Notes and previews from the Big East conference

[ChiTownBull]

http://westvirginia.scout.com/2/467931.html

Big East Adds EV1.Net Houston Bowl To Bowl Lineup

This week, the Big East announced a four-year agreement with the EV1.Net Houston Bowl. Beginning in 2006, the Big East will send a team to the state-of-the-art Reliant Stadium in Houston to meet an opponent from the Big 12 Conference. The Big East Bowl lineup for 2006 includes: sending its champion to a BCS Bowl, then sending a team to either the Toyota Gator in Jacksonville, Fla. or the Vitalis Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, the EV1.Net Houston Bowl and the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.

USF Bulls Are Earning Notice

With their second straight road win last week, a 27-0 blanking of Syracuse, Coach Jim Leavitt’s USF Bulls are catching the eyes of the college football world. USF is 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Big East. For the second straight week, senior running back Andre Hall earned Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors. He is fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 123.8 yards per game. If the Bulls win their three remaining games, they will at least tie for the conference crown and be the Big Eastrepresentative in the Bowl Championship Series. This Saturday, USF hosts Cincinnati in the Big East Game of the Week, which is produced by ESPN Regional. The game will also be carried on ESPN Gameplan. Kickoff is noon EST.

Mountaineers and Cardinals Move Up In BCS Standings

West Virginia and Louisville continued their ascent in the BCS Standings. This week, the Mountaineers moved up two spots to No. 12 and the Cardinals flew from 25th to 18th. WVU is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in Big East play. The Cardinals are 7-2 overall and 3-2 in league play. Both teams are idle this Saturday. West Virginia is preparing for its annual battle with Pittsburgh – the Backyard Brawl – on Thanksgiving night on ESPN. Louisville will host Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 26.

Louisville’s Dumervil Makes Another List

Defensive end Elvis Dumervil of Louisville was recognized again this week by being named one of four finalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award, annually given to the nation’s top defensive player. The senior from Miami, Fla. has 20 sacks, 7 ½ more than any other player in the country. He needs five more to break the NCAA record. Dumervil already has set the NCAA mark for forced fumbles in a season with nine. He is also among the 10 “Players To Watch†for the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year award. Last week, Dumervil was named a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top defensive end.

Cincinnati vs. South Florida

The Cincinnati-USF series is tied at one game apiece. The two teams first played in 2003 with the Bulls taking a 24-17 double-overtime victory in Tampa. The Bearcats evened up the series on Nov. 20, 2004, defeating USF 45-23 at Nippert Stadium.

Quarterback Gino Guidugli led UC going 30-of-36 for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Cincinnati rushed for 200 yards and totaled 577 yards of offense – the sixth highest single game performance in school history. Running back Andre Hall led the Bulls with 155 yards rushing and a touchdown.

This season, Cincinnati is 1-3 away from home. The Bearcats have turned the ball over 11 times in three road losses. The Bearcats are 4-0 when out-rushing their opponent. Defensive back Mike Mickens is tied for fourth in the nation in passes defended (1.56).

USF, 3-0 at home this season, is going for its third straight win. Saturday’s game marks the first time in 56 days that the Bulls have played at home. USF’s last outing in Raymond James Stadium was a 45- 14 win over No. 9/8 Louisville on Sept. 24. A win over the Bearcats will make the Bulls bowl eligible for the second time in their nine seasons (five years in IA).

USF is among the NCAA leaders in a number of categories: rushing (10th, 234.8), pass defense (13th, 176.9), total defense (18th, 305.8), scoring defense (14th, 17.9), punt returns (18th, 13.1), turnover margin (10th, 1.13), fumbles recovered (T13th, 12), turnovers (T18th, 23) and sacks (9th, 3.38). Running back Andre Hall is fourth in the nation in rushing (123.8), 13th in all-purpose yards (153.13) and 17th in scoring (9.43). Linebacker Ben Moffitt is tied for sixth in forced fumbles (0.50).

Syracuse vs. Notre Dame

This is the fifth meeting all-time between Syracuse and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish took the first two games in the series, but the Orange have won the last two.

In the last meeting between the two teams on Dec. 6, 2003, Syracuse defeated Notre Dame by the score of 38-12 at the Carrier Dome. SU running back Walter Reyes ran for 189 yards (on 19 carries) and five touchdowns in the game. The Orange out-gained the Irish by a 456-261 margin. ND quarterback Brady Quinn was 18-of-34 for 199 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

This season, Syracuse is winless on the road (0-3). The Orange are sixth nationally in pass defense (163.22). Safety Anthony Smith ranks among the NCAA leaders in both interceptions (3rd, 0.63) and passes defended (T7th, 1.44). Punter Brendan Carney is 15th in the nation in punting with a 43.31 avg. Running back Damien Rhodes is fourth in the Big East in rushing (86.1 ypg) and third in all-purpose yards (116.2). He has 775 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the season.

Notre Dame is averaging 38.7 points per game and 477.4 yards of total offense. Quarterback Brady Quinn has 2,931 yards passing and 27 touchdowns. Running back Darius Walker has rushed for 797 yards and four touchdowns. Wideout Jeff Samardzija, a pitcher in the Big East for the Fighting Irish, has 56 receptions for 919 yards and 12 touchdowns.

[smazza]

imagine if we had functioning qb

[dabull80]

We do, how do you think we have won all our games.

[cophbulls]

good thing we got that 0.50 of a fumble

[Velcro]

You know... its funny that the Big East gets trashed for being weak, yet WVU is in the top 12 (which is within the required total to avoid reconsideration of BCS status, and LVille, with 2 conferences losses, is at #18.  I think an 18 ranking, despite being just over .500 in a supposed weak conference says that maybe the conference isn't quite as weak as the press wants us to believe??  

any takers?  ;D

[BullDoug]

You know... its funny that the Big East gets trashed for being weak, yet WVU is in the top 12 (which is within the required total to avoid reconsideration of BCS status, and LVille, with 2 conferences losses, is at #18.  I think an 18 ranking, despite being just over .500 in a supposed weak conference says that maybe the conference isn't quite as weak as the press wants us to believe??  

any takers?  ;D

Conference is split in two groups plus 1.  WVU, UL & USF as the haves, UCONN, UC, 'Cuse & as the have nots or injury cursed, and Pitt as the team that choked three times (OH, NE, & Rutgers).  That's why the conference is getting no respect.  Most of it's is Pitt's losses to OH & NE and Rutgers loss to IL.  The Bull mini blowout in Miami don't hurt either for the negative perception.  BTW USF could still become part of Pitt's one team subgroup.

[Bullshark]

Agreed, its getting annoying as hell to hear all those in the media just trash the BE.  The reality is, Miam, BC & VT, decided to accept the ACC bid, it isn't as if the BE said "get out." Now with that in mind, how is a conference to fill the void?  It does it by selecting teams with the potential of matching that talent in the future, reallistically, who is the BE going to lure out of their conferences?  Teams usually want to move upward, not make lateral moves or go down.  So were they supposed to offer an invite to Ohio State or Florida and just be rejected?  Its also a little classless to downpaly these conferences after teams such as USF, UC & UL make the leap.  Take UC, one of the oldest programs in the country, almost 75 years since their program started and they finally get an invite to a BSC conference.  I guess I just don't know what they want, we have two teams firmly ranked, Rutgers is improving, comparitively, the SEC (w/ 12 teams has 5 ranked teams) the ACC w/ 12 has 3 ranked...ironically the same ones which left....and the Big 10 with 5.  All of those other conferences have more teams.  The would be a higher probabilty of us having another ranked team if we had 4 more teams.  I think the media needs to shut up about it and let the cards fall as they may, When USF wins out and gos to the Sugar Bowl, the media will expect to see a blowout by the SEC team, but they won't, and then the BE will have 3 ranked teams

[E.T.]

And soon there will be 3 teams in the Top 25 outa 8 teams.

Pretty Good !

[dabull80]

I think the best quote I saw on the board about this was take USC out of the PAC 10 and Texas out of the Big 12 and see what you have left.  Not much different then the BE, just more teams.  What the BE needs is that one team to step up and compete for a national title.

[ChiTownBull]

I think the best quote I saw on the board about this was take USC out of the PAC 10 and Texas out of the Big 12 and see what you have left.  Not much different then the BE, just more teams.  What the BE needs is that one team to step up and compete for a national title.

not true the pac 10 has ucla , oregon and USC all ranked ahead of WVU

we need at least one top 10 and 2 top 15 teams from the BE then maybe people will start to shut up.

USC - Pac10

Texas - Big12

Miami - ACC

LSU - SEC

PSU - Big10

then you have 1 more  ACC,  Indy, Big10, and 2 more Pac 10 and 2 more SEC teams ranked ahead of WVU