Pitt and Cincinnati may have already faced off but tonight's primetime game on ESPN2 is the BIG EAST's kickoff game. The league will showcase its newest media darling, Rutgers, and one of its newest members, South Florida. Although no other BIG EAST squads face each other this weekend.

With three teams in the Top 25, the league is looking for RU and USF to put on a show for the national audience. Mike Tranghese has to be hoping for a high scoring affair like last year but with a different outcome. I know he's not supposed to play favorites but he has to be rooting for a Rutgers win to keep the media love affair alive and Scarlet Knights in the Top 25.

Last year's game against the Bulls was the first time where the crowd actually made me stop and think that Rutgers Stadium could really be a great home field advantage. I know we lost but when RU was mounting their attempted comeback, the stadium actually felt like a big time college stadium. Tonight the Scarlet Knights have the opportunity to show the country that they are a big time college football program. Rutgers has the college football spotlight all to itself tonight.

ESPN's Pat Forde considers what we might see if football conferences created political ads.

By the way, scouts from the Birmingham, Orange, Meineke Car Care, International, Sugar, Texas, Fiesta, Gator and Sun bowls have accepted invitations from USF officials to attend tonight's game.

Schiano has had some impressive recruiting success in Florida but Rutgers has not fared well on the playing field (0-7-1). Rutgers looks to return with a new found swagger. But the Scarlet Knights can't be overconfident.

A nice Point/Counterpoint between a ScarletNation.com and USFBullsEYE.com writer. I like that despite their debate both predict RU winning.

ESPN Insider gives Rutgers/South Florida top billing in its weekly look at the league. Also on Insider, Bruce Feldman predicts a Scarlet Knights victory.

1. Defensive Statement. Rutger currently owns the overall #4 defense in the nation. But RU's last four opponents haven't proven themselves to be particularly good this season. So this is the chance for Schiano & Co. to show that they can defend a decent offense too. USF isn't an offensive powerhouse but they're a step up.

2. An Effective Passing Game. RU will need a balanced offensive attack to win. Questions still surround Mike Teel but I think he'll go out and answer them at least for this week. USF has to stop the run but if they sell out to do it, Mike Teel has the ability to make them regret it.

3. Sea of Red. That Scarlet section at UNC looked great on TV and showed RU can travel. I'd love to see a similar sight at Raymond James Stadium.

4. A Win. The BIG EAST schedule begins tonight and will only get tougher as the season goes on. In reality, it doesn't matter what happens on the field so long as RU walks away with another W.

I'm not sure what Steve Politi's point is, other than to annoy Rutgers' fans and get attention. Or maybe he just decided to write a column that required no original thoughts.

He's no Jerry Izenberg who actually wrote offers something of interest. And Kelly Whiteside at USA Today gives her alma mater and the Rutgersfan.com message boards some love. But she needs to talk to her colleague who picked USF to win.

Ray Rice got Schiano's attention when Syracuse faltered and now Ray Ray's getting national pub. BL is still getting his share too - Mel Kiper puts Leonard on his NFL "Big Board" at #18. (insider)

Devraun Thompson is a warrior.

Ok Rutgers fans - time to vote for your squad again.

Notre Dame High junior LB Brian Leffler took in RU's trouncing of Howard. It's no secret that a win tonight will not only help Rutgers in the rankings but also with recruiting in the Sunshine State. Articles like this in Florida papers won't hurt either.

Hun School forward picked St. Joseph's over RU.

The Men's Soccer team had its three game winning streak snapped by Villanova.

Women's Soccer will host BIG EAST foes Marquette and South Florida this weekend. While Field Hockey will be headed to Providence.

"The next two weeks are critical in deciding whether the men's swimming program at Rutgers University lives or dies," said Phil Whitten, Executive Director of the College Swimming Association of America (CSCAA), today.

Men's Tennis wrapped up competition at the Princeton Invitational.

Rutgers Softball went 2-3 at the recent Carol Weil Tournament held in Allentown, PA.

What's a season ticket holder to do? Three straight home games have given us a bonanza of tailgating and live Rutgers action. So now what?

If you're like me you suddenly realize you don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn, load the car, and drive 45 minutes south to a muddy field.

But it also means that you won't be opening your third beer before most people have poured their first cup of Saturday morning coffee. You won't be eating chicken wings and brats at hours normally reserved for eggs and toast. You won't be hearing the cannon or seeing a sea of red. You won't be tailgating at Rutgers Stadium until almost Halloween. Well at least not without drawing the attention of the RUPD.

Don't worry. You still have a job to do. Friday night is almost here and your job is to go forth into the bars, pubs, social clubs, and wherever TVs, beer, and chicken wings might be found. Or you can keep your tailgating skills fresh with a party at home and invite the neighbors, in-laws, and friends.

Take your Scarlet banner and convert the masses. You've tried this before but usually get a chuckle and a "who cares about Rutgers?" Times have changed. The public will cling to you like you're a celebrity and some may even pretend they've always been RU fans too. That's why we have seats in the back on the bandwagon. Let them on board. If you encounter the unfaithful convert them. If you find yourself sitting next to a B.C. or Penn State fan, pat them on the back and tell them better luck next year. If you're lucky enough to run into a West Virginia alum he'll probably buy you a round.

This is no time to relax - RU will be under the Friday night lights on national television.

Those of you in far off places that have to do this every weekend or are traveling - keep it up. I was one of you for three years in Indy and you're fighting the good fight.

The nation is finally seeing red and Rutgers Football was the hot topic this week even on non-sports television. The message boards reported mentions on Regis, The View....wait a minute what are you guys watching? Did Oprah have anything to say? Was someone wearing an RU sweatshirt on the Gilmore Girls? Come on guys, you're killing me. I know there are women fans and they're awesome but they weren't the ones posting. So gentlemen, I have one piece of advice: Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio and ESPN2 mornings from 6-10 AM - it's not too late to save yourself.

Revenge might be on the minds of fans and even some of the players but this South Florida team isn't the same one that beat them in '05. Graduation, injuries and drug suspensions have sidelined some key players. But QB Matt Grothe is a double threat on offense and USF is still a dangerous squad. Plus road tests are always harder.

MSNBC preview of Friday's fame and the ScarletKnights.com preview.

With Shawn Tucker out the other wide receivers are fully prepared to step up in his place. This might be one of those few times someone doesn't mind getting a call from work while on vacation. Tiquan Underwood, in particular, has to emerge as a threat. "He was like a father figure and a brother figure to me," said Underwood. He just broke a foot Tiquan - he's still with us.

Let's hope Rutgers has more opportunities for the youngsters to see playing time because of the score instead of injuries.

Ray Rice has caught the eye of the nation and is now sharing the Heisman hype with BL. The offensive line should get a lot of credit for creating holes for the two of them.

ESPN thinks RU is on the mark.

Rod Gilmore of ESPN Insider has a great article on Rutgers. (subscription required)

SI.com's Stewart Mandel puts RU at #26 in his power rankings.

Great to see in this article Rutgers on the rise with BC on the decline - another interesting bit is the QB situation at Arizona State - don't quit on your veteran QB too fast.

QB Mike Teel says he still isn't phased by the boos.

Greg Schiano has converted Harvey Yavener.

The Daily Targum brings you a midweek football update and RU is finally playing with the big boys. Maybe someone actually read my bit on RU football traditions. The Daily Targum suddenly had a story of the stadium cannon.

Matt Hardison is moving along in his recovery from a torn ACL.

How much worse can things get for Temple? A 33 point dog to Vanderbilt?

Metuchen's junior wide receiver is off to a hot start and RU has taken notice. Cherokee QB Demetrius Richardson likes what he sees at RU and would be a good South Jersey get.

Former RU Kicker Steve Barone is looking to start his pro golf career.

The Men's Soccer team had a bad start to the season but they're still alive and kicking.

Sacramento Kings Coach Eric Musselman was pleased to see Douby show some skills at the point during the summer.

Amy Lewis' two goals led the Field Hockey team to a win over St. Joe's.

The Women's Soccer team is off to its best start in program history with a 7-1-1 record. Jenifer Anzivino was named to BIG EAST Honor Roll.

Rutgers Tennis Coach Mickey Cook sees his team coming together nicely before the ECAC Tourney.

More than thirty-five thousand were on hand at Rutgers Stadium to watch the Scarlet Knights treat Howard to a 56-7 whipping but the whole college football world saw Rutgers join the Top 25 rankings. Of course RU is #23. What better number to symbolize RU's rise to the level of national respect. BL has been a big part of the rise of Rutgers Football. The win over Howard also came on September 23rd. When Rutgers finally appeared in the polls it ended a thirty year drought. We also moved up to #14 in this Rivals writer's poll.

Here's what I think is most significant about RU being ranked. The Top 25 is like a good old boys network. The system is built to protect the insiders and makes it very hard to crack into that group. Once you get in the door, it is a lot easier to get votes and to move your way up to the top.

Take the case of Boise State. There was a time that Boise State just wanted to beat those damn University of Idaho Vandals. Then they started winning games and with the help of the blue turf and the hometown Humanitarian Bowl, the Broncos started getting media attention and eventually broke into the Top 25. Now they get the attention of voters much easier and much earlier than ever before.

You see voters (both coaches and writers) don't watch all the games. In fact, they don't watch many games at all. If you're the beat writer for the University of Michigan you don't have time to watch many games in the BIG EAST, SEC, WAC, and other conferences. So they rely on each other and the national media (i.e. ESPN) to get a better grasp of who's hot and deserves a second look.

Being a large state university in the New York media market gives RU a definite edge. Rutgers has ridden the wave of media attention that started last year with their breakout season and bowl berth. This season all they had to do to continue that media buzz was win. So far, so good. This guy even gave our Friday night game a plug as a top national game to watch this weekend.

Now this is where the Top 25 momentum kicks in. If RU is #23 after beating UNC, Illinois, Ohio, and Howard what will voters think if the Scarlet Knights beat South Florida and Navy? From here on out every win is a statement to voters that we deserve to move up the rankings. Writers and coaches will see the scores and say "wow Rutgers won again." Now imagine we beat Pitt and face off against UConn on ESPN for a chance to go 8-0.

Notice all the heavy "if" emphasis in the paragraph above. Teams like Rutgers and Boise State don't have enough history and respect in the bank to survive losing many games. The perennial Top 25 teams can lose games and still get votes. If Rutgers goes out and loses on Friday, they may find it difficult to get votes in the future. The sports media doesn't like having egg on its face.

Steve Politi is right when he says the real test starts now and ScarletNation.com's Lester Morgan continues with that theme. The Scarlet Knights still have to face three teams that beat them last year. Two of those games are on the road. Plus South Florida, Navy, and Pitt are 3-1 and RU fans should know by now not to chalk up UConn as a win so quickly. Not to mention, Cincy hasn't looked terrible despite their 1-3 record. Rutgers has a chance to do something special and see themselves steadily rising in the polls each week but the games still have to be played.

The Star Ledger gives us 3 reasons RU should and should not be ranked and Luicci shares three things he learned at the Howard game. ScarletNation.com brings you the Rutgers vs. Howard Notebook and some pictures from the game.

Rutgers fans have to get a kick out of this line: "Today they are ranked above the likes of Miami, Alabama and Penn State." Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com gives RU another plug. Ray Rice has been added to the Maxwell Award Watch List for the College Player of the Year award and he made this San Francisco sportswriter list.

The bad news if you haven't heard yet - Shawn Tucker is out with a fractured ankle and is out 4-6 weeks.

Ok my quick recap....First I discovered the fight song is still alive and well but with the huge crowds it seems confined to the sections near the band and students.

RU got the blowout everyone expected and they didn't even look great doing it. That just goes to prove how much the talent level has risen but also how bad Howard really is. With the blowout came a lot of playing time for the backups. How good did Kordell Young look?

As for the crowd - 35,558. I was hoping to see 40,000+ but the weather put the kibosh on that. If the pregame weather wasn't so grey and wet, the walk up crowd may have made up the difference.

As for the passing game, it wasn't great but it was ok. If you take away the interception - Mike Teel turned in a solid but not spectacular effort. I know a terrible red zone interception isn't so easy to ignore but Teel's not happy with his performance and he'll keep working hard. "If we play like this, as early as next week we'll come home unhappy," Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel said. Sometimes it is easy to forget that he's essentially a rookie and he's learning on the job.

By the way, it seems Bonzi Wells will not return to the Sacramento Kings and that should mean more playing time for Quincy Douby.

Fred Hill has got the attention of the 50th ranked junior in the country.

The Men's Soccer team have rebounded from a slow start and have won three straight. Women's Soccer managed a tie on the road against undefeated Villanova.

Field Hockey fell in OT to Penn.

RU Volleyball rallied to beat DePaul.