What we learned in the Big 12

1. The league’s top defenses still have a lot to prove. Texas and Oklahoma were wholly unimpressive in their debuts, although Texas’ mistakes weren’t nearly as costly. Of the three supposedly elite defenses in the Big 12, Oklahoma looked the worst, giving up 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air to Utah State’s Diondre Borel. Meanwhile, Nebraska gave up 179 yards on the ground to Western Kentucky in a performance coach Bo Pelini called “an absolute embarrassment.” Texas wasn’t gashed as badly against Rice, and gave up just 219 total yards, but the Longhorns defensive backs missed a handful of big plays. All three have to get a lot better to equal either of their 2009 editions.

2. The most impressive team in Week 1: Oklahoma State. Dana Holgorsen’s Air Raid went nuts on Saturday night, racing all over the field at Boone Pickens Stadium for 544 yards and 65 points — 38 in the first half. Kendall Hunter ran for four touchdowns and the Cowboys won the turnover battle 2-0. The Cowboys made fans a little nervous after letting Washington State inch to within 17-10 from an early 17-0 deficit, but Oklahoma State answered with the game’s next five touchdowns to put the game … uh … out of reach.

3. Hes baaa-aack. Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin once again showcased his big-play capability, rushing for a 30-yard touchdown and throwing for two more — a 68-yarder to Brad Taylor and a 23-yarder to Terrance Williams. He completed 19 of 36 passes for 242 yards and ran for 59 yards on six carries, a 9.8 yard average.

4. Kansas? Well, they’re just not very good. Hard to envision a worse start for Turner Gill at Kansas. At least Ole Miss’ 49-48 loss to an FCS team in double overtime was fun to watch. The Jayhawks 6-3 debacle had to be painful for fans watching at home and even more so for those in attendance. It’s hard to find many positives from a mistake-laden performance at home against the Bison, who went 3-8 last season. I’ll try: My preseason prediction of the Jayhawks as the Big 12’s most improved team at season’s end is looking pretty good. There’s nowhere to go but up, but it’s still hard to believe how far Kansas has fallen since a BCS bowl win in 2007. I got a few complaints after I pegged the Jayhawks at No. 12 in my preseason power rankings. I doubt I’ll get any when they’re right back there again on Tuesday morning. When Kansas suits up next weekend against No. 19 Georgia Tech, it will have been over 11 months (Oct. 10, 2009 vs. Iowa State) since the program has recorded a win.

5. I was 100 percent wrong about Kendall Hunter. It’s easy to forget how good a guy can be when he struggles for so long like he did last year. The ankle injury must have affected him longer and more than anyone thought. You heard all spring and preseason about how Holgorsen thought Hunter was even better than he had been told, and Hunter validated all of that on Saturday night. Dominant, unstoppable, whatever. Use all the hyperbolic terms you want. Kendall Hunter was all of them, topping 200 yards in the first half. He should have been higher on my top 25 list, and he should have been higher on my ranking of the Big 12’s running backs. He’s better than Alexander Robinson at Iowa State. He’s better than Roy Helu at Nebraska. Neither is capable of putting on the show Hunter did on Saturday night. Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray and Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas? We’ll find out over the next three months. All three topped 200 yards in impressive debuts.

TCU uses big stage to make statement

ARLINGTON, Texas — TCU pushed Oregon State around inside palatial Cowboys Stadium. No getting around that. The sixth-ranked Horned Frogs rushed for 278 yards, which is more than the Beavers 255 total yards. Oregon State ran just 51 plays; TCU 81.

“Still,” the glum head shakes from the Beavers said afterwards. They had the ball and a chance with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter, but they made their biggest error of the evening. A miscommunication on a shotgun snap from senior center Alex Linnenkohl to sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz, who was making his first career start, sailed over a surprised Katz’s shoulder, which forced Katz to kick the ball through the end zone for a safety.

Those would be the final points — and the last time the Beavers touched the ball — in a 30-21 defeat.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t give ourselves a chance on the drive at the end,” Beavers coach Mike Riley said.

What happened was this: Oregon State, down seven, had a first down on its 18-yard line. A draw play was called. Katz saw something he didn’t like. He tried to change the play. Linnenkohl didn’t get the message and snapped the ball.

The Horned Frogs got two points and the ball and they didn’t give it back.

“The safety was a big deal,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “You go up by nine and you play the game a lot different.”

The biggest deal was TCU’s running game and the Beavers lack of one. While Jacquizz Rodgers gained a tough 75 yards on 18 carries, the Beavers finished with just 73 yards on the ground. Three TCU runners gained at least 64 yards, topped by Ed Wesley with 134 on just 17 carries, which works out to a crisp 7.9 per rush.

Suffice it to say, the Horned Frogs option worked even though the Beavers knew it was coming.

“We just couldn’t get off a block to make a play,” Riley said.

Oregon State was still in the game in the fourth because of two interceptions of TCU quarterback Andy Dalton — one by Lance Mitchell and the other by Dwight Roberson — and a well-executed fake punt that netted 23 yards on a fourth-and-1. The fake punt set up the second of Katz’s two touchdown passes, which gave the Beavers a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

Katz made some nice throws — his TDs covered 30 and 34 yards — but he only completed 9 of 25 passes for 159 yards. Nonetheless, it was a solid first start on the road. He didn’t throw an interception and was mistake-free until the muddled shotgun snap.

The only plus coming from that play was Katz taking responsibility for the miscue, just like a veteran quarterback would.

“We should have just stayed with the [called] play,” he said. “That’s on me.”

Riley agreed, by the way: “He didn’t have to get out of it.”

As for TCU, it got another win over a BCS conference foe. In the constant fight for respect, this was another notch on the musket. Seeing that the Horned Frogs are 14-3 in their past 17 games against teams from BCS automatic-qualifying conferences, they might need another musket.

“The national spotlight and national attention I think will pick up,” Dalton said. “I think a lot of people will watch the game tonight and see how we play football.”

One thing is for sure: TCU still enjoys seeing itself as an underdog. It didn’t escape detection that ESPN GameDay analyst Lee Corso picked the Frogs to go down by “three touchdowns.”

“I did text [Corso],” Patterson said. “You guys thought that was a bogus text. That was me. I asked Chris Fowler, ‘Lee: Three touchdowns?’”

Big week for the Mountain West Conference, too. Utah beat Pittsburgh, the Big East favorite, on Thursday, and BYU’s win over Washington — along with Oregon’s 72-0 win over New Mexico — gave the conference a 2-1 Saturday vs. the Pac-10. Why is the conference in turmoil when it’s so darn good?

Perhaps the most disappointed Beavers were the Rodgers brothers, who were playing their first — and likely only — game together in the state of Texas. Both turned in solid performances — James Rodgers caught four passes for 75 yards and a TD — but both only saw what they didn’t do.

“We left a lot of plays out there,” James Rodgers said.

For both programs, this big stage was an opportunity. Both are nationally respected — see national rankings — but both want to take the next step. TCU knows only perfection will get it into the national championship conversation — or even BCS bowl contention — while the Beavers want to climb toward the top-10 while they make a run at their first Rose Bowl since 1965.

For TCU, mission accomplished. For Oregon State, it’s another nonconference loss to start the season, which fits into a pattern: The Beavers started 2-3 in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and 2-2 in 2009.

Of course, if any team knows that an early loss doesn’t end the season, it’s the Beavers.

“It’s very frustrating, but we can’t let that get to us,” James Rodgers said. “We’ve got 11 more games.”

That’s 11 more games, including a date with Boise State on Sept. 25, in which to make a statement.

But on this night, TCU made the statement: Count us in the mix in the national championship chase.

Pittsburgh without Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially begun life without two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. NFL comissioner Roger Goodell met with Roethlisberger on Friday and reduced his suspension from six games to four. Roethlisberger will not be allowed to train with the team until his suspension ends next month.

This was the expected outcome after the commissioner established firm guidelines in April that stated Roethlisberger could have his suspension cut two games for good behavior. Roethlisberger has done and said all the right things and seems to be heading in the right direction in his personal life.

But with Roethlisberger out of the picture until October, let’s look ahead to Pittsburgh’s four opponents to start the season.

Game No. 1 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Analysis: The Falcons are a darkhorse Super Bowl contender. They have a good, young quarterback in Matt Ryan, a strong running game led by Michael Turner and an improved defense that was bolstered in the draft and free agency. Pittsburgh has a chance to win this game by feeding off the emotion of its home opener. But with an inexperienced Dennis Dixon likely getting his second career start against a quality opponent, quarterback play should be the difference.

AFC North blog prediction: Loss

Game No. 2 at Tennessee Titans

Analysis: As Pittsburgh found out during its 2008 Super Bowl season, Tennessee is not an easy place to play. This would be Dixon’s first road start of the season and second road game of his career. The quarterbacks in this game are similar, but Tennessee’s Vince Young has much more starting experience. Slight edge to the home team.

AFC North blog prediction: Loss

Game No. 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Analysis: We’re not sure at this point if Byron Leftwich will be available. But based on the reported diagnosis of an MCL sprain, this could be a target date for his return. Depending on the team’s record (I predict 0-2) and how Dixon is playing, the Steelers could turn to the veteran Leftwich, the favorite to win the starting job before Thursday’s knee injury. The Buccaneers are rebuilding after last year’s 3-13 record, so this is Pittsburgh’s safest bet in the first four games.

AFC North blog prediction: Win

Game No. 4 vs. Baltimore Ravens

Analysis: Baltimore is 1-3 against Pittsburgh in its past four meetings, the only win coming last season when Roethlisberger sat out with a concussion. Expect a close game.

AFC North blog prediction: Loss

Ranking the NFC South wide receivers

We’re going to pick up the pace on the NFC South position rankings as we near the end. We looked at tight ends Thursday morning and, now, we’re going to move onto the wide receivers.

In terms of overall strength, I’d say this position is one of the better ones in the division. But there’s a huge disparity between the Saints, who have a bunch of good receivers to the Panthers, who have only one proven commodity, to the Buccaneers, who have lots of potential but no sure things. On to the rankings.

1. Steve Smith, Panthers. There were three guys in the race and the other two had better numbers than Smith last year. But I’m playing a hunch that Smith will have a monster season, even though the Panthers have some uncertainty at quarterback. I’m basing this on my theory that Smith, always a high-energy guy, will be more motivated than ever after simmering on the sidelines throughout training camp while recovering from a broken arm.
2. Roddy White, Falcons. I came very close to going with White at No. 1 and White’s numbers from the last three seasons would have validated that choice. I think White can have an even bigger impact this year because running back Michael Turner and slot receiver Harry Douglas are healthy and they should take some coverage away from White.
3. Marques Colston, Saints. Colston also got consideration for No. 1. He’s often a man among boys and his size makes him a mismatch for just about any cornerback. His 70 catches last season don’t quite compare with the numbers White and Smith usually put up, but that’s mainly because New Orleans has so many other options in the passing game. Still, Colston is the best of all those options.
4. Robert Meachem, Saints. After a rough start to his career, Meachem emerged last season and caught nine touchdown passes. I expect him to only get better. He’s earned the trust of Drew Brees and the coaching staff and that means more passes will be coming his way.
5. Devery Henderson, Saints. Yep, I’m going with three New Orleans receivers in the top five. That’s a credit to Brees and Sean Payton for spreading the ball around so well. Henderson is a guy who has grown into a very solid receiver, after overcoming major problems with drops early in his career.
6. Mike Williams, Buccaneers. I’m really hesitant to rank a rookie receiver this high because I’ve seen too many of them through the years struggle after looking great in the summer. But I think Williams might be the exception to this rule. In camp and the preseason, he’s just gone out and made plays day after day. Tampa Bay needs someone to emerge as a No. 1 receiver and he seems to be leading the candidates.
7. Michael Jenkins, Falcons. A lot of people like to criticize Jenkins because he doesn’t put up flashy numbers. But that’s not really his role in the Atlanta offense. White and tight end Tony Gonzalez are going to get the bulk of the passes thrown their way. Jenkins’ job is to be a safety valve and a strong blocker in the running game. That might not sound like a big deal for a wide receiver, but in Atlanta’s system it is. Jenkins is the best blocking receiver in the division.
8. Harry Douglas, Falcons. Some Atlanta fans are rooting for Douglas to take Jenkins’ spot in the starting lineup, but that’s not really in the plans. The Falcons want to use Douglas in the slot. He’s a guy who can stretch the field and pull some coverage away from White and Gonzalez. He also gives Matt Ryan another downfield threat besides White.
9. Reggie Brown, Buccaneers. Someone’s going to end up being the starter opposite Williams and the Bucs think Brown has a shot at securing that role. This is a guy the Bucs traded for with five years left on his contract. He’s still adjusting to the system a bit, but the Bucs think he’s going to fit in.
10. Brandon LaFell, Panthers. The rookie could end up starting because the Panthers really don’t have much beyond Smith. LaFell’s progressing pretty well and the Panthers see him as a younger version of Muhsin Muhammad. That’s a nice comparison, but LaFell’s still got a lot of work to do to get to that level.
11. Sammie Stroughter, Buccaneers. The plan is to use him in the slot, where Stroughter is a perfect fit. He showed big-play ability last year and the Bucs are fantasizing about Stroughter running under some deep passes from Josh Freeman.
12. Lance Moore, Saints. He was sort of overshadowed and forgotten last year, but that may have been mainly due to injuries. In 2008, Moore was New Orleans’ most consistent receiver. With Colston, Meachem and Henderson around, Moore might not get a great deal of playing time. But he’s a nice luxury to have around in case there are injuries. How many No. 4 receivers around the league are better than this guy?
13. Dwayne Jarrett, Panthers. Carolina’s been waiting for the light to go on since Jarrett was drafted. It hasn’t happened yet and maybe it never will. If LaFell ends up starting, Jarrett may just fade away.
14. Arrelious Benn, Buccaneers. He was a second-round pick, but Williams has been better in the preseason. The Bucs aren’t down on Benn. They think he’s progressing at the normal pace for a rookie and he could play more of a role as the season goes on.

Ranking the NFC South tight ends

The tight ends are the next stop on our tour of NFC South position rankings.

Let’s start with a quick overview on a position that’s got to be considered one of the division’s overall strengths. The NFC South has arguably the best tight end ever, two guys who can be very good when they’re healthy and happy and a bunch of guys that are solid role players. Let’s jump into the rankings.

1. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons. Yes, he’s on the downside of his career and he’s even dropped some hints that this might be his last year. But none of that really shows up on the field. Gonzalez takes such good care of himself that age doesn’t really detract from his performance. He’s Matt Ryan’s favorite target and having slot receiver Harry Douglas back in the offense this year should help open more of the field for Gonzalez.
2. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers. Yes, you have to be concerned because the Bucs have been so cautious with Winslow’s knee throughout the camp and preseason. But there were a lot of days last season when he didn’t practice. The knee probably will remain an issue and Winslow might get days off from practice, but the important thing is that he’s on the field on Sundays. He made it through all 16 games last season and produced 77 catches in a season where the Bucs were juggling quarterbacks. With Josh Freeman now firmly in the starting role, Winslow could be even more of a force.
3. Jeremy Shockey, Saints. Knock him all you want because he brings some of that on with his flamboyant style. But this guy still makes some pretty big plays. He’s not going to be an 80-catch guy because New Orleans has so many other targets in the passing game, but he’s an important part of that mix. Durability is a bit of a concern, but Shockey’s always a threat when he’s on the field.
4. David Thomas, Saints. No, he’s not a starter, but he played a huge role in the New Orleans offense last year, even lining up at fullback at times. With starting fullback Heath Evans healthy and back in the lineup, Thomas should be able to focus more on just playing tight end. With Shockey’s durability issues and Sean Payton’s creative offense, Thomas will be on the field a lot. He’s a guy who could start for some other teams.
5. Dante Rosario, Panthers. Carolina uses a rotation of three tight ends and none of them are going to put up huge numbers in an offense that doesn’t throw to the tight end often. But Rosario is the one who is the biggest threat as a receiver.
6. Jeff King, Panthers. King’s kind of a jack-of-all trades in this offense. He’s got good hands and could put up bigger numbers in a different offensive system, but he nicely fits a role here.
7. Justin Pelle, Falcons. A solid veteran, who gets to do some of the dirty work the Falcons try to spare Gonzalez from.
8. Jimmy Graham, Saints. This rookie is a project with only one year of college football experience under his belt. But the former basketball player is a phenomenal athlete. Payton will include Graham in some packages to try to take advantage of his athletic ability.
9. Gary Barnidge, Panthers. He’s the third man in the rotation with King and Rosario. He only caught 12 passes last year, but averaged better than 20 yards per catch. That statistic could convince the Panthers to throw to him a bit more often.

Jake Long: Chad Henne will prove it

Jake Long has been protecting Chad Henne a while now.

As left tackle at the University of Michigan and the Miami Dolphins, Long has been Henne’s director of security since 2006.

So when it comes to critics who think Henne might be Miami’s biggest question mark, Long will come to his quarterback’s defense.

“I don’t see why people dog him,” Long told me over the phone after Tuesday’s practice.

A few hours earlier, ESPN.com posted John Clayton’s quarterback rankings, with Henne listed 24th. Dolfans likely disagree with that particular assessment. Still, there’s a commonly held perception Henne might not be able to carry the offense.

“Rankings don’t mean anything to me,” Long said. “You’ve got to go out there and prove it. Chad’s going to go out there and prove to everybody that he’s going to be a great quarterback in this league. I have no doubt in that.”

Henne was thrust into the starting role last year when Chad Pennington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 3. Henne kept the Dolphins postseason hopes afloat deep into December. He completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 2,878 yards and 12 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.

Skepticism emanates from a rough final few weeks. He threw three interceptions in a Week 12 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins dropped their last three games, with Henne throwing three touchdown passes and five interceptions.

In general, though, Henne showed why the Dolphins viewed him as their quarterback of the future when they drafted him in the second round in 2008. Plus, the Dolphins have added star receiver Brandon Marshall to open up the offense and let Henne show off his arm more than he could last year with a group of possession receivers.

Long is reminded of when Henne arrived on the Michigan campus and started as a true freshman.

“I’ve seen him prove people wrong,” Long said. “When he got thrown in last year, when Pennington got hurt, he really became the leader on our offense. He’s the rock of our offense, the leader of our offense. Everybody here has total faith in him.

“I’ve never seen him get flustered. If something happens and he gets sacked and makes a bad play or whatever, he gets right back up in there and never shies away.

“He’s not a question mark. He’s going to have a really good season.”

Ranking quarterbacks in the NFC West

John Clayton’s quarterback rankings invites discussion and further analysis.

“An elite quarterback is one who can complete better than 60 percent of his passes, has the potential to throw for 4,000 yards and has fourth-quarter comeback ability,” Clayton writes.

I’ll pass along his rankings for NFC West quarterbacks, complete with his comments and mine (see also this earlier analysis featuring Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc.):

Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks

Clayton league rank: 17

Clayton comment: A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Hasselbeck lost his elite status because of two seasons getting rocked behind bad offensive lines. Hasselbeck is the one hope Pete Carroll has for challenging for the NFC West title.

Chance of being elite: 25 percent, according to Clayton

Mike Sando: We’ll have a much better feel for how this season might go after Hasselbeck faces the San Francisco 49ers in the regular-season opener, probably without left tackle Russell Okung. Hasselbeck appears confident in the new coaching staff’s scheming ability. He mentioned coordinator Jeremy Bates and quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch by name during a recent news conference when I asked Hasselbeck about scheming around Okung’s potential absence. I took that as a sign of respect. Scheming goes only so far, however, and problems on the offensive line could still endanger and/or limit Hasselbeck this season. Seattle fans can be cautiously optimistic.

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Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Clayton league rank: 21

Clayton comment: It’s hard to believe this is Smith’s sixth season. The pressure is on him to get the 49ers to the playoffs. He has not lived up to his No. 1 billing in the draft, obviously, but the surrounding cast is good enough to make a playoff run. One of the faults I noticed when I saw him in the preseason is that he doesn’t always hit receivers in stride.

Chance of being elite: zero percent, according to Clayton

Mike Sando: Project Smith’s 2010 numbers across 500 attempts and you’d get a quarterback completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,158 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He would need substantial improvement to reach Clayton’s elite parameters from a statistical standpoint. There’s also no evidence Smith can consistently demonstrate fourth-quarter comeback ability. He had one touchdown pass with three interceptions last season in fourth quarters of close games (point disparity no greater than seven). Smith did post a 91.4 rating with five touchdowns and two interceptions in the final two minutes of the halves, but he has much to prove when games are on the line.

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Matt Leinart or Derek Anderson

Clayton league rank: 28

Clayton comment: Analysis: For Anderson, this is a chance to rebuild his career after tough seasons in Cleveland in 2008 and 2009. He’s not very accurate, never completing more than 60 percent of his passes in a season in the NFL. For Leinart, this is the end of the line with the Cardinals after this season if he doesn’t regain a starting job he had no business losing.

Chance of being elite: zero percent, according to Clayton

Mike Sando: What about Max Hall? I’m half-joking, but given the uncertainty heading into this season, and given Leinart’s recent statements questioning Ken Whisenhunt’s motives, it’s natural to wonder how many quarterbacks the Cardinals might run through this season. Anderson’s low career completion percentages suggest he’ll have a hard time recapturing past Pro Bowl form. Leinart has completed better than 80 percent of his passes during the exhibition season, but those completions haven’t breathed much life into the offense.

---

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

Clayton league rank: 30

Clayton comment: What amazes Rams management about Bradford is his accuracy and how calm he seems in the pocket. Unfortunately, his rookie season will be tough because St. Louis lacks big-play receivers and the offensive line is struggling.

Mike Sando: The low ranking for Bradford reflects his inexperience and supporting cast in St. Louis. It’s not a stretch to think Bradford could charge up this list over the course of the season, however. Every team in the NFC West would probably trade its current starter for Bradford. Of course, talented quarterbacks are always appealing before they’ve had a chance to play.

Cincinnati still fighting respect battle

Some teams have established enough name recognition to merit inclusion in the preseason rankings just about every other year. Other programs earn preseason spots based on what they accomplished the year before.

And then there is Cincinnati.

It seems that no matter what the Bearcats do, they’re not going to get much praise before the year starts. They won 10 games in 2007 but weren’t ranked to start 2008. They won 11 games and a Big East title in 2008 but stayed out of the preseason polls last summer. In 2009, they finished the regular season 12-0 and No. 3 in the BCS standings, yet they’re nowhere to be found in either major poll right now.

“The respect part,” running back Isaiah Pead says, “is always an issue.”

Only one other team has gone to back-to-back BCS games and failed to garner a preseason ranking the following year. That was Notre Dame in 2007. Like Cincinnati, the Irish didn’t play well in their BCS games. They were outscored 75-34 in the two games, while the Bearcats have been outscored 71-31. Both teams also were beaten by 27 points against a SEC team in the Sugar Bowl in the second BCS appearance (Notre Dame to LSU, Cincinnati to Florida).

The Bearcats didn’t really care about history. They figured no one would give them props again this year despite their 18-game regular-season winning streak.

“We don’t really expect anything different,” linebacker JK Schaffer said. “Any time we lose, people go ahead and say we’re not going to be back this year. That definitely puts a chip on our shoulder, because year in and year out, they keep forgetting about us. We have to go out and prove we haven’t gone away and that we’re not going to anytime soon.”

First-year coach Butch Jones says he doesn’t really play up the lack-of-respect angle as motivation. This kind of fits his theme of 2010 being a new year and the team finding a new identity anyway. And besides, Cincinnati can show everyone what it’s made of with a stern test right out of the gates.

Some reward for back-to-back Big East titles. Jones will make his debut at Fresno State on Saturday night as the Bulldogs look to hang another BCS scalp on their wall. The Bearcats needed a late defensive stop to turn back Fresno 28-20 at home last year.

It’s also a cross-country trip with a 10 p.m. ET kickoff time. Luckily, Cincinnati has gone to such hostile environments before.

Last season, they opened the season at Rutgers and won before a record crowd in the Scarlet Knights’ newly-expanded stadium. Later in September, they flew to Oregon State and won there, too.

Jones has his own experience with preparing for an opener out West. He took Central Michigan to Arizona to lift the lid on 2009 (the Chippewas lost 19-6).

“The great thing about our players is they expect to win and they’ve been in these situations,” Jones said.

Cincinnati will probably get more attention for losing this week than it would by beating Fresno State. But if the Bearcats win on Saturday, that’s a sign that this team definitely deserves more respect than it has received.

“It kind of bothers you,” Pead said. “But at the same time, whether you’re unranked or ranked number one, you’ve got to go play ball. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

Ranking the NFC South defensive tackles

I already had a pretty good idea that defensive line isn’t strong overall in the NFC South. But that’s been reinforced over the past few days as I’ve worked my way up to the front four in our series of position rankings.

We looked at the defensive ends on Monday and saw that the list was topped by Will Smith and an aging John Abraham, and filled out with a bunch of prospects and role players. We’re looking at defensive tackles today and the pickings might be even more slender.

1. Jonathan Babineaux, Falcons. This one was easy. Babineaux is by no means an All-Pro, but he’s proven over time he’s a very solid defensive tackle, which might make him the only one in the division. Babineaux should be helped by having Peria Jerry and Corey Peters joining the rotation this year. Last season, Babineaux led the Falcons with 6 sacks.
2. Sedrick Ellis, Saints. No, he hasn’t dominated like a lot of people thought he would coming into the league two years ago. But the main reasons for that have been injuries. When he’s healthy, Ellis isn’t far from the same level as Babineaux, and, eventually, could turn out to be better.
3. Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers. Yep, I’m going with a rookie this high. Part of it is because there’s not a lot to choose from. But part of it is because I think McCoy’s going to be really good right from the start. Don’t be surprised if he’s at the top of this list a year from now. I’ve had two general managers from other teams with early picks that they had McCoy ranked ahead of Ndamukong Suh, who went one pick ahead of McCoy to Detroit.
4. Anthony Hargrove, Saints. Like a lot of NFL teams, the Saints rotate their defensive tackles a lot and Hargrove technically might not be a starter. But Hargrove’s going to play a lot. He straightened his life around as he joined the Saints last year and it looks like the arrow continues to point up on this guy.
5. Peria Jerry, Falcons. We’ll see if this one ends up being a reach or not. There are big questions about Jerry’s health as he comes back from a major knee injury that sidelined him for most of his rookie year. But the guy was a first-round pick. The Falcons are going to rotate their tackles heavily and may be a little cautious with Jerry at first, but they’re hoping he can emerge as a force as the season goes on.
6. Roy Miller, Buccaneers. McCoy and second-round pick Brian Price are getting all the attention, but Miller’s another young defensive tackle the Bucs are expecting big things from. He’ll probably start next to McCoy. Miller’s not the kind of guy who will put up big stats, but he’s a “plugger’’ and should be a big boast for the run defense.
7. Brian Price, Buccaneers. He’s more explosive than Miller and although McCoy’s been drawing all the comparisons to Warren Sapp, Price is the guy that actually is built like Sapp, and, theoretically, should be able to play like Sapp did. But a preseason injury set back Price just enough to probably keep him out of the starting lineup. That doesn’t really matter. He’ll rotate in a lot.
8. Corey Peters, Falcons. If Jerry’s not healthy, the Falcons are going to have to rely on Peters a lot. Either way, Peters will have a prominent role in the rotation. He showed more polish in camp than the Falcons expected from a third-round choice.
9. Louis Leonard, Panthers. His health remains a question. But, if Leonard is on the field, he’s the best defensive tackle the Panthers have.
10. Remi Ayodele, Saints. Yeah, I know this guy started 13 games for the Super Bowl champions last year and he could start again. But Ayodele is more role player than anything else. He’s all right against the run, but doesn’t bring anything special to the table.
11. Ed Johnson, Panthers. If he keeps dropping weight like he has throughout the preseason, Johnson probably will end up starting or getting significant playing time. The Panthers took a chance on this guy because he played under defensive coordinator Ron Meeks with the Colts before running into some trouble. But Johnson appears to be getting his career back on track.
12. Trey Lewis, Falcons. Again, much will depend on Jerry’s health. But with Babineaux suspended for the first game, Lewis might have some role in a rotation.

Power Rankings: Yanks may get better yet

Power Rankings: Yanks may get better yet

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• Phillies’ Werth signing with Boras?
• Wal-Mart deal with Gordon breaks down
• Cruden to make a statement
• OnBoard at Misano
• Afghanistan ready to play in Pakistan: Noori