Have you ever seen something so intimidating? I mean that bird looks really mad. And it has teeth. Weird.
The Big East looked like a BCS kingpin early in their BCS days. A surprise title game appearance from Virginia Tech coupled with Miami’s dominance had the league sitting pretty in the infant stages of the current system. But when the two powerhouses, along with Boston College, left for the ACC, the conference took a major hit.
Now the ACC has taken a lot of heat for failing to perform in big money bowls, but the Big East hasn’t been much better. If you take away Miami’s BCS wins, which makes sense considering they don’t play in the Big East anymore, then the conference is only 3-5 in the BCS. That’s a small step above the 2-9 ACC.
And it may not get any prettier right away now that the league’s shining hope, West Virginia, has lost their star. Of course, I’m picking a new team to take the crown. Hopefully, they can reverse the recent trend of laughing at the little league in the upper northeast, and lower south east. And pretty much everywhere in between.
Oh, and don’t worry, there’s a Mail Bag coming, I’ve just been a little busy today. You try writing 3000 words on the Big East…
That’s what I thought.
1.) South Florida Bulls
Offense — It’s the 13th year of Bulls’ football, and the last two seasons have set the standard. In 2007 and 2008 the South Florida program reached into the top ten and came out with an empty grasp. So the goal for 2009? How about some staying power. Speaking of hanging around, quarterback Matt Grothe enters what seems like his tenth year of piloting the Bulls. The senior passer is the linchpin of the offense, and he’ll have to cut down on the turnovers if he wants to play for a BCS-caliber team.
Of course, with his mobility, improvisational skills, and gunslinger mentality he has the potential to lead the Bulls to their first Big East title. And it won’t hurt that new offensive coordinator Mike Canales is prepared to run a pure version of the spread — an offense tailor-made for Grothe’s skill set.
Joining Grothe in the backfield, running back Mike Ford is 20 pounds slimmer and hopefully quicker. He’ll have to create some of his own running room behind an offensive line that returns only one starter. And he may need to provide a steady push on the ground while the green receivers adjust to new system. In spite of their lack of experience, Dontavia Bogan, Jessie Hester, and AJ Love form one of the most talented groups of pass catchers in the conference.
Defense — And here’s the other reason we’re picking USF to make their first BCS appearance: George Selvie. Selvie has an uncanny ability to disrupt an offense. It appears innate. But somehow, through injuries, extended attention, and maybe just a bit of complacency, Selvie’s numbers plummeted as a junior. In his second season, Selvie notched a national-best 14.5 sacks and 31.5 TFL. Not exactly easy stats to live up to, but his junior numbers of 13.5 TFL and only 5.5 sacks weren’t anything special. He’s a hard worker though, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t have another scintillating season if Craig Marshall can provide a push from the other side.
Linebacker Kion Wilson, a transfer player two years ago, stepped into the MLB role pretty well, and is an emerging star on the defense with NFL aspirations. He should provide a solid presence behind an experienced D line. Then there’s senior FS Nate Allen. Allen is an all-conference (and dark horse all-America) candidate whose steady play and abilty to lay the wood will ease the load on Quenton Washington and Jerome Murphy who only managed two interceptions in 2008.
2.) West Virginia Mountaineers
Offense — I’m not totally sure, but I have a feeling that all of the coaches in the Big East threw an amazing blowout goodbye bash for Pat White when he finally completed his West Virginia career. His absence is an open window for other league schools, but it could be a crushing blow for the Mountaineers. White is the only quarterback in the history of the NCAA with four bowl wins, and he did some pretty decent things during the regular season as well. In his place steps Jarrett Brown, a massive senior with underrated elusiveness. However, for all those fooling themselves into believing that Brown can simply replace White, there may be a deflated ending ahead. That’s not to say Brown can’t be effective, but asking him to be White is just impossible. His only extended action last season came in a gimpy 17-6 victory over Syracuse with a 108 passer rating.
The good news is that he’s got one of the most explosive mighty-mite running backs standing behind him. Noel Devine was supposed to easily replace Steve Slaton a year ago, and while he did rack up 1289 yards, he only managed to find the endzone four times. That number will have to rise if WVU hopes to regain the conference crown, but fans should be ecstatic if he can duplicate his 6.3 yards per carry. The receiver situation has never been a real strong suit in Morgantown, but this year could be especially dicey if Jock Sanders is unable to return following a DUI arrest. Alric Arnett and converted quarterback Bradley Starks are looking to pick up the slack. Up front, all-conference performers Ryan Stanchek and Mike Dent must be replaced. Tackle Selvish Capers is a good one, but he’s one of only two starters back.
Defense — With all of White’s media attention, the Mountaineers defense has been an overlooked aspect of their success. In 2009, it could steal some of the spotlight. Eight starters are back for a unit that ranked first in the conference and 11th nationally in scoring defense. DE Scooter Berry and NT Chris Neild are the two returning starters along WVU’s three man front. Berry posted 5.5 TFL in 2008 while earning second team all-Big East honors. Star LB Mortty Ivy is off to the NFL, but in his place the Mountaineers regain Reed Williams. Williams was the MVP of the 2008 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma, but missed all of last season with knee issues.
The secondary returns four of five starters, and should be a strength despite the loss of CB Ellis Lankster. The Mountaineers ranked second in pass efficiency defense in 2008, and Brandon Hogan’s three INTs were a big part of that. Sophomore Keith Tandy, who filled in for Bogan in the Meineke Bowl, looks like the leading candidate to replace Lankster on the other side. Both are joined by safeties Sidney Glover, Robert Sands, and Quinton Andrews. The five man look has been pretty successful for WVU, and the experience should pay off with teams like Cincinnati and Rutgers looking to throw the ball.
3.) Pittsburgh Panthers
Offense — There’s a big trend in the Big East for 2009, and it’s the loss of star players. Pitt is no exception after the early departure of RB LeSean McCoy. He won’t be easy to replace. Especially since Bill Stull has been wildly inconsistent at QB. This year the Panthers will have to unearth some semblance of a passing game if they want to make their second BCS appearance. They finished 6th in the conference in passing efficiency last season, with Stull leading the way at 119.9. He’ll have to fix his 9-10 TD-INT ratio as well. Thankfully, Stull returns with a talented receiving corps led by former mega-recruit Jonathan Baldwin who managed a 22.4 ypc average on only 18 grabs. He’s joined by senior Oderick Turner, who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career. And then there’s Nate Byham who became the first Pitt TE to earn first team all-conference honors last year.
The running game will be spearheaded by three back for at least the early part of 2009. Junior Kevin Collier and sophomore Shariff Harris are the only two backs on the roster with carries under their belts, but true freshman Dion Lewis enrolled in the spring, and looks like a possible starter at some point during the year. Harris has the size (6-01 215), but Lewis is a quick, game-breaking player who could provide a much needed spark on potentially stagnant offense.
Defense — Greg Romeus. Remember that name. You’ll hear a lot about him during the season and possibly more during the offseason as an NFL prospect. He’s a 6-05 265 junior DE, and he’s headed for a major year. Romeus put up 15.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore, and he’s only gotten bigger, faster, and better this offseason. Jabaal Sheard put up 5.5 sacks of his own across from him. Scott McKillop is gone, and his locker room presence could be as detrimental a loss as his action on the field. Steve Dell, a fifth year senior, will get first crack at filling his shoes. Adam Gunn, another older player returning from injury, looks to have one of the other spots filled, along with converted tailback Gregg Williams.
The secondary returns both corners, Jovani Chappel and Aaron Berry, who combined to pick off five passes last season while breaking up 11 more. They’re joined by Dom DeCicco who added four of his own INTs and 7 PBU from the strong safety spot. The wild card is free safety Elijah Fields who has the talent to be special, but needs to play with more consistency.
4.) Cincinnati Bearcats
Offense — Get ready because people are going to make a huge deal out of the return of Tony Pike at QB. Pike’s a good player, and his toughness was proven last year when he played with broken bones in his arm, but I’m not sold on him leading the Bearcats to consecutive conference crowns. For one, he looked absolutely lost playing in the Orange Bowl. And secondly, he can’t do it without a ground game. Cinci ranked dead last in the Big East in 2008 rushing offense, averaging a pathetic 117 ypg. Senior Jacob Ramsey will hold the reins early on, but his 664 yards on 4.4 ypc may not be enough to hold off talented Isaiah Pead and Darrin Williams. Pead averaged 6.5 ypc last season, but was only given 30 opportunities. Maybe some competition will lead to better results.
On the other hand, talented wide receiver Marshawn Gilyard is back as Tony Pike’s favorite target. Gilyard caught 81 balls for 1276 yards and 11 TDs. He’ll need to be even better as a senior if he wants any hope of returning to the Orange Bowl. At least the O line returns three starters, but the guards will be new. That could be a good thing for the running game considering how inept last year’s starters were at opening holes for the running backs.
5.) Connecticut Huskies
Offense — Here it is again, Donald Brown is gone after leading the nation in rushing. Freshman Jordan Todman looks like he’ll get a chance to earn the starting spot, but he’ll have to hold off Andre Dixon who split carries with Brown in 2007. Tyler Lorenzen is gone as well from the QB spot, but his four game injury last year allowed Zach Frazer to start two games. Of course, Frazer managed to squeeze six interceptions into those two games, and both were losses. At least leading receiver sophomore Kashif Moore is back. Hopefully someone can get him the ball.
Defense — After ranking sixth in total defense in 2008, the Huskies are in a tough spot looking to replace CB Darius Butler and DE Cody Brown. Both were high picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. DEs Lindsey Witten and Marcus Campbell should help stop the bleeding at DE, as both were part of the rotation last fall. MLB Scott Lutrus transitioned seamlessly to MLB leading the team with 106 tackles, and his presence should help as he tries to jump to the first team after finishing just short in the 2008 All-Big East voting. And safety Robert Vaughn reutrns as the lone playmaker in the secondary after finishing third on the team with 67 tackles of his own.
6.) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Offense — Mike Teel: gone. Kenny Britt: gone. Tiquan Underwood: gone. It’s the same ole story for Rutgers, but at least the rest of the league is feeling the pain. Although whoever lines up at QB will have the luxury of standing in the pocket behind Anthony Davis. Davis is possibly the biggest recruit to ever sign up for Rutgers football, and in a literal sense he may take the crown as well. He’s a 6-06 325 LT with deceptively quick feet and a knack for locking on to defenders and riding them to the gorund. He’ll be protecting the athletic but erratic Jabu Lovelace at QB. Lovelace should feel comfortable with his role as the starter for about five minutes while former superstar recruit D.C. Jefferson gets comfortable. At 6-06 240, he’s a monster with a rocket arm. Though he won’t have those two great receivers on the other end, Tim Brown is a viable option with his 20.9 ypc average and six receiving TDs.
Defense — The Rutgers defense has seemingly followed Coach Greg Schiano’s “keep chopping the wood” philosophy to a T. They’ve been consistently up to par, while remaining virtually free of accolades. Sounds like a lumberjack to me. I mean can you name any lumberjacks? Anyway, this year that might change due to one player. LB Ryan D’Imperio is one of the most underrated tacklers in the game. D’Imperio is the leading returning tackler after posting 93 last year to go along with his 12.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, INT, and two recovered fumbles. And it’s not just his numbers, it’s the way he does it, with bone-crushing authority. He’s a candidate for Big East DPOY. Behind him, Courtney Greene must be replaced at safety, and Joe Lefeged and Zaire Kitchen appear up to the task. Cornerback Devin McCourty looks like a solid bet to help ease the loss of his brother Jason.
7.) Louisville Cardinals
Offense — Remember when Steve Kragthorpe took over for Bobby Petrino and the offense was supposed to keep humming along? Well, it hasn’t exactly worked out so far. Last season, every drank the Hunter Cantwell kool-aid, but I wasn’t so sure. Looks like I won that one. Now Cantwell is gone, and the Cards may be relying on the rushing game again. Sophomore RB Victor Anderson is one of the guys you should get to know now, before everyone else does. He’ll be a big name this fall after rushing for 1047 and eight TDs as a freshman. Oh, and he did all that on a 5.7 ypc average. Adam Froman, a JC transfer who put up 40 TDs last season, and Justin Burke, an NC State transfer, look like the leading candidates to replace Cantwell. Here’s hoping they can, well. Sorry.
Doug Beaumont will give the new QB a solid target, however. He led the team with 62 catches for 750 yards in ’08. He’s joined by Scott Long, who’s back from an ACL tear. And up front, the Cardinals will have to find a quick study to replace center Eric Wood who was a major part of Anderson’s ground success last fall.
Defense — Louisville and defense have had a shaky relationship. But under Kragthorpe, this side of the ball has slowly turned into a sporadic strength. Okay, I’m kidding. The Cards finished ahead of only Syracuse in Big East total defense last year, but things are looking up. They get seven starters back to run the 4-3, and a fresh face at DC in former Utah State head coach Brent Guy. Guy wants to run a more attacking style, and he might have the players to make it work. MLB Jon Dempsey is back as the leading tackler after racking up 80 tackles as a junior. The new scheme could help his sack total jump from one. It’ll have to considering the leading returning sack artist for the Cards managed only two in 2008 for a defense that gave up a whopping 29.8 ppg. Adding to the misery is the fact that both DTs are gone along with their seven sacks. That may not seem like a lot until you realize that Louisville only recorded 14 all season. It could be tough year for Kragthorpe and co.
8.) Syracuse Orange
Offense — At least there’s hope, right? I mean what else can Syracuse buy into? When the two best things to happen to your program are (A) a Dennis Quaid movie and (B) a former Duke backup basketball player coming in to play QB, you know the outlook is bleak. Still, it’ll be hard for Syracuse to do much worse on this side of the ball. In 2008 the Orange finished 108th in scoring offense, 114th in total offense, and 113th in passing offense. So maybe Greg Paulus can right this ship? It won’t be easy for a guy who hasn’t played football in four years, despite being a widely sought after recruit coming out of high school. Still, I think he could be in for more bench-warming. Senior Cameron Dantley could win the job. Either way, the new QB will be throwing to Mike Williams almost exclusively. Williams missed last season due to academic ineligibility, but he caught 60 balls in 2007, including at least one TD in nine consecutive games.
Doug Marrone was brought in because he’s an alum who knows offense. After serving the Saints for a few seasons, he’ll have to get used to the major talent deficiencies at Syracuse, but he looks like a solid hire. At the very least, he’ll bring this offense out of the national cellar, and has enough playmakers in RB Delone Carter and Williams to steal a game or two in conference play. There’s really nowhere to go but up.
Defense — Hey, here’s a bright spot. Syracuse boasts an elite NFL prospect on the defensive side of the ball. Too bad Arthur Jones can’t play all 11 positions. Jones return was a big coup for the Orange, and he’s looking to improve upon his 31.5 career TFL. He’ll be joined by his younger brother Chandler, who plays DE. The rest of the unit has experience, but a wise man once said “a man experienced in extended failure learns to accept the experience as success and not the results.” I don’t really know what that means, but it sounds bad. Ready for some more telling numbers: 101st in total defense, 101st in pass efficiency defense, 83rd in pass defense, 101st in rushing defense, and 101st in scoring defense. 101st in the nation is not good. Like I said, it’s too bad Jones can’t play all 11 positions. Marrone may have been the right hire, and only time will tell, but this could be another year of the same from the Carrier Dome.
OPOY
Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville — Noel Devine gets more press, but this pint-sized tailback will be the talk of the Big East in 2009. Especially if he leads the Cards back to a bowl. Don’t laugh, he’s that good.
or
Matt Grothe, QB, South Florida — If the Bulls get to a BCS Bowl, and I fully expect them to do that, then all the credit goes to Grothe. He’s the heart and soul of this team, and he is an absolutely fearless quarterback. There aren’t too many in the game that play with this kind of grit.
DPOY
Ryan D’Imperio, LB, Rutgers – Again, George Selvie will get the press, and with another great season he could get it, but I expect D’Imperio to have an All-America type year running free in the Rutgers LB corps. He can make plays all over the field, and he plays for a great defensive coach.
Newcomer of the Year
DC Jefferson, QB, Rutgers — He’s stepping in for a guy who broke numerous Rutgers records, and actually he may not be handed to reins right away, but he has all the talent in the world. Plus, depsite some major losses, he’s got a decent set of receivers to work with, and he’ll have plenty of time behind the best OT in the conference.
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