Wednesday Morning links and notes -- Reebok wants $4 million from Johnson for name change

Hobson takes a look at team matchups (not individual) for this weekends home opener against the Tennessee Titans.

Five reasons that the Bengals must win Sunday.

What's David Pollack up to these days? "I get to talk sports for a couple of hours a day. I'm a fanatic of every sport. I'd watch pingpong if it was on."

It could cost Chad ______ (fill in last name here), a lot of money to be permitted to change the last name on his jersey. PFT says it "is less than $800,000" but "more than $750,000". However, Reebok wants $4 million.

Bengals tickets for their opening home game, is the cheapest they've been since 1982 (at least).

Joe Fortenbaugh offers the Bengals offense as one of the ugliest things during week one. How can we not agree?

I thought that Pete Prisco ranking the Bengals 25th was pretty generous. "On a day when the defense showed up, the offense was nowhere vs. the Ravens. Chad Ocho Cinco didn't do much with that new name."

After struggling against Ohio University, the Buckeyes were dropped to fifth in the polls.

Beanie Wells is expected to return against USC. However, it depends on how well he practices that determines his contributions Saturday night.

Remember USC and tOSU game in 1990?

Late in the game, the Buckeyes drove 50 yards through the thunderstorm for a touchdown that left the Trojans on top 35-26 with 2:36 left.

"We had some momentum," said Frey. "I had been down this road before. I'm thinking, 'We've got a ton of time.' "

Except they didn't.

Referee Ron Winter conferred for a second time with USC coach Larry Smith and Ohio State coach John Cooper about suspending the game.

"I told him we were going to try an onside kick," Cooper said. "I told him if USC gets it, it's all over."

And that's precisely what happened.

Making the situation even worse for distraught Ohio State fans, no sooner had the teams left the sodden field — and the wet, angry fans had filed out of the stadium — than the weather cleared.

The fallout was almost immediate. Ohio State's fans were outraged that Cooper elected to take the defeat and called him a quitter, a tag he had difficulty avoiding.

On September 20th, the Bearcats game against the Miami Redhawks will kickoff at 7:30 pm, on ESPN360.com. And yes, that's total crap.

Former Notre Dame quarterback, Demetrius Jones, could "see increased role at Cincinnati."

Mardy Gilyard was named the Big East Special Teams player of the week after setting a "BIG EAST record with 246 yards on kickoff returns and had a school-record 365 all-purpose yards (119 receiving, 246 return yards)"

Quarterback Ben Mauk lost another appeal to play another year.