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The Buckeyes close call against Ohio University on Saturday certainly stirred up those who look for every reason to complain and criticize. Not that there wasn't a fair amount to complain about and criticize, of course, but keep the bigger picture in mind, and give this team a chance to prove itself on one of college football's biggest stages next Saturday night before drawing too many conclusions.

Granted, the offense especially looked horrid, and the play calling once again left every armchair quarterback convinced they can call a better game than Tressel, but it's rare that even a national champion goes through the entire season without something resembling a close call against an inferior opponent, it's just that Ohio State got a little too close this time.

Tressel obviously kept the playbook very limited in the first two games, and the OSU team we've watched so far will probably bear little resemblance to what we'll see on Saturday night. Since the player's motivation will be much higher, the execution much crisper, and many of the formations and schemes new to USC, it's quite likely that the product on the field, and hopefully the outcome of the game, will have us all wondering next Sunday just who those imposters were that we watched against Ohio University.

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Somebody tell the Browns that the exhibition season was supposed to end last week.They once again laid a huge, rotten egg in their season opener against Dallas, apparently trying their best to make getting blown out at home in the first game of the year a new team tradition. Tony Romo played an easy game of pitch and catch with his receivers all day, while Braylon Edwards and a few of his teammates apparently had to play with Vaseline on their fingers.

Too bad the fans have to watch this mess of an opening game every year, and put up with the same excuses from the coaches and players. For Browns fans, the only solace was that at least this year's opening mess wasn't against the Steelers. Browns fans will have to wait another week for that yearly debacle, as Pittsburgh visits Cleveland next Sunday night. If the Browns don't get their act together right away, another embarrassment on national TV awaits them.

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The Bengals started their season on a familiar note too, losing their opener to the Ravens 17-10, and failing to score an offensive touchdown. Baltimore won the game despite starting a rookie quarterback and having a rookie head coach. Given the fact that the Ravens aren't expected to do much this year, this was a game Cincinnati really needed to get the year off on the right foot, but instead they stumbled again. Without a quick turnaround and some W's for Cincinnati, it may be a short season for head coach Marvin Lewis, who probably should go back to being a defensive coordinator for another team anyway.

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The Tribe's Cliff Lee won again on Sunday, beating the Royals 3-1 and raising his record to an amazing 21-2. Although he's likely going to win the second straight Cy Young award for a Cleveland pitcher, his accomplishment is going largely unnoticed by many fans because the Indians have been out of contention since early summer. Especially if he gets a few more wins this month, Lee will have a won/loss record that is rarely seen in the Major Leagues, especially on a team with a losing record, and will certainly take its place in Cleveland's record books. It's a shame his accomplishment is coming during a down year for the team overall, but hopefully he can build on this for next year and be pitching meaningful games in September and October for the Tribe.

Tags: cincinnati bengals, cleveland browns, cleveland indians, cliff lee, ohio state football