player we might have on our hands.

In the end, the offense led by Teddy will be a potent mixture of impressive offensive playmaking, dumb mistakes, and more penalties than we'd like to count. Though I will predict, boldly in my opinion, that ball control will not be a problem.

But as always, the defense will rise to the occasion and ensure that this one is never in serious late-game jeopardy, led by Dexter Heyman, who will record his usual 10 tackles/2 for loss but will also add his second sack. If Anthony Connor snags an early-game interception to set the tone, or Hakeem Smith forces a fumble later on, then I'm calling this one for the Cards, 24-6. Player of the Game: Dominique Brown.

More Marshall connections; Strong and Holliday

The announcers shouldn't have any trouble will filler-fluff during dead periods tomorrow. In addition to Cato-Bridgewater, Cato-T.Y. Hilton, Tony Petersen the sequel, we also have two coaches branched straight from the Urban Meyer coaching tree. Marshall coach Doc Holliday was safeties coach for the Gators during Strong's tenure; he also held that amorphous title "associate head coach" that Florida hands out from time to time.

Holliday said this about their relationship..."Charlie's great. We go back a long ways. Actually working with him for three years, Charlie's a guy that deserved to be a head coach for a long time. I was happy and proud of him when he got that job. He'll do a tremendous job. He and his wife Vicki are both really good friends of Diana and myself. He deserves everything he gets."

Predictions, predictions...

I'm terribly excited for tomorrow's game. The flip side of that is that I'm also very nervous. Marshall looks to be the consummate "don't overlook" squad. They just played Virginia Tech, so they're unlikely to be quivering in their cleats, and their backs are against the wall after a disappointing start to the season. Like FIU, they thrive on big plays, and will be unafraid to take shots downfield to try and catch the Cards napping.

So tomorrow's game would seem to depend on the Cards mental fortitude. I had mixed emotions about hearing Charlie Strong and Greg Scruggs talk about how thankful they were for the bye, so the team could fully absorb the big win against UK before moving on. Frankly, I preferred Clint Hurtt's: "It was only UK, whatcha want a cookie?" approach.

There's a ton of football left to be played this season, so my fear is that getting the Gov Cup back blunts some of that edge we need to win each game; we're not good enough to coast to victories. I keep reminding myself that it was only a short three weeks ago that I walked out of Papa Johns with a pit in my stomach the size of a tangerine.

We shall know soon enough. This week, I think the Cards win on the strength of the defense. Teddy Bridgewater gets the start, but will remind everyone that even the most talented of freshman are freshman nonetheless. He'll finish the game with over 200 yards passing, two TDs (one rushing one passing) and two INTs. TB plays with enough poise and makes enough plays, however, to effectively end any QB controversy.

But the Cardinal defense rules the day. Marshall is again unable to run the ball through the Cards rejuvenated d-line, and QB Rakeem Cato is forced into precarious situations. The Louisville secondary licks its chops and eventually makes big breaks on the football. Cato throws 3 picks.

I predict a Louisville special teams TD and another fumble from either Jeremy Wright or Vic Anderson. It won't be perfect, but it won't be overly nerve wracking either. Cards win 31-17. Player of the game? Adrian Bushell.

Forecast: Sunny, brisk, 100% chance of drunkenness

This feels like THE tailgate of the season. We don't get as many 3:30 Saturday kickoffs as we'd like as football fans, so we gotta make the most of the one's we do get. And I'm a sucker for all those autumn cliches, so tomorrow's forecast is pretty loin-stirring...

High: 61
Chance of rain: 0%
Wind: NW 10-20 mph


Now that is some football weather. Gonna be a fun day.

Friday happenings

* ESPN's Andy Katz said last night, quoting a source, that Louisville is interested in remaining in the Big East. Having come from a basketball reporter, this only adds to the perception that Rick Pitino is pulling whatever strings he can in favor of the Big East. I have no idea if that is the case, but that's the perception. If the Big 12 falls through, Rick Pitino is going to have to disappear until basketball season when he has the chance to win games and redeem himself. He'll be the most unpopular person around town, followed quickly by Mr. Red.

It was only a mission statement. Watch the Bartman documentary, dammit! Scapegoating. Ain't. Cool.

* The once-Cardinal-to-be Rodney Purvis will make his college announcement this afternoon. Louisville is still on his "list" but since the Cards deny that they are still recruiting him, I wouldn't hold your breath. But UConn is a possibility for him, so we may not have heard the last from young Rodney. Great talent, weird kid though.

* St. X-Trinity tonight at Papa Johns. With the Tigers likely to get a swift shillelagh upside the head, it may not be as exciting as games past, but still worth the price of admission if only to watch the Shamrock's James Quick, their monster o-line and slew of other future D-1 players on the field. Charlie and Joker are gonna have fierce tussles for some of that talent.

* Follow Cardinal Laws on twitter by clicking the little thingy above where the page used to begin before we sold out.

* I couldn't get over reading the article in the CJ today that listed all the position changes Charlie Strong has had to shuffle on the roster. Going through the list you will see some major contributors and some major changes. It's a real testament to the vision and teaching-skills of the entire coaching staff as well as to the character of the players themselves.

Bridgewater might be go for first start

It's increasingly looking like Teddy Bridgewater will get the starting nod on Saturday against Marshall.

All speculation about the rapid rise of Teddy aside, Charlie Strong's apparent mantra is that you don't practice, you don't play. And Stein has not practiced (in pads) at least as of Wednesday.

After the UK game, Strong said it would have been possible to bring Stein back in if he had felt the need. But since that game, in which Stein injured his right shoulder, he rehabbed all of last week and hasn't been able to don pads this week. Which makes me think that it's a good thing we didn't send him back into that game.

So the hotly anticipated, widely speculated "Bridgewater Era" may take a quantum leap forward this Saturday if Bridgewater gets his first start. I'll be watching to see how Teddy reacts against a defensive game plan drawn up specifically to counter his playing abilities, as opposed to Stein. 

To take nothing away from Bridgewater's terrific performance against Kentucky -- when you're threading the needle, you're threading the needle -- but I can't help but think that Kentucky looked and played "shell-shocked," having unexpectedly to cope with Bridgewater's game-expanding capacities so much, so fast. 

Say what you want about the quality of our next opponent, but they at least know what to expect. If Bridgewater comes out and can still pick apart the defense on select throws, well, we may have something here.

Video report below also available here.

KSR just getting dumb

Posting 20 times a day takes a toll, I understand, so not every one can be a gem. But still, this is just dumb. We're talkin' Nancy Grace, Forest Gump dummmmbbbb.

T-Will apparently sent out a tweet about how he likes to get down with the ladies. Or rather, how you should get down with the ladies if you want to keep things spicy. It was kinda funny in a T-Will sort of way.

Funny in a different way to UK blogger Chris Thomas, who's apparently been following T-Will's account for ages now until just such a moment presented itself so he could pounce with his own unique brand of humor. Thomas, you see, cracks up because T-Will said "word OF the wise" instead of "word TO the wise" in his tweet. Haha. Dude can't even get an idiom right. Ahahahahahaha. Man, that is gold, Jerry, just gold. Niiiice find, Chris, high five!

He also described T-Will as a gun-totin' thug, which I have no idea what he's referencing and starts to cross the line between "just dumb" and "just offensive".

But like I've said before, it's all in The Simpsons.

Quimby: Are these morons getting dumber or just louder?
Aide: Dumber, sir. 

Navy/Air Force > Syracuse/Pitt

Good stuff on Eric Crawford's blog today. He notes, among other things, that the Big East's Sagarin rating would actually improve if Navy and Air Force were current members and the Orange and Panthers were not.

Add TCU and Temple, that number improves even more. Get even more creative with two more additions (Houston/Iowa State?) and it snowballs from there. I nodded along quite a bit especially reading his last point.

If you step outside the group-think and the echo chamber for a minute, you can see the situation for the Big East doesn't need to be so dire. In some ways you can even call it exciting.

Follow CL on twitter

We're going for broke. Total overexposure. Follow our new twitter account @CardinalLaws. No hyphen. There's no time for hyphens anymore.

The Rakeem Cato, T.Y. Hilton connection

Sorry to those of you that never wanted to hear those initials ever again. But the connections and omens taking place in the Marshall matchup are off the charts. Not only were Teddy Bridgewater and Rakeem Cato quarterbacks of rival Miami high schools, but Cato's partner in crime in putting up some gaudy high school stats was none other than T.Y. Hilton. Cato and Hilton's chemistry was so strong that apparently Rakeem looked long and hard at FIU largely for the chance to be reunited with his favorite receiver.

Ultimately, it wasn't meant to be, but Hilton's name still looms large, especially being compared to Marshall's current receiving threat, Aaron Dobson. Cato and Dobson have connected on four of the Thundering Herd's five TDs this season. At 6'3'', 205, he's rangy and explosive.

Cato said this about his receiver: "He's the best I've had since T.Y. He's just a great wideout."

Such praise means a lot more now than it did three weeks ago.

Cardinal quirks on display on Saturday

Charlie Strong tweeted us fans a hearty pat on the back yesterday; at day's end there were less than 100 tickets available for the Marshall game, meaning that by kickoff it will certainly be a sellout. Against a 1-3 team from C-USA, that's pretty bitchin' and a much-needed indicator to Strong & Co. that the passion for Louisville football is real and will begin to roar even louder each step we take back to glory.

But on the same day, Greg Scruggs tweeted that the Card March tradition will likely go the way of the dodo because of low fan turnout. So if you want to save the March, better be at the tunnel early this Saturday. I confess the Card March has never been a part of my tailgaiting rituals, so it wouldn't break my heart if it goes, especially if Charlie Strong feels that pre-game time could be better spent. If we need a new tradition, how about the team doing a victory lap and slapping hands with the fans after wins? Sounds like a good tradition to me.

The ebb and flow between the packed-house passion from Louisville fans and the "nah, I'm not gonna do that" definance to Card March tradition is one of the unique and quirky, yes, pleasures that comes from Louisville football.

Also, keep in mind that the UofL soccer team will be hosting top-ranked UConn right across the street Saturday night. Your football ticket stub gets you in for free. Should be an electric atmosphere.

**UPDATE**

Cards March may not make it, but don't think Charlie Strong is giving up his Don Quixote-like quest to get Louisville fans in their seats by kickoff. He just tweeted that country music star Trace Adkins will be singing the national anthem on Saturday. Trace Adkins! If Trace has about 500 coolers packed with cheap beer with him, then maybe he'll have a chance of performing to a full house.

Writing off the Big East

I feel like Jerry in this sketch. The quickest way to get a fellow Cardinal to look at you like you have two heads is to suggest that Louisville remain in the Big East...



Someone's gotta explain this to me like I'm a 5-year old. What am I missing? Why is it that two-weeks ago the Big East was the best basketball conference ever assembled, and was eagerly awaiting the Horned Frogs to add juice to an improving football conference. And now, after two subpar football programs leave, suddenly we're toast. Burnt toast. Dead. Doomed. Deep fried. No chance. Can't happen. Slam the casket. Write the obit. Man what a pathetic excuse for a conference.

What the hell am I missing? WHY CAN'T WE JUST ADD SOME GOOD/BETTER TEAMS AND CALL IT A GOOD/BETTER CONFERENCE?

Easssy, Rick

Like I said yesterday, I agree with Rick Pitino that the best course for UofL should be to stay in the Big East, take time, and add more promising programs over the next two years. Despite all the echo chamber declarations and microwave society musings, there's really no rush. Pitt and Cuse have to stay that long anyways and the current BCS contract doesn't expire till 2013-14. There's plenty of time. You think that in 2014, if the Big East plays it smart and has, I dunno, like 4 or 5 teams in the Top 25, which isn't exactly impossible if cards are played right, then we'll be left out? The Big East is a member of the BCS, remember? They're going to be a part of all these negotiations. You think they will negotiate themselves out of existence? It's just not gonna happen. Pitt and Syracuse didn't help things, obviously, but if everyone keeps their heads the Big East will be fine. All you need is ONE automatic bid; the Big East will keep that.

But still, Rick Pitino is making major miscalculations with his approach to this problem. Having already taken to his blog to register his thoughts, he's now giving interviews to anyone with a microphone about how UConn is "dumb" for leaving, the ACC is jealous of Big East basketball, and so on. Rick made his point, he's entitled to that much. But now, shut up Rick.

Tom Jurich and James Ramsey are calling these shots. Not you. And this is coming from someone who agrees with him! But I also acknowledge this is a complex situation with lots of pros and cons on both sides. If it's determined the Big 12 is more pro, the route we take, I'll get behind it. Pitino needs to do the same, and he needs to stop acting so petulant about the process.

He's coming dangerously close to completely tearing through the already-stretched support he still has among the Louisville faithful. I sometimes have no idea what's going through his head when he does things like refer to his time at UK as "Camelot", believes that every problem in college athletics can be solved with some anecdote from his autobiography, all while trying to sabotage a conference-move supported by the vast majority of UofL fans.

How does he expect the fanbase to respond to that? With all this conference talk, Louisville fans are being forced to look long-term. And for the first time in a long time, I think, they're seeing a future that doesn't include Rick Pitino. Because right now, it appears that the Spinmaster is spinning out of control.

Enemy Dossier: Omar Brown

NAME: Brown, Omar AKA The Head-Hunter (for real)

HOMETOWN: Monck's Corner, SC

SIZE & STATS: 5'11'', 194 lbs (2011: 46 tackles, 2 forced fumbles)

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Hakeem Smith

POSITION ADVANTAGE: Push

MR. RED'S TAKE: When evaluating the Marshall defense, you begin and end with Omar Brown. The senior safety and defensive captain has been the constant for the up and down unit; he recorded 18 tackles against Virginia Tech, forced a fumble, and nearly created another in the 3rd quarter that could have kept Marshall in the game.

He's been rock solid his whole career, but especially this season. He had a 14 tackle game just before Va. Tech, and of the 35 tackles from the two contests, 17 have been solo. Brown is also relentless at trying to rip the ball away while making a tackle, which should be worrisome especially to Jeremy Wright, who has a bad case of fumble-itis and seems to lose focus at the end of runs. Do that this week, and Brown will have the ball in a blink.

His coach said this about Brown's play this season: "Every week, you know what you are going to get out of Omar Brown. We need about 10 more Omar Browns and we'll be fine."

So expect to hear his name a lot on Saturday. Which is OK. Let him get his tackles, just make sure we still have the ball afterwards and that he's making his plays 10 yards downfield instead of the line of scrimmage.

The Onion nails it...

Describing the kind of forethought Syracuse puts into its future.

"It just felt right to me."

Here here, Hunter. The Cards just got some good news, as 6'6'' tight end Hunter Bowles from Glasgow has picked the Cards over the Cats.

If Commonwealth recruiting were a Risk Board, the Red forces are storming into Blue strongholds and are cashing in for more infantry. Last commit was Kyle Bolin out of Lexington, now Hunter Bowles, whose father apparently played baseball at UK and hales from the heart of blue country.

Good pickup for the Cards, and the blueprint for Louisville success seems to be coming to fruition. Consolidate the best talent in the Bluegrass while mixing it with the wealth of talent from the Sunshine State. Just a guess here though, I'm betting UK didn't want him anyway.

D'oh!

Speaking of curses, I'm terrified every time Louisville plays a game, basketball or football, against team X when team X is trying to achieve X victory which they haven't done in X number of years. Far too often, the Cards are far too obliging.

Well, too bad, we got one again this week. Marshall is 0-12 on the road against BCS conference teams since 2005. Getting that monkey off the back is a stated goal of coach Doc Holliday.

Steve Bartman and Whistle Guy

I hope you caught the compelling documentary "Catching Hell" that debuted on ESPN last night. It depicted in excruciating detail the Steve Bartman saga, whose life was forever altered in one moment when he errantly and innocently tried to catch a foul ball that may or may not have prevented the Cubs from a trip from the World Series.

Cubs fan or not, baseball fan or not, it was a fascinating bit of sociology and look at human psychology. It exposed an ugly side of fans, the media, of mob mentality and the lunacy of sports "curses" taken to absurd degrees. It was a perfect storm of events that effectively destroyed an young man's life.

It was really, really worth watching, and if you couldn't, try to catch it on replay. It also got me thinking about "Whistle Guy", the guy that disrupted a big play in Louisville's favor during the UK game. He's largely been forgotten already after a brief 15 minutes of infamy, but if the circumstances were slightly different, his life could have been disrupted similarly. It's not totally analagous, obviously, because Whistle Guy intentionally tried to influence the game, while Bartman's actions were innocent. But still, all in all, I'd say that Whistle Guy is fairly lucky. Louisville won the game anyway, and I don't care what anyone says, Cards fans are less rabid than UK with that kind of stuff.

Can you imagine if a Louisville fan had disrupted a big play for UK with the game hanging in the balance? I think we would have witnessed a similarly ugly scene.

Enemy Dossier: Rakeem Cato

NAME: Cato, Rakeem AKA Kaelin

HOMETOWN: Miami Springs, FL

SIZE & STATS: 6'1'', 170lbs, 5 TDs, 7 INTs, 66.6% comp percentage

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Teddy Bridgewater

POSITION ADVANTAGE: Louisville

MR. RED'S TAKE: An interesting matchup will take place on Saturday if Will Stein isn't able to go. If Teddy takes the snaps, we'll see two true freshman quarterbacks, both from Miami, and both two of the top dual-threat prospects in that recruiting class.

Cato is a talented prospect being asked to do a whole lot, real early. As noted below, Marshall has no running game to speak of, and the true freshman is being asked to throw the ball early and very often. His best performance of the year was against Southern Miss, when Cato rallied his team from a 17-3 deficit with 3 straight touchdown drives and their only win this season.

His worst performance was against Ohio when he threw 4 picks in a 44-7 rout. Rakeem Cato is going through baptism by fire at the moment, so it's tough to tell how good this kid can be once he gets some help and some more experience. He'll have a breakout game against someone, but it doesn't appear to be this week.

Touching story on Cato in the Miami Herald here, and how he has coped and eventually drew inspiration from the death of his mother, who suddenly passed away from pneumonia when he was 13.

Marshall rushing attack; The Thundering Turd

Time to recalibrate back to the present. Cards face Marshall this Saturday in an eminently winnable game and a must-have in terms of Louisville bowl eligibility.

So I'm starting my opposition research on Marshall. And...they're flawed. First and foremost is their inability to rush the ball at all. Their leading back, Tron Martinez, rushed 7 times for 10 yards against Va. Tech last week. They finished, as a team, with six yards for the game in 24 attempts for a .3 average. Yeesh.

They are yet to rush for a TD this season. Look for Marshall to use the no-huddle frequently on Saturday; the only offensive success they had against the Hokies was when using the hurry up at the end of the first half, when they moved the ball downfield steadily and scored their only touchdown on the day.

Rick Pitino on Big East; right idea, wrong teams

Pitino took to the keyboard yesterday to expound his thoughts on the conference situation. Or as he put it: "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". The words just rolled off his tongue, almost as if he had participated in a trial recently.

The gist of his piece was simple. That the Big East can and should be saved, and that Louisville will play a major role in ensuring that. He reminded that geography actually is a factor, because all the other non-revenue sports travel without the luxury of private planes. He recommended that the Big East add Navy, Army, Air Force and Temple, and sit down with a conversation with Villanova about getting serious about their football program.

Look, it's easy to paint Rick Pitino as being disengenuous with this piece (I for one, don't really understand his geographic argument, last time I checked Louisville isn't exactly on the eastern seaboard either). And everyone immediately jumped to the conclusion that Pitino is fretting over losing sidetrips to his favorite destinations, New York City and Providence. Donning a cowboy hat for a mid-winter trip to Waco, Texas just wouldn't have the same appeal.

But as I said before, I think he's right in that the best long-term strategy for Louisville is to remain in the reformed Big East as one of the driving teams and voices, while selectively adding the best mid-major football programs out there.

Pitino proposed 5 teams; the three service academies, Temple and Villanova. I'll give him 2 out of 5. I agree with him about Temple, an excellent Philadelphia university with strong academics, a rich basketball tradition and a up and coming football program (who trounced Maryland 38-7 last Saturday). Automatic Mr. Red nod of approval. No question.

I've also come around on Navy, who's commitment to football is longstanding and admiralble (eh? eh? get it? oh go to hell). The other service academies, not so much. Like one host said on the Morning Sports Buzz today, playing against that much option football every year would make me want to blow my brains out.

But ultimately I agree with Rick. Save the Big East. Fill the leadership position Syracuse and Pitt abdicated. Let Tom Jurich do what he does best, and prime himself for a role of BE commissioner many seem to think is his next step.

You don't have to panic. This too shall pass. Don't just add Air Force and Army cause you feel the need to immediately be "proactive" (for one, you can always hold Syracuse and Pitt to the full 24 months of the charter the signed before they flee. Why not? If it serves the Big East's interests, hold those Benedict Arnolds around and torture them for two years). Use that time to be smart and strategic. Houston and Iowa State would be infinitely better choices than Army and Air Force.

It's important to remember just how much we didn't lose when Syracuse and Pitt left. Big names, sure, but disappointing football schools year after year. There are so many better programs out there to fill those spots. If you keep your wits about you and don't do anything rash, the Big East can come out of this stronger than it was before. Better fine dining, too.

Full blog entry here.

Thoughts on the weekend, Strong presser, Big 12, the usual...

Conference shennanigans have me so mixed up I was as big a Mountaineer fan you can be on Saturday while still sitting on a couch come Monday. WVU got routed, of course, by the LSU Tigers who look every bit the next national champion, but the game was actually much closer than the final score indicated. WVU cut the lead to 6 heading into the 4th quarter and was riding a wave of momentum until giving up a 99-yard kickoff return. Sails de-winded. Step hopless. Game over.

Still, the Mountaineers moved the ball as well as anyone against LSU, they just shot themselves in the foot at crucial times so continually eventually I had to calm myself down and remember that I actually hate our moonshine-soaked, couch burnin', cousin kissn' neighbors. Still though, WVU is a quality team.

* Charlie Strong speaking about the conference uncertainty: "We have whatever we need to be competitive wherever we go. You just gotta go recruit."

* On the importance of still being in a BCS conference: "For recruits, yea, that's all they want to hear."

* For those tingling over the possibility of Louisville joining the Big 12, there was a good article on ESPN today on the circumstances of Texas AM's departure.

You gotta at least know what you're walking into. Apparently AM could no longer stomach co-existing in the same conference as Texas, who's greed and sole self-interest was the prime mover for the entire shifting of college tectonics. The Longhorns are still there. And they're still the same sanctimonious and selfish prigs, they have just been stifled for the moment.

For all intents and purposes, the Big 12 should be and always should have been a football powerhouse almost on par with the SEC, one of the last conferences you'd expect to dissolve. So in that regard I'm not surprised that many if not most Louisville fans are drooling over a football schedule featuring some of those old school, cornbred powers.

But in the words of Aldo the Apache, if somethin' sounds too good to be true, it ain't. You gotta ask why proud programs like Nebraska, Texas AM, Missouri, and Colarado are all so eager to get away from the Longhorns. It's because the Texas Longhorns appear as unstable as Rick Perry.

So my biggest concern would be joining a conference still poised to fall apart. At least in the Big East I think the Cards can maintain some continuity, and a tad more control over our fate, whatever that may be in the coming years.

* Charlie wants a featured back to emerge from the Anderson/Wright/Brown trio.

* Will Stein has been out of practice since the injury "and could not play today" if he had to. But he's not been ruled out for Saturday.

* Strong said he was glad for the bye week, not only to get healthy, but to avoid overlooking the next opponent while still basking in a big win.

* Some other interesting scores from the weekend. Mighty Syracuse beats Toledo in overtime by a field goal. ACC blueblood Maryland gets trounced by potential Big East target, Temple, 38-7. Our next opponent, Marshall, hung with Va. Tech but lost 30-10. The Hokies did not score in the second half. Also worth noting, Va. Tech, the flagship ACC football program, squeaked by East Carolina 17-10 earlier this season. ECU, of course, is the C-USA school that's currently getting the cold shoulder from the Big East about perspective membership.

If you can't tell, Mr. Red's a tad befuddled and angry over the ACC's undisputed worth to college football, while the Big East is struggling to defend its very existence.

* Greg Scruggs, who you can go ahead and call the official spokesman for the Louisville squad, was entertaining as always in his presser segment. He has absolute confidence in Teddy Bridegewater because of his unflappability. Said that Teddy actually was the one calming him down before the UK game.

Scruggs must have used the word "calm" and "humble" about 12 times when speaking about Teddy Bridgewater.

* Reporter (joking): I don't suspect there's much talking back to Coach Hurtt.

GS: "Nobody talks back to any coach around here. First one that does will be the first kicked off this team.

Q: But especially Coach Hurtt?

GS: I don't say a peep.

* Can't wait till Saturday. When you've got that innate feeling, something's going right.

When you talk about Charlie Strong, you talk about Charlie Strong talking at press conferences

Like right HERE. Not now. Right now it's just white noise and sportwriters muttering with one another. Which is strangely hypnotic. Charlie at 12:00.