By J.P. Girouard
Welcome to this week’s edition of Best Big East Week Ever; the biggest edition of this column in the last 7-14 days.
The Biggest Thought: This Week’s Big East Game Of The, Well, You Get The Point … Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati isn’t just an NFL rivalry anymore. For the first time, the River City Rivalry means a LOT – the Bearcats can all but seal the Big East title with a win, while the Panthers need a win to continue to control their own destiny in the conference race.
The interesting thing about this matchup is that it truly is a study in contrasts. Pittsburgh’s offense is built on the back of stud running back LeSean McCoy, Cincinnati’s spread depends on solid quarterback play from Tony Pike and some really good receivers. The strength of the Pitt defense is the front seven, most notably tackling machine Scott McKillop. The best part of the Bearcat D is a terrific secondary led by cornerback Mike Mickens. Cincinnati has a great kick returner in Mardy Gilyard, the Panthers have a great kick coverage team. The Bearcats have a likely All-American punter in Kevin Huber, Pitt’s got one of the most accurate kickers in America in Conor Lee.
We could go on and on.
In a game like this where the teams seem relatively even, the reflexive thing to do is pick the home team. But there’s something about Pitt this year – when pushed against good teams, or in tough situations in the road, they’ve come through. Cincinnati had the big win over West Virginia, but they nearly choked it away in epic fashion. When push comes to shove – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – I actually trust Pitt in a big spot a little bit more than I trust the Bearcats. And so…Pittsburgh 23, Cincinnati 20.
Another Big Thought: Randy Edsall Doesn’t Owe The Beat Reporters Anything … Apparently there was some hullabaloo the last few days about UConn head coach Randy Edsall lying to reporters about who his starting quarterback was going to be for last week’s Syracuse game. Edsall basically said all week that it would either be Zach Fraser or Cody Endres getting the start, but it turns out that Tyler Lorenzen – who hadn’t played since breaking his leg against Louisville – ended up getting the nod.
Now putting aside the idea that you would need gamesmanship and subterfuge to beat Syracuse, I’m not sure that beat reporters have a right to get upset about this.
Randy Edsall’s job is to win football games. Sure, he’s also supposed to be a role model, leader and shaper of young men, etc, etc. But his primary job is to be a successful head coach – wins and losses are what he’s ultimately measured by. If Edsall he feels like not naming his starting quarterback until right before kickoff gives him a competitive advantage, then so be it. There’s no rule against it, and it’s not like he’s the only coach in the history of college football to not fully disclose his starting lineup ahead of time.
Being a fine, upstanding coach who shoots straight with the media but doesn’t win football games gets you fired. Ask Greg Robinson.
Big East Game Of The Weak: Army at Rutgers, Saturday 12 noon … Army’s found something with their return to the option, ranking among the nation’s best in rushing. They haven’t played anyone as good as Rutgers this year, though. While the Black Knights might get their points, there’s no way they have the defensive talent to stop a Scarlet Knights offense that is hitting on all cylinders. If this game isn’t decided by halftime, it will be a shock.Rutgers 41, Army 16
Underrated Storyline Of The Week: Fear The Lame Duck … Now that Greg Robinson has been whacked at Syracuse, the question for the next couple of weeks (beyond the idle speculation about who the new coach will be) is how the Orange will respond to their soon-to-be ex-head coach’s status. With little exception, Syracuse has played hard for Robinson and has been generally competitive in every Big East game, at least for the first half. It is not as if Notre Dame is the kind of offensive juggernaut or defensive force that will blow anyone away. If the Irish come out flat and the Orange play with the kind of intensity they’ve shown at times this year, this could be a shockingly close game for a while.
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 – 11/19/08
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:
Greg Robinson Fired As Syracuse Head Coach
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