College Football Rankings: Power Ranking The Big East. Week 5

It's been a really rough four week stretch to open the 2010 season for the Big East.  That in turn makes ranking these teams very difficult.No Big East team is currently ranked in either poll.  Not one of them has won a big game so far.  Not one of them has shown anything that resembles being a quality football team.

I can't use the eye test anymore because none of the teams has passed it.

Every Big East program has major holes.  With one week until conference play, here are your Power Rankings.

I considered having an eight way tie for last place.

1. West Virginia (3-1, 0-0)

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BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 25: Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers avoids a tackle by Brandon Taylor #15 of the Louisiana State Univeristy Tigers at Tiger Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers defeated the Mou

West Virginia stays at No. 1 for the second consecutive week and the way things are looking, they could remain here for a while.

Very tough loss to LSU.  I, along with many others had some issues with some of the play calling, especially late.  What did WVU head coach Bill Stewart do, borrow Dave Wannstedt's play book for a night?

Very tough place to play and I thought quarterback Geno Smith hung in there well despite the pressure all game.

WVU had to win this game though.  With a strength of schedule exceeding 80 and the Big East very down, it's likely that the Mountaineers win the conference without having a quality win on their resume all season long.  They won't get one in conference play. That's not taking a shot at WVU as much as it is the conference right now.

Talks will surely begin again on weather or not the Big East deserves the automatic BCS bid.

Next Up: vs UNLV Sat. Oct. 9.

2. Syracuse (3-1, 0-0)

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 11: Running back Delone Carter #3 of the Syracuse Orange rushes against the Washington Huskies on September 11, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Syracuse started the season ranked No. 7 in the Power Rankings and pretty much by default have climbed to the second spot.

It's sad that their opening week win against Akron is considered good.  Looking at the rest of the conference, that's probably the second best win overall.

I usually don't give much credence to beating the Colgate's of the world, but in the sad state of the Big East, 3-1 is 3-1.

Despite not playing quality competition, other than a week 2 loss at Washington, the Orange have at least shown some consistency on both sides of the ball.

Delone Carter is starting to run well and the defense has been pretty solid.

Next Up: @ South Florida. Sat. Oct. 9

3. South Florida (2-1, 0-0)

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GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback B.J. Daniels #7 of the South Florida Bulls attempts a pass during a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Imag

The Bulls played Florida tough for a half and don't have a quality win to speak of, but neither does anyone else. 

With wins over Stony Brook and Western Kentucky, the Bulls don't deserve to be this high, but neither does anyone else.  They have some talent and can do some good things in conference play.

Next Up: vs. Florida Atlantic. Sat. Oct. 2

4. Pittsburgh (1-2, 0-0)

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PITTSBURGH - SEPTEMBER 23: Tino Sunseri #12 of the Pittsburgh Panthers drops back to pass in front of teammate Dion Lewis #28 during the game against the Miami Hurricanes on September 23, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared

The Panthers are a mess.  They are playing bad and are coached worse.  The offensive line is bad, the quarterback play is bad.  Nothing is going well for the Panthers at the moment.

They were completely unprepared for the speed of Miami which you have to keep pointing the finger at the coaching staff.

The only reason they stay at No. 4 is that their two losses came against teams ranked in the Top 16 of the AP Poll.

Here's an alarming stat for Pitt fans.  Dion Lewis has only 143 yards on 43 carries so far in 2010.  his 3.0 yards per carry is down 2.5 yards from a season ago.

Next Up: vs. Florida International. Sat. Oct. 2.

5. Connecticut (2-2, 0-0)

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EAST HARTFORD, CT - SEPTEMBER 12: Cody Endres #12 of the Connecticut Huskies passes under pressure from Robert Quinn #42 of the North Carolinia Tar Heels pressures on September 12, 2009 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Tar Heels def

Along with Pitt, the Huskies are off to a very disappointing start to the season.  The loss to Temple should stick with them for a while.

They did get quarterback Cody Endres back from suspension and he gave the Huskies a second half spark in last weeks win against Buffalo.

Is there a quarterback controversy brewing?

Up Next: vs Vanderbilt. Sat. Oct. 2.

6. Louisville (1-2, 0-0)

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LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 04: Bilal Powell #15 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

At least Charlie Strong's team competes, which can't be said for everyone in the conference.  They've had a couple of tough losses against BCS Conference schools, but they have played decent competition and looked like a decent football team.

Next Up: @ Arkansas St. Sat. Oct. 2.

7. Rutgers (2-1, 0-0)

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NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - SEPTEMBER 25: Anthony Elzy #6 (L) of the North Carolina Tar Heels breaks runs past the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defense during the third quarter at Rutgers Stadium on September 25, 2010 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew B

Tough loss for Rutgers against North Carolina, but that will happen when you don't play real competition until the fourth week of the season.

Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano has to be very concerned with his offense at this point and has to find a way to get them on track.

Next Up: vs. Tulane. Sat. Oct. 2.

8. Cincinnatti (1-3, 0-0)

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CINCINNATI - SEPTEMBER 25: Zach Collaros #12 of the Cincinnati Bearcats runs with the ball during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Paul Brown Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Bearcats played Oklahoma very tough last week and all three of their losses have come against good football teams, but in the end, a 1-3 record has to say something about the defending two-time Big East champs.

They did look much better last week then they did the past two, but three losses at this point is not a good sign for the Bearcats.

Next Up: vs. Miami (OH.). Sat. Oct. 9.