From politics to football

In those moments between the debate and the post-debate analysis, I managed to catch the final minutes of tonight's game between South Florida and Pitt.

In the end, another top-10 team - Tampa's own South Florida - was knocked off in one of these made-for-TV Thursday night specials.

That means: the Big East likely won't have a team in the BCS title game; Dave Wannstedt is in first place for possibly the first time in his head coaching career; and lots and lots of powerhouse programs will begin to reconsider the benefits of playing on Thursday night.

To me, it doesn't make much sense to agree to one of these games. The drawbacks - throwing off your regular weekly routine, for instance - far outweigh the benefits. Ask USC.

By the way, Pitt running back LeSean McCoy is quite a talent. Near the end, there was a stat showing him with 98 yards on 20 carries on runs between the tackles. That, my friends, is what we call shoving it down your throat (we actually called it something more crass than that in my college days but I won't take it there tonight).