So it was a cold blow to the heart under the white hot lights Saturday night when Ron Zook’s Fighting Illini came into the Horseshoe and kicked those national title dreams right to the curb. Juice Williams threw four touchdown passes and rushed for 70 yards, while Daniel Dufrene averaged a ridiculous 13.3 yards per carry on eight attempts. The BCS curse claimed its biggest prize yet, knocking THE Buckeyes out of THE first place.

Now that’s not to say Ohio State (whoops, THE Ohio State) has no chance at all of playing for a national title, but it’s 99.99% guaranteed that THE Buckeyes won’t be able to climb back into one of the top two positions even with a win over Michigan. The pollsters — heck even the computers — are tired of THE Buckeyes and that sweater vest-wearing Jim Tressel; they want new blood. LSU, Oregon, and Kansas, these are the new gladiators we want to see competing in the soft afterglow of the New Year’s holiday, and so THE OSU will have to settle for a shot at playing in a little thing called the Rose Bowl.

To get there, they will have to defeat the Michigan Wolverines this weekend, but then that’s never been too much of a challenge for the Tressel crew (oops, THE Tressel crew). Lloyd Carr has only managed to beat Tressel once in six attempts, perhaps a factor in his rumored departure from Ann Arbor, so THE Buckeyes could still enjoy — bittersweet as it might be — a nice trip to Pasadena for the holidays.

To get us all in the mood for THE rivalry game of the season, THE Provincial Report is more than honored to relate this week’s exploits of former Buckeyes now playing in the NFL.

We’ll start this week with Antonio Pittman, who carried the ball seven times for 53 yards to help the St. Louis Rams get their first win of the season on the road against the Saints. Orlando Pace, out for the season with a torn labrum and rotator cuff, was cheering from his living room I’m sure. For New Orleans, Will Smith had four tackles and three assists and recorded a sack early in the game. Long snapper Kevin Houser had light duties, though, since the Saints went for two-points each time after their three fourth quarter touchdowns.

In the sloppy rain of San Diego, Matt Wilhelm recorded nine tackles and two assists, batted down a pass and was responsible for one of the six interceptions that Peyton Manning threw against the Chargers on Sunday night. Shane Olivea did some blocking, but apparently all you need is 177 yards of offense to beat the Colts. Speaking of the defending Super Bowl champs, Quinn Pitcock had two tackles; Anthony Gonzalez was among the walking wounded in Indianapolis while Roy Hall has been out since Week 3 and was placed on IR last month.

The Green Bay Packers rolled to another win over the Minnesota Vikings as the defense smothered The Artist Formerly Known As Purple Jesus; A.J. Hawk led the way with seven tackles while Ryan Pickett mostly watched from the sidelines. Antoine Winfield and Michael Doss were among the injured that did not play for the Vikes.

The Carolina Panthers couldn’t find a way to beat the Falcons, but Drew Carter did make three catches for 28 yards. Na’il Diggs had five tackles and a sack, while Chris Gamble recorded two tackles and an assist. For Atlanta, Michael Jenkins caught a six-yard pass.

It seemed like the Cleveland Browns were on the way to an upset over Pittsburgh, helped along by Simon Fraser’s single assist, but the Steelers came roaring back and got the win thanks in part to four catches for 53 yards by Santonio Holmes.

Coming out on the short end of things: Tight end Ben Hartsock caught a nine-yard pass for the Tennessee Titans in their loss to Jacksonville, Jay Richardson recorded two assists for the Raiders in their loss to the Bears, and Shawn Springs defended a pass and made two tackles for Washington during a defeat to the Eagles. A winner: Bobby Carpenter made a tackle in Dallas’ victory over the Giants.

Nate Clements had quite the game on Monday Night Football: five tackles, one assist, a pass knocked down and an interception. Too bad the 49ers punting squad saw more action than the offense against Seattle.

And finally, Ted Ginn Jr. made a 12-yard catch for the Dolphins against Buffalo, but Miami still managed to find a way to lose again and dropped to 0-9 on the season. Maybe with that #1 draft pick, the Fins will get a quarterback to feed the ball to Ginn next year. The Bills’ Donte Whitner, by the way, had four tackles in the game.

The top 10 upset curse nabbed another victim this weekend as BC got upended at home 27-17 by the unranked Florida State Seminoles. Quarterback Matt Ryan, just a week removed from his heroic performance against Virginia Tech, threw three interceptions including a pick six to Geno Hayes.

But don’t despair Eagles fans because the Provincial Report is here to fill you in on all the highlight achievements by your most famous alum in the NFL.

Speaking of those undefeated Patriots, Dan Koppen did a fine job of hiking the ball to Tom Brady all day against the Colts. Cowboys tackle Marc Colombo, meanwhile, must have done his job well Sunday night because it looked like Tony Romo was upright most of the time against the Eagles.

Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck had to put the Seahawks on his back and drag them kicking and screaming into overtime against the Browns; he threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, but the ‘Hawks lost on Phil Dawson field goal.

His brother Tim Hasselbeck had an easier time riding the pine for the Cardinals in Tampa Bay, though it probably wasn’t much fun seeing your team lose to Jeff Garcia and the Bucs. Chris Hovan recorded two tackles for the Buccaneers.

Linebacker Vinny Ciurciu, who plays for the Minnesota Vikings — Hovan’s former team — also recorded two tackles in the Vikes big win over the Chargers. Another former BC linebacker, Ricky Brown, suited up for the Raiders but had no stats in their loss to Houston.

And finally, it was obvious that the Steelers were trying to run up the score on the Ravens on Monday Night Football because backup emergency quarterback Brian St. Pierre didn’t get any playing time. Such a shame.

Until then, here’s a quick look at how some former Nebraska players fared in the NFL this week:

Linebacker Barrett Ruud had a strong game for Tampa Bay with eight tackles and four assists against Jacksonville. Too bad his offense couldn’t back him up.

Defensive lineman Ryon Bingham (four tackles, three assists), on the other hand, got plenty of help from the San Diego offense against Houston. For the Texans, kicker Kris Brown scored a field goal and made a point after, but it was too little too late. I doubt even having running back Ahman Green on the field would have helped.

Safety Josh Bullocks put in a good day’s work against San Francisco, recording four tackles, knocking down a pass and forcing a fumble in the first quarter. Teammate Scott Shanle added two tackles and an assist. Rookie Jay Moore did not play for the 49ers.

Correll Buckhalter hasn’t seen a whole lot of playing time this year, but up in the Metrodome the former Husker had a couple carries for the Eagles and caught four passes for 28 yards.

Against the Indianapolis Colts Mike Rucker recorded seven tackles for the Panthers. Unfortunately, none of those plays stopped Indy from reaching the end zone four times.

In the Bears-Lions tilt, neither Mike Brown nor Daniel Bullocks played a down. Rookie running back Brandon Jackson, meanwhile, missed Green Bay’s Monday night shocker in Denver.

Kyle Vanden Bosch recorded a couple tackles and a couple assists for Tennessee. He also knocked the ball loose when he sacked Dante Culpepper, but the Raiders got the ball back.

Now if you Husker fans think you’ve have it bad this year, just consider former classmates Adam Carriker, Richie Incognito, and Trevor Johnson. They all play for the winless Rams who got beat by the Browns on Sunday. Carriker and Johnson combined for four tackles in the game.

The Patriots defense hasn’t been getting a whole of of press while Hunky McBrady has been running up the score (thanks in part to protection provided by Russ Hochstein), but Le Kevin Smith recorded a tackle in the blowout against Washington.

Against the Steelers, about the best thing that happened for the Bengals was punter Kyle Larson. He averaged 45.5 yards on two punts; one went for a touchback. Buffalo’s defensive end Chris Kelsay, meanwhile, helped Kellen Clemens win the starting job in New York when he batted down a pass in the win against the Jets.

South Carolina has had a great season, surviving when others failed, winning when others lost, and rising meteorically to #6 in the polls. Yes, the Fighting Roosters were looking like real contenders for the first time in forever and the Old Ball Coach was nearly beside himself. But then came Vanderbilt. Steve Spurrier had never lost to Vandy before in his entire career, surely the Gamecocks could put them away and move into the top five, right?

Wrong. The Commodores stood tall against SC and stole the game 17-6. Now the Gamecocks are 6-2 overall and have fallen to #15 in the polls. But it’s not all bad, because now we have an opportunity to check in with some famous South Carolina alumni and their exploits this week in the NFL.

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph maybe had the best day of all the Gamecocks playing in the pros: he made three tackles and two assists and took an interception 42 yards for what turned out to be the winning touchdown as Cincinnati defeated the Jets.

Fred Bennett and Dunta Robinson, who also play corner and play together for Houston, each accorded themselves well on Sunday: Robinson had five tackles, one assist, and defended two passes, while Bennett recorded two tackles and knocked down one pass. Too bad one of those passes batted away wasn’t the one that put Tennessee in position to win on a field goal.

Corner Sheldon Brown of the Eagles certainly felt the pain of losing in the final minute. Even though the former Gamecock recorded three tackles and two passes defensed, Philly allowed Chicago to run right down the field and score a touchdown just before time expired. I’m sure Rod Wilson on the opposite sideline celebrated with the Bears but he had no stats in the game.

Down in Dallas, Troy Williamson caught a pass for 25 yards, which doesn’t sound like much until you realize that was nearly half the Vikings aerial attack against the Cowboys on Sunday. Teammate Sidney Rice came away with no stats in the game.

Defensive end John Abraham is an eight-year veteran who played with the Jets before going to the Falcons, so he’s experienced the sinking ship before. While Atlanta took on a little more water against New Orleans, he recoded a tackle and knocked down a pass. Lance Laury didn’t have to do much for the Seahawks against St. Louis, and he didn’t really: just one assist.

Andre’ Goodman was lucky to get a hand on the ball against the Patriots, while Terry Cousin recorded two tackles for Jacksonville against the Colts. In a game not featuring an undefeated team, Detroit’s Kalimba Edwards and Langston Moore combined for six tackles against the Buccaneers.

And finally, quarterback Anthony Wright has seen only very limited action with his Giants on a four-game winning streak, but he got into the game against San Francisco. The former SC player attempted a pass to Sinorice Moss (it was incomplete) and he took a knee on the final possession to end the game. Well played, sir. Well played.

LSU’s journey to the SuperDome took a detour Saturday when the Kentucky Wildcats manged to force overtime and came away with a 43-37 upset. Curse you, top five poll curse! But with just one loss and weeks of crazy college football ahead, who knows, the #5 Tigers could still be in this thing. Until we find out, the Provincial Report is happy to offer a glimpse into the week that was for some LSU alumni in the NFL.

The New England Patriots are riding high even without the spy cameras; maybe one reason is because their roster is loaded down with players from LSU. Against Dallas Kevin Faulk carried the ball 13 times for 50 yards and caught three passes from Hunky McBrady for another 24 yards. Meanwhile, Randall Gay made a couple tackles and Eric Alexander had an assist. For the Cowboys, Bradie James recorded four tackles and four assists, while Marcus Spears had three tackles and an assist.

I bet Donnie Jones wishes maybe he’d seen more action Sunday against the Ravens; the St. Louis punter was called on just twice in the game because nearly every other Rams possession ended with a turnover. (I hear that’s not such a good thing.) Also playing in the game were Claude Wroten (Rams) and Ronnie Prude (Ravens), who each recorded a tackle.

It’s hard to figure out the 3-3 Chiefs but Dwayne Bowe figured out how to get to the ball: He caught four passes for 46 yards against the Bengals. For Cincinnati, Skyler Green had one catch for seven yards.

I’m sure that Titans starting center Kevin Mawae did what he could to protect his quarterback, but Vince Young strained his right quadriceps muscle on a scramble for two yards and had to leave the game against Tampa Bay. The Bucs finally won 13-10 with Michael Clayton catching two passes for 53 yards.

On Monday Night Football, Corey Webster had a tackle and knocked down a pass for the Giants as they won their fourth straight game. New York didn’t need to do much, though, considering how bad the Falcons are. I mean, you could put both Ben Wilkerson and Todd McClure on the offensive line and Joey Harrington would still get sacked.

Speaking of sacks, was that LaRon Landry tackling Brett Favre at Lambeau Field? No, my mistake. But Landry did have a tackle and an assist for the Redskins.

Sitting at home this weekend, Joseph Addai was nursing his shoulder injury, getting ready to face Jacksonville next week on Monday Night Football, and thinking about how awesome his Colts are playing. Safety Mark Roman, meanwhile, was thinking how awesome it is his 49ers don’t have to play Indianapolis this year.

And finally, Craig Davis made two catches for 30 yards for San Diego on Sunday; he was also called on to run the ball, but lost a yard on the play. (Note to Norv: LT runs the ball, not the receivers.) Meanwhile, JaMarcus Russell sat on the pine for Oakland and counted his dirty money while Dante Culpepper did all the work.

How dejected they all must have been when the mighty Trojan army was felled this weekend 24-23 by Stanford — Stanford! — dashing any and all hopes of another national title run for SoCal. I bet the sun doesn’t tan as evenly today, the pool doesn’t seem as soothing, the McMansions must feel cold and empty. Well boo freakin’ hoo!

But if the current Trojan corps couldn’t get it done on Saturday night, maybe some alumni could get it done in the NFL on Sunday.

Former USC running back Reggie Bush has been having a tough time of it this season, with his Saints winless and he not being able to do a whole lot about it. Against Carolina he rushed for 67 yards on 21 touches and caught nine passes for 52 yards, but New Orleans still fell to the Panthers 16-13. Just a year after his rookie season and the whispers are already starting. Keary Colbert, though, had a decent outing for the big cats, catching four passes for 74 yards.

Cleveland might not be the place you’d expect a Trojan to end up, but Willie McGinest recorded two assists for the Browns as they played the Patriots. Too bad the Pats had Junior Seau on their side: He had a monster of a game with four tackles, two assists, two interceptions, and another pass defensed.

In Pittsburgh it was another Trojan defenseman, Troy Polamalu, tearing up the Seahawks with two tackles, one assist, and one pass defensed. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu got a sack for Seattle, but it was barely enough to slow the Steelers juggernaut.

In Jacksonville’s 17-7 win over Kansas City, that was Sammy Knight with eight tackles and one pass knocked down. Brian Kelly, meanwhile, had a couple tackles for Tampa Bay in their loss to Indianapolis. And LenDale White carried the ball for 32 yards in Tennessee’s inexplicable win over Atlanta; he also accounted for one of the five Titans turnovers.

Finally, a word about Matt Leinart. It looks like the season might be all but over for the former super stud on campus after his collarbone was broken on a sack against St. Louis. Before that happened, though, he completed seven of 13 passes for 100 yards with an interception. Having your collarbone broken would suck, admittedly, but it might be better than ourtright losing your job to Kurt Warner.

Can you believe the Bucs are back? In Tampa Bay’s 20-7 win over the Panthers, Ike Hilliard caught seven passes for 114 yards while Earnest Graham rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. Defensive end Kevin Carter also recorded a tackle. For Carolina, Marquand Manuel did not have any stats.

Just win, baby! Gerard Warren recorded three tackles and a sack for Oakland in the Raiders 35-17 win over Miami. Channing Crowder, meanwhile, recorded two tackles and an assist for the 0-4 Dolphins.

How is it the Packers are undefeated? Well, it’s not because of the running game, but rookie DeShawn Wynn did what he could gaining 20 yards on 10 carries in Green Bay’s 23-16 victory over Minnesota. He also had two catches for 10 yards.

The Chargers may be 1-3 this year, but Brandon Siler did what he could do for the cause, recording two tackles in a loss to Kansas City. It’s not his fault San Diego hired Norv Turner. Marcus Thomas, meanwhile, recoded three tackles for the Bronocs even though they lost to Indianapolis.

With the Eagles allowing 12 sacks Sunday night, Jevon Kearse probably wished he was on the Giants squad, but he still had three tackles and a sack. Teammate Lito Sheppard has been out for a few weeks due to a knee injury.

Could this Cleveland team be for reals? The 2-2 Browns overcame the Ravens in part thanks to Andra Davis who had four tackles, an assist, and knocked down a pass. The 0-4 Rams, though, have looked absolutely dreadful this year and got their hats handed to them by the Cowboys. Todd Johnson recoded two tackles for St. Louis.

Not a good day for San Francisco fans on Sunday, but Darrell Jackson had three catches for 38 yards, while Taylor Jacobs made a 14-yard reception. Maybe if a couple of those were in the end zone things would be different by the bay.

And finally in Detroit it was the NFC defending champion Bears playing the Lions, but who wasn’t on the field? That’s right, Florida’s own Rex Grossman was riding the pine while Brian Griese took the field to the cheers and salutations of many Chicago fans. However, the story was still the same as the Greaseman threw three interceptions, one of which was returned 64-yards for a touchdown. Bring on Kyle Orton!

Now we’re not here to assign blame or point fingers, we’re here to lift the spirit, so to boost the boosters at Penn State, here’s a look at some famous alums and what they achieved in the NFL this week.

Former Nittany Lion Larry Johnson got the big contract this year, but he hasn’t been putting up the big numbers. Sunday against the Vikings he rushed for 42 yards on 24 carries. At least Kansas City won the game. Teammate Tambla Hall recorded two tackles, while Eddie Drummond carried the ball for -3 yards.

In the Seahawks-Bengals game, Kenny Watson ran the ball 60 yards and scored what could have been the winning touchdown had Cincy’s defense been able to stop Seattle on their final drive. Bobby Engram scored the first TD for the Hawks; he had five catches for 62 yards.

Joe Jurevicius had three receptions for 33 yards to help the Browns in Oakland, but the Raiders blocked a last second field goal attempt to win the game.

In Philly, Tony Hunt gained 1 yard on four carries, though he did score a meaningless touchdown near the end of the Eagle’s blowout win. Tight end Sean McHugh was so disgusted with Detroit’s effort he didn’t put up any stats.

Kicker Robbie Gould made a 20-yard field goal for Chicago, but it was hardly enough to help the Bears against the Cowboys. Teammate Anthony Adams recorded two tackles and an assist.

Kyle Brady caught a 20-yard pass for New England as the Pats rolled over the Bills Sunday. Fellow alum Paul Posluszny had three tackles and an assist for Buffalo, while Bryan Scott added another tackle.

Bryant Johnson had an 18-yard reception for Arizona, while San Francisco’s Michael Robinson had two carries for eight yards. Ed Johnson made three tackles for Indianapolis in Houston.

On Monday Night Football, Kerry Collins was 100% accurate with his throws against New Orleans; even though he only made four attempts, that’s pretty good. Calvin Lowry recorded three tackles.

But Irish fans have a long and proud history and many great names have passed through those hallowed halls. Maybe checking in with some alums playing in the pros will help bring back more pleasant memories for the Notre Dame faithful.

There were plenty of pleasant memories for Cleveland fans this weekend as the Browns won a shootout against the Bengals 51-45, but it wasn’t Brady Quinn that was getting all the glory. The Mighty Quinn was still riding the pine Sunday as Derek Anderson (a Beaver from Oregon State) threw for five touchdown passes and 328 yards.

Former Irish player Julius Jones, though, did his school proud, rushing for 32 yards in the Cowboys win over Miami. Tight end Anthony Fasano also had a catch for 12 yards.

When the Packers took the field in the Meadowlands, Carlyle Holiday wasn’t on the active roster after being put on injured reserve with a knee injury, but running back Ryan Grant did come through with a catch for 22 yards. Justin Tuck recorded three tackles and a sack for the Giants.

Punter Hunter Smith averaged 42.7 yards on three kicks for the Indianapolis Colts on the road against Tennessee, while teammate Rocky Boiman recorded a tackle.

In the Texans-Panthers tilt, Anthony Weaver made three tackles and was credited with an assist for Houston, while Deke Cooper had five tackles for Carolina.

Bryant Young came through big for the 49ers, recording six tackles and two sacks against the Rams. He also caused a fumble in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Arnaz Battle had two catches for 17 yards.

Against the Jets, Gerome Sapp played well with four tackles and a sack. He also knocked down a pass to help the Ravens win. Tight end John Owens, however, could do little to help the New Orleans Saints run with the Buccaneers, even though he caught a pass for four yards.

Kicker John Carney was a difference maker for the Jaguars, banging through two field goals and a PAT. Bertrand Berry, who plays for the Cardinals, recoded a tackle in Arizona’s win over Seattle.

And finally, neither Corey Mays nor Mike Richardson suited up for the Patriots game against the Chargers, but they were probably scanning the San Diego sideline trying to steal some signals.

Somehow Lloyd Carr has avoided the lynch mobs and may get a reprieve this week when his team takes on 0-2 Notre Dame. And to help the healing, the Provincial Report is back to spotlight the highlights of Michigan alums in the pro ranks.

We’ll start our roll call with the best stat of the day, recorded by the most famous and most McDreamy Wolverine alive, Tom Brady. The lover of super models and father of super model babies put up some obscene numbers against the Jets: 22 for 28 passing for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Do you get any better than that? David Harris and Victor Hobson, fellow alums on the Jets defense had a few tackles between them, but I’m sure all they could do is wonder, “He’s so good, it’s almost like they’re stealing our signals.”

Out in Cleveland, Braylon Edwards was wishing he was Brady’s teammate but the former Michigan standout still caught three passes for 49 yards for the Browns. That wasn’t nearly enough as the Steelers rolled to a 34-7 victory, helped I’m sure by the tackling of LaMarr Woodley and Larry Foote.

Cornerback Marlin Jackson did his school proud when he recorded eight tackles and four assists in the season opener between Indianapolis and New Orleans. The one-time Wolverine also forced a fumble in the second quarter. Tight end Mark Campbell and offensive lineman Jonathan Goodwin could do little to help their Saints overcome the Colts.

Ty Law, another of the favorite sons of Michigan, came through with two tackles for the Chiefs, but Kansas City still fell mightily to Houston; fellow alum Shantee Orr recorded a tackle for the Texans.

And yet another veteran corner from Michigan, Charles Woodson, recorded two tackles and an assist in the Packers 16-13 win over the Eagles. He also returned a couple punts for six yards. Philadelphia wide receiver Jason Avant, meanwhile, caught three passes for 54 yards and scored Philly’s only touchdown.

Kicker Jay Feely had a decent day with the Dolphins, kicking two field goals and a PAT. At least the Miami faithful can’t blame him for the Fins 16-13 loss to the Redskins. For cross-state rival Tampa Bay, Cato June recorded three tackles in the Bucs loss to the Seahawks.

Sunday was not a particularly good day for running back Anthony Thomas, however; the A-Train gained -1 yards on three carries for the Bills, though he did catch one pass for eight yards. Ian Gold, another Michigan man, made a tackle for the victorious Broncos in that game.

On Sunday night the Giants got rolled by the Cowboys, but it was hardly the fault of Amani Toomer: The wide receiver from Michigan had nine catches for 91 yards.

Still more Michigan alums graced the sidelines during last night’s Cardinals-49ers tilt: Alan Branch, Steve Breaston, Gabe Watson, and David Baas didn’t record any stats but they all deserve recognition for witnessing and surviving the abhorrent football going on on the field.

In the other bookend of the Monday Night Football doubleheader, Leon Hall recorded three tackles and knocked down two passes as the Bengals survived the Ravens. Neither linebacker Prescott Burgess (Baltimore) nor running back Chris Perry (Cincinnati) wanted anything to do with that slugfest.

Elsewhere around the league, James Hall recorded a tackle and an assist for the Rams, Steve Hutchinson blocked for Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, Brian Griese held the clipboard for Rex Grossman, Jeff Backus did some blocking for the Lions, and Maurice Williams probably did something for the Jaguars.