2008 Big East Prediction and Preview

2008 Big East Preview

Posted: August, 2008

The Big East is a force to be reckoned with! Before you begin to laugh take a real close look at the conference. With deep returning talent and superstars at many positions the Big East will make a run for the top spot in the bowls again this year. Don’t be surprised if there are only one or two teams that finish below .500 in the Big East.

West Virginia: There is one reason that West Virginia will claim the title and get a heavyweight bowl bid and that is the return of senior QB Pat White. Bill Stewart takes over for Rich Rodriquez and he should not skip a beat with recruiting. The defense lost seven starters but look for them to reload and get to the top of the Big East. Projected Finish: First in the Big East; 10-2

Pittsburgh: It has taken awhile but finally this is the year that Pittsburgh plays up to the hype. Dave Wannstedt finally got his players to respond with a huge upset of West Virginia last year and they will build off that. RB LeSean McCoy will be back and that will give this team a boost but they have to straighten out some issues at the helm to make a run. The defense will again be the strong point of what could be a great season. Projected Finish: Second in the Big East; 9-3

Cincinnati: The Bearcats finished with ten wins last year in a surprise season to everyone outside the Cincinnati area. Brendan Key was one of the best recruits in the country, even though he won’t play that much this year because the cats are so talented. DE Terrill Byrd anchors a defense that will do well if they can make up for some losses in the secondary. The Bearcats fill those holes and they are fighting for second. Projected Finish: Third in the Big East; 9-4

South Florida: Another surprise team from last year is back and full of firepower. They lost just one starter on offense and return signal caller Matt Grothe to lead an offense that averaged five touchdowns per game last year. The defense will need to fill some holes in the middle of the defense, but the key will be if the Bulls don’t collapse at the end of their schedule like they did last year. They even split the last set of games against tough Big East rivals and they will go to a great bowl game. Projected Finish: Fourth in the Big East; 8-4

UCONN: The key for this club is experience. The defense returns eight starters on a club that showed plenty of heart, and even though the offense was less than impressive they return all of the starters. Unlike other teams in the Big East the Huskies will need to work on the offense scoring some points if they want to make some noise in the crowded Big East. They will look to rely on Andre Dixon to get the job done out of the backfield. A soft out of conference schedule should give them a shot. Projected Finish: Fifth in the Big East; 7-5

Rutgers: Farewell Ray Rice. As much as the Scarlet Knights want to believe they can replace they just can’t. To make matters worse the knights were depleted up front losing a big chunk of the offensive line that made the holes for Rice. They do return Underwood at wide out and that could help put some points on the board. The offense will rest solely on the play at QB and if there is no improvement there and with a week special teams unit it could be a long season for Rutgers in a talented conference. Projected Finish: Sixth in the Big East; 7-5

Louisville: The story on everyone’s mind out of Louisville will be how the Cardinals respond without Brian Brohm at Quarterback. Hunter Cantwell will be the leader in the huddle but don’t expect him to live up to the hype that Brohm did. In fact Louisville will have a somewhat different game plan on rely on what may be the best set of running backs in the Big East. The defense was not very good last year so change will be good in this case. The problem is that this conference will not give the Cardinal a break and will keep them in the cellar fighting to stay out of last place. Projected Finish: Seventh in the Big East; 6-6

Syracuse: Greg Robinson is on the hot seat in Syracuse and they need to make it happen for him. They have no excuses with a team that returns eight starters on defense and seven on offense. The problem is they were not that good to start with. Andrew Robinson is supposed to be the next coming of McNabb at QB but they just averaged above two scores a game last year and that won’t cut it in the Big East. Good luck next year on a new team Greg Robinson. Projected Finish: Last in the Big East; 4-8

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2008 College Previews

• 2008 Big 12 North Preview - The Big Twelve North is out to prove they can play with the conference rivals from the south. Which once was a conference dominated by the southern teams things have begun to change. Kansas and Missouri lead a talented North that is making other people take notice outside the Big Twelve.

• 2008 Big Ten Preview - The Big Ten has sent a representative to the championship game plenty of times in recently but the end result has never been a good . They have been under scrutiny for a cupcake schedule and getting a shot at the big game, but this year they boast one of the deepest conference’s in the country.

• 2008 ACC Atlantic Division Preview - The ACC has quickly become one of the powerhouse conferences in the south east just trailing the best conference in the SEC. The Atlantic division of the ACC always puts forth some of the best teams in college football and it will only get better this year with the likes of Wake Forest, Clemson, and others. The hardest part is getting through the season in conference with the talent the ACC has. Locked and loaded this will prove to be another great year in ACC football.

• 2008 Pac 10 Preview - The Pac 10 has always been one of the best conferences in the country led by the powerhouse USC Trojans. This year other teams have risen up to make the Pac 10 a superior conference. Teams that go on the road to the west coast will soon find out that the Pac 10 should not be taken lightly.