Big East Overview

The Pittsburgh Panthers (5-0, 9-1) have a week off. Which is a good thing as their two toughest opponents remain on a schedule that is very back heavy. The first ten games of the schedule featured some solid opponents (Navy, the September version of North Carolina State, Connecticut, Rutgers, South Florida and Notre Dame) and some weaklings (Youngstown State, Buffalo, Louisville and Syracuse), but no one too hard to handle. That was a good thing as QB Bill Stull was able to develop into a decent QB while quieting his detractors and the D, under new DC Phil Bennett, was able to improve from a September during which they allowed 500y to Buffalo and 530y to North Carolina State. Neither the Bulls nor the Wolfpack are at .500 this year, so months of improvement were needed on the D side before being able to take on the O talent sent on to the field by coaches of Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati. The D-line delivered versus the Irish and will need to lead the way in the team's remaining two Big East clashes.

The Panthers have also been fortunate to play from behind all season, despite being undefeated in conference play. That is a great position to be in as the pressure has all been on the Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0, 10-0). Cincinnati also has a week off, which is also fortunate as the entire team needs to exhale after beating Connecticut and West Virginia by a combined five pts. The closest final score in the previous eight wins for Cincy was eight (28-20 over Fresno State), so the Bearcats are clearly looking for a return to the heady play of the season's first two months as they close out this historic season with games against Illinois and Pittsburgh.

Rutgers (2-2, 7-2) meanwhile is trying desperately to continue their strong play of late as a double digit win total and meaningful bowl game are within the team's grasp. Big East bottom feeders Syracuse and Connecticut are next up for the Scarlet Knights, but both games are on the road and Rutgers, which has played well this season when under the radar, cannot suddenly spit the bit with a potential for better things hanging over their heads. They also cannot be caught looking ahead to West Virginia, to be played December 5, even though the Mountaineers' 14-game series win streak is in jeopardy this season with the two programs somewhat even.