2011 Big East Preview: Teddy Bridgewater, Dana Holgorsen and B.J. Daniels slug it out
Hola, friends.
We "tackled" (horrible pun semi-intended) the ACC as a baseline preview earlier this week; our plan was to get after some type of personal accolade (Heisman) or position breakdown (QBs!) on Wednesday, but life got in the way. it has a messed-up way of doing that. We're back now with a look at the Big East in 2011.
Basic story on the Big East: it's fallen to the bottom of the Power Six conferences, no doubt. Unless you're an alum of one of these schools -- quite possible if you're reading this in the Northeast -- the only time you're probably going to watch a Big East game is the first Saturday in December, because one of those games is going to determine who reaches a BCS bowl (and likely gets plowed by the second-best team who couldn't play for the national title). There are two saving graces in the conference this year, though: West Virginia and Dana Holgorsen might be the most compelling team in all -- yes, all -- of college football; if someone was smart enough to get rights to film them this season for a documentary on the transition from Stewart to Holgorsen, that person is gonna be rich (or at least notable among college football fans) in a few years when his/her doc on "The Crazy First Year In Morgantown" comes out. Side note: coach succession plans do not work. Caveat: ignore Jimbo Fisher. The other saving grace is Louisville. Remember a couple of years ago when they were really good, Brian Brohm was topping Kiper's draft rankings, and Bobby Petrino wasn't synonymous with being a turncoat? Yeap. Well, they got a good guy at the helm -- Charlie Strong (and look, no racial inclination here, but you always love to see a dude passed over by about 19 jobs for essentially one reason start doing well) -- and Teddy Bridgewater looks like he's ready to be their QB (he was a stud recruit). Let's start with those two teams.
WVU: They should roll this conference. Geno Smith is a stud. No one knows how Holgorsen will do as a head coach -- it's like the transition from floor manager to CEO, to use a common analogy -- but they have talent in a weak conference, and "talent in a weak conference" should be enough. They have four starts back on the offensive line, and the Mountaineers program hasn't finished lower than second in conference in the last nine years. Expect that to continue.
Louisville: I have Louisville as the second-best team here, but a lot of the Interwebs disagrees with me. More on that in a second. Strong lost his top two running backs, his top two cornerbacks and four members of his O-line. That is brutal. But Bridgewater could be the real deal, this is an easy conference (I feel like I've said that already), and Victor Anderson is going to be an elite RB after missing time with injury. I think Strong seems like a good dude. He's one of those assistants who gets their own program and, based on the models he's seen and experiences he's had, knows what to do from Day One. I have faith they're gonna rise to a top three slot in this conference, even with the graduation hits.
USF: This is who (whom? I always get that -ish wrong) most people would put No. 2, probably. Skip Holtz is legit or, at the very least, he comes from pedigree that is now ranting and falling asleep on national television. Peep this: the Bulls are 9-0 in OT games in their history (it's not a very long history), and Holtz is 27-10-1 against the spread as a head coach. HOO BOY! He's 16-6 on the road ATS. DOUBLE DOWN! B.J. Daniels is an all-conference talent. If FSU had him right now instead of E.J. Manuel, they might be an even bigger national threat.
Pittsburgh: Usually a power here; feels like this year will be one of transition. Todd Graham came in after a lot of drama and he's bringing in a no-huddle, fast-action, high-octane offense. That's not what people think of when they think of Pitt (uh, Dorsett, steel mills, The Steel Curtain, etc.) They have an easy early schedule -- nice -- but then it gets tough, so watch out for a hard fall.
Syracuse: THE CUSE IS BACK! Eh. Temper your expectations. Doug Marrone has done a good job there, but they lost two elite LBs, and, well, allow me to offer up a personal story here. For most of the previous couple of years, I have lived in Astoria, NY, near a certain bar -- that may or may not just have gone cash-only -- that opens kinda early on Saturdays. 'Cuse almost always plays at noon. I'd hit this spot for lunch and a couple of beers now and again (read: every weekend) and there was this one hardcore 'Cuse fan who would always do the same. It was me and him a lot in there, friends -- drinking, bonding, contemplating how meaningless our existence had become. I learned a lot about 'Cuse. And believe me, even though Marrone has been good for that program, this is a fundamentally flawed football team on any number of levels. Yes, I was also intoxicated by the third quarter of a good portion of their games.
Cincy: They'll be good. Zach Collaros is back. Isiah Pead is back. 2010 was bad after Brian Kelly took the ND gig. Butch Jones wants to prove he's more than an understudy. The staff has been together two years. This could probably be a nine-win team; if I didn't have such a man crush on Charlie Strong right now, I'd probably pick them No. 2 in the conference -- No. 1 if Holgorsen has absolutely no idea what he's doing as a head coach.
UConn: Kinda interesting. Randy Edsall bounced (Maryland), and here comes Paul Pasqualoni, who it seems like has held every job in football. Check this stat out: the staff he brought to Storrs? 42 years of NFL experience and 196 years of college experience combined. WHOA! Pasqualoni was D-coordinator of the Cowboys and Dolphins in the NFL, and UConn's defensive unit returns nine guys. Should be nice on that side of the ball. The offense is another story, but the experience on that staff could be a boon. These are, as they say, football guys.
Rutgers: 4-8 last year was a debacle. They have 10 starters back on offense, though -- Tom Savage is transferring to Arizona, however -- and a really deep O-line. The situation with Greg Schiano is a classic "know your stock" situation. Dude coulda coached Michigan or Miami, and he's about to get his ass canned from Rutgers. Egad. SELL HIGH, BABY! Insert generic reference to Tony Soprano here.
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