1. WR Ray Small is questionable to see his first action of the season against Akron and may rest for his debut against Washington next week. Small is the most explosive OSU receiver and is often compared to a young Joey Galloway.

2. QB Todd Boeckman has increased the separation between he and Rob Schoenhoft for the starting job, and many are speculating that the only competition at QB will be if Schoenhoft can hold off Freshman Antonio Henton from passing him as the #2 QB after a solid showing last week.

3. OSU's top O-line backup, the versatile Jon Skinner, has not recovered well from his knee injury. He will miss an extended period of time and may not be ready until the end of the year. This is a blow to OSU, as Skinner was next in line with Bryant Browning to replace any interior O-lineman if needed. With last week's O-line play, Bryant Browning may become a full time starter before he knows it unless they improve.

4. Should Louisville drop in the polls after last night's horrendous defensive performance against a no-name Middle Tennessee State team? MTS scored 35 on them in the first half, despite turning the ball over twice. Louisville had no answer for this team's offense, and ultimately gave up 559 yards of total offense. The question is raised because OSU actually dropped in the polls one spot despite a 32 point win over Youngstown State where our 2nd and 3rd string played significant minutes. Shouldn't Louisville drop at least two spots for that?

5. Cincinnati destroyed Oregon State last week, in a very quiet blowout. They won 34-3 behind the passing of Wake Forest transfer Ben Mauk. This team could be a dark horse in the Big East since they can score against weak defenses in Louisville and West Virginia, and their defense can probably slow those two offenses to under 35 points.

6. Vernon Gholston is looking at the injury to Lawrence Wilson as his chance to step up and become the playmaker that could vault him into the 1st round of next year's NFL draft. Gholston had 8.5 sacks last year, has prototypical size at 6'4", 265 lbs., with little to no bodyfat, and impressive speed and strength off the edge. He didn't play most of the game last week due to OSU trying to get more guys on the field, but should see at least 3 quarters against Akron. Another good season, and he is likely gone, allowing Robert Rose and Lawrence Wilson to hold down the end positions in 2008.

7. Rose, who stands at 6'5", 299 lbs., is a beast. After bulking up to challenge for the DT job, Rose was told he had too much speed to waste it inside and they decided on a 3 man edge rotation that will not feature Rose as the starting DE. Behind him is true Freshman, Cameron Heyward, son of "Ironhead", who is 6'6" and weighs 285 lbs. Heyward was recruited as a DT, but his athleticism (he's the top PF prospect in basketball in the SE U.S.) makes him more of a freakish DE (like Julius Peppers). Heyward has a long way to go to become Peppers, but he has the measureables. Finally, filling out the rotation will be RS-Junior Alex Barrow, who is a normal sized DE at 245 lbs. with solid speed off the edge, but who has been buried on the depth chart with the loads of talent OSU has at DE. It is definitely the 2nd deepest position on the field other than LB.

8. Former OSU LB Jerry Rudzinski, who works out with the Bucks coaching staff at the Athletic Center, seems to believe that the word is Wilson is likely done for the year, and will apply for a medical redshirt, making him a 5th year Junior next year, like Todd Boeckman this year, and preserving two years of eligibility with Robert Rose at DE. DE will be OSU's deepest position in 2008, after the Bucks lose most of or all of the their starting LB's if Laurinitis leaves early (his Dad says he has plenty of money and claims he won't, but so did Oden and Conley).

9. Todd Boeckman was impressive against Youngstown State. In limited time (about 1/2 a game), Boeckman was 17 of 23 passing for 225 yards, 2 TD's, and 0 Int (though he did fumble once). He was easily on pace for a 350+ passing game with at least 3 TD's, completing nearly 74% of his passes. He looked very relaxed in the pocket. Boeckman says that after getting his first start under his belt, he is much more confident taking the field. Beockman's gift is his ability to put perfect touch on his deep ball, although he tends to float it a bit. Boeckman will have to make his living against 8 man fronts this year, built to stop Chris Wells.

10. Brandon Saine, the exciting true Freshman running back whose 16 yard TD was called back on a holding penalty, is not far from surpassing Maurice Wells as the team's #2 RB. Right now, the team will continue to use 3 RB's, regardless of what Maurice Wells does, meaning its simply a matter of when, and not if, when it comes to the switch. Saine is just too big and too fast to not have on the field.

11. With Kyle Boller agreeing to a one year extension to his existing contract with the Ravens, the Ravens pursuit of Byron Leftwich has likely ended, meaning Troy Smith's place on the roster is likely stable. Smith is unlikely to be let go at this point and should finish out the season. He could elevate to #2 on the depth chart if Steve McNair retires at the end of this year, thought possible by those in Baltimore.