Big East Week Thirteen: A Football Feast at the Very Least

While you rehab from too much turkey on Thursday, sitting listless in front of your televisions, we present these Big East Friday and Saturday offerings to help your stomach on the road to recovery:

Friday Games:

Illinois (3-7, 2-6) at Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0):

Tony Pike makes his return to the lineup to lead the Bearcats against Ron Zook's Illini. Looks like a mismatch on paper: Illinois with three victories shouldn't be much of a threat in this one, but it's still a great opportunity for a Big East team to beat a Big Ten team.

Things are getting interesting around Cincy coach Brian Kelly, who is perhaps the leader in the speculation surrounding the soon-to-be-vacant Notre Dame job. Question is, will all the rumors eventually become a distraction for Cincinnati as it seeks an 11th straight win to set up the HUGE showdown with Pittsburgh?

Advantage: Cincinnati

TV: ABC, noon.

Pittsburgh (9-1, 5-0) at West Virginia (7-3, 3-2):

This is a huge game for both schools. Pitt is bearing down on that title game with the Bearcats next week but first has to take care of business in Morgantown.

West Virginia has been an inconsistent team, but one should never underestimate the Mountaineers' ability to put together a great effort in front of their fans.

You look at Pitt and figure the Panthers have too many offensive weapons and too much defense to not win this game.

Still, it should be a great one to watch.

Advantage: Pittsburgh

TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Rutgers (7-3, 2-3) at Louisville (4-7, 1-5):

Rutgers needs a serious bounce-back showing after getting wiped all over the floor of the Carrier Dome last week against Syracuse.

You would think the Scarlet Knights can handle Louisville, but we thought the same thing against Syracuse.

As for Louisville, they put a scare into South Florida last week and were in the game at the half, until Bulls coach Jim Leavitt took a cue from Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, pulled a WWE, and broke his own forehead open with a headbutt to a helmeted player. The ensuing blood motivated his team to an easy win over the Cardinals.

It will be interesting to see if Louisville can keep this one close. If it can, Rutgers could be in trouble once again.

Advantage: Rutgers

TV: ESPN2, 11 a.m.

Saturday Games:

Syracuse (4-7, 1-5) at Connecticut (5-5, 1-1):

Two teams coming off big wins, but no win is more impressive than the Huskies' upset victory at Notre Dame. It was the "signature win" of Randy Edsall's coaching career and the high point of the program.

Syracuse shocked Rutgers, and the Orange fans are feeling better about the program's future.

Syracuse will have to stop Connecticut's running game to have a chance. Notre Dame couldn't.

Advantage: Connecticut

TV: 12 noon, Big East network

Miami (8-3, 5-3) at South Florida (7-3, 3-3):

HUGE game for South Florida. The Bulls are so very predictable. As B.J. Daniels goes, so go the Bulls, just as it was when Matt Grothe was at quarterback.

The problem for USF is that Miami has better overall speed and better overall athletes. USF cannot "out-athlete" Miami the way it did against Louisville last week.

The Bulls were quite full of themselves when they beat FSU in the fourth game of the season. Miami comes to town with a different mindset. Make a mistake on defense and Miami's players can take it to the house.

Also, Miami has the speed and athleticism on defense to contain Daniels, which is the formula for beating USF.

It's a sellout with a crowd of 67,000-plus expected at Raymond James Stadium.

Advantage: Miami

TV: ABC, 3:30 p.m.

There you have it, a full plate of game for the day after Thanksgiving and a couple more on Saturday. See you on Monday when we pass out the grades.