THE ELEVATOR

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007 | 7:38 a.m.

Who's going to the penthouse in local sports - and who's getting the shaft:

GOING UP

Mike Sanford

Although Wisconsin's team speed was two parts glacier, one part Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards, give the Rebels' football coach a big hunk of Colby for putting the spread back in the Rebels' spread offense in a 20-13 defeat. UNLV even managed to execute the difficult hook-and-lateral play. True, it picked up only two yards. But that was only because the lead-footed Badgers were still reacting to the hook when the Rebels set up the lateral.

Traffic flow on Russell Road

Those fears of the major artery to Sam Boyd Stadium being turned into the 405 freeway at rush hour were unfounded. All those Wisconsin fans arrived early via taxis and tour buses, and UNLV fans refused to cough up $60 for a ticket and didn't arrive at all.

Big Ben strikes 16

Ben Jacobs, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Silverado High School, led Fresno State with 16 tackles in a 47-45 triple overtime loss at then-No. 23 Texas A&M. If you see him wading through the faux harbor at New York-New York this week , there's a perfectly good reason for it: The Bulldogs will travel to Eugene to face Statue of Liberty-crazy Oregon on Saturday.

Chris Ault's vision

LSU has adopted UNR's Pistol offense, and if you thought it was effective for the Wolf Pack, you ought to see the No. 2 team in the land run it. Not only do they have great talent in Baton Rouge, they are partial to all things nicknamed Pistol.

GOING DOWN

The Wizard of Odds

Hopefully nobody was listening when I told Papa Joe Chevalier on the radio that the final score of the Wisconsin-UNLV game would be 49-7. I really thought the Rebels were gonna win this one big.

Polls in September

If Michigan was No. 5 in the nation two weeks ago and Wisconsin No. 5 last week, then why aren't Appalachian State and UNLV ranked fourth and sixth this week? Isn't it time to put the crystal balls with the leather helmets and the Oklahoma wishbone, at least until October?