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Offenses
1.
Louisville
Rev up the engine again as the nation's No. 9 offense and
No. 3 scoring attack should be just as good again as long as
star quarterback Brian Brohm is fully healthy after tearing his
ACL late last year. Considering his mobility could be a problem
early on, it's not a positive that the Cards have to break in
two new tackles. Even so, the line should be fine with several
good options and two great returning starters to work around in
guard Kurt Quarterman and center Eric Wood. The backfield is one
of the best in the nation going three deep with pounder Michael
Bush coming back for his senior year and speedsters Kolby Smith
and George Stripling as good as any backups in the country.
Mario Urrutia leads a big, fast, and very talented receiving
corps.
2. West Virginia
3. Rutgers
4. Pitt
5. South Florida
6. Connecticut
7. Syracuse
8. Cincinnati
1.
Louisville
How will Brian Brohm respond from
his torn ACL? He'll be ready for the season opener, but rust
might be an issue early on. Hunter Cantwell is a strong, tough,
experienced backup who can keep the offense moving if anything
happens to the franchise star, but there's not much to rely on
after him with Bill Ashburn needing a little bit of experience
and receiver/quarterback Patrick Carter more of a pass catcher
than a passer. Thanks to the tremendous receiving corps and the
great backfield to take the heat off, all the quarterbacks who
play this year will thrive.
2. West Virginia
3. Pitt
4. Connecticut
5. South Florida
6. Rutgers
7. Syracuse
8. Cincinnati
1.
Louisville
That holler of excitement you heard a few months ago was the
Louisville coaching staff when Michael Bush announced he was
returning for his senior season. The big, bruising touchdown
maker will be among the nation's leading scorers, but he won't
be in the Heisman hunt with Kolby Smith and George Stripling
taking away too many carries and too many yards. Speed isn't an
issue for this group with home-run hitting ability down the line. A little more production in the passing game would be
nice, but that's nitpicking.
2. West Virginia
3. Rutgers
4. Connecticut
5. Pitt
6. South Florida
7. Syracuse
8. Cincinnati
1.
Louisville
Most teams would have major problems after
losing receivers like Joshua Tinch and Montrell Jones, who
combined to make 110 catches last year, but Louisville will be
more than fine as long as Mario Urrutia can turn into a
consistent target. Harry Douglas is good enough to pick up
the extra work that will come his way, and reserves Patrick
Carter, Scott Long and Chris Vaughn would form one of the Big
East's best receiving trios for just about any other team in the
league. The tight end situation is solid with Gary Barnidge good
enough to make a big leap in overall production as a receiver.
2. South Florida
3. Pitt
4. West Virginia
5. Rutgers
6. Cincinnati
7. Syracuse
8. Connecticut
1.
West Virginia
There might not be a more athletic line on a top 25 team in
America. These guys aren't going to blow anyone off the ball, but
they're amazing for the Mountaineer running game because of their
quickness, pulling ability, and smarts; they're technicians. Center Dan
Mozes is one of the nation's best linemen and should be the favorite for
the Rimington Award. The interior will be a rock with Mozes and guards
Ryan Stancheck and Jeremy Sheffey, but the tackles will be a bit of a
concern early on needing to replace Garin Justice and Travis Garrett.
2. Rutgers
3. South Florida
4. Louisville
5. Pitt
6. Syracuse
7. Connecticut
8. Cincinnati
1.
South Florida
The USF D will be the best in the Big East if the line is
merely adequate. This is a fast, fast, fast defense with just enough size
to hold up against the stronger power offenses. Stephen Nicholas, Ben Moffitt, and Pat St. Louis form one of the
nation's best linebacking corps, while the return of safety
Danny Verpaele from a foot injury gives a big boost to an
already strong secondary. If Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams
don't form the best corner tandem in the Big East, they're a
very close number two.
2. West Virginia
3. Louisville
4. Pittsburgh
5. Connecticut
6. Syracuse
7. Cincinnati
8. Rutgers
1.
West Virginia
The line should grow into one of the strengths of the
defense with size and depth. The one thing missing is a sure-thing pure
pass rusher, although Johnny Dingle is expected to become one. There's
good experience despite the loss of all-star Ernest Hunter, and there
should be enough quality depth to do come up with several different
options.
2. Louisville
3. Pitt
4. Syracuse
5. South Florida
6. Connecticut
7. Cincinnati
8. Rutgers
1.
South Florida
The 1-2 punch of Stephen Nicholas and Ben Moffitt is one
of the best in the nation and should combine for close to 200 tackles
and over 30 tackles for loss. Pat St. Louis is the unsung third member
of the group, but he finished second on the team in tackles. The
reserves haven't gotten a lot work since the front three have been so
good, and there's a huge drop-off from the first to the second team.
2. West Virginia
3. Pitt
4. Loiusville
5. Connecticut
6. Syracuse
7. Cincinnati
8. Rutgers
1.
South Florida
The nation's sixth best pass defense should
be even better with the league's best corner tandem in Mike Jenkins and
Trae Williams and helped by the return of Danny Verpaele after missing
last year with a broken foot. How strong is the USF secondary? The
team's fourth leading tackler last season, Carlton Williams, is a
backup. There's excellent speed and athleticism among the reserves with
several good options to form a good rotation.
2. Connecticut
3. Pitt
4. Syracuse
5. Louisville
6. Cincinnati
7. West Virginia
8. Rutgers
1. Louisville
If the kicking game isn't the best in the Big East, it'll
be close. Arthur Carmody is one of the nation's best placekickers, and
punter Todd Flannery has a steady, strong leg. However, he'll be pushed
by Gabe Mullane when he hits camp. The return game was
decent last year, but nothing special with Montrell Jones handling all
the duties, and now it'll be up to receiver Harry Douglas to handle most
of the kickoff returns after averaging 29.3 yards on seven tries last
year and quarterback/receiver Patrick Johnson, a transfer from Georgia
Tech, to handle the punt returns.
2. Connecticut
3. Syracuse
4. West Virginia
5. Rutgers
6. Pitt
7. South Florida
8. Cincinnati
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