I’ve got a bunch of open tabs I need to clear out, and not enough time to do it.

Welcome to our world Mr. Mandel.

By this point in the season, you’d like to think you have a pretty good grasp on how good a team is, particularly when that team is 6-1. But I have to admit, I still have no idea how good this year’s Pittsburgh Panthers are — and I’m not sure they do, either. “Maybe we’re just getting lucky,” joked quarterback Tyler Palko when I spoke with him last Sunday.

We watch them every weekend and don’t have a consistent opinion.

It is blatantly obvious to the most average sportswriter that this is the game of the week in the Big East.

Context, please.

It’s easy to show Pitt QB Tyler Palko‘s rejuvenation with this obvious number: His pass efficiency rating has jumped from 126.7 last year to a nation-leading 188.6 this season. The underlying reason is that coordinator Matt Cavanaugh tweaked his West Coast approach to stretch the field and accommodate a quarterback who throws a nice deep ball. That leads us to a more revealing number going into this week’s key Big East game against Rutgers: Palko is second in the nation with 10.3 yards per attempt–way up from last year’s 7.0. Any offensive coordinator will tell you that number is the most important statistic for a quarterback.

It’s a good number. An interesting number, but I’m not quite sure as to why it is “the most important statistic for a quarterback.” Anyone care to supply the answer?

I like that SI.com considers Palko about the 5th best QB in college football. Now, here’s what I’m wondering. Does anyone actually know what kind of offense Pitt is running versus what it had run under Walt Harris? Look at the comment “…In this, his second year in coach Dave Wannstedt’s pro-style system…”

Excuse me? I thought the passing game for Pitt was now more of a true West Coast from OC Matt Cavanaugh and that Harris ran more of the pro style. Of course, I’ve read it the other way in the past. Honestly, and maybe it’s just because it’s late, but I don’t know anymore. I’m not sure anyone really knows anymore.

While on the subject of Walt Harris, there was this in Stewart Mandel’s mailbag (I saw it Frank, but was going to let it go).

Stewart, Stanford managed just 52 yards of total offense in its Homecoming game, a loss to Arizona. The Wildcats entered the game ranked 118th in the nation in rushing yards and ran for 223 yards against the overmatched Cardinal. Stanford is now 0-7, the fans and players have quit on Walt Harris, and it’s clear that the program has been in complete disarray since Ty Willingham left in 2002. Have you ever seen a case where one coaching change has so drastically crippled a college football program?
— Tony Barber, Mountain View, Calif.

No, I have not. The program has gone from being a regular Pac-10 title contender under Willingham to the absolute worst team in the conference by a country mile. The Cardinal was bad under Buddy Teevens, too, but not nearly this bad. And what makes it all the more puzzling is that Stanford showed promise last year in Harris’ first season. As you may recall, they came dangerously close to knocking off Notre Dame in their regular-season finale, which, if they had, would have sent them to a bowl game. Even stranger: This is not a young team. They returned 16 starters, including 10 on offense (though several have been injured).

That said, I knew something was fishy when seven of Harris’ assistants left after one season. Though Harris did an admirable job of turning around Pittsburgh’s long-suffering program, he was generally despised there by the end of his tenure. And now he’s not exactly inspiring confidence in Palo Alto. In addition, the athletic director who hired him, Ted Leland, left the school last year and was replaced by former Iowa AD Bob Bowlsby, who you know is looking forward to the opportunity to make his mark on the program. Cutting ties with a coach after two seasons certainly doesn’t help a program’s stability, but at the same time, I don’t know if it’s possible for the Cardinal to become any less stable than they already are.

This will be a bit of a rant.

Anyone remember Harris’ first year at Pitt? Remember how the team turned around in one season and in one of the greatest Backyard Brawls ever (and the best game I ever saw in-person) beat the Hoopies in Morgantown? Remember the next year when Pitt went 2-9. Losing to Rutgers and Temple? I do. It was my first year as a season ticket holder since graduating. I sat through a bunch of those humiliations. When the team regressed badly. Players were not that good and being shaken out of the program.

I had bounced around for a bit in Chicago, law school — in Ohio when Pitt played and was crushed in the home-and-home with OSU — and generally just not connected to the school and the team. This was pre-net so there was no way to stay aware of what Pitt was doing outside of little box scores in papers and very little info in general. Hackett and then Majors with the assistance of an uncaring administration had nearly destroyed Pitt football.

Walt Harris brought Pitt back to respectability (that and a job in Youngstown that made trips to the ‘Burgh an easy thing). Slowly. Surely. There were steps back. There was also progress. There were times when it was thought he might leave. Alabama. Ohio State. They sniffed. Whether he or they were serious, nothing came of it other then some extensions, raises and some nervousness by fans at the time.

When Harris left Pitt/was forced out, I was torn. Harris had probably reached the end of the line with Pitt. There was something of a plateau. He had alienated a lot of people. If he had stayed, it is very likely he could have done harm to Pitt.

At the same time, I felt like I owed Coach Harris. I owed him a debt. This, despite not knowing the guy. Never meeting him. At times being as eager as anyone else to throw him over.
Walt Harris brought me back to caring and following Pitt and college football. I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I wouldn’t be writing for AOL on college football. None of that, if it hadn’t been for what Walt Harris did to bring Pitt back into mainstream Division 1-A college football.

So I hope he turns the corner at Stanford. Just as he did in time at Pitt. Rebuilding doesn’t come easy at all places.  I know not everyone feels the same way. That’s fine. My view is just that. My view. Just don’t expect me to revel in his struggles.

[Editor Note: Back in the very early days of this blog’s existence, like the first year when it was still PSB, Lee regularly offered a weekly look at the games with the betting lines. I’m not saying it’s returned as a regular feature, but we’ll post when he offers.]

Once again, my picks will not be backed up with an actual cash bet, because I am deathly afraid of my wife. Hey, nobody wants to get stomped by a pregnant woman.

West Virginia (-20) at UConn: You don’t just go into Rentschler Field and expect to come out with a win… unless you’re West Virginia, ticked off at Auburn’s passing you in the BCS, and need to impress some pollsters. The Huskies haven’t done anything since Calhoun got bounced out of the tourney last spring. I’ll take the Mountaineers and give the 20.

Louisville (-17) at Syracuse: OK, same thing as above, but substitute the Carrier Dome. Now that Miami is finally back down where they belong (I almost took Duke and the 17.5 as my pick of the week), Louisville’s most impressive win isn’t impressing many anymore. They gotta start impressing pollsters too, and they know it. Plus, Syracuse has no defense.

Rutgers (+7) at Pitt: The Scarlet Knights will be able to run on Pitt with their tough o-line, Ray Rice (RB), and Brian Leonard (FB). Session, Campbell, and Blades will certainly stop the running game in the backfield, but not until Rice has gained a few yards. But LaRod Stephens-Howling will be able to run on Rutgers’ undersized defense line too. The tiebreaker? We have Tyler Palko and a solid receiving corps. Rutgers has the inconsistent-at-best Mike Teel. Pitt wins this one by at least seven with the more balanced offense – with me, for once, actually in my Heinz Field seat…

I’ll have one more B’East pick below.

Now for the other conferences…

UCLA (+13.5) at Notre Dame: The Irish offense is at least two touchdowns better than this inconsistent UCLA squad, especially at home.

Iowa (+14) at Michigan: Do I even have to explain why Michigan can cover at least two touchdowns on the mediocre-all-season-and-just-lost-to-freakin’-Indiana Hawkeyes? Forget about it. Take it from Buckeye. Neither Iowa’s defense or its offense is as good as Penn State’s, even with Ciociolo-or-whoever at QB. A blowout at the Big House.

And finally, the Stone Cold Lead Pipe Cinch Guaranteed Picks of the Week

Yeah, I got two this week.

USF (+1) at Cincinnati: Once again, you don’t just go into Nippert Stadium and expect to come out with a win… well, unless you’re Pitt anyways… and even then, Bob won’t remember it. But seriously, this is where the Bearcats’ tough out-of-conference schedule, and Mark Dantonio’s defense, finally begin to pay off. I’ll easily take the Bearcats for the second week in a row… this time giving a measly point.

Indiana (+31.5) at Ohio State: (1) This is the same Hoosier squad who just upset Iowa the hard way, and (2) the Shoe isn’t that tough of a place to play. Four and a half touchdowns is a lot to lay. No, Indiana won’t win, but I’ll take the Hoosiers and the points easy.

Games I ain’t even touchin’

Illinois (+17.5) at Penn State: Gawd knows how the Penn State offense will work with Ciancolo. It worked OK in spurts against Michigan last week, and you know that Tony Hunt will roll up a ton o’yards against the Illini. But still, you’d have to know something I don’t to take either side of this line.

North Carolina (+6) at Virginia: I guess speaking logically, somebody has to win this game tonight. But Lord knows who. I still can’t believe that Virginia is favored over anyone at this point. But then again, I wouldn’t favor UNC over many people either…

A nice piece on LaRod Stephens-Howling, who after some early dings this season and challenges to his position as a starter, has responded very well the last couple of games.

It dogged him through the first five games, when he was hobbled by a nagging right ankle sprain. It wasn’t until he carried 27 times for 221 yards at Syracuse and 19 times for 135 yards at UCF that those doubts dissipated.

“I’m glad that question kind of fell off now,” Stephens-Howling said. “Not so many people are asking me if I can do it. They saw the last two weeks that I can.”

They also saw the burst that makes him a threat to break it every time he touches the ball. He had runs of 34 and 40 yards before scoring on a 70-yarder at Syracuse, then added touchdown runs of 23, 26 and 6 yards at UCF.

Stephens-Howling credits that to an offensive line opening holes as well as his improved knowledge and patience, which has allowed him to accelerate through the creases.

“I don’t care how good your offensive line is, it still comes down to athletic ability, and a 4-yard run can turn into a 40-yard run if you’ve got enough quickness to make somebody miss — and he does,” Wannstedt said. “He’s got breakaway speed in addition to quickness. That’s a nice combination.”

I still don’t like seeing him carry back-to-back, as they have been doing, after he busts one for double digit yards. That seems to be the point where you take advantage of a different style to have someone like Kevin Collier, Shane Brooks or Conredge Collins to pound at the defense after they got burned.

Rutgers will be the best defense Pitt has faced. Like Coach Wannstedt, Rutgers HC Greg Schiano favors speed on the lines over size. The average size of the RU D-line is 6′ 2″, 256 pounds versus Pitt’s O-line which is 6′ 4″ and 308 pounds. Given the Scarlet Knights speed, it will be vital for the O-line to engage and seal off their blocks.  Otherwise, the D-line will simply  get around them and make the tackle.

On top of all the Homecoming stuff, playing a top-25 team, and bowl officials from the Sun and International Bowl being on hand.

There is the added issue of recruiting visits. This trip has 5 kids from Florida including the already verbally committed RB Xavier Stinson. This includes a 300 pound OL with offers from South Carolina and Mississippi. Also a CB with offers from FSU, Florida and Auburn. And a DE with offers from Tennessee and WVU.