2008 CFN Big East Preview
Team Previews &
Predictions
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Cincinnati
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Connecticut
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Louisville
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Pitt
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Rutgers |
South Florida |
Syracuse |
West
Virginia
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CFN All-Big East Team &
Top 30 Players
- Big East Team-by-Team
Capsules
- Big Ten Unit
Rankings
- Big East Schedules &
Predictions
By
Richard Cirminiello
Put
the shovel down. West Virginia is far from dead.
Yeah, Rich Rodriguez is now coaching Michigan, and offensive
sparkplugs Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, and Darius Reynaud are gone,
but the Mountaineers are still the class of the Big East. The one
constant amid all the change in Morgantown is QB Pat White, the
dynamic dual-threat that’s capable of carrying the program to a
third BCS bowl game in the last four years. That said, the ‘eers
have too many question marks on defense and on the sidelines to be
considered a legitimate threat to run the table and play for a
national title. Oh, and if White ever winds up on the shelf, there
are a half-dozen opportunistic schools eagerly lurking behind the
frontrunners.
The pack forming behind West Virginia is deep, upwardly mobile, and
evenly matched. At the head of the line is South Florida, a rising
force in the league that ascended to No. 2 nationally last October
before acting its age with an inconsistent stretch run. The Bulls
return their most valuable player on offense and defense along with
a coach, Jim Leavitt, who’s obsessed with proving last year’s fast
start was no fluke.
Cincinnati is moving in the right direction under Brian Kelly, who
milked 10 wins out of a program that’ll only get better as it spends
more time in the coach’s system. Ditto Randy Edsall, who led
Connecticut to an improbable 9-4 record and a first place tie with
the Mountaineers. His Huskies welcome back 19 starters from a young
team with an old school mentality. Even without RB Ray Rice, Rutgers
will be a tough out as long as Greg Schiano resists the temptation
to leave New Jersey.
The sleeper in the league is Pitt, a school that’s amassed as much
talent as anyone, yet hasn’t put together a complete season in Dave
Wannstedt’s three seasons. That’s about to change, provided the
rebuilt offensive line holds up and injuries don’t become a factor.
At the opposite spectrum are Louisville, which will get worse before
it gets better, and conference doormat Syracuse, who’s still
struggling to find something positive under head coach Greg
Robinson.
Team That'll Surprise
Pittsburgh – After delivering a couple of poorly-received dress
rehearsals for this moment, Pitt is finally ready to break through
and get to the postseason under Wannstedt. The confluence of
consecutive years of good recruiting and the emergence of RB LeSean
McCoy has the Panthers as confident as they’ve been under this
staff. If the program can actually avoid the injury bug for a
change, a Big East title isn’t out of reach.
Team That'll Disappoint
West Virginia – Yes, the Mountaineers remain the Big East power broker,
but the program lost too much personnel—on and off the field—to still be
considered a darkhorse for a national championship. With a number of
holes to be filled on both sides of the ball, and one-game wonder Bill
Stewart replacing Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia is as vulnerable as its
been in years. Remember, being a disappointment is all relative. The
Mountaineers are shooting for the national title, but could end up
losing two games.
Offensive Player of the Year
QB Pat White, Sr. West Virginia
Defensive Player of the Year
LB Scott McKillop, Sr. Pitt
Game of the Year … West Virginia at Pittsburgh, Nov. 28. There’ll
be no shortage of storylines when these two bitter rivals meet in the
Backyard Brawl. The Panthers ruined the Mountaineers’ national
championship dreams last December, adding a layer of revenge into the
equation. If, as expected, Pitt’s good enough to contend for a Big East
title, West Virginia will have a chance to return the favor.
5 Big-Time Players Who
Deserve a Bigger Spotlight
...
1. LB Scott McKillop, Sr. Pittsburgh
2. CB Mike Mickens, Sr. Cincinnati
3. . DT Terrill Byrd, Sr. Cincinnati
4. LB Mortty Ivy, Sr. West Virginia
5. LB Tyrone McKenzie, Sr. South Florida
Bold Prediction … Connecticut will be just as scrappy as last
year, when it tied West Virginia atop the conference. As much as
everyone wants to dismiss the Huskies as a one-year fluke, they could be
even better this fall, returning a slew of starters on both sides of the
ball. The offense will be even better, while the defense won’t likely
fall off any, if at all.
Coach on the Hot
Seat
Steve
Kragthorpe, Louisville – While Syracuse’s Greg Robinson and Pitt’s Dave
Wannstedt are clearly facing must-win situations, no one has a warmer
fanny than Kragthorpe. After delivering one of the worst coaching
performances of 2007, he reshuffled the Cards’ staff in the hopes of
resuscitating a program that’s two years removed from a league title and
an Orange Bowl victory. If the moves don’t pay off, Kragthorpe could be
looking for work after just two seasons.
5 Non-Conference Games the Big East had better take very, very
seriously
1. Fresno State at Rutgers, Sept. 1
2. West Virginia at Colorado, Sept. 18
3. Connecticut at Temple, Sept. 6
4. South Florida at UCF, Sept. 6
5. Buffalo at Pittsburgh, Sept. 6
5 Best Pro Prospects
1. RB LeSean McCoy, Soph. Pitt
2. CB Mike Mickens, Sr. Cincinnati
3. DE George Selvie, Jr. USF
4. SS Courtney Greene, Sr. Rutgers
5. QB Hunter Cantwell, Sr. Louisville
5 Biggest Shoes to Fill
1.
RB Mason Robinson for
Ray Rice, Rutgers
2. QB Hunter Cantwell for Brian Brohm, Louisville
3. QB Dustin Grutza for Ben Mauk, Cincinnati
4. RB Noel Devine for Steve Slaton, West Virginia
5. CBs
Tyller Roberts and Jerome Murphy, for Mike Jenkins and Trae
Williams, USF
Team Previews &
Predictions
-
Cincinnati
|
Connecticut
|
Louisville
|
Pitt
-
Rutgers |
South Florida |
Syracuse |
West
Virginia
-
CFN All-Big East Team &
Top 30 Players
- Big East Team-by-Team
Capsules
- Big Ten Unit
Rankings
- Big East Schedules &
Predictions