South Florida still the team to beat in Big East

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, October 16, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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Big East power rankings at the halfway point:

1. SOUTH FLORIDA. Yes, the Bulls got knocked off by Pitt earlier this month. Nevertheless, Jim Leavitt's team leads the league in total offense and total defense, and the skill-position depth around QB Matt Grothe is scary. Grothe, by the way, is looking more like a Heisman contender than West Virginia's Pat White.

2. WEST VIRGINIA. Stopping the opposition was a concern prior to this season because of graduation losses, and WVU is only fifth in the Big East in total defense. On the other hand, the Mountaineers epitomize "bend, don't break," allowing just 14.7 points a game -- best in the league. WVU has played a strong schedule so far, losing on the road to East Carolina and Colorado (in overtime) and beating Villanova, Marshall, Rutgers and Syracuse. The crucible of this early nonconference schedule should serve Bill Stewart's team well down the stretch, and it has South Florida at home.

3. PITT. Much of Pitt's early offensive struggles -- including dramatically reduced production from RB LeSean McCoy -- coincided with growing pains from a young line. Apparently that unit is starting to jell, and Pitt's defense (despite the loss of LB Adam Gunn) has been formidable at times.

4. CONNECTICUT. Tyler Lorenzen wasn't exactly the smoothest quarterback around, but he got the job done in his own awkward way before going down with a broken foot. Backup Zach Frazer threw three interceptions in a loss to North Carolina -- the team's first -- and there will be more and more strain on workhorse RB Donald Brown. If the Huskies are to keep winning, it's going to have to be with defense.

5. LOUISVILLE. Yes, Louisville. If Hunter Cantwell's nagging ankle sprain allows him to do what he's capable of at quarterback, the Cardinals can be explosive (elusive freshman RB Victor Anderson is apparently the real deal, while inside banger Brock Bolen is a nice complement). If the defense continues to improve, Steve Kragthorpe's team has a real shot at being bowl-eligible. UL has South Florida, Cincinnati and West Virginia at home; it travels to Pitt, Syracuse and Rutgers.

6. CINCINNATI. The Bearcats are about to embark on a brutal stretch of five games -- at UConn, home against USF, at West Virginia, at Louisville, then Pitt at home. The defense has played well, with converted tight end Connor Barwin providing an unexpected spark at defensive and cornerback Mike Mickens contiuing to perform like an All-American, but how will freshman QB Chazz Anderson handle the upcoming gamet?

7. RUTGERS. The Scarlet Knights are to the Big East what Louisville was in 2007. The wheels have come off a supposedly high-powered offense, QB Mike Teel has struggled (three TD passes, seven interceptions), and Greg Schiano has tried a variety of running back combinations in an effort to balance the offense. On defense, with Eric Foster gone, the Knights have gotten little pass rush outside of Jamaal Westerman and have been soft against the run.

8. SYRACUSE. Running back Curtis Brinkley, who gained 144 yards against West Virginia last week, is one of the feel-good stories of the Big East season, coming back from a series of severe injuries to shine as a senior. Despite a 1-5 record, the Orange has played better than expected and demonstrated some young talent. Too bad it will be too little, too late to save Greg Robinson's job.




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