Let’s get back to something I alluded to earlier, though. Media bias and fan perception.
It is not the conference’s performance on the field, but the thoughts and words of those supposedly in the know that are keeping this charade of Big East inadequacy at the fore.
Recent success during the bowl seasons of the past four years indicates the Big East can stand toe to toe with anyone. Regular season match-ups with teams from the theoretically stronger conferences echo that thought.
They say first impressions are those that stay with us the longest. This has been the major stumbling block for the Big East. Getting past those initial impressions, breaking through the wall of misinformation and misconceptions surrounding the league will take many years, and continued on-field victories.
The league will do just that.
The recent success of Rutgers, South Florida, Connecticut and Cincinnati has been built the right way. They all have quality coaches in place, guys that have been wooed by some of the elite teams and conferences in the country. Each of these coaches has assembled coaching staffs to be envied, as evidenced by the flow of assistants who have moved on to head coaching projects of their own.
Stadium and facility renovations have become the norm throughout the conference. Recruiting battles are being won against some of the biggest of the big boys. No longer do Boston College, Penn State and Notre Dame have their pick of New Jersey’s best high school prospects. Cincinnati is making headway in the rich recruiting grounds once dominated by Ohio State.
More importantly, coaches like Schiano, Edsall, Leavitt and Kelly have become masters at getting five star performances out of three star recruits. You want proof? Just look at the number of Big East players selected in the 2009 draft. For a conference with only eight teams, the numbers are impressive.
Yes, the death of the Big East has been greatly exaggerated, and the league will battle through this ill-gotten label of mediocrity.
In the Big East, success has bred not complacency, but a desire for greater success.
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