Ohio State, which always seems to have a great corner or two every year, is empty this season. But they are trying an interesting experiment, moving baby freak Cie Grant, a 6'2", 215-pound OLB with 4.4 speed, to the corner. Grant started his career at OSU as a safety, then moved to linebacker, and now he's at cornerback. Even though he is still extremely raw, insiders say the coaches were pleasantly surprised at what they saw in his first week.

Speaking of the Bucks, sources out of OSU camp think they have a real sleeper in Chris Gamble. A smooth 6'2", 180-pound wide receiver from Florida, Gamble shined in a scrimmage last week and looks ready to make an impact right now. "Forget Bam [Childress]," says the source. "This is the guy who could be our playmaker. He is the real deal."

·I know there is a theory about how much teams improve from the first game to the second, but it'd still be a shocker if Syracuse can give Tennessee a game on Saturday. The Orange are hurting at QB. Still, Paul Pasqualoni said he was pleased with Troy Nunes Sunday after the Ga. Tech game. "He played tough. We had no delay of games..." And true, Nunes took some vicious hits, but right now Syracuse simply doesn't have a playmaker back there and this offense as much as any needs a QB who can pressure a defense. So expect The Cecil Howard Watch to rev up by the second quarter this weekend.

·As for the Hot 100 List I did a few weeks back -- you know, the one where everyone in the Carolinas dogged me for slighting ECU players? Well, after the first weekend of football, here are a few guys who are either ready to rise up the chart or crack the list: Ga. Tech WR Kelly Campbell and CB-S Chris Young, Oklahoma S Roy Williams and OT Frank Romero, TCU SS Marvin Godbolt and LB LaMarcus McDonald, Colorado TE Dan Graham, Fresno State DT Alan Harper, Wisconsin WR Lee Evans and BYU RB Luke Staley. Dropping like a stone: Ronald Curry. Oh, I think he will get better. Grasping a third offensive scheme in four seasons would be hard on anybody, although no one could've expected him to stink as badly as he did Saturday night against Oklahoma.

Bruce Feldman covers college football for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com.