Let's hear it for Washington State's traveling squad. The Cougars flew three and a half hours to Waco, Tex., to beat Hurricane Ike's landing and to play Baylor earlier, on Friday night. Then they reboarded their charter  and flew back to Pullman, Wash., as 45-17 losers at Baylor.  But the flight was nice. Same for Oregon, which trailed by 20-3 at Purdue before winning in overtime, 32-26. And California, which collapsed at Maryland, 35-27.  Adding a 12th game has led to cross-country trips that the traveling teams cannot handle.  Witness Wisconsin, going to Fresno State, and barely winning, 13-10.

Let's hear it for Jim Tressel, whose unimaginative offense again failed against another power team.  His game plan again was as bland as his sweater. Yes, Beanie Wells was sidelined, but is there anyone else who can block and run the football?  U.S.C.'s defense made Ohio State's line invisible.  Woody Hayes must be stomping the sidelines of Heaven. Three yards and a cloud of punts.  Tressel is now 0-3 in his last three games against  Florida, L.S.U. and Southern California, and outscored by 114-41,   bringing more criticism of the Big Ten by parachute pundits who ignored recent Big Ten victories over SEC and Pac-10 teams.   But the Sports Illustrated cover jinx took care of overrated Ohio State, which is now  No. 1 in disappointments.  A family of three traveling from Long Island to Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday were among the Buckeye fans feeling the pain and disappointment. 

Let's hear it for Rich Neuheisel, who stole an opening victory on Labor Day  from Tennessee, despite four first-half interceptions, and then apparently rested with his guitar since then, forgetting Brigham Young was next.  How can a former Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator not have a way to defend B.Y.U.'s passing attack?   The result was the worst loss by U.C.L.A. -- 59-0 -- since the Great Depression, 1929. And let's hear it for the Ball Coach Steve Spurrier whose South Carolina Gamecocks lost to Georgia, 14-7, when a potential touchdown was fumbled into the end zone by a hurdling running back.  Did Spurrier teach him to do that?

Let's hear it for Charlie Weis, who took a first-half hit from behind that tore a medial collateral ligament and an anterior cruciate ligament.  Yet he coached on a crutch in the second half, took an ice bath from his players on a crutch and was a humorist on a crutch at his postgame press conference.  "It's the closest I'll ever come to being an athlete," he told the media.  Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez needed the crutch -- a 35-17 loser -- after Notre Dame jumped on the Wolverines early, before the rains intensified.

Let's hear it for Greg Schiano and Rutgers.  Wrote Neil Rudel, managing editor  of The Altoona Mirror and Penn State beat writer in his 31st season: ''Some Penn State-Syracuse pregame observations while wondering if Greg Schiano is still not interested in the Michigan job." Rutgers was the Rutgers of old and the dark knight Rutgers, screamed the tabloid headlines, after being thumped at home by North Carolina, 44-14.  Even The Newark Star-Ledger editorial cartoonist is taking shots at the Schiano and his Scarlet (Letter R) Knights.  Overhyped.

Let's hear it for tough-luck Temple. a 3-point loser in the Hurricane Hannah monsoon a week ago to Connecticut and then a 2-point loser at Buffalo this past weekend. The Owls are showing grit, but are 1-2, with Penn State next.  One ESPN wag said Temple would be the first challenge for Penn State (3-0), which has outscored its foes, 166-37.

Let's hear it for Dennis Quaid, the third football coach in the Carrier Dome last weekend.  He plays Ernie Davis's Syracuse coach, Ben Schwartzwalder, in "The Express" movie being released Oct. 10.  It's a drama about Davis, a  tailback and the  first African-American Heisman Trophy winner who died at age 23 of leukemia in 1963.  The movie's debut was in Syracuse under Friday night lights, and Quaid and the Davis's former teammates all remembered him.  Jim Brown had a moving tribute on ABC to Davis, his former Cleveland Browns' teammate.

"The best premiere I've ever had, and I've done 70 movies," Quaid told ABC. "The movie is about meeting life's challenges with grace." Asked what he could tell Syracuse who had a challenge at halftime when it trailed by 38-6, Quaid then  invoked the name of another Syracuse legend: "Floyd Little's going to suit up, too, in the second half."  Syracuse Coach Greg Robinson never quit in the 55-13 rout and was cheering his Orange until the end.