Big East Week 5: Entrees, Appetizers and Another Taste of the SEC

Hope you like ribs, lots of them. Here for your pre-weekend, pre-tailgate are some scrumptious ribs on the barbie for your Thursday consumption and maybe enough left for Friday. Let's get right to it with this week's Big East menu:

Vanderbilt (1-2) at Connecticut (2-2):

Wasn't it Sgt. Preston of the Yukon who cried out:  "On you huskies!"

Come on Huskies, isn't it about time you guys showed up and registered a meaningful victory this season? Granted Vanderbilt isn't the cream of the crop in the SEC but it's still the SEC and anytime a Big East team can beat ANY SEC it's news.

Cody Endres takes over the signal calling for UConn and that should help. Time for the Big East to stand up for itself. Home game, big crowd should help.

Edge: UConn, barely.

Game on Big East network, noon.

Florida International (0-3)  at Pittsburgh (1-2):

FIU has lost to Rutgers (17-14), Texas A&M (27-20) and Maryland (42-28). Note to FIU—you might want to give Stony Brook a call.

Pittsburgh needs a convincing win and Tino Sunseri needs a great game, not a good game, a great game to get some confidence. This Pitt team looked worse than awful against Miami. Someone on the medical staff needs to put the defibrillator paddles on Dion Lewis to get him going.

This is a game Pitt should win big. Sandwiches at Primanti's afterwards!

Big Edge: Pittsburgh

Game on ESPN3.com, 3:30 p.m.

Tulane (1-2) at Rutgers (2-1):

Can someone please wake up the Rutgers offense?  Seems they've slept in and missed the first three games of the season. Tom Savage needs a breakout game to get things going before the Big East schedule begins.

The Scarlet Knights, like Pitt, need to win and win big!

Big Edge:  Rutgers

Game on ESPN3, 2 p.m.

Louisville (1-2) at Arkansas State (1-3):

This shouldn't be an overwhelming challenge for the Cardinals. Another warm up game for Charlie Strong to see if this team will be capable of pulling off some upsets in Big East play.

Big Edge:  Louisville

Game on ESPN3, 7 p.m.

Florida Atlanta University (1-2) at South Florida (2-1):

No pushover for the Bulls, especially with Coach Howard Schnellenberger on the FAU sideline. He has what every coach in the Big East wants—a national title on his resume. FAU has modeled itself after the USF program and this is one of the few times when the Bulls face a program that is younger. USF quarterback B.J. Daniels needs to regain the confidence of his coach, Skip Holtz, who right now is looking for better decision making from Daniels when it's time to throw the football.

Like the rest of the teams this week, this is USF's last tuneup before Big East play next week. Bulls need to improve defensively as well.

Edge: South Florida

Game on ESPN3, 7 p.m.

There you have it, a relatively unexciting week in the Big East. So have a few extra ribs and get ready for some conference games next week. See you on Monday when Professor Tom hands out the grades.