Big East, Week 4

[lynchjm24]

A disasterous week in the conference, which needs to get it's act together before the BCS kicks it out. The weight of the conference is on West Virginia this season, they need to run the table and come up big in January.

The week that was:

Winners
Connecticut (3-1)
Army is bad; very, very, very, very bad. UConn did play well though for the first time all season. They looked better then they have all season. Folks around here are about as excited for Thursday as they can be for a non Yankee/Red Sox or Final Four game.
Pittsburgh (2-1)
Didn't look good there for a while, but they survived. I'd guess Furman is a top 60 or so I-A team so it isn't quite as bad as it seems. I couldn't decide if I wanted them to win or not. Hopefully it didn't wake any internal Pitt beast.
West Virginia (4-0)
Nice easy win, they play another huge game for the conference this coming week.

Losers
Boston College (3-1)
Tough way to lose. They gave Wake a good game on the road, but got beat on the big play inside 1:00 to play. They are in for a world of hurt next season.
Syracuse (2-2)
The 'Cuse scored first, but it wasn't enough to even throw a scare into Virginia. The score was closer then most expected probably.
Temple (1-3)
Thankfully they soon will not be our problem anymore. Blown out by Toledo who had a made a habit of giving up 60.

Futures:
Nice wins for South Florida and Louisville. I'm sure Cincinnati will take any win at this point.


Players of the week:
Offense: Orlovsky (UC): 288 and 4.
Defense: Adam Lehnortt (WVU) TD, 8 tackles, 3 TFL
ST: Josh Cummings (Pitt) Game winning FG over Furman 4-4 FG and 10-10 XP on the season

This Week:
Pittsburgh at UConn (-7.5)
Rutgers at Syracuse (-6)
West Virginia at Virginia Tech (-2)
UMass at Boston College (no line)
Bowling Green (-6.5) at Temple
Alabama-Bir at Cincinnati (-2.5)
East Carolina at Louisville (-29.5)
Southern Miss (-4) at South Florida

Jim's BE Power Poll
1. West Virginia
2. Boston College
3. Pittsburgh
4. Connecticut
5. Syracuse
6. Rutgers
7. Temple

[Swaggs]

This is becoming my favorite weekly thread. :)

I will post my thoughts in a bit.

[Swaggs]

Uninspiring week overall for the Big East.

The best moments were watching Va Tech and B.C. each lose in the last moment to mid-tier ACC teams. I know they are going to be cashing in with the better TV deal, but their bowl opportunities (both quantity and quality) are really going to suffer in the ACC.

This week is going to be exciting for the league for a few reasons.

First, the Rutgers-Syracuse and UCONN-Pitt games are going to be important for the current and future pecking order of the league. The losers of those games are going to have to scratch to become bowl eligible, while the winners are going to position themselves for the top 3 or 4 in the conference and its automatic bid. Looking at the games, they are both toss-ups in my book. I think UConn and Syracuse will win, but won't be surprised either way.

Second, WVU-VT is huge for the BE and huge for WVU. WVU has won the last two years against highly ranked Tech teams and last year pasted the then undefeated Hokies. This game is at VT and the Mountaineers are actually favored by about a touchdown. WVU should win, but this is a game that VT really needs to win because they still have Miami, UVA, and Maryland on the schedule ahead and they have already lost twice already.

Finally, next season will be interesting for the Big East, because with Pitt and Syracuse down, BC leaving, and UCONN not quite "there" yet, and WVU breaking in a new QB (their top 2 are seniors this season), Louisville could come in and steal the show and make a good BCS run. They look pretty strong this season and, other than Miami, will be favored to win out. We might be looking to them to be the hero of the Big East next season.

[Wolfpack]

The best moments were watching Va Tech and B.C. each lose in the last moment to mid-tier ACC teams.

Hey! We go into Blacksburg and smack VT's QB silly and we're just "mid-tier"? We do have the number one defense in the country (against such offensive juggernauts as Richmond, Ohio State, and VaTech, no less :p ), so I think we're a little better than "mid-tier". Maybe. (I'd surrender plenty of things in life to have Rivers back for this year. Last year we could score, but couldn't stop anyone. Now we can stop everybody, but can't score at all. *sigh*)

[timmynausea]

Second, WVU-VT is huge for the BE and huge for WVU. WVU has won the last two years against highly ranked Tech teams and last year pasted the then undefeated Hokies. This game is at VT and the Mountaineers are actually favored by about a touchdown.


WVU is a 2 point underdog in every line I've seen. Unless things have changed dramatically the past day or two.

[Swaggs]

Hey! We go into Blacksburg and smack VT's QB silly and we're just "mid-tier"? We do have the number one defense in the country (against such offensive juggernauts as Richmond, Ohio State, and VaTech, no less :p ), so I think we're a little better than "mid-tier". Maybe. (I'd surrender plenty of things in life to have Rivers back for this year. Last year we could score, but couldn't stop anyone. Now we can stop everybody, but can't score at all. *sigh*)

No offense intended. I'm just of the opinion that Miami and FSU are the top tier, and that any number of teams (NC State, Maryland, UVA, Clemson, Va Tech, really anyone but Duke) comprise the mid-tier in the ACC at any given time, in that they could win 10 games or lose a few of the wrong games in not become bowl eligible. These types of school may occasionally be in the hunt for the national title, but usually are just pleased with a bowl appearance, whereas Miami and FSU expect a title every season.

If it makes you feel any better, I think the Big East only has mid-tier teams at this point (and that is at the top of the league). Pitt, Syracuse, WVU, BC fit the profile in the same way (although I think Syracuse has been a top-tier team in the past), as they are capable of putting together Top 10 seasons from time-to-time, but, in general, a Top 25-season with a bowl appearance pretty much indicates a good season.