College Football: Power Ranking the Big East Conference

I am back with another season of Big East power rankings. Hopefully, for my sake and football fans everywhere, the Big East will be somewhat improved in 2011. Come to think of it, it really can't be much worse than it was in 2010. Can it?

Heading into the 2011 campaign, the most popular question concerning the Big East just may be who is going to finish second, with West Virginia being a heavy favorite to win the conference outright.

While that may be true now, I have a feeling there are a handful of teams that could sneak up on the Mountaineers and have a chance to contend when it's all said and done.

With that being said, let's jump right into our power rankings heading into Week 1.

Enjoy the season.

8. Louisville

Louisville surprised many to finish 7-6 in 2010—a season capped off with a win over Southern Miss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

While the Cardinals are definitely a program worth keeping an eye on in the future, they could take a step back in 2011.

There is no doubt that Charlie Strong is the right man for this job, but several key losses on both sides of the ball, including returning only three starters on the offensive side of the ball is going to be very challenging.

Add to that a very tough road schedule that features Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Connecticut and South Florida, and the Cardinals have their work cut out for them.

7. Rutgers

Just two season's ago, the Scarlet Knights finished 9-4 and seemed to be a program on the rise. A wake-up call occurred in 2010 when Rutgers won only four games, including only one game in-conference, which included six straight losses.

The Scarlet Knights were the worst offensive team in the league, averaging 20.8 points and 294.9 yards per game. With eight offensive starters back, they should be a much better team.

Rutgers is likely still a couple years away from making a run at a conference title, but getting to a bowl game shouldn't be out of the question.

6. Connecticut

Randy Edsall put the Huskies on the map during his 12 seasons, but unfortunately for U Conn fans, he moved onto Maryland.

The Huskies are coming off their first trip to a BCS game and do return 16 starters. However, one of those isn't Jordan Todmanthe nation's second-leading rusher from a season ago.

The Huskies defense should be very good, but the offense may need some time to figure things out.

5. Cincinnati

The Bearcats went from a one-loss team in 2009 to an eight-loss team in 2010. You had to expect a drop off after Brian Kelly packed his bags for Notre Dame, but very few expected to see the Cincinnati team we saw last year.

The eight Cincinnati losses were one more than Kelly had during his whole tenure as head coach.

You can point the finger at the defense and turnovers for most of that.

The Bearcats offense led the league in scoring and total offense with 27.1 points and 417.3 yards per game. However, they committed a league-high 29 turnovers, and the defense allowed a Big East-high 28.0 points per game.

The defense likely should be a bit improved and taking care of the football should result in a few more wins.

4. Syracuse

Syracuse got off to a good start to the 2010 season before fading down the stretch, however, Doug Marrone's bunch gained an eighth victory by beating Kansas St. in the Pinstripes Bowl.

The Orange are one of those teams that could easily be listed as No. 2 on this list.

One thing Syracuse will have to fix in 2011 is their ability to win at home after posting an 0-4 mark at the Carrier Dome against FBS opponents.

Getting back to eight wins could be tough though as the Orange must find a way to replace more than half of last year's starters on defense.

3. South Florida

Skip Holtz won eight games in his first season in the Big East and took South Florida to its sixth straight bowl game.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels has the talent to be the best player in the conference, and if he learns to take care of the ball better, the Bulls could be very good.

The South Florida defense is excellent, finishing in the top 20 in the nation last season.

They should be just as good in 2011, and if the offense lives up to expectations, look out for the Bulls.

2. Pittsburgh

The Panthers disappointed in 2010 and had an even more crazy offseason that saw them name not one, but two new head coaches.

The Todd Graham era of Pitt football begins Saturday, and if anything, Graham has created a world of excitement around the Panthers program.

Graham brings to Pittsburgh his high-octane offensive philosophy, and Pitt will have new looks on not only offensive, but defensive and in the kicking game as well.

He won 10 or more games in three of the last four seasons at Tulsa and loves to play the game fast. While he may not yet have his type of players at Pitt, the cupboard is far from bare.

Thirteen starters return from a team that won eight games in 2010.

Pitt begins the season at No. 2 in the power rankings, but realistically, I could have South Florida or Syracuse here just as easy.

I like the potential of what Graham's offense can do inside the conference, but I have some doubts about how his defense will translate to Big East play.

1. West Virginia

The Panthers weren't the only Big East school that had a controversial offseason when it comes to head coaches. Rival West Virginia did as well and are left with Dana Holgersen as the last man standing.

It will be interesting to see what type of immediate impact Holgersen, who is viewed as an offensive genius, has with a Mountaineers offense that was mediocre at best in 2010.

No matter how underachieving the West Virginia offense was last season, the strength of this team was on the defensive side of the ball.

The Mountaineers boasted one of the best defensive teams in the entire nation last season, ranking third nationally in scoring and total defense with 13.5 points and 261.1 yards allowed per game.

The defense may take a step back but should still be one of the best in the Big East, and the Mountaineers offense should be much more explosive.