The Red Zone Report

by Dan Kelley

The Big East conference is going to look a lot different in 2009.

With the exodus of established stars like Pat White, LeSean McCoy, Donald Brown and Mike Teel to the NFL, nearly every team in the league is going to be scrambling to find their stars of tomorrow.

Thanks in part to this mass departure of talent; the Big East looks to be as wide open as ever this season.

Whoever is able to fill the voids left by some of the greatest players to ever play in this league will have the best chance to win the Big East championship. Here’s how I think things will shake out this year.

1) Pittsburgh – They return as much talent as anybody, including some quality running backs which should ease the loss of LeSean McCoy. If they get a strong senior season from quarterback Bill Stull, the Panthers will be very tough to beat.

2) West Virginia - The Mountaineers will be tough again in 2009 even without Pat White. Senior Jarrett Brown should be solid at quarterback, they have the best running back in the league and one of the top defenses. The question for West Virginia will be replacing four members of last year’s starting offensive line.

3) South Florida – They’ve been a trendy pick to win the league for the last couple years, and thus far, they’ve disappointed. They have a solid defense, and Matt Grothe is back, but if the Bulls have to rely on Grothe as much as they have the past few years, they may disappoint again.

4) Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights will boast the best offensive line in the league this year, as well as a good looking defense. However, the loss of quarterback Mike Teel as well as receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood might be too much for Rutgers to handle.

5) Cincinnati – The defending champs could find themselves in a lot of shootouts this year, with the best quarterback/receiver combo in the league, Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard. However, they also have to replace 10 of last year’s 11 starters on defense and they had the worst running game in the league last year. Unless the defense really surprises, the Bearcats probably won’t be repeating.

6) Connecticut – They’ve got a new offense and a new quarterback in former Notre Dame transfer Zach Frazer. The Huskies lose the leading rusher in the nation, Donald Brown but have some solid backs that will look to replace him. They’ll need to improve on last year’s anemic passing game though, and if they don’t they’re going to have a hard time competing this year.

7) Syracuse – New head coach Doug Marrone has done all the right things since arriving in Syracuse, but the Orange are probably at least two or three years away from competing for Big East titles again. A third straight win over Louisville and stealing another conference game could be enough to keep the Orange out of the league’s cellar though, which will be an improvement for the down trodden Orange.

8 ) Louisville – In his third year at Louisville, head coach Steve Kragthorpe could be coaching for his job. Unfortunately, other than sophomore running back Victor Anderson, there doesn’t appear to be enough talent left in Louisville for the Cardinals to avoid another disappointing season. Another last place finish and it could mean the end of the Kragthorpe era in Louisville.

Despite the loss of so many great players, the Big East is still going to be able to boast a decent amount of star power. Players like Matt Grothe, Noel Devine, Mardy Gilyard and George Selvie are among the best and most exciting players in the country at their positions.

With established stars and plenty of talented young players still looking to make names for themselves on every team, the Big East is going to have plenty of exciting games to watch this season.

Here’s my preseason all-Big East team:

Offense

QB: Matt Grothe, South Florida
RB: Noel Devine, West Virginia
RB: Victor Anderson, Louisville
WR: Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
WR: Mike Williams, Syracuse
OG: Moe Petrus, UConn
OT: Anthony Davis, Rutgers
C: Ryan Blaszczyk, Rutgers
OT: Kevin Haslem, Rutgers
OG: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
TE: Nate Byham, Pittsburgh

Defense

DE: George Selvie, South Florida
DT: Arthur Jones, Syracuse
DT: Scooter Berry, West Virginia
DE: Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh
LB: Reed Williams, West Virginia
LB: Ryan D’ Imperio, Rutgers
LB: Scott Lutrus, UConn
S: Robert Vaughn, UConn
S: Nate Allen, South Florida
CB: Aaron Berry, Pittsburgh
CB: Brandon Hogan

A few notes:

Selected Mike Williams as the second receiver, because although he didn’t play last year, with the exception of Mardy Gilyard, no returning wide receiver put up numbers last year that could touch the ones Williams compiled in 2007. As a sophomore Williams had 837 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has the longest current streak in the nation, with 9 straight games with a touchdown reception.

I listed UConn’s Moe Petrus at guard, due to his outstanding job at that spot last season. This upcoming season though, Petrus could end up at center for the Huskies.

I initially had Tony Pike from Cincinnati as the quarterback on this list. He’s probably a better passer than Grothe is and his game could translate better to the next level, but after considering Grothe’s production the past three seasons, his running ability and how much his team relies on him, I had to put him on the list.

Although the Big East is not considered as deep and talented as leagues like the SEC or Big XII, college football fans will still be able to turn on a Big East game on any given week and see a number of future pros.
The Big East fared quite well in the latest NFL Draft, producing 27 total draft picks. While that total was less than that of some of the other major conferences, the Big East actually had more players drafted per team than any other conference due to the Big East’s smaller size.

Among those 27 players drafted, 9 were taken in the first two rounds, making it the most productive conference by average in the top two rounds as well.

There are still plenty of quality NFL prospects still left in the league moving forward though. Here’s a list of my top ten NFL prospects in the Big East this year.

1) George Selvie, DE, USF
2) Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
3) Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
4) Nate Allen, S, USF
5) Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
6) Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia
7) Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh
8 ) Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
9) Robert Vaughn, S, UConn
10) Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh

Big East fans will get the chance to see the league’s elite players face off against big time competition from the other major conferences early and often this year. USF fans in particular will get to see their team face off against a very intriguing out of conference slate, but a number of Big East teams will also test themselves with tough games outside of the Big East.

Here are the Big East’s top ten out of conference games this season:

1) November 28th – Miami (FL) @ USF – The second game in USF’s quest to earn more respect in the state of Florida. The two teams have met only once, a 27-7 loss for the Bulls in 2005.

2) September 19th – West Virginia @ Auburn – The Tigers had a disappointing season last year going 5-7. New head coach Gene Chizik can make a statement by beating the Mountaineers; something Tommy Tuberville was unable to do last season.

3) November 14th – Notre Dame @ Pitt – Pittsburgh won a close one in South Bend last year, 36-33. This is sure to be an interesting game, featuring one of the Big East’s best against an Irish team that some are predicting will return to the BCS this season.

4) September 26th – USF @ Florida State – These two teams have never played before, but beating the Seminoles in Tallahassee would make USF’s game with Miami even more interesting by giving them the opportunity to sweep their meetings with two of Florida’s top programs.

5) October 1st – Colorado @ West Virginia – Colorado had a tough season last year, but they managed to contribute to West Virginia’s disappointing season with a win at home. This year they’re traveling to Morgantown and you can bet the Mountaineers will have revenge on their minds.

6) November 28th – Illinois @ Cincinnati – Illinois will have the talent to compete for a Big 10 title this year, led by senior quarterback Juice Williams. Cincinnati will need to get their new look defense in gear if they’re going to win this one.

7) September 12th – North Carolina @ UConn – The Tar Heels gave Connecticut a pretty good beating last year in Chapel Hill, but both teams are going to look very different this season. This early test should give UConn fans a pretty good idea whether or not their team is going to be able to compete for a Big East title this year.

8 ) September 19th – Louisville @ Kentucky – The Cardinals have lost their last two meetings with their in-state rivals. A win this year could go a long way in kick starting the successful season Steve Kragthorpe is going to need to save his job.

9) September 19th – Cincinnati @ Oregon State – If the Bearcats can pull off a big win on the road, it should give Cincinnati fans reason to believe they can win the Big East title for the second straight year.

10) September 5th – Minnesota @ Syracuse – The first game of the Doug Marrone era, as well as the possible college football debut of Syracuse’s prodigal son Greg Paulus should be enough to generate significant interest among a fan base that hasn’t had much to cheer about the past four seasons. A win would be absolutely huge for a Syracuse program that’s trying to make its return to glory.

The out of conference schedule is just the appetizer for what is sure to be a very entertaining season in the Big East. The conference is as wide open as ever this year, with six of the eight teams having a chance to win the title.

As wide open as things are, there are always a few games over the course of a season that mean just a little bit more than the rest. Here are the top five games that you’re not going to want to miss this Big East season.

1) November 27th – Pittsburgh @ West Virginia – Without a doubt the top rivalry in the Big East right now. Pitt has won the last two meetings, including their upset win two years ago which cost the Mountaineers a spot in the BCS title game. With both teams looking like serious contenders, this game could very well determine the conference champion.

2) October 30th – West Virginia @ USF – The Mountaineers and Bulls is has been a budding rivalry, with the two teams splitting their last four meetings. Another battle between the two most prolific spread offenses in the league is sure to exciting.

3) December 5th – Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh – This meeting between the defending champs and one of the favorites to dethrone them should be a great matchup to conclude the regular season. Pittsburgh had won three in a row against the Bearcats, until Cincinnati finally managed to get a win at home last season.

4) September 7th – Cincinnati @ Rutgers – There is no warm-up for these two teams this year. This will be the first game of the season for these two teams, and if either team isn’t ready in week one, they’ll be in an early hole in the Big East standings. The Scarlet Knights got off to a very poor start last year, losing 5 of their first 6 games including a loss to the Bearcats. Needless to say, Rutgers can’t afford a similar start again this year.

5) October 24th – USF @ Pitt – Two of the most talented and experienced teams in the league this year. Both teams boast solid defenses, but the game will probably come down which is more productive, Pittsburgh’s running game or Matt Grothe for the Bulls.