College Football: Power Ranking the Big East Conference
As we approach Week 11 of the college football season, the Big East Conference still has one top dog, one pretty good team and six pretenders bringing up the rear.
Pitt, the conference's top team, has a tough prime-time test against Connecticut tonight. If they get by the Huskies, the Panthers will be well on their way to a Big East title.
A Pitt win tonight could also get them closer to the Top 25, where the Big East still doesn't have a ranked member.
Let's take a look at this week's Big East Power Rankings.
1. Pittsburgh (5-3, 3-0)
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Since the Big East season has started, the "Fire Dave Wannstedt" talk has died down. However, if they don't beat UConn, then I would expect it to heat up again.
For the past three weeks, the Panthers have been playing as well as anyone in the nation. I would expect that trend to continue. The Panthers offense is clicking and the defense is playing great.
That unit gets better this week with the return of defensive end Greg Romeus, who is returning from back surgery. Now the Panthers have to find room for him, because the current front four is playing very well.
Next Up: at Connecticut
2. Louisville (5-4, 2-2)
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The Cardinals are coming off a huge road win at Syracuse. They not only put an end to their 12-game conference road losing streak, but did it with backup quarterback Justin Burke.
Louisville was able to win without its starting quarterback or running back. I've said all season that this team competes for 60 minutes, which is a huge compliment to head coach Charlie Strong.
They could be a tough team to play for anyone remaining on their schedule.
Next Up: vs. South Florida
3. Syracuse (6-3, 3-2)
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The Orange are coming off a disappointing loss to Louisville last week, which pretty much cost them any chance they had at winning the Big East title. After already losing to Pitt badly, the Orange are basically three games behind the Panthers.
While they won't contend for a conference title, Doug Marrone's team should be concerned with simply winning this week. One more win makes Syracuse bowl eligible. That's making huge strides, considering many felt that Syracuse was at least a year away from contending for a bowl.
Next Up: at Rutgers
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4. South Florida (5-3, 2-2)
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South Florida comes off a big win against nemesis Rutgers, which could be a building block to gain some momentum inside the Big East.
Two wins in a row for Skip Holtz and the Bulls have them playing their best football at the right time of the season. The common theme in both wins was that B.J. Daniels didn't turned the ball over at an alarming rate.
If Daniels continues to play well, the Bulls have a small chance to sneak up the top of the conference standings, with a game against Pitt still on the schedule.
Up Next: at Louisville
5. Connecticut (4-4, 1-2)
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After leading UConn to a 16-13 upset of West Virginia, senior Zach Frazer is back at the top of the depth chart as the Huskies quarterback. UConn prepares to host conference leader Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
UConn had high expectations coming into the season, but it's been one distraction after another for Randy Edsall's team.
The Huskies still have the chance to close the season strong, though, and be a major factor in the conference.
Up Next: vs. Pitt
6. Rutgers (4-4, 1-2)
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The Scarlet Knights are as up and down as any team in the conference. Still, they have the weapons to make an impact.
Greg Schiano's team has struggled through injuries, but the playmakers are there. They haven't run the ball well and consistency has been a big problem. This week's game against Syracuse could be a pivotal one for both teams.
It's the first home game for Rutgers in over a month, so they could come out ready to go.
Next Up: vs. Syracuse
7. West Virginia (5-3, 1-2)
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WVU is on a downward spiral in Big East play after two consecutive losses. They've abandoned the run at crucial times and they simply aren't explosive enough offensively to get the job done.
The Mountaineers defense has played good enough to keep them in games, but they have gotten next to nothing from the offense.
In this week's battle of the bottom two teams in the conference, WVU would be best served to get back to basics and run the football a ton.
If they lose this one, will head coach Bill Stewart survive the season?
Up Next: vs. Cincinnati
8. Cincinnati (3-5,1-2)
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Would the two-time defending Big East champions be this bad if Brian Kelly were still the head coach? There's a chance that answer is yes.
Nothing has gone right for the Bearcats in Butch Jones' first season as head coach. Good news for them is that quarterback Zach Collaros' knee has improved enough that it looks he will get the start this week against West Virginia.
Up Next: at West Virginia
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