Spring Preview: Big East

[Apis Bull]

Spring Preview: Big East

/ CollegeFootballNews.com

Posted: 6 days ago

A complete look at the Big East as spring drills get underway:

Top Storylines

1. The nagging BCS question

Only Barry Bonds is more annoyed by anyone questioning his "cream and clear" dabbles than Big East fans are with the "Big East doesn't deserve an automatic BCS bid" rant. Yes, the Big East has been the weakest of the automatic big leagues and yes, Pittsburgh wasn't the most desirable of BCS teams last year. But that's the way the rules are set up and it still makes the Big East a big-time conference. Now the key is for the league to actually live up to the honor in the post-Miami/Virginia Tech era and earn the respect. There's a simple way to shut up all the Big East detractors: win. Which means ...

Predicted Finish

1. Louisville

2. Pittsburgh

3. Syracuse

4. West Virginia

5. Connecticut

6. South Florida

7. Cincinnati

8. Rutgers

2. ... the Big East has to come through in the high profile non-conference games.

And especially the ones at home. Louisville hosts Oregon State, Syracuse hosts Virginia and goes on the road to face Florida State and Notre Dame, Pittsburgh hosts Notre Dame and travels to play Nebraska, and West Virginia gets Virginia Tech in Morgantown and goes to Maryland. There are other big non-conference games, but those eight will be the ones that everyone will use to measure how strong the Big East is. A .500 record in those games would be acceptable; anything less would once again make the Big East an easy target.

3. Will the Conference USAers take over?

It's asking a lot for Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida to be Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, but they're going to have to shine right away to boost up the respect factor. Many think the Big East is getting the Louisville of last year that finished number one in every major offensive and defensive category in Conference USA, but it's easy to overlook that the Cardinals' only win over a BCS conference bowl team was against North Carolina. Beating Kentucky, Boise State and losing to Miami doesn't mean the team was able to come through against the best of the best. The point? Don't assume a reloaded Cardinal team will step right in and blow through the league. Cincinnati will be rebuilding and South Florida will be looking to rebound after last year.

4. The quarterback situation

Trying to predict Big East success might be as simple as figuring out the which quarterbacks play the best. If it's a case of the haves vs. the have nots, it'll be an easy year to handicap. Pittsburgh is more than set with Tyler Palko, Louisville has a star in the making in Brian Brohm and Rutgers has a gunner in Ryan Hart. Those are the only settled quarterback situations as South Florida's Pat Julmiste and Syracuse's Perry Patterson don't exactly have vice-grip holds on their jobs while Cincinnati, Connecticut and West Virginia have to replace long-time starters. Outside of some of the quarterbacks ...

5. ... where are the stars?

Pittsburgh's Tyler Palko is on the verge of being a star as is his prime target, Greg Lee. Rutgers RB Brian Leonard and USF's Andre Hall are two of the best players you've probably never heard of. That's about it for the name recognition for most college football fans as there's a glaring lack of obvious elite players going into the year. Louisville's Brian Brohm certainly has the potential as does the eventual starting running back at West Virginia (either Pernell Williams or Jason Colson). The rest of the players can use the "no one respects us" line as motivation. There are some very good players throughout the league, but several more stars have to emerge to get the love the other BCS conferences will receive.

6. Don't sleep on Connecticut

QB Dan Orlovsky has finally graduated as have several very good defensive stalwarts, but that doesn't mean Connecticut will go back to being known as only a basketball school. Head coach Randy Edsall has done a great job of building the program from scratch over his six years and has an important season ahead to prove he can keep the momentum going after its historic bowl season. It'll be easy for everyone to assume UConn will be down and finish in the middle of the pack, but this was a strong Big East home team last year and should be strong once again.

7. So what's next for the Big East?

Boston College wasn't out of the league 15 seconds when many were wondering what the Big East would do to expand and get bigger and better. It's going to be tough unless the league can land the biggest fish out there: Notre Dame. The clean way to expand would be to create a 12-team conference with the four Independents (Army, Navy, Notre Dame and Temple), but that wouldn't exactly be attractive for the South Benders. Forget about wanting Temple back, while Army and Navy wouldn't add much more than filler. There aren't many other attractive ideas out there after already raiding Conference USA (Memphis? Southern Miss?) and with few MAC programs big-time enough to consider. In other words, unless there's a Notre Dame miracle someday waiting to happen, enjoy the Big East in its current form.

Coaching analysis

Best Coach

Bobby Petrino, Louisville  He's yet to coach his first game in the Big East, but Petrino is already the league's most heralded and sought after head coach. In just two seasons in the 'Ville, he's won 20 games, sparking overtures from heavyweights, such as Auburn, LSU and Notre Dame. Last year's Cardinal team finished No. 6 in the final AP poll.

Most Underrated

Jim Leavitt, South Florida  UConn sort of owned the rags-to-riches spotlight last year, but under Leavitt's guidance, USF has also spun a pretty miraculous story. In five short years, the coach led the Bulls from non-existence to I-A. And now, just a year after joining C-USA, they're a member of the Big East. Leavitt's name has been connected to high-profile openings each of the last four Decembers.

Most Overrated

Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia  Under Rodriguez, West Virginia has been a tease, pulling off at least one upset a year, and losing at least one game they shouldn't each season. The 'eers have been fantastic as underdogs, but as the prohibitive favorite to win the Big East in 2004, they inexcusably gagged in November. Rodriguez is 0-3 in bowl games, failing to even be competitive in the losses.

Coach on the Hot Seat

Greg Schiano, Rutgers  Time may be running out on the Schiano experiment. Sure, there have been nominal gains over the past four years, but not enough to raise eyebrows or get the team into the postseason. And with Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida entering the Big East, and Temple exiting, Rutgers will continue to be the league doormat. Under Schiano, the Knights have beaten just one team that finished the season over .500, and lost to New Hampshire, Villanova and Buffalo.

Bucking for a Promotion

Randy Edsall, UConn  Brick by brick, Edsall has done a remarkable job of building UConn, a perennial basketball power, into a formidable eastern football program. He's guided the Huskies out of I-AA, and into the Big East, raising awareness in the community, and reaching important milestones along the way. In 2003, the school won nine games, and last year, they capped the season with a 39-10 win over Toledo in the school's first-ever bowl game.

Best Offensive Coordinator

Norries Wilson, UConn  The Huskies' rise to prominence has been largely attributable to an offense that's been coordinated by Wilson for the past three seasons. The unit gets significant production from the passing and running game, and has scored at least 30 points 20 times since 2002. Dave Wannstedt did well to bring NFL veteran Matt Cavanaugh back to the Steel City

Best Defensive Coordinator

Mike Cassity, Louisville  In his first season as the Cardinals' coordinator, Cassity completely revamped a defense that statistically ranked among the nation's worst in 2003. They held six opponents under 10 points last season, a stark contrast from the unit that was scored on like a four-foot goalie the previous November. Cassity also happens to be one of the top recruiters in college football.

Best Off-season Hire

Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh  Call it a gut feel, but Wannstedt's message is going to sell better to young athletes than it did in the pros. He's created a positive stir since arriving back home, and those Super Bowl rings and national championship will be useful props on recruiting visits.

Worst Off-season Loss

Steve Dunlap, Syracuse  When a head coach gets canned, some quality assistants often get swept up in the house cleaning. Dunlap, who was Paul Pasqualoni's defensive coordinator, is a prime example. The long-time veteran, and one-time Broyles Award finalist at West Virginia, will be Chuck Amato's defensive right hand in Raleigh this fall.

South Florida

Analysis: The Bulls can make a huge statement right off the Big East bat opening the league slate against Louisville. A bowl game will be tough with road trips to Penn State, Miami, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and UConn to deal with.

Nastiest Road Game:

at Penn State

Cupcake: Florida A&M

Make or Break Game:

Louisville

What needs working on ... Throwing the ball. The pass defense wasn't a prize, but the big problem in 2004 was the inability to get the passing game going. Pat Julmiste showed flashes of brilliance throwing for 324 yards and a score in the 45-44 overtime win over TCU, but he struggled throughout the rest of the season only completing 48% of his passes for 1,570 yards and seven touchdowns with eight interceptions. The offense relied too heavily on the underrated talents of RB Andre Hall.

The most important position to watch is ... The kicking game and . There aren't too many major holes to fill, so the big concern will be to replace PK Santiago Gramatica and kickoff man Justin Geisler. There needs to be much more pop to the return game as well.

Spring attitude ... Last year was just a blip. It was a young team that went through plenty of growing pains. The 2005 Bulls will be a team full of veterans everywhere but on the offensive line. The defense should be better and the offense will be fine as long as the hogs up front open up a few holes for Hall. The Big East title is asking for too much, but a bowl game is a reasonable goal.

Spring Preview: Big East