Ten Big East games that really matter

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, August 20, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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Ten Big East games to focus on this season.

1. AUG. 30: SYRACUSE AT NORTHWESTERN. Who cares? Well, the people who follow these two teams -- and, specifically, the people who have to decide whether to fire SU coach Greg Robinson. Syracuse has to at least keep this close to avoid another downward spiral. Keep your eye on Syracuse's offensive line, which surrendered 54 sacks last season.

2. AUG. 31: KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE. Last season was a nightmare, and the offseason (a series of player defections, misbehavior and injuries) has been even worse for Louisville. The Cardinals desperately need a little luck -- and while they may not beat the Wildcats, even at home, a UK blowout will no doubt trigger dark thoughts of "Here we go again."

3. SEPT. 18: WEST VIRGINIA AT COLORADO. The Buffaloes are considered contenders in the Big XII,, they'll be at home in Boulder, and they could very easily roll a boulder into West Virginia's path to a national championship. The Mountaineers will have to rise to the mile-high occasion.

4. SEPT. 23: KANSAS AT SOUTH FLORIDA. Another early season gut-check game. Actually, this will be a good rehearsal for West Virginia, because the Jayhawks and QB Todd Reesing run a similar offense to the Mountaineers. Playing at home, catching KU early, Jim Leavitt's Bulls have a good chance to position themselves in the top 15.

5. OCT. 2: PITT AT SOUTH FLORIDA. Let's see if the Panthers are for real.

6. OCT. 25: PITT AT RUTGERS. By this point in the season, the contenders will start to separate themselves from the pretenders. This will match a potent Rutgers air attack against a killer Pitt defense.

7. OCT. 30: SOUTH FLORIDA AT CINCINNATI. This is the third of a brutal three-game stretch that pits the Bearcats against Rutgers, UConn and South Florida in successive weeks. If the Bearcats win the first two, however, anything can happen -- after all, Cincinnati beat South Florida in Tampa last season.

8. NOV. 3: WEST VIRGINIA AT CONNECTICUT. The Huskies have Pitt, West Virginia and Cincinnati at home, and those are all games they need to win if they're going to have a shot at regaining the conference title they shared with WVU last year.

9. NOV. 28: WEST VIRGINIA AT PITT. It's the Backyard Brawl -- what else can you say?

10. DEC 6: SOUTH FLORIDA AT WEST VIRGINIA. Obviously a lot can happen between now and the Santa zone. Pat White could get hurt. Matt Grothe could get hurt. The earth could be struck by an asteroid. Nevertheless, if the planets align as they should, this will be the game to decide the Big East title. The Bulls have the speed on defense to handle the feared Mountaineer spread, as they've demonstrated with victories over WVU in 2006 and '07. West Virginia, on the other hand, will have motivation and a fierce home crowd on its side.
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