By J.P. Girouard
Welcome to this week’s edition of Best Big East Week Ever, guaranteed to make you marginally more informed about the state of football in the Northeast - or your money back.
The Biggest Thought: These Are The Conference Favorites? … With a month left to go in the 2008 season, the Big East race is wide open. The title chase is likely to come down to three teams – all of whom are quirky enough to run the table...or finish with a three-game losing streak.
Cincinnati: The good news for the Bearcats is that they got one of their big tests – a road game with West Virginia – out of the way. Their schedule down the stretch is favorable, as they get the big showdown with Pittsburgh at Nippert Stadium. And as we’ve said bunches of times, Brian Kelly is one crazy hot mess of a football coach. But can you really buy into a Cincinnati squad that’s lived on the edge all season, that can’t run the football with any consistency and is playing a second-string quarterback with a broken arm?
Pittsburgh: On paper, the Panthers seem like the logical choice to run the table in the Big East. They have a fast, aggressive defense, a superstar running back in LeSean McCoy and – unlike past years – a knack for making the big play in the clutch. The one problem is, well, it’s Pitt. We’ve been down this road with the Panthers so many times that it’s hard to really, truly buy in. Plus the late-season schedule, with games against Cincinnati, West Virginia and Connecticut, doesn’t lend itself to a big run.
West Virginia: This has been bizarro world for the Mountaineers in 2008. The defense, with seven new starters, was expected to struggle – yet they’re second in the conference. Meanwhile, the offense was supposed to be lights out. But while West Virginia is leading the Big East in rushing, they’re only sixth overall in total offense. Syracuse(!) shut them down earlier in the year. The Mountaineers are the most battle tested of the contenders, but this is the same team that gagged in the season finale last year with a national title berth on the line.
Another Big Thought: Coaches’ Seats Are Getting Warmer … There have been recent commentators suggesting South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt’s job might be in question. While it seems highly unlikely that Leavitt would be let go anytime soon (the more likely scenario is that he’d get out while the getting was good and finally take that SEC or ACC job), it does bring up the interesting question of how many Big East coaches have some work to do to keep their jobs over the next couple of years.
First off, we won’t count Syracuse head man Greg Robinson in this discussion. If there was a coach that is totally fired without actually being fired it’s Robinson, whose tenure at Syracuse should be measured in days rather than months or years. But beyond Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly - who seems a mortal lock to bolt for a major job sooner than later – is any other Big East coach totally safe right now?
Sure, Greg Schiano’s built Rutgers from the ground up. But take away the 11-2 season in 2006, and his record is far closer to Doug Graber than Frank Burns. Now the pressure will ramped even more with the controversial $100+ million stadium expansion that Schiano supposedly pushed hard for. Losing records will most likely equal empty seats in Rutgers Stadium, a combination that could have the administration looking for a scapegoat sooner than later.
Randy Edsall is a big deal now, but two years ago, plenty of UConn fans wanted his head. And it’s not as if the Huskies have that big of a margin for error, considering their talent level relative to the rest of the Big East. All it will take is a couple of sub-.500 seasons for the wolves to start circling around Storrs again. The bigger question is whether Edsall bolts while his stock is as at an all-time high.
Then there are those coaches whose job security has been called into question at some point this year. Dave Wannstedt is a hero now with Pittsburgh at 7-2, but after the season opening loss against Bowling Green, his A.D. had to give him a vote of confidence. The mess at Louisville isn’t entirely (or even mostly) Steve Kragthorpe’s making, but going from the Orange Bowl to an 11-10 record is not sitting well with the Cardinal faithful. And WVU head coach Bill Stewart has been roundly criticized for coaching gaffes and a less than spectacular offense that has brought the Mountaineers back to the pack in the Big East.
This isn’t to suggest that anyone else – other than perhaps Kragthorpe if the Cardinals don’t get to a bowl game – has a real chance of being let go this year. But at this time in 2009, we could easily be talking about multiple Big East head coaches whose jobs are on the line.
Big East Game Of The Week: Cincinnati at Louisville, Friday 8 p.m. … The big question for the Bearcats – can they avoid a letdown after last week’s emotional overtime victory over West Virginia? If the opponent was someone other than Louisville, I’d say no. But the Cardinals have imploded the last two weeks since beating USF, and it’s hard to imagine a sketchy Louisville secondary can keep up with the Bearcat passing game. This is the kind of contest that screams upset, but there’s no way I can pull the trigger. Cincinnati 27, Louisville 17
Big East Game Of The Weak: Connecticut at Syracuse, Saturday 7 p.m. … I don’t think Syracuse has packed it in, but the talent gap is becoming more evident by the week, along with the lack of depth. It’s sad because Greg Robinson’s squad has shown improvement this year, although not enough for him to keep his job. There may be some fun, however, in seeing how many signs in the crowd beg Syracuse alum and current UConn head coach Randy Edsall to take over the head coaching job at his alma mater. Connecticut 33, Syracuse 10
Underrated Storyline Of The Week: The Resurrection of Mike Teel … A few weeks ago, the Rutgers quarterback looked lost: despite his team’s upset of UConn, he was roundly booed for ineffective play. The local media and message boards trumpeted the idea of a quarterback controversy. But over the last two games, Teel has caught fire, throwing nine touchdown passes in impressive wins over Pittsburgh and Syracuse. South Florida – whose pass defense has been shaky at times – is up next for Rutgers. A win over the Bulls would get the Scarlet Knights back to .500 and put a fourth-straight bowl appearance within reach.
J.P. Girouard blogs about the Big East for CollegeFootballNews.com. You can email him here.
Best Big East Week Ever Archives:
Best Big East Week Ever – 11/12/08
Best Big East Week Ever – 10/22/08
Best Big East Week Ever – 10/8/08
Best Big East Week Ever – 10/1/08
Other Articles By J.P. Girouard:
Down The Stretch In The Big East
Nine Pivotal Days For The Big East
The Big East Expectations Game
Is This Going To Be Ben Mauk's Legacy?
WVU Runs Away In Big East Media Poll
Rutgers' Strange Stadium Bargain
The Coach Who Stayed
The Big East Manifesto