For most of the first half, it felt like Cincinnati was dominating Fresno State.

Once Zach Collaros ran in for a touchdown in the second quarter, the Bearcats led 14-0 and Fresno State has just eight total yards. But Collaros took a big sack near his own end zone, and the Bulldogs capitalized with a touchdown. Collaros also fumbled late in the half, and Fresno took advantage of that with 16 seconds left.

As a result, a game that the Bearcats should have under control is instead 14-14 at halftime. And when you're playing on the road, that's a dangerous situation to be in.

The good news for Cincinnati is that its defense played extremely well when not pinned back in tough field position. The bad news is that Fresno State is getting all kinds of penetration against the Bearcats offensive line, causing Collaros to have to scramble often.

If Cincinnati loses this game, it will cap a brutal first week for the Big East.

South Florida is showing how to put away an FCS opponent, albeit after a slow start.

After falling behind 14-7, the Bulls ripped off 52 unanswered points to defeat Stony Brook, 59-14. It's just the kind of feel-good romp you like to see in a new head coach's debut, and that's what Skip Holtz got. (And given Florida's struggles offensively today, Bulls fans may be growing in confidence about next week's showdown in The Swamp. The competition level will be slightly tougher, however).

B.J. Daniels passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns and rookie running back Marcus Shaw had 76 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown. Evan Landi led the receivers with five catches for 91 yards, while Dontavia Bogan caught three for 86.

Great start for the Bulls. We'll know a whole lot more about them next week.

Who would have thought that Syracuse would need to carry the banner for the Big East in Week 1?

Yet that's what has happened, with the league going 0-3 in its first three games against major competition. Syracuse is about to snap that winless streak as it leads Akron 23-3 late in the third quarter.

Of course, the Zips aren't as strong as Utah, Michigan or even Kentucky, but the game is on the road. And Syracuse has had an encouraging performance despite three turnovers. Ryan Nassib, making his first start, has two touchdown throws plus an interception. Mike Holmes returned a blocked kick 57 yards for another score. The defense has been terrific, holding Akron to under 100 yards at this point.

It's a solid opening for the Orange, who aren't used to many easy wins.