Big Conference of the East/USA Update

To be honest, there is not much more to say about conference realignment.  Louisville is now going to the ACC and not the Big 12 and Rick Pitino is just going to have to deal with it.  As for football, well, the Cardinals should do okay but it is hard to know for sure until the ACC is rearranged.  Meanwhile more Conference USA teams are flocking to the Big East as it becomes the best of the second tier schools (in football, add a bunch a non football playing old timers in basketball).
On the field the battle of a future Big Ten team and future ACC team is the key one for the Big East on the season.  Due to tiebreakers, the winner of Thursday's Rutgers versus Louisville battle should be BCS bound.  The game should be competitive with Rutgers looking to pound the visitors on the ground while injured QB Teddy Bridewater hopes to shake off ankle and wrist injuries to lead Louisville.  Look for Rutgers to ride RBs Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins, both expected to play after leaving the Pitt loss with injuries, to a decent 4th Q lead and then withstand heroic Bridgewater-led comeback.  Scarlet Knights by 3.

Big East Update

The three-way battle for the Big East title takes center stage tonight as undefeated Louisville hosts a Cincinnati squad that remains unblemished in conference play although it did lose its first game of the season on Saturday at Toledo.  The Bearcats have won four straight in this series but as a favorite of anywhere from 3-14 points.  The Cardinals are now a ranked team and considered the class of the conference.  Therefore they are favored by a field goal in a game that everyone expects to go down to the wire.
As a fan of the Big East I really hope this game proves to be captivating.  Both of these teams are--as of 3:15 my time anyway--remaining in the conference and the winner will find itself ranked entering the month of November.  And thanks to a World Series off day, NHL lockout and continued NBA preseason (when will that ever end?), this game does not have much competition beyond another college football game (Nevada at Air Force) that is slightly less important.  The Big East, for the first time in a very long time, is the top banana tonight and desperately needs a great game and good ratings.  This is a showcase opportunity for two teams that have talented and colorful players.  Both QBs, for example, deserve more national attention as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater is very special and Cincinnati's Munchie Legaux, no slouch himself, will be inspired to keep pace.  With no horse in this race I will be rooting for a 30-27 epic that forces people to pay attention.  I'd take Cincy and the points but do not have much faith in that pick and, again, am rooting for a good game as much as I am rooting for either team.

Big East As Usual

Last night's 23-13 win by Rutgers at South Florida was typical for the conference.  The game was hard fought and won by the underdog.  The two were evenly matched and battled to the end.  And of course both teams made enough mistakes to look like a peewee team at its first practice.  Rutgers now joins Cincinati atop the conference with Louisville still the favorite.  It should be a fun and wild season--just do not expect many unscathed, and therefore ranked, teams.

View From Bennett Avenue

Clemson? The opposing QB is going to take the ball and shuffle it off to the RB streaking trough the backfield. I assume that you are going to work on stopping that play all spring.
Possible reason for that performance is that the only way teams feel they can stop these new offenses that feature tons of guys with speed in space is by going smaller and faster on defense themselves. That makes sense except for one key factor: THEY CAN'T TACKLE! The Tigers seemed to be playing two-hand touch or flag football, anything but tackle. Meanwhile West Virginia can beat Clemson badly and gain a ton of yards against LSU, but cannot solve the mystery that is Syracuse football. Go figure.
And yes the Big East has had another successful post-season (with one more game to play) and this one was not boosted by wins over MAC teams. Although a young Louisville squad could not pull out a win against NC State, Rutgers routed Iowa State, Cincy controlled Vandy and the Mountaineers looked great. What is good about these wins is that they came at the expense of the Big 12, SEC and ACC. Plus newcomers Houston and Boise looked pretty good.

Big East Update

Okay, okay so the name could not be more removed from reality. But perhaps the Big East is just trying to be innovative, that in today's society it makes perfect sense to have a conference with those ancient of rivals: Connecticut and San Diego State.
But really, the conference is stronger in football for the move. Boise, on the field, is at worst a wash with West Virginia. And as traditional the names Pittsburgh and Syracuse, there product on the field of late is no better than the other Big East newcomers. As for hoops, the depth is still there but no the league is not as good. But this is a college football site.
As to those folks snickering about the miles between schools, the reality is that you will only play a school on the other side of the country every other season. So that means one road game in four years. Not a problem in the least, in fact you would want to go to other recruiting zones every fourth year. Now the volleyball teams should not do that, but they are not and bringing your secondary sports on a road trip to Texas is a plus for recruiting in the Northeast.
And the conference is not losing its automatic BCS qualifying spot. Remember Cincinnati finished third overall in the BCS just two years ago. Yes the conference as been weak for two years now but the numbers are based on a larger period of time.

Big East Update

Big East bashing is now so rampant it is hard to get proper analysis from anyone. Yes it is difficult to get to excited about the teams battling for the conference crown but these are legitimate programs and the conference has had a solid record in bowl games (although it has been boosted by some easy match-ups). West Virginia is the program that everyone wants to win the conference--everyone, of course, except for Louisville and Cincinnati fans plus conference administrators. Being a BE fan I will root against the soon-to-be-gone West Virginia, but I do not want a complete bowl embarrassment so I'll pick Cincy over Louisville. Either way the conference definitely needs the winner to show up in January.

Big East Update

You have to feel for stud back Ray Graham of Pitt, who was lost for the season last night with a 1st half knee injury. Graham became the latest star running back to be injured this year as it seems the over protection of QBs may well be bad luck for their backfield mates.

Either way. Pittsburgh's chances to remain in the Big East race were greatly compromised. Defending champion UConn looks like toast and South Florida, a preseason favorite, is sitting at 0-3, but everyone else has a shot. There is a key game in Jersey Saturday between a suddenly-reeling West Virginia squad and a team that they usually dominate in Rutgers, who can both do some of the things that Syracuse did defensively to the Mountaineers and will be inspired by just entering the stadium. That is because recovering teammate Eric LeGrand, who suffered his spinal injury last October, will lead them onto the field. The Scarlet Knights will be inspired.

Big East Update

The Big East is in the spotlight tonight with Louisville hosting a surprisingly 5-1 Rutgers and West Virginia traveling to Syracuse. With all of the turmoil surrounding the conference, the champion this year may be the one that can best drown out the distractions. The Mountaineers, also 5-1, will be looking for payback for a stunning home loss to the Orange last year. Previously they had won eight straight in the series and there is no reason to believe that they won't regain the Schwartzwalder Trophy tonight. What is worrisome for the home team is that they allowed USC QB Matt Barkley to throw five TD passes against them last month. How will they stop the explosive West Virginia passing attack?
As for the Rutgers-Louisville contest, points will be at a premium in a match-up of squads being carried by their respective stop units. With West Virginia up next for Rutgers, they had better get their work done versus a rebuilding Cardinal squad.

Big East Update

With the conference busy searching for programs that want to join it as football-only members--that's you Service Academies!--the teams currently in the conference are busy battling it out for a BCS berth (say what you will about it, it still counts).

Rutgers, of all teams, has taken the early lead with a two-game sweep of the traitorous duo, Syracuse and Pitt. While RU has played the Panthers well recently--Saturday's win was their fifth in seven games--no one expected a 34-10 rout. But Saturday's win showcased the need for Rutgers (I won't call them the Scarlet Knights since they opted for all black) to keep New Jersey talent home. QB Gary Nova, a frosh from Elmwood Park who led fabled Don Bosco HS to a national title, received his first start under center and played well, CB Logan Ryan of Berlin had two picks, including one he returned for finishing TD, and was named BE D player of the week, LB Khaseem Greene of Elizabeth (# 20 in photo tackling brother Ray Graham, who did play well with 164y rushing) led the team with 11 tackles, FB Joe Martinek of Hopatcong took a screen 60y for TD and LB Steve Beauharnais set up the team's first TD with an INT.

Rutgers still has five conference games remaining, but they play West Virginia, USF and Cincinnati at home. What is almost as important as winning is the impression they are making on prospects as they play as well as they have played in a few years during a picture-perfect day. Keep up the good play and the kids will come.

Big East Update

Here is some big news. The Big East has not disbanded. I know you would not think that it remained a football conference based on the coverage it receives, but the Big East is still playing football.
Meanwhile, the game of the week will be played in New Jersey. Rutgers has not yet left the conference--although that just might be because no other conference wants them--and they stand tied atop the Big East with a 1-0 mark with the team they host this weekend...Pitt. The winner of that contest will stand alone at 2-0 (in fairness to the rest, half of the conference has yet to play a game) and will have four wins overall. While the Panthers are playing better under new coach Todd Graham as the season progresses, the Scarlet Knights are relishing their below-the-radar standing. I fully expect this game to be tight and while the focus will be on Pitt back Ray Graham, the nation's leading rusher with 734y, and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu of RU, who already has 43 receptions, the key to the W just might be special teams.
In other action, West Virginia looks to avenge a costly loss last year that prevented a BCS berth when they host Connecticut. That could get ugly. There are no other conference games Saturday as the Big East slowly gets going. Louisville desperately needs an upset at UNC, although it is hard to see that happening, while Syracuse travels to Tulane in their quest to gain another win toward bowl eligibility.

Tonight's Pick

I like South Florida -3 at Pitt tonight. USF is the better team and bears Big East hopes for a high ranking. That will not mean much tonight but they are the better team.

View From Bennett Avenue

The Big East had to be happy with Cincinnati's rout of North Carolina State last night. Sure it was one a-bit-under-the-radar game, but it was the first ACC-Big East battle since Pitt and Syracuse switched conferences. When you are feeling low, it is sometimes the little things that spark a comeback.
Tonight's BYU-Central Florida match-up is also under the radar, but it should be a good game. BYU is now desperate for a win, while the Knights are desperate for any kind of coverage. UCF won 11 games last year, including a victory over Georgia in the bowl game, and still generated barely a sigh. This game will feature the defenses and I think BYU wins a close one. They had better or their once promising season will spiral out of control.

View From Bennett Avenue

I am a bit confused about the level of attention being awarded the ACC for the moves they made this week in poaching Pitt and Syracuse from the Big East and potentially claiming UConn and Rutgers as well. If these moves were being made because they realized that the fight for basketball supremacy has long been usurped by their rival league, then sure I understand. If you cannot beat the Big East on the court, then steal some of its better programs. But everyone is stating that football is driving the ACC's expansion--as it is elsewhere--and if that is the case then I do not see what all the fuss is about.
Take Pittsburgh. The Panthers have been under-achieving for years. They do not sell out every game in a pro town and do not have a hot coach. I doubt many ACC fans could even name their coach. Yes Pittsburgh is a decent-size market, but it is again a pro town and the chances of a Pitt-North Carolina State game stirring the hometown is slim.
Syracuse is, of course, even smaller. And except for a few seasons in the 1980s and then again in the 1990s, the Orange have not had much to cheer about for close to 50 years. If this is all about football, I have a hard time understanding why Syracuse is so attractive.
It really is a matter of perception. If the Big East accepted East Carolina and Temple tomorrow to replace Pitt and Syracuse, the quality of the league on the football field would remain the same. But the country would perceive of the conference as nothing more than Conference USA with an automatic BCS berth. ECU is arguably the best program in the Tar Heel State at the moment and yet there is no cache in adding them. Temple is an up-and-coming football program with a rich basketball tradition but they were booted by the conference before. Expand even more by grabbing, say, Houston and Central Florida, and the Big East in football would be even stronger than before yet the perception would be that the ACC won the war. Odd.

Big East Update

The announcement that TCU will join the Big East conference for all sports is the big news of the day for the beleaguered conference. With four-loss Connecticut one win from a BCS spot, the rest of the country would prefer that the Horned Frogs join the Big East immediately. But the future, if not the present, is not so bleak for the continuously disrespected group.
For one thing, the improvement this year of Louisville and Syracuse made the conference more competitive from top to bottom. Of course, that is bad for the overall impression of the group as the conference lacks a couple of pushovers to help pad the record of the top boys. But for the conference's future, the return of Syracuse and Louisville to the living will be a boon to a conference needing publicity. The Cardinals, and Cincinnati, need to earn the Big East respect in the Midwest while establishing a football rivalry on par with the one they have in basketball, and Syracuse needs to be good to garner media attention for the conference as a whole in New York City, which feeds the huge number of Orange fans living in the metropolitan area information when the team is good. West Virginia, which is ranked and still alive for the BCS berth, and Pittsburgh are close to be ready for higher rankings but may need coaching changes to achieve that level of success. South Florida (which added the Miami pelt to the one they earned over FSU last year), Rutgers and UConn just have to continue doing what they are doing.
The conference is not as bad off as people think. We will find out in two years when TCU begins play. If they struggle they could prove that the level of play was good. But of they succeed the conference can enjoy a program worthy of the BCS title game. It is a win-win for all.

Remember When

It was only a few short years ago that the Big East was riding high, having rebounded nicely from the departures of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to still produce quality football and elite teams. In 2006, in fact, Big East members West Virginia and Louisville were ranked no. 3 and no. 5 nationwide respectively in early November thanks to being both 7-0 as the season wound down. The two programs were matched up on a Thursday night on November 2nd and both teams sparkled under the lights--at least when they were on. Here is the recap, as found in The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia:

LOUISVILLE 44 West Virginia 34: Big East battle of unbeatens was O parade as both Ds were nearly invisible. West Virginia (7-1) won hollow triumph: 540y to 468y in O stat battle. Leading 16-14 at H but frustrated in its inability to cash TDs instead of K Art Carmody's 3 FGs, Louisville (8-0) seemed to come alive at same moment half of lights went out in Papa John Stadium. After exchange of TOs in semi-darkness of early 3rd Q, West Virginia started series at its 13YL, and on 1st play, star RB Steve Slaton (18/156y, TD) lost FUM. Cardinals LB Malik Jackson scooped it up for TD RET and 23-14 lead. Slaton went to sideline with limp left arm, and Mountaineers soon were forced to punt from own 6YL. Short punt was returned by streaking Cards WR Trent Guy for 40y TD. QB Pat White (13-20/222y and 23/145y, 4 TDs rushing) marshaled WVU for gutsy 92y TD march, mostly using his own runs, to 30-21 deficit. On 1st snap of 4th Q, however, Louisville QB Brian Brohm (19-26/354y, TD) tossed TD fade pass to 6'6 WR Mario Urrutia (6/113y). Slaton was back for WVU's next series that resulted in White's power-run TD that resembled 1950s Single Wing play. Cards quickly negated that score with another one of their own. It came on 5y run by big frosh RB Anthony Allen (12/47y, 2 TDs) and provided 44-27 lead with 10:19 left.

With victory Louisville moved up to no. 3 in BCS ranking. But there was yet another undefeated Big East team lurking, Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights bounced the Cardinals from the top ten with a 28-25 win one week later. But Rutgers would lose twice more before season ended and Louisville ended up the Big East champion with 6-1 mark. They went on to beat fellow upstart Wake Forest in Orange Bowl to close out glorious season with final 12-1 record.

Big East Update

I find it funny that the Big East bashing that annually occurs this time of the year is no different than any other year. Of course, this year the conference has not impressed while in the past it was not nearly as bad as national pundits and fans would lead you to believe. Yet the silly bashing done in the past has not worsened, proving that the bashing was done without any pretense to fact or an actual viewing of Big East game. They disliked the Big East whether the conference was good or bad.

Either way, the very competitive league does have to crown a champion and that program will secure a BCS spot. Pittsburgh is currently the leader at 3-1, but the Panthers have to play two of their remaining three games on the road against South Florida tomorrow and Cincinnati in December. Pitt is 1-3 on the road this year. With their one remaining home game being rival West Virginia, the Panthers are not even close to wrapping up the league title.

Syracuse is currently in second place in the conference at 4-2, which is stunning. The revival of the Orange program under head coach Doug Marrone is crucial to the conference as they have a legitimate presence in New York City--thanks to a strong alumni group there--and have the tradition needed to attract national interest. They only have one remaining game in conference, tomorrow night's clash with UConn in the Carrier Dome, and need to win it and then get some help. For one thing they need Pitt to lose twice as the Panthers have already beaten Syracuse or a three-way tie that could eliminate head-to-head as a factor. Either way they need to win and while they are at it beat former conference rival Boston College next week. The conference needs as many wins against members of other BCS conferences as possible. Win both and then the bowl game and Syracuse will have won ten games. Unbelievable. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

Of the remaining contenders, South Florida, at 3-2 in the conference, is the most intriguing as they are not only on a three-game win streak but play their remaining two Big East games at home against Pitt and Connecticut. They also have a crucial non-conference game remaining at Miami on November 27. The always talented Mountaineers of West Virginia cannot be counted out, sitting at 2-2, although they have road games against improved Louisville and Pitt next up on their schedule. After beating West Virginia and Pitt in back-to-back weeks, UConn cannot be completely dismissed either. They are a long shot however due to the fact that they still have to play both Syracuse and South Florida on the road. In four road games this season the Huskies are 0-4 and have been outscored by a combined 113-50.

The remaining schools are all hoping to become bowl eligible. Everyone has something to play for and there should be some compelling action--not that anyone outside the conference will tune in.

2010 Big East Preview

The Big East will be hotly contested once again this year as six of the eight teams in the conference have a legitimate shot at the title. Three schools, Louisville (Charlie Strong), South Florida (Skip Holtz) and Cincinnati (Butch Jones) have new head coaches and all three made great hires. Optimism abounds throughout a conference that is not just happy to have survived a spring filled with rumors of destruction, but looks to continue making inroads nationally even without the recognition.

The action may be focused on the ground this season with nine of the top ten conference rushers returning this year including Dion Lewis of Pittsburgh and Noel Devine of West Virginia, who both have eyes on national awards. Lewis, who was not highly rated as a high school runner, was the surprise freshman of the country last season as he rushed for 1,799 yards en route to second team All America honors. If Devine can eliminate the injury bug that plagued him last year he will challenge Lewis as the top back in the conference.

After back-to-back conference titles for Cincinnati, it is time for some new blood as Big East champion. While most prognosticators are pointing to the talented Panthers of Pittsburgh, I will go for a slight surprise and select the Connecticut Huskies as conference champions for the first time. The team's strength is the offensive line, where four starters return including first team Big East performers at center in Moe Petrus and right guard in Zach Hurd. With plenty of holes to choose from, running back Jordan Todman will challenge Lewis and Devine for the conference rushing title. He rushed for 1,188 yards last year while sharing the ball with then senior Andre Dixon, who also topped the 1,000-yard barrier with 1,093. The Huskies do expect to pass more this season as their top two quarterbacks, senior Zach Frazier and junior Cody Endres, return. Frazier will get the nod opening day and must improve on a 53.2 completion percentage and 10-9 TD to INT ratio. The Connecticut defense will build upon the beat-down they gave South Carolina in the PapaJohns.com Bowl last December. The team's top three tackles return, including linebacker Lawrence Wilson who made 140 stops in 2009. The key to the team may be the pass defense which struggled at times last season. They do not face a big-time pass offense until mid-season and should be able to get things squared away by then. This squad matured a great deal last season as they dealt with the mid-season murder of corner Jasper Howard. With that maturity, great coaching in Randy Edsall and staff and a conference schedule that features home games with West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, the Huskies are poised to win the Big East title.

For second place in the Big East I am predicting Pittsburgh, which is still angry from falling short last season. Pitt only returns 11 starters from last season's squad, but many of the returnees are threats for All America honors and many of the new starters are as talented as the players they replace. While Lewis is the star of the offense, wideout Jonathan Baldwin had a breakthrough year himself in '09 with 57 catches for 1,111 yards. Baldwin is the type of big target new starter at QB Tino Sunseri will count on as he runs the Panthers offense. The Panthers defense also features returning stars, like defensive end Greg Romeus and strong safety Dom DeCicco, and young studs ready to make their mark. Head coach Dave Wannstedt has high hopes for linebacker Dan Mason, while highly-recruited defensive tackle T.J. Clemmings may force his way into a starting job as a freshman.

If West Virginia can avoid the distractions of a NCAA probe into how they use their staff and get consistent play from new quarterback Geno Smith, the Mountaineers have the talent to win the Big East title. They also play both Connecticut and Pittsburgh on the road and if they can split those two games they may be able to make a run to a BCS berth. With seven of eight returning tacklers on a punishing defense, returning offensive stars in Devine and wide receiver Jock Sanders, and a stud kicker in Tyler Bitancurt, the Mountaineers are loaded. They do lose associate head coach Doc Holliday, who moved on to the head job with Marshall. Does coach Bill Stewart have the makings of a conference-winning head coach?

South Florida has an explosive offense and inexperienced-but-talented defense, a combination that Cincinnati converted into a Big East title last year. New coach Skip Holtz has an exciting quarterback in B.J. Daniels and the full two-deep offensive line returning, but lost a host of draft choices and all Big East selections from the defense. The Bulls could surprise, especially considering their final four conference games include home games against Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Connecticut. At the very least they will have a say as to who does win the conference.

Cincinnati also returns an exciting quarterback in Zach Collaros, who filled in admirably for the injured Tony Pike last season as the Bearcats won the Big East crown for their second straight year. The Bearcats are still good but cannot expect to win their final three conference games by a total of six points again this year. Still, they will score a bunch of points.

The excitement generated by Rutgers this season will center on the dynamic tandem of quarterback Tom Savage and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, both sophomores. But RU has lost too much talent to be a true conference contender without the development of a number of new starters. Playing Pitt, USF, Cincinnati and West Virginia on the road with a young squad will not help either and a sixth straight bid to a no-name bowl seems unavoidable.

Actually Rutgers better watch out for Syracuse, a team much improved from last year when they surprisingly blew out the Scarlet Knights. Running back Delone Carter was almost lost after being suspended for punching a student this spring. He has been reinstated and looks to better the 1,021 yards rushing he gained last year, while the defense's top seven tacklers return along with stud punter Rob Long.

I love the hiring of Charlie Strong at Louisville and believe the future is bright there. That said, 2010 will feature a great deal of growing pains and, well, losses.

Big East Troubles

It has not been the greatest month for the conference, despite six of eight teams earning bowl bids. The headline team, Cincinnati, came shockingly close to securing a spot in the BCS championship game before settling for third place overall and a trip to the Sugar Bowl, where they will face an angry Florida team. They will do so without head coach Brian Kelly, the winner of the Home Depot Coach of the Year award, who has departed for his next gig. Kelly is now saying that he is unsure if he would have taken the Notre Dame job if Texas had lost in the Big 12 title game and the Bearcats were playing for the national title. Kelly's abandonment of the Bearcats has not gone over well in the "Queen City," although residents there were slow to respond to the coach's work building the program as Cincinnati football tickets were always pretty easy to get. At least until this year's historic, undefeated run.

The coaching situation at Cincinnati may be better than that at South Florida, where head man Jim Leavitt's 13-year run in Tampa has hit a major road bump. Special teams player Joel Miller, through his father, accused the coach on December 3 of grabbing him by the throat and hitting him twice in the face during halftime of the Louisville game on November 21. The Millers have since softened their story a bit, but the school is investigating the incident. Leavitt coached with Mark Mangino, who resigned from his position as head coach at Kansas after allegations of being verbally abusive of players, at Kansas State under Bill Snyder.

Today we were reminded that if and when the Big Ten expands to 12 teams, Rutgers is one of the targeted programs. Adding the Scarlet Knights will allow the conference to stake a claim into metropolitan New York City, while adding a program that will be competitive yet not tip the balance of power in the conference. Rutgers has improved their facilities and produced wins while graduating players and not having kids get arrested. The Big East would not want to lose an improved Scarlet Knights program, especially in light of stated desires to invite two more teams to the conference even if the Knights stay. Programs like Memphis and East Carolina are already under consideration, but the conference fears losing its identity if it has to bring in three new teams on top of the three schools--Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida--that came on board five years ago.

Good news? Well Louisville is pretty happy to have Charlie Strong join them as their new head coach. Strong's ability to coach defense and recruit are assets strongly in need with the Cardinals.

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.

Anguish in Storrs

The situation with Connecticut football is moving quickly from grief to something more surreal. For the second straight game since the death of CB Jasper Howard, the Huskies have lost late on a huge play by the opposing team. Wanting so badly to win one for their fallen comrade, the team is instead coming so close to a win that they can feel it only to have the game wrenched away from them at the last second. Today, Rutgers WR Tim Brown scored on an 81y pass play with less than 30 secs remaining as Rutgers won 28-24. Brown was a good friend of Howard from Miami so there was something fitting about his scoring the TD. Still, with the home crowd creating an emotional and celebratory environment, there was a great need to win this game. Not being able to do so was bad enough but losing in this fashion has got to be devastating.
On the schedule for next week? On the road at Cincinnati.