College Football: Power Ranking The Big East Teams

Now that every team has gotten their feet wet in conference play, we are starting to see who will rise to the top of the Big East Conference.

The conference still is overall the worst of the BCS Conferences, but now that we are in conference play, expect some competitive football.

No. 20 West Virginia remains the only Big East team ranked by the AP Poll.  It's a light schedule overall, so let's dive right into this weeks Power Rankings.

1. No. 20 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0)

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BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Geno Smith #12 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in action against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Tiger Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The Mountaineers had some early wholes, but they have fixed most of that.  The offensive line is coming along slowly, but every other unit on the field is playing at a pretty high level.

How good is the WVU defense playing right now?  it really doesn't matter how well Geno Smith and the offense plays.  That defense is capable of carrying the Mountaineers.

West Virginia remains at the top spot and they could run the table.

Next Up: vs. Syracuse

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

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PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 08: Head coach Greg Schiano of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights looks on against the Connecticut Huskies at Rutgers Stadium on October 8, 2010 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Rutgers escaped once again with an overtime win against Army and they continue to climb up in the Power Rankings.

This is more like the team most people expected coming into the season.  Quarterback Chas Dodd had another solid game in the win against Army and looks to be an impact player in the Big East the rest of the way.

Will the serious injury to defensive lineman Eric LeGrand effect this team, or will it be a rallying cry?

Next Up: at Pittsburgh

3. Pittsburgh (3-3, 1-0)

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PITTSBURGH - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Dave Wannstedt of the Pittsburgh Panthers watches his team play against the Miami Hurricanes on September 23, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

One thing Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt has always been able to do is beat Syracuse.  That was more like what the expectations were for the Panthers coming into this season.

The offense played great.  Quarterback Tino Sunseri was involved early and played his best game of the season.

Was last weeks performance something to build on or was it simply just against Syracuse?

While Wannstedt has owned the Orange, his teams have struggled overall against the Scarlet Knights.  Guess who's next?

Next Up: vs Rutgers.

4. Cincinnatit (3-3, 1-0)

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LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 15: Armon Binns # 80 of the Cincinnati Bearcats runs for a touchdown during the Big East Conference game against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on October 15, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by And

The Bearcats fell behind early against Louisville last week, but came storming back for a big win behind five Zach Collaros touchdown passes.  Where has that been all season?

The one thing that Cincinnati showed is that they still have the weapons to beat any team in the conference.  Don't count the Bearcats out from winning a third consecutive Big East title.

Next Up: vs. South Florida

5. Syracuse (4-2, 1-1)

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 11: Kicker Ross Krautman #37 of the Syracuse Orange kicks a field goal against the Washington Huskies on September 11, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Apparently, it was the soft schedule.

The Orange looked over matched and awful last week against Pitt.  They still have a good bit of talent and can make some noise in the Big East, but they showed that they are far away from being mentioned among the conferences better teams.

Next Up: at West Virginia

6. Louisville (3-3, 0-1)

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LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 15: Charlie Strong the Haed Coach of the Louisville Cardinals gives instructions to his team during the Big East Conference game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on October 15, 2010 in Louisville, K

Head coach Charlie Strong's team battles, but they showed in their losses that they are a couple play makers away on offense from being able to score with some of the better teams on their schedule.

That's important because Strong is a defensive minded guy.  He just doesn't have the horses on that side of the ball to do a lot of the things he would like.

Conference play could be an uphill struggle for the cardinals, but they are headed in the right direction.

Up Next: vs. Connecticut

7. Connecticut (3-3, 0-1)

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PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 08: Head coach Randy Edsall of the Connecticut Huskies looks on against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Stadium on October 8, 2010 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Huskies are a team that I never expected to have lower than two or three all season in the Power Rankings.They've been a disappointment so far, but Randy Edsall's bunch has too much talent not to rebound.

Jordan Todman is a fantastic running back and Cody Endres has given the Huskies a spark on offense.

To challenge in the Big east though, Edsall has to do something to sure up his struggling defense.

Up Next: at Louisville

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

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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

Is there a dumber quarterback with a ton of talent then the Bulls B.J. Daniels?  if Daniels took better care of the football, the Bulls may have another win or two.

They also may have had a chance in the second half against both Florida and WVU had Daniels not thrown crucial interceptions right before halftime in each game.

Until Daniels learns to take care of the football, South Florida will struggle.

Up Next: at Cincinnati.