Big East Preview

‘Jersey Boys Ready To Whack The Competition’

1. Rutgers 12-0

Big Wins: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati     Over/Under Win Total: 8 OVER
Rutgers will be one of three teams to be undefeated toward the end of the season but won’t be close to the top of the BCS poll. If their defense can carry them for the first half of the season against their biggest threats (Cincy, @Maryland, Pitt), the last six games of the season are winnable (Army, @UConn, South Florida, @Syracuse, @Louisville and West Virginia). Head coach Greg Schiano now recruits as good as anyone in the Big East. His roots in Florida have brought him some important players during his career at Rutgers and he has been able to keep in-state talent at home as well. His last few recruiting classes have produced good defensive depth and a great quarterback prospect in 6′6″, 240lb D.C. Jefferson but the key to their success in 2009 is clearly their weak schedule. The Scarlet Knights also return all five starters on the offensive line which will enable them to run the ball and protect an inexperienced QB. Look for the Scarlet Knights to make a run to the top of the polls, with the prize being a spanking at the hands of Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl.

2. Pittsburgh 10-2

Big Wins: Notre Dame, West Virginia      Big Loss: Rutgers     Win Total: 7.5 OVER
The Panthers are at a very pivotal point in the program’s resurgence to national power. If Pittsburgh can come back with a double-digit win total after a nine-win season in ‘08, it will prove that Dave Wannstedt’s recruiting efforts have been well worth the wait. While Pitt does have to replace leading rusher LeSean McCoy and get a better season from erratic QB Bill Stull, Wannstedt has put together 3 straight top 25 recruiting classes that should fill the void left by both. WR Jonathan Baldwin is the real deal on the outside and will be depended on to bail the Panthers out of third down trouble and produce more points in the red zone than he did last season. There seems to be at least two losses on the Pittsburgh schedule though, with big time challenges coming on the road against NC State and Rutgers and home battles against Notre Dame, South Florida, West Virginia and Cincinnati. Look for Pittsburgh to surprise people at some points this season and disappoint at others, in typical Big East fashion.

3. South Florida 8-4

QB Matt Grothe returns for his senior season and will desperately fight to keep the Bulls atop the Big East ranks. Grothe will go down as the most successful player in the program’s brief history and deservedly so. DE George Selvie is an absolute beast coming off the end and will look to get back to his All-American sophomore form when he recorded 14.5 sacks and put the USF program on the national map. Coach Jim Leavitt is the highest paid coach in the Big East and he needs to prove that he is starting to make a dent in the talent-rich state of Florida for high school studs. He has to coach up the rest of the team but Grothe and Selvie are the two best players in the conference on their respective sides of the ball. They will have their chance to mark their territory with games against Florida State and Miami this season. Leavitt would have to be pumped about a split, which we expect the Bulls to get.

4. Cincinnati 7-5

The Bearcats had a magical season in 2008 before losing to Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Coach Brian Kelly has put together back-to-back double-digit win seasons and will be a main target of the next powerhouse program that fires their coach. Kelly returns QB Tony Pike, who had a breakout season in ‘08. Pike has a great target in WR Mardy Gilyard, who has been grabbing preseason award recognition. The defense is going to need to replace ten starters, which will not be an easy task at all. The offense should be able to carry the load but the defense isn’t going to be able to respond against quality opponents like Rutgers, Oregon State, Pittsburgh and Illinois. If they win the games they are supposed to, Cincy will be making their fourth consecutive bowl appearance.

5. West Virginia 6-6

The Mountaineers are going to be one of the most disappointing teams in the country due to a multitude of changes and new names at big positions. The first season after a big-time coach leaves a BCS program is usually filled with motivational speeches and “we’ll show you” moments. The following year is usually spent trying to figure out how to recruit at the same level and replace the stars that were brought in by the former figurehead. Coach Bill Stewart is going to have to prove he can do both of these things. We don’t have the type of faith in Stewart that some of the publications do. QB Pat White masked a lot of holes in the offense last year and nobody can replace his productivity. Combine that with road games against Rutgers, Auburn, South Florida and Cincinnati and you have all the makings of a down year in Morgantown.

6. Connecticut 5-7

Coach Randy Edsall has become one of the best coaches in the country by getting the most out of his players, who come in lightly recruited and are underrated year after year. It wouldn’t surprise us to see UConn open people’s eyes again this season but all the signs point to tough season for the Huskies. Replacing the nation’s leading rusher, Donald Brown, won’t be easy but they do have a couple of solid backs in Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman who will carry the load. The bigger problem is replacing draft picks OT Will Beatty, CB Darius Butler and DE Cody Brown. A program like UConn doesn’t produce four top prospects every year but Edsall has been overachieving since the day he stepped in as UConn’s head coach. A late season game against Notre Dame may be the difference between hitting the recruiting trail early or practicing with his troops for six extra weeks for Edsall.

7. Louisville 3-9

It wasn’t long ago that Louisville was averaging over 10 wins a year. Now they are struggling to get back to .500 with a team that doesn’t look too promising. RB Victor Anderson might be their best chance at putting away games but the defense has to show some type of intensity before that can happen. Another down year for Louisville.

8. Syracuse 2-10

You really can’t look at the Syracuse schedule and find an automatic win in the Big East. They can come in and upset any of the bottom tier teams, but they can’t be counted on to actually perform consistently at any point. Expect them to lose a lot of game against the spread too. They rely heavily on WR Mike Williams but if he can’t get anything going, the Orange are in trouble.