Ohio State isn’t called ‘The Ohio State University’ for nothing. It’s the cream of the crop. It’s the place many football players not just in Ohio, but across America, dream of playing.Cincinnati (1-1, 0-1 Big East) hopes to have something to say about that. Cincinnati has been nothing more than mediocre for years, finishing more than a game over .500 just 19 times since 1960 (46 seasons). But Saturday, the Bearcats take on No. 1 Ohio State (2-0) in their first battle with a top-ranked squad since a 1986 loss to Miami (Fla.).The in-state rivals have met 14 times in their histories, with OSU taking 12 of those meetings. This time around, Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio said things will be different. He points to pride as the reason.’We have a lot of players from Ohio that will take this game very personally,’ Dantonio said. ‘I expect a great effort and we’ll go up there expecting to win.’Dantonio said the Buckeyes’ No. 1 status makes this game even more special. In his career, Dantonio said he’s only played two top teams. One of those games came when Dantonio was the defensive coordinator at OSU in 2002 and the Buckeyes topped No.1 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title. ‘It’s not everyday that you’re able to do that, to go play the number one team,’ Dantonio said. ‘It’s something you should be able to talk about for the rest of your life as a player.’ In terms of Cincinnati’s physical skill, Dantonio said his squad has made vast improvements from last year’s 4-7 record. In last week’s 33-15 loss to Pittsburgh, the Bearcats only allowed 2.6 yards per carry while holding the Panthers to 1-for-11 on third downs. It’s those kinds of performances Dantonio said must transfer to Saturday’s game.’From a mental standpoint we’ll be prepared,’ Dantonio said. ‘We’ll play hard. We’ll play with effort and toughness. What we have to do is execute and pay attention to detail, play very well fundamentally and the ball has to bounce our way sometime.’ Another factor in this weekend’s matchup is playing at The Horseshoe. Ohio Stadium regularly holds over 100,000 screaming fans, all donned in scarlet and gray.’The environment itself is something special prior to the game, but once the game starts you concentrate on your job at hand,’ Dantonio said. ‘It will be very difficult because of Ohio State’s skill level. But as far as the awe, the awe of playing in that environment, I think our players are past that.’While the game is a big in-state rivalry for many players, it’s also personal for Dantonio himself. Dantonio coached for the Buckeyes from 1983-84 and again from 2001-2003. He also coached alongside OSU’s Jim Tressel at Youngstown State. ‘(Tressel’s) a mentor and a role model in a lot of ways for me,’ Dantonio said. ‘He’s had a tremendous impact on me. He’s not just a great coach, he’s a good man.’ Rutgers on a RollWith wins against North Carolina and Illinois to start the season, Rutgers is 2-0 for only the fifth time in 16 years. Last week the Scarlet Knights dominated an Illinois team that topped them 33-30 a year ago. RU won the rematch, 33-0, scoring two touchdowns on offense, another on defense and a fourth on special teams.’I think we have a real excitement in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area about Rutgers football,’ Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. ‘That’s something we’ve been working toward.’Rutgers also did well in attendance last week and Schiano hopes to sell out this weekend against Ohio for homecoming, a game he knows is vitally important.’It’s only two games into the season,’ Schiano said. ‘It’s two good wins. It’ll mean nothing if we don’t go out and do everything we can to prepare for this week’s game.’With last year’s return to postseason play and this season’s early success, the Knights have created a buzz around New Brunswick. But Schiano remembers where this team came from, having gone 1-11 back in 2002, his second year coaching the Knights.’When you’re building something like we’ve been doing, everything’s a new experience, and so is this,’ Schiano said. ‘It’s a lot of fun. It’s certainly a lot more fun than when you go through a 1-11 season, but even you don’t trade those times for anything because you learn a lot. We needed to go through those steps to get it right.

Game of the WeekNo. 17 Miami (Fla.) at No. 12 LouisvilleSaturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC

This game has national title implications for both squads. A loss for Miami would drop the ‘Canes to 1-2 on the year, and possibly out of the Top 25 for the first time since 1999. A win for Louisville would likely solidify the Cardinals as one of the top teams in the country and leave only West Virginia in the way of an undefeated year and a likely chance to a national title berth. ‘It’s certainly important to us at this point in time,’ Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. ‘We’re looking forward to the challenge.’

Around the ConferenceThe Big East is 12-3 combined this year. Two of those losses belong to Syracuse. The third is Cincinnati’s loss to Pittsburgh in last week’s first conference game of the season. …University of South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said last week he’d use both Matt Grothe and Pat Julmiste at quarterback. Only Grothe played Saturday against Florida International. …Syracuse’s Kelvin Smith leads the Big East with 29 tackles in two weeks. …UConn coach Randy Edsall told reporters he’d rather have no ranking polls until October. He said you can never tell how graduation will hurt, how freshmen will help, and who may get injured. He’d like the first poll to be released in October.