First, a few notes from today's teleconference with Edsall.

• Edsall says UConn is in "good shape" from a health standpoint heading into this afternoon's practice. Injury report to be released around 6 tonight.

• The plan is to eventually get Robbie Frey back on the kickoff return team this year, perhaps as soon as this week. "Robbie will be back there once he tells me he feels good enough to be back there," Edsall said. "That's his job and he's proven he can be very good back there. A lot of it is Robbie and how he feels coming off that scope. But once he feels ready to be back there, he'll be back there again." Nick Williams has also proven himself a valuable asset, so expect Frey to replace Kashif Moore when the time comes.

• Scott Lutrus has played with less fear the past two games. It's showed. Dealing with a nagging stinger problem the past two seasons, Lutrus looked tentative making tackles. Edsall saw that on film, and said he spoke with Lutrus about it a couple of weeks ago walking up to the practice field. "I told him, hey, I'm just telling you what we see on film," Edsall said. "You're looking a bit tentative. And I said Scott, this is at a point now where you've only got so many games left. Just let it fly, and it something else happens, it happens. I think maybe subconsciously he wanted to stay on the field and be out there helping the team. He wasn't doing it intentionally, but he wasn't cutting it loose. ... I think he's played a lot more, not reckless, but we've seen a difference since I mentioned that to him."

• We knew the rule interpretation as to why Nick Williams was called for a penalty after making what was, by rule, an invalid fair catch signal against Pitt. Edsall said he knew the rule at the time, and Williams realized what he did was illegal as well. "That's why I was trying to tell the crowd to quiet down because they were booing and they didn't know what they were booing at," Edsall said. "It was wrong. You can't make any kind of gesture like that and then try and advance the punt. That's a (penalty). You can yell, or whatever, to get people away from the ball, and then field the ball. But you can't make any gestures." Edsall said there were officials at practice over the summer that went over that rule specifically. Williams later told Edsall he recalled that session, and knew he was wrong.

On to the picks. Forget the Big East race, look at the tight standings in the Runway picks challenge!

Game 1: Connecticut (+4) over SYRACUSE

Game 2: MARYLAND (+4) over Florida State

Game 3: Rutgers (+13) over CINCINNATI

Game 4: Ohio State (-3) over IOWA

Game 5: Wisconsin (-4) over MICHIGAN

Game 6: Stanford (-6.5) over CALIFORNIA

Game 7: Virginia Tech (-2) over MIAMI

Game 8: Notre Dame (-8.5) over ARMY

Game 9: SOUTH FLORIDA (-2.5) over Pittsburgh

Game 10: BAYLOR (+7.5) over Oklahoma

Game 11: TEXAS A&M (+2.5) over Nebraska

Game 12: West Virginia (-4.5) over Louisville

Game 13: HARVARD (-6.5) over Yale

Last week's results

1. Chip 10-4-2

2. Ian 8-6-2

Gabe 8-6-2

4. Vinny 7-7-2

Sammy 7-7-2

6. Spock Jenkins 6-8-2

BStew 6-8-2

Caleb 6-8-2

Pete 6-8-2

10. Gary 5-9-2

11. Govphalen 4-10-2

Standings

1. Pete 69-63-6

2. Chip 68-64-6

Caleb Mandrake 68-64-6

Ian 68-64-6

Gabe 68-64-6

6. Gary 65-67-6

7. B-Stew 64-68-6

8. Vinny from East Haven 63-69-6

9. governorphalen 56-76-6

10. sammy 55-77-6

11. opposite guy 16-7-1

12. Walt 15-19-1

13. Uconnbob 12-9-1

14. SeanO 8-15-1

15. The Cat 6-5

16. harper 6-6

17. Weird Sal 6-6

18. Spock Jenkins 6-8-2

19. Rollo V. 5-6-1

20. Huskyraymond 5-8

21. BostonDan 3-7-1