The Dangerfield Division

What'd I Miss?

2009-02-18T10:10:00.003-05:00

Guilty as charged. I've been AWOL for a few days, but I gotta tell you; it's tough holdin' down a full time job and sneaking in time to feed my passion.

Apparently I've missed out on all the latest Big East coaching staff movement. Jim Leavitt at USF is out another coordinator now that long time assistant Wally Burnham is moving on to Iowa State. Star Bull d-lineman George Selvie is beside himself following Burnham's decision to bolt for Aimes. To make matters worse, it looks like yet another defensive assistant in Troy Douglas, will be moving on to coach defensive backs at UNC with Butch Davis.

In regards to above, I can't say that I'm all that surprised that this is occurring. Part of the draw for Burnham to join Paul Rhoads at Iowa State, is to have the opportunity to coach alongside his son, who currently coaches at Elon, but will now coach the Cyclones' D-line. That being said, if Douglas announced his departure first, it might have opened a spot for Burnham's son to join Leavitt's staff in Tampa, thus keeping Burnham around for a while longer. That didn't happen though, so Leavitt is left to fill vacancies for his two coordinators and a defensive backs coaching positions. The good news? USF's schedule is complete with a second D-1AA team on the docket for 2009.

What else?:

Brian Bennett Rushes More

2009-02-13T07:50:00.002-05:00

Brian Bennett's next gimmicky stunt over at his ESPN Big East Blog is to compile a running list of "Mount Rushmores" of Big East football programs. He's providing four individuals per program, that define the building blocks of their perceived success. I don't really have a problem with any of the selections he made, but I'm somewhat surprised he didn't pick Tom Jackson (if only for his NFL Game Day career status) for the Louisville Mount Rushmore. Anyway, without further ado, here are B-Squared's first three mounts:

Just a couple of more links:

Here's a Shocker: Gregory is Officially Out at USF

2009-02-12T10:16:00.004-05:00

It doesn't happen often, but today, Brett McMurphy who authors the Bulls Report, scooped his journalistic rival Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin. Today, he is the first to announce that former USF offensive coordinator Greg Gregory is officially leaving the program for the same post at the University of South Alabama (an upstart D-1A program this year).

It was a long and strange saga that began with Gregory notifying head coach Jim Leavitt that he was interviewing for the vacant tight ends coach position at the University of Florida, being relieved of his coordinator duties by Leavitt (all while still working on behalf of the Bulls), switching offices with former OC Mike Canales, and now officially leaving the program for the affectionately acronymed USA.

As McMurphy points out at the end of his piece, Leavitt will have to decide between elevating Canales to OC (as many expect he will) and hiring a wide receivers replacement from outside, or vice versa. Hey, I hear Mitch Browning is still maybe...sorta...available?

Linkage

2009-02-12T09:56:00.002-05:00

Too busy unfortunately to come up with my own material at the moment, so:

A Hump Day Look Around the Big East Football Landscape

2009-02-11T07:51:00.003-05:00

Here's what I've got for you:

Two Post-Lunch Links

2009-02-10T13:09:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of links for you to digest with your lunch this afternoon:

D-Coordinator Tresey Leaving Cincinnati

2009-02-10T07:48:00.004-05:00

Photo Credit: Scout.com

Yet another coaching change to announce; this time on the defensive side of the ball. Despite leading the 31st overall defense in the country last season, Joe Tresey "differs philosophically" with Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly. That is why Tresey and the Bearcats are parting ways, leaving Kelly to have to find a replacement going into the Spring. It it unclear at this point, whether Tresey's replacement will come from inside or outside of the program, but it's reasonable to assume that it would be someone from outside of the program because anyone who worked under Tresey would most likely jive with the previously employed defensive philosophy.

Five, Count Em', Five New Offensive Coordinators in the Big East

2009-02-09T20:42:00.006-05:00

With the high turnover rate in college football coaching, it's no surprise to see several new faces stalking the sidelines on an annual basis. This coming season, the offensive play calling will have a decidedly different look when five new offensive coordinators take the helm of Big East offenses. Syracuse brought in Rob Spence under new head coach Doug Marrone; UCONN replaced Rob Ambrose who left to coach Towson state, with Joe Moorhead; Jim Leavitt relieved Greg Gregory of his play calling duties at USF; Pitt's Matt Cavanagh is moving on to the New York Jets as of today, and finally, Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe will be calling the plays for the Cardinals now that Jeff Brohm is off to Florida Atlantic University.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the change that is occurring on the offensive side of the ball in the Big East. In fact, many could argue that Syracuse, UCONN, and Pitt will get a definite upgrade with these switches. It will be critical to see how the new play callers respond to the uncertain quarterback situations at all of these schools (with the exception of USF), making for interesting story lines going into the 2009 season.

What else is up?:

Monday Links

2009-02-09T10:40:00.004-05:00

Still haven't finalized my recruiting analysis for posting yet, but I should have it done later today or early tomorrow. In the meantime, here's what's going on:

Signing Day: The Aftermath

2009-02-06T10:46:00.004-05:00

Apologies for being M.I.A. yesterday. I'm back, and I have plenty O' links to throw your way (although I'm sure you've seen all or most of these already). FYI - I plan to have my own rankings/breakdown of each recruiting class posted this weekend. Until then, enjoy these:

First: The "all-important" ESPN recruiting grades for Big East schools

Bush = Yes / Brown = No

2009-02-04T15:40:00.003-05:00

Greg Schiano and the Rutgers fan base hoped they would beat out Penn State for Delaware wide receiver Justin Brown. That unfortunately, did not happen as Brown announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions earlier today.

New Jersey tight end Malcolm Bush did however end up coming through for the Knights, choosing Rutgers over Syracuse, Pitt, and UNC.

So my optimism has a one for two track record thus far as Brown is headed to State College, PA. I was right on Tiller going to 'Cuse, and we're still waiting on David Oku's decision.

BULLieve It!

2009-02-04T13:39:00.002-05:00

It's a widely known assertion at this point, that USF this year nailed down their best recruiting class ever. Adding to that stellar class, Kayvon Webster, who verbally committed to the University of Miami, will now be a Bull (along with two of his high school teammates: Derrick Hopkins and Sterling Griffin).

On a disappointing note, USF lost out on defensive back Jayron Hosley, who opted to instead sign with Virginia Tech. On the bright side, this was really the only negative surprise for the Bulls.

More on the USF's 2009 class:

Surprise Surprise!

2009-02-04T11:50:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you guys can more than capably follow the filtering-in of letters of intent from eager student athletes today. I thought I might update you on some of the more nail biting signings that some thought may or may not happen:

I gave Syracuse fans reason to feel optimistic about signing OT Andrew Tiller. That's in fact what the Nassau Community College lineman did when he chose the Orange this morning over the University of Miami.
The downside for 'Cuse fans? David Oku may be leaning toward Auburn. The Tigers aren't having any problem signing other high profile running backs though, which may make Oku think twice about competing in a crowded backfield.
West Virginia will unfortunately be without the services of Pompano Beach, FL DB Michael Carter, who chose instead to commit to the University of Minnesota (Go figure!)
Rutgers fans can rest easy knowing they've wrapped up LB Ka'Lail Glaud who was also considering a bevy of BCS conference programs....
...and they'll get to potentially see him on the field against FIU.
Matt Hinton at Dr. Saturday sums up USF's last second recruitment of Sam Barrington

NLI Day....Signing Day....Whatever...It's Here

2009-02-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

The day most or all of you have been waiting for is finally here. There will undoubtedly be some heartbreak as I predict that at least two or three major recruits from the conference decide to fax their national letter of intent to another major college program (in another conference), even though they were verbally committed to a Big East school for some time. There may even be some surprise commits that fall into the Big East's lap at the last second as well. That's the beauty of signing day. Whatever the case, I have links coming out of all of my orifices right now, so please indulge:

Big East overall:

Connecticut (someone needs to wake Desmond Conner up from his slumber):

Brian Bennett's analysis on UCONN's 2009 schedule

Pitt:

Pitt nabs OL who previously committed to Maryland (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Rutgers:

USF (all from Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin):

Syracuse:

West Virginia:

Reasons for Optimism

2009-02-03T10:16:00.006-05:00

Let's face it; unless you're in one of these kids' heads, you're not going to know where they're going sign until signing itself, or shortly thereafter. That being said, it's always fun to speculate, and speculate I shall (based on some interesting tidbits strewn about the Internet). Here are some reasons for Big East fans to feel optimistic about three major potential recruits coming on board:

David Oku (RB - Oklahoma):

Rated as the #1 all-purpose back on Rivals.com, David Oku has been disenchanted with the idea of fulfilling his verbal commitment to Tennessee ever since their coaching staff was shaken up. Phil Fulmer's former running backs coach, Stan Drayton, has since moved on to Syracuse in the same capacity, inciting interest in Oku to come North as well. Gene Chizik's new staff at Auburn has also focused in on Oku though, and Tennessee can never be counted out to retain the shifty half back. So, why should Syracuse feel good about Oku following in the footsteps of Jim Brown and Ernie Davis?:

Oku has officially relinquished his verbal commitment to UT -- also mentioned in this post is Oku's distaste for the spread offense, which Auburn will employ with new OC Gus Malzahn (3rd Saturday in Blogtober)
Scroll down this posting on Warblogeagle.com and see the concern over Auburn's saturation at the running back position (something Oku may not want to deal with)

Justin Brown (WR - Delaware):

Just about everyone in the Mid-Atlantic region wants to know about where this four star (Rivals.com) wide receiver is going to end up catching passes. With great size (6'3"), speed (4.4 forty time), and smarts (3.8 gpa), Brown is a coach's dream recruit. Penn State (old guard in the East) and Rutgers (the new kid on the block) are fighting for Brown's services. What may make Scarlet Knights fans feel more confident about seeing Brown catch bombs from Tom Savage in the near future?:

This posting on Fannation.com notes the ominous absence of Joe Paterno in the recruitment of Justin Brown, versus the open recruitment being done by Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. Advantage Rutgers in my opinion.

Andrew Tiller (OT - New York):

Finally, at 6'6" and 320 lbs, Nassau Community College's (NCC) Andrew Tiller is a hot commodity to anchor an offensive line. Tiller's former head coach at NCC, John Anselmo, is now on staff at Syracuse, which makes the Orange squad a natural fit. Tiller also has offers from Rutgers and Miami and made official visits to both schools recently. Most observers seem to think Tiller will choose between Miami and Syracuse. Besides the connection between Anselmo and Tiller, why should Syracuse fans feel bullish about their chances to land this behemoth?:

I'll sum it up in a quote from Manny Navarro in a posting on his Eye on the U blog:

"I think Tiller, a New York area kid, is headed to Syracuse."

I hope all this gives Big East fans a little more to chew on ahead of tomorrow's big day. All of the above is pure speculation and some of these sources are more viable than others. The reality is, unless we actually know these kids and have heard something from them first-hand (which isn't always reliable in itself), then this is all we have to rely on.

Signing Day: T-Minus One Day

2009-02-03T08:01:00.003-05:00

With signing day literally breathing down our necks, there's no shortage of information as it relates to the recruiting scene in the Big East. Here's what I have for you this morning:

I haven't thrown any videos your way in a while, so here are a couple from the Newark Star Ledger on 1.) Some of Rutgers' incoming recruits and 2.) the battle between RU and Penn State over Justin Brown:

Luicci breaks down six solid Rutgers recruits

Latest on WR Justin Brown's decision between Rutgers and Penn

Rivasl.com

2009-02-02T15:53:00.004-05:00

Allow me to vent for a moment. Rivals.com; in most respects, a fine subscriber-based recruiting news service owned by the good people of Yahoo!, ticks me off sometimes. First, their pricing is ridiculous. In order to get their $8.33/month rate, one must pay a full $100 payment in one lump sum. That, or one can pay month-to-month at a rate of $9.95. Really Rivals.com? You want me to pay you $100 out of my recession blasted wallet right now to save $32 in the long run?

Don't get me wrong, I'm gleaning a fair amount of the information I pass to you from Rivals, and they seem to be on top of who's committing where and when. Tom Dienhart is a quality sports journalist and always seems to be ahead of the recruiting and coaching vacancy game. That being said however, I'm not willing to sell my first born child for this info.

And then there was the Rivals.com front page today (see the above picture). Yikes. I don't claim to be Ernest Hemingway, and I'm sure there will be many a typo on this blog (that I provide for free I might add) in the future, but for Rivals to not even proofread their super-bold, mega-sized headings, is unacceptable to say the least. Okay, I've vented adequately now. The sad thing is, you'll probably see a Rivals link or two in my next posting.

Post-Superbowl Links

2009-02-02T10:28:00.003-05:00

With the conclusion of last night's Superbowl resulting in the Steelers' second Vince Lombardi Trophy in three years, there will be a few more coaches and personnel that have ties to the Big East Conference, who will be wearing some serious hardware on their fingers. Congrats to all who represented the conference well last night, and especially to Larry Fitzgerald on a game well played despite the loss.

With two days to go until national signing day, here's what's going on:

Finally, are you interested in knowing who from the Big East will be participating in the NFL's Scouting Combine? Here's the full list of who's been invited, and below is a listing of the 25 players from the Big East Conference (congrats to Cincy on garnering six invites - the most in the conference this year):

Connor Barwin (Cincinnati - DE)

Will Beatty (Connecticut - OT)

Kenny Britt (Rutgers - WR)

Cody Brown (Connecticut - DE)

Donald Brown (Connecticut - RB)

Darius Butler (Connecticut - DB)

Trevor Canfield (Cincinnati - OG)

Hunter Cantwell (Louisville - QB)

C.J. Davis (Pitt - OG)

Tony Fiammetta (Syracuse - FB)

Adrian Grady (Louisville - DT)

Courtney Greene (Rutgers - DB)

Kevin Huber (Cincinnati - P)

Greg Isander (West Virginia - OG)

Mortty Ivy (West Virginia - LB)

Taurus Johnson (USF - WR)

LeSean McCoy (Pitt - RB)

Tyrone McKenzie (USF - LB)

Scott McKillop (Pitt - LB)

Mike Mickens (Cincinnati - DB)

DeAngelo Smith (Cincinnati - DB)

Brandon Underwood (Cincinnati - DB)

Tiquan Underwood (Rutgers - WR)

Pat White (West Virginia - QB)

Eric Wood (Louisville - C)

Pre-Superbowl Links

2009-02-01T13:15:00.003-05:00

As you all sit there on your couches, perusing various other t.v. channells, ordering food, waiting patiently for the big game to start, you may also be cruising the net looking for info on any range of subjects. I'll meet you halfway with these links:

Slow Saturday

2009-01-31T17:23:00.003-05:00

It's been a pretty slow news day as far as the Big East is concerned. With that, I'll give you all that I have:

Who's Getting Bush(whacked)?

2009-01-30T13:28:00.003-05:00

The recruiting Odyssey of New Jersey tight end Malcolm Bush is a bit odd to say the least. After committing to Rutgers last year, Bush reversed course and de-committed shortly thereafter, citing a desire to possibly look into going to Pitt or North Carolina. UNC notified Bush that it had no room for Bush unless he wanted to Greyshirt for a year and wait for a scholarship to open up. That was until today, when scout.com reported that UNC does in fact have room for Bush.

The problem here is, that Bush never really closed the door on Rutgers (visiting on today) or Pitt (visited in Dec.), and he opened the door for Syracuse (visited on Jan. 23). As mentioned above, UNC is back in the mix, so it begs the question: who's getting this kid?

Based on past statements, I'd have to say that UNC is the favorite here, but he may be disenchanted with the idea that they originally didn't want to make room for him. Syracuse has a new staff that has been on a tear recruiting-wise, and Pitt and Rutgers are on fairly solid ground as far as their programs are concerned. My gut tells me this will be a signing day announcement.

Two other tidbits on recruiting:

Syracuse will try to steal another recruit from Louisville when DE/LB Brandon Sharpe visits this weekend (Donnie Webb / Syracuse Post-Standard)
Lot's on Rutgers' recruiting effort from the Scarlet Knights Newzer -- Tom Savage is trying to lure Justin Brown to RU, while Andrew Tiller (offer from Syracuse as well) and Ka'lil Glaud will be supposedly visiting RU this weekend

Larry Fitzgerald and Pitt: A Matter of Fate

2009-01-30T10:04:00.007-05:00

I'm sure avid fans of Pitt football already know about this, but I think this story posted by Michael David Smith on Fanhouse.com about Larry Fitzgerald, is very eye-opening. The gist? Growing up in Minnesota, Fitzgerald was a huge Penn State fan and admits,

"...I always liked LaVar Arrington and Brandon Short and I always wanted to be a Penn State linebacker."

Fair enough; Penn State was/is a great program, especially if you want to play linebacker. Something got in the way of Larry making it all the way to State College, PA though. That something, was the weather:

"On our way driving to visit Penn State it was raining really hard and the visibility wasn't good enough so we spent the night in Pittsburgh. My high school coach told me that Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino and Mike Ditka went there and that there were a lot of great players who went there. So we went over to their facility and the coaches didn't know we were coming. I met the coaches and we gave them my tape and that was how the relationship started."

Wow, to think that the Fitzgeralds weren't even planning a stop in Pittsburgh, and that the Pitt coaching staff knew practically nothing about Larry, really speaks volumes about how circumstantial this chance meeting actually was. Of course, you know the rest of the story, so I won't bore you with the details, but it's truly fascinating how these things end up sometimes. I know Pitt and the Big East for that matter, is proud to have Larry representing them in the NFL (and Superbowl!). Best of luck to him and all Big East alums on Sunday.

Mike Tranghese is a Gator Wrestler

2009-01-30T07:50:00.003-05:00

You have to hand it to outgoing Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese. The man is not leaving without a fight....with the Gator Bowl committee. Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette has a nice little piece on how our fearless leader (for now) is pressing for face time with the Gator Bowl in order to lock up a more substantial deal.

As you may or may not know, the Big East currently has a "hybrid" bowl tie-in setup, whereby the league switches off having a tie-in with the Gator Bowl every other year with the Sun Bowl (this year Pitt played in the Sun Bowl and no Big East team appeared in the Gator Bowl). Apparently, Tranghese is not satisfied with the "either/or" scenario and wants to have a set bowl schedule every year. That being said, I think the aim here is to lock up the Sun Bowl separately as well, in order for the league to appear in both bowls each year. Regardless of how things ended up for the Big East this year, I'm happy to see that Tranghese is still working hard for the league instead of checking out. I think he'll make a fine case to these bowl committees that the Big East deserves a little more respect than they've been getting.

With that, let's look at what else I have for you this glorious Friday morning:

Get to Know: Zack Chibane

2009-01-29T20:53:00.009-05:00

Something I'm going to try to do, to the extent that I can, is get in touch with relevant players, coaches, bloggers, and journalists who are relevant to the Big East, so that I can share their thoughts with you. This evening, I had the pleasure of exchanging messages with Syracuse commit Zack Chibane.

I thought Zack would be a good person to start out with because he has broad relevance to the Big East given the fact that he was recruited by three Big East schools; committed to USF, and later switched his commitment to Syracuse. He's an offensive lineman from New Jersey who's very excited about the new Syracuse coaching staff. Here's what he had to say in response to some questions I threw his way:

On his original commitment to USF:

My commitment to USF was something I really felt good about. They are a great program that is established in the national college football world.

On his commitment to Syracuse:

I have always loved Syracuse University and throughout to recruiting process I thought that if they ever offered I would love to be a part of the program. Not only did Syracuse offer but with this great coaching and recruiting situation it's something I feel great about joining. Syracuse pretty much sells itself as an academic institution and after meeting with Coach Adkins and Coach Jackson in my school I knew the athletics would soon be top notch.

On coach Derrick Jackson's (defensive line) involvement in Zack's recruitment before and after the coaching staff transition (Jackson was retained by new head coach Doug Marrone):

Coach Jackson has done a lot to make me feel good about SU. He was recruiting me on the old staff and throughout the transition told me that he would make a strong case for me to the new coach. He did that and I am very grateful for that trust he has had in me.

On the incoming recruiting class:

The incoming class is exciting to say the least. I don't think anyone expected things to turn out the way they are. It's really a testament to the new coach's dedication and passion for what's going to happen here in the coming seasons.

On competing for playing time:

I am very excited to be competing with the new commitments Justin Pugh and Andrew Phillips, and hopefully Andrew Tiller. They're all real good players and it's a great thing to have all of us in the same class. Playing together should be a challenging but enjoyable experience.

On New Jersey as a recruiting pool for Syracuse:

Coming from NJ I know the kind of talent that New Jersey, especially the northern parts produce. It's great to hear the coaches say how they want to start recruiting my area real hard. If I can do anything to make people from NJ choose Syracuse that would be awesome. I think that will pay huge dividends for the program in the future. The more NJ guys the better!

Photo Credit: Rivals.com

Tons Going on In Tampa

2009-01-29T17:58:00.005-05:00

It goes without saying that the Superbowl is pretty much making Tampa, FL the center of the sports universe right now. That's good because it means the USF Bulls also get more attention and publicity than they would normally be accustomed to. For example, their practice fields (which the Pittsburgh Steelers are using) got a nice little makeover by the "God of Sod," George Toma. Also, the Gramatica brothers (two of which kicked for USF) were used in a segment for the Conan O'Brien show on kicking field goals. And if that weren't enough, USF is doing a pretty good job of making their own publicity without the help of the Superbowl:

In other news:

Doug Marrone was an offensive lineman and coached offensive line. Now he's putting those skills to good use (Donnie Webb / Syracuse Post-Standard)
Nolan MacMillan is headed to Iowa much to the disdain of hopeful Syracuse fans...
...but Auburn picks up another running back recruit. Does this mean that it makes Auburn a less appealing destination for four star (rivals) RB David Oku? Oku is also considering Syracuse
Brian Bennett gives his top five Big East recruiting moments of the last five years
B-Squared gets some heated questioning over his "Big East vs. Mountain West" post
The Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner reports that Florida receiver Mike Lang is in fact slated to go to UCONN

uRi?

2009-01-29T10:31:00.002-05:00

The mighty University of Rhode Island football team will apparently see an influx of transfers from Rutgers this coming season. According to Kyle Town of the Good Five Cent Cigar (URI student newspaper), backup quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne, tight end Tom Lang, wide receiver Robenson Alexis, and defensive back Rob Cervini are all coming to the Football Championship Subdivision program.

URI head coach Darren Rizzi was an associate head coach under Greg Schiano at Rutgers from 2006-07, so this pipeline is not all that much of surprise. Of the transfers, Paul-Etienne and Cervini stick out the most in my mind. Paul-Etienne was the primary backup to Mike Teel at one point this season, but eventually fell out of favor with Schiano when Dom Natale replaced him in the pecking order. That being said, I would think that Paul-Etienne would have had a solid opportunity to compete for the starting job this season along with Natale and incoming freshman phenom Tom Savage, now that Teel is graduating. Cervini, who was a program walk-on, gained some notoriety in this year's Papajohns.com Bowl when he scored Rutgers' first points of the game on a fake field goal play.

It's significant that Darren Rizzi managed to poach four players from his former employer in the first year he was able to do so. It will be interesting to see if this becomes an annual right of passage for disgruntled Scarlet Knight footballers in years to come.

What else is going on?:

NBC Has No Pull

2009-01-28T16:31:00.002-05:00

I came across an interesting nugget from Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin today, about how USF signal caller Matt Grothe nearly played quarterback for the NBC broadcast crew for the Superbowl. Essentially, NBC wanted Grothe to throw passes to Cris Collinsworth (Grothe would be off camera) during a broadcast segment. Sounds pretty worthless to me, but I guess it could have been fun for Matt. USF signed off on the idea, but alas, with security being what it is at the "new sombrero," Grothe wasn't able to get a credential from NBC. So you're telling me that the network responsible for broadcasting the Superbowl this year can't get one measly college student on the field for a gimmicky stunt? I think I hear a PA getting fired.

I've got more:

And in case anyone out there wants to question the quality of officiating in the Big East, please know that the conference's Coordinator of Football Officials, Terry McAuly is refereeing a little game called the Superbowl.

Big East vs. Mountain West

2009-01-28T08:04:00.002-05:00

There's been a lot of talk lately, about the Mountain West's appeal to the BCS to have them included as an an automatic bid in the BCS Bowl process. With the success of Utah and TCU, one can't blame them for trying to get in the door. A big part of this discussion has been their perceived comparability to the Big East and ACC Conferences in football. Well, in case there was any question about how the Mountain West stacks up against the Big East, Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog gives us the lowdown. B-Squared's analysis is pretty much gold to me, so I think we can all sleep better at night knowing that the Big East is still a valid BCS auto bid, and a better overall football conference than the Mountain West.

With that, I give you links:

Shout Out to Pat White

2009-01-27T11:21:00.002-05:00

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm still not posting as consistently as I'd like to, and therefore, I've missed out on passing along information in a timely manner. That being said, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Pat White for his MVP-caliber performance in the Senior Bowl this past Sunday. I think we're seeing more and more why Todd McShay may be a tad off in saying that White can't be a quarterback in the NFL. I plan on posting a more substantive piece on Pat White's prospects for this year's draft and whether or not I think he can be an effective quarterback in the NFL. For now, enjoy these links:

A Monday Morning Pair of Links

2009-01-26T08:09:00.002-05:00

Hi all. Not much going on this morning except the aftermath of a huge recruiting weekend. That being said, I have a couple of links to throw your way:

Syracuse and USF Continue to Set the Recruiting Trail Ablaze

2009-01-25T18:54:00.002-05:00

Doug Marrone knew when he took the head coaching job at Syracuse that fans would expect him to quickly turn around and build a formidable coaching staff and recruiting class. When Greg Robinson had been hired for the same position four years ago, some gave him a free pass because he was hired well further into the recruiting season. But as any observant Big East fan can see, Robinson built a less than stellar coaching staff and regardless of the talent he brought to the football field, the results were not satisfactory to the school's administration or fans.

In roughly a month's time, Marrone built a staff around several highly respected assistant coaches and as of this evening, has also built a modestly accomplished recruiting class (considering the time with which he and his staff had to be out on the trail). Various sources are reporting the commitment of Charley Loeb (Quarterback - MA), E.J. Carter (Linebacker - FL), Dale Peterman (Defensive Back - OH), and Philip Thomas (Defensive Back - FL) to the Orange today.

If that weren't enough, Marrone isn't stopping anytime too soon. With the February 5 national signing day looming, the first time head coach and Syracuse alum is looking to add Andrew Tiller (Offensive Tackle - NY), David Oku (Running Back - OK), and Craig Drummond (Defensive End - IL), among others. Here are the headlines on the aforementioned recruiting developments for Syracuse:

_________________________

After a somewhat disappointing season, the USF Bulls and head coach Jim Leavitt are taking no prisoners on the recruiting trail. They've shown that they too can be competitive in attracting top level talent in the state of Florida, along with Miami, UF, and FSU.

There has been a great amount of discussion over ultimate destination of former Miami quarterback Robert Marve. The troubled former high school standout announced that he would transfer from the Hurricane program and wished to play at a highly competitive football school, where he could also be closer to his sick father (he lives in Tampa, FL). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that Marve is focusing on four schools: Oklahoma State, Purdue, USF, and Oklahoma (scroll down). This would be quite development for the Bulls, should Marve decide to play his college ball in Tampa, because he would be able to potentially step into the starting job after Matt Grothe graduates at the conclusion of this coming season (Marve would sit out this season).

Then again, it's well known that Robert Marve has had trouble "playing well with others," his coaches in particular. He was suspended for the Hurricanes' bowl game appearance, accelerating his decision to leave the program. USF would have to be sure they would want to risk using a scholarship on another athlete who causes trouble, much like strong safety Carlton Williams.

If you want to discuss the "here and now" of USF recruiting, the Bulls managed to haul in a big fish, in JUCO offensive lineman Carlos Savala. There's no question that if Grothe wants to have the type of senior year that he feels he's capable of having, his offensive line will have to help him a great deal.

I'm Back, and So Is the Big East Apparently

2009-01-24T10:07:00.002-05:00

I have to apologize folks, yet again, for being M.I.A. for about 24 hours. I'm but one man with a full time job that doesn't always allow me to post copious amounts of comments/information on Big East football. But alas, I'm back and I promise to try to continue posting consistently. And speaking of being back, how about all these Big East schools setting the recruiting trail ablaze? I have to say, I'm impressed with the quality of student athlete that some of our schools our pulling in. Even a school like Syracuse is managing to get back on the horse by having the number one rated overall running back in the country (rivals.com) visit them this weekend. Best of luck to the Orange in trying to lock up his commitment. For now, catch up on all the action going on behind the scenes in the Big East since I last left you:

Big East Overall:

Cincinnati:

Connecticut:

Louisville:

B-Squared's report on Louisville's recruiting needs

Pittsburgh:

Rutgers:

Brian Bennett -- Rutgers' recruiting needs

South Florida:

Syracuse:

West Virginia:

Greg Gregory: That whole thing about me going to coach with Urban Meyer...that was a joke. Can I have my job back?

2009-01-22T07:55:00.005-05:00

Sorry folks, for not being around for the better part of yesterday. I'll really briefly mention that Greg Gregory was not hired to coach tight ends at the University of Florida, as was speculated. Now, Gregory is sitting around as an idle staff member of the USF Bulls, but remember, he is no longer the offensive coordinator (he was stripped of those duties by head coach Jim Leavitt when Leavitt learned that he would be pursuing the UF opening). No update on what will happen with Gregory at this point, but one interesting tidbit to note is that the coach that Urban Meyer decided to hire is Brian White, who not all that long ago, was the offensive coordinator for the Syracuse Orange.

And with that, I give you a plethora of Big East football related information:

Leavitt Was Gator Baited

2009-01-21T08:03:00.005-05:00

According to Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin, USF head coach Jim Leavitt fired offensive coordinator this past weekend due to Gregory informing him that he would be interviewing for the vacant tight ends coaching position at the University of Florida.

This is an interesting development to say the least, being that many felt Leavitt's reasons for letting Gregory go were purely performance-related. Even more interesting perhaps is that Gregory is apparently still "on staff" at USF and working on recruiting and other football-related activities.

Leavitt is still searching for an OC replacement and current Bulls wide receivers coach Mike Canales is apparently a viable option (he was USF OC from 1996-2000). Leavitt maintains that he never intended to "fire" Gregory, but to merely strip him of his role. He would have to find a new role on staff for Gregory if he were to stay at USF and if a new offensive coordinator was hired from outside of the program.

My take on the whole scenario: A bit of a brash move on Jim Leavitt's part. After hearing about UF, I might give Gregory an ultimatum, or a drop-dead timeline as to when I would need a decision from him. But to go ahead with a public firing is kind of silly and probably sends the wrong message to incoming/potential recruits, as well as other staff members. I do however, agree with Leavitt that he has to take quick action, especially when it relates to his primary staff.

I've got more for you:

Randy Shannon Not Getting Any Young(er)

2009-01-20T17:26:00.002-05:00

This one is indirectly related to the Big East, so please bear with me. Oklahoma State has hired Bill Young away from the University of Miami to be their defensive coordinator. Young, who was also DC at "the U," is the second coordinator to leave Miami (OC Patrick Nix was fired).

I bring this up because it will be interesting to see how Randy Shannon is able to retain recruits who had previously committed to the 'Canes under the impression that they would be working with either Nix or Young. This could have a profound impact on whether Big East schools who were also in the mix for these recruits are able to swoop in and reopen the recruiting process. I would look for USF in particular to try to take advantage of a seemingly less stable situation at Miami.

What else?:

Syracuse and Michigan Complete a Trade

2009-01-20T15:13:00.004-05:00

So if you didn't get your daily dosage of Vitamin C today, I bet you're glad you stopped by the Dangerfield Division because we're packing more Orange information than you can imagine. The latest news out of Ann Arbor has former West Virginia head man and current top dog at the University of Michigan, Rich Rodriguez, hiring former Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson as his new defensive coordinator.

Granted, this is pure rumor in the blogsophere at the moment (one that has persisted for about two weeks now), but if it were to be true, it would make for interesting fodder considering that new Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone recently hired former Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Spence as his new DC. This "trade" of sorts is odd to say the least and probably has many fans scratching their heads.

One can easily tout Robinson's appeal as a defensive coordinator due to his relative success in the NFL (winning two Super Bowls with the Broncos) and at the University of Texas (Rose Bowl win). On the other hand, many Syracuse fans feel that Robinson single-handedly exacerbated the decline of the Orange football program; something that has many Wolverine fans worried. Stay tuned for an official announcement should it come.

Photo Credit: Kevin Rivoli / AP

Will Mitch Browning Board the Kiffin Gravy Train?

2009-01-20T13:15:00.004-05:00

Photo Credit: Frank Ordonez/Syracuse Post-Standard

Apologies for the over-abundance of Syracuse related stories today, but I couldn't help but share this one. As Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com astutely points out, former Syracuse offensive coordinator Mitch Browning is considering an offer to join Lane Kiffin's staff at the University of Tennessee as a....wait for it....wait for it....GRADUATE ASSISTANT!

Browning, considered to be one of the best offensive line mentors in the country, would go to Knoxville to help in that regard. He's still under contract with the Orange for another year, so the lack of salary at Tennessee would not be a factor. The recently unemployed coach is credited with discovering talent at the running back position in Marion Barber and Lawrence Maroney, while he coached under Glenn Mason at the University of Minnesota. It could also be asserted that he played a significant role in senior Syracuse running back Curtis Brinkley finally having a breakout season with over 1,000 yards rushing.

With all of the coaching/recruiting talent that Lane Kiffin has been surrounding himself with at UT, one can already see that he's not screwing around. The hiring of Browning as a grad assistant however, would without a doubt, take the cake. If this move were to come to fruition, it would surprise me for two reasons:

Even though Mitch Browning is a quality coach and would be a worthy staff addition, why wouldn't Kiffin want to use a graduate assistant spot for a younger up-and-coming coach that he could mentor; maybe even a minority candidate that could use the role as a stepping stone to future Division 1-a opportunities?

Why, when Glenn Mason was fired, was Browning out of work for a year before being hired by Greg Robinson at Syracuse. And why, now that Greg Robinson has been let go, is Browning not being seriously considered for a paying gig at another institution?

Stay tuned for a link to come later if in fact Mitch Browning takes a graduate assistant position at UT, or otherwise.

Get Your Syracuse Fill

2009-01-20T10:04:00.002-05:00

Donnie Webb of the Syracuse Post-Standard is all over news pertaining to Syracuse football today. H/t to him for pointing out the following:

Okay, I decided to throw in at least one link unrelated to Syracuse:

Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin has no clue who the new Bulls OC is going to be, but he sure knows a lot about what Jim Leavitt and staff are doing on the recruiting trail

Randy's On a Roll

2009-01-20T07:37:00.005-05:00

Randy Edsall and the UCONN Huskies are on something of a roll as of this weekend. You first heard about running back Martin Hyppolite ending his recruitment by giving his verbal commitment to Edsall. After being radio-silent for several weeks following the departure of offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose to Towson State, we now know that Edsall went out and hired Akron Zips offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Joe Moorhead (pictured left; courtesy of Gozips.com).

Here's Moorhead's official bio from the Akron athletics website, but the following is the skinny on him:

Started at quarterback for three years at his alma mater, Fordham
Had a stint as a graduate assistant under Walt Harris at Pitt
Spent time as an offensive coordinator, among other things, at Georgetown
Has been a quarterback and receivers coach, as well as offensive coordinator at Akron for the past five years
The Zips were 40th in total offense this season, with a 5-7 record
Two notable players that Moorehead had a hand in developing: New York Giants wide receiver Domenik Hixon and Cleveland Browns quarterback Charlie Frye

The above sounds like a nice, albeit less than overwhelming resume. That being said, it's not as if Rob Ambrose's reputation preceded him prior to him coming on board at UCONN. If Randy Edsall trusts Moorhead, and if Moorhead can continue the development of the UCONN offense along with quarterbacks Cody Endres and Zach Frazier, then this could be a very fruitful partnership.

Randy also managed to nab two more recruits whilst hiring his new OC:

Finally, here are a couple of more unrelated links for your reading pleasure:

Another Big East Coaching Vacancy

2009-01-19T20:07:00.002-05:00

Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe has to be wondering when he's going to catch a break. After a rough season, losing his defensive coordinator (Ron English), losing his replacement for Ron English (Bill Miller), dealing with the uncertainty surrounding offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm, players transferring, and a tough recruiting situation, he's now faced with losing his running backs coach (Tony Alford) to Notre Dame. One certainly can't blame Alford for wanting to jump ship to a prestigious program like Notre Dame, but it leaves Kragthorpe in a precarious situation. It will be interesting to see how Krags fills the holes he has on his staff in order to right the ship in the 'Ville.

In other news:

MLK Day Links

2009-01-19T12:29:00.003-05:00

Happy MLK Day everybody. I hope those who have a day off from work are enjoying themselves, and those that don't....well, that sucks. Anyway, here's all the news that's fit to print in the world of Big East football:

A Couple O' Recruiting Links

2009-01-18T18:54:00.002-05:00

AD Links

2009-01-18T11:55:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of links to the Newark Star-Ledger in regard to the Rutgers Athletic Director situation:

And:

UCONN's Second Team All-American Donald Brown attends the Walter Camp Foundation's college football awards dinner (Hartford Courant)

The Big East Coaching Landscape Shifts Yet Again

2009-01-18T11:05:00.004-05:00

We had been waiting on a decision from Syracuse's Doug Marrone on who would be the school's next running backs coach. That decision was made last evening when it was announced that former University of Tennessee RBs coach Stan Drayton would be coming aboard.

Drayton, in addition to coaching at Tennessee under Phil Fulmer last season, also has coaching stints at the University of Florida, Mississippi State, and Villanova on his resume, among others. With the exception of having coached at Villanova and the University of Pennsylvania, Drayton's Northeast credentials are not all that overwhelming, although coach Marrone insists, "Stan has very strong ties in the Northeast."

Given that Stan Drayton is a native of Ohio and that he played his college ball there, he can be a factor for the Orange in recruiting Midwest players. His experience coaching at three different SEC Conference schools has certainly exposed him to the fertile recruiting grounds of the South. In 2007, he was named by Rivals.com as one of the top 25 recruiters in the country for his work in helping to build the nation's number one recruiting class at the University of Florida. Most notably in 2007, he managed to recruit the Pouncey brothers who were prominently featured on the offensive line of this year's National Champion Gators team.

As far as running backs that Drayton has coached, he can boast about his efforts with Brian Westbrook at Villanova and Jerious Norwood at Mississippi State. Moreover, Florida's rushing attack in 2007 averaged a shade over 200 yards per game, good enough for third in the SEC and 23rd nationally.

Stan Drayton is Doug Marrone's third hire from the University of Tennessee. One can absolutely make the assumption that offensive line coach Greg Adkins and Director of Football Operations Kevin Van Derzee played significant roles in singing the praises of Drayton. Even if Tennessee's offense wasn't all that impressive last season and that Drayton does not have any significant ties to the Big East (or Syracuse), Marrone is at least impressed with the coach's "orange" credentials, having already served stints at two other institutions where orange is an integral school color. Marrone also hopes to recreate the above (right) scene with Drayton in the middle of a pack of Orange players after winning a national title.

____________________________

University of South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt decided last evening to part ways with offensive coordinator Greg Gregory. Leavitt, citing that, "It is time for our program to move in another direction," will seek to replace a coach who is seen as largely responsible for failing to produce an efficient red-zone offense. The Bulls went 2-5 in the Big East this season, while unceremoniously swooning down the stretch and failing to improve on offense with 10 returning starters.

Gregory (in the above picture -- left), who took the offensive coordinator post after five seasons as the school's tight ends coach, was under consideration for the Army head coach position earlier this year. It's widely thought that current Bulls wide receivers coach Mike Canales will assume responsibility of the entire offense at this point, after having returned to the squad subsequent to a stint with Mike Stoops at the University of Arizona.

It is worth noting that UCONN head coach Randy Edsall is still in the process of filling an offensive coordinator position of his own. He is seeking to replace Rob Ambrose, who took a head coach position at Towson State University.

Report: Shawney Kersey Switches Commitment from Rutgers to Penn State

2009-01-17T16:45:00.003-05:00

A quick note to let you know that the Gloucester County Times is reporting that three star (rivals.com) wide receiver Shawney Kersey has in fact switched his commitment from Rutgers to Penn State. Kersey had offers from Virginia, West Virginia, Iowa, and Michigan State among others, but it has been confirmed that he will play college football in State College, PA.

Guy's the Guy

2009-01-17T09:24:00.003-05:00

Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe decided to elevate recently hired linebackers coach and former Utah State head coach Brent Guy to defensive coordinator. Guy will maintain his duties coaching the linebackers as well. This all after Kragthorpe replaced Ron English, who bolted after one season to coach Eastern Michigan. Kragthorpe replaced English with Bill Miller, who had previously been coaching the linebackers for the Cardinals, but in the end, decided to take a position as co-defensive coordinator for the Kansas Jayhawks. I think in the end, this is ended up pretty well for Krags, given that Guy is well respected as a defensive coordinator despite his disastrous stint as head coach at Utah State.

In other news:

What's Up With Robert Marve?

2009-01-16T11:16:00.004-05:00

What's up with Robert Marve? Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin certainly seems to have some information on the much-maligned former Miami quarterback. According to Auman:

"Weiner (Marve's former high school coach) said Saturday that Marve had
targeted 10-12 schools, and mentioned four by name: the Big 12's high-scoring
Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, as well as Purdue and Syracuse. Geographically,
none are close to the Marves' Tampa home, so it would seem to go against the
family's public statements about Marve's father battling prostate cancer and a
desire to have Robert closer to home."

This is certainly an interesting development in a saga where the University of Miami was reportedly making it very difficult for Marve to move on to another school of significant relevance in college football. If you're aware of Marve's situation or read the above-linked article, you'll note that Marve would ideally like to be around the state of Florida in order to attend to his ailing father. Curiously enough however, none of the schools mentioned in the above statement are scheduled to play in the state of Florida in 2010, save for Syracuse (at USF).

Obviously, USF also remains a viable option for Marve, given its geography and that Grothe will enter his final year as starter at QB in 2009, which potentially paves the way for Marve to start in 2010. My observation would be that USF and Syracuse seem to pose two clear-cut opportunities for Marve in the Big East. One thing to remember though, is that the Syracuse coaching staff just put the kabosh on allowing Mississippi quarterback recruit Clayton Moore to come north, forcing Moore to enroll at Ole Miss.

Similar to the situation surrounding another high profile transfer in Vidal Hazelton, it will be interesting to see if Robert Marve makes a move to the Big East. More to come as details become available.

Photo Credit: TheEndzoneReport.com

TGIF

2009-01-16T07:48:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday everyone. Not much going on at the moment, but I will of course scour the Internet and other sources for more info as the day moves along. For now, chew on these:

OL Kendall Kelly commits to USF (doesn't indicate that he's given his verbal here, but trust me on this one)
Drew Sulick on the Bleacher Report feels good about Cincy's chances of a Big East Champion repeat
Eric Crawford of the Louisville Courier-Journal says that former Cardinal head coach John L. Smith looks to be headed for a coaching role with Bobby Petrino's Arkansas Razorbacks
The Big East will feature six players in tomorrow's East-West Shrine Game
A nice piece on Rutgers' Courtney Greene by Kevin Devaney Jr. of Lohud.com

Evening Links

2009-01-15T21:57:00.002-05:00

Four for your enjoyment:

I Owe You Links

2009-01-15T15:06:00.005-05:00

I mentioned earlier today that I had a lot to dish out, so as promised, here's what's going on in the world of the Big East:

You've already seen the roster and listing of Big East participants for the Texas vs. The Nation Bowl, now here's the same for the Senior Bowl. The 16 Big East players participating include:

Cincinnati: Connor Barwin, TE; Mike Mickens, DB; DeAngelo Smith, DB; Kevin Huber, P; Trevor Canfield, OL
Connecticut: Darius Butler, DB; William Beatty, OL; Cody Brown, DL
Louisville: Eric Wood, OL
Pittsburgh: Scott McKillop, LB; Mark Estermyer, DS
South Florida: Tyrone McKenzie, LB
Syracuse: Tony Fiammetta, RB
West Virginia: Pat White, QB; Ellis Lankster, DB; Pat McAfee, K

"Vidal" Decision

2009-01-15T11:58:00.003-05:00

Reports of former USC wide receiver Vidal Hazelton transferring to Cincinnati are apparently premature. According to this article by Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Hazelton is very high on Cincy and is supposedly leaning in their direction, but will visit UC this weekend in order to make his final assessment.

Syracuse is the other finalist on Hazelton's list, but UC seems to be the school of choice for him due to its driveable distance to Georgia (where his sick gradfather resides), and their apt implementation of the spread offense (a system that he prefers to participate in).

It's worth noting however, that new Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone and his offensive coordinator Rob Spence would like to bring a more "wide-open" brand of football to the Carrier Dome. That does not necessarily imply "spread offense," but it could certainly employ spread principles and make for something Hazelton should consider.

We'll make sure to update you once VH has made his final decision.

Holy P-ioli!

2009-01-15T10:21:00.003-05:00

Lot's to discuss today. Something I found that was a little under the radar, if only because it's pure speculation, was a piece by Michael Blunda of Pro Football Weekly detailing the potential plans of newly hired Kansas City Chiefs GM Scott Pioli.

Syracuse fans are well aware that the co-architect of the New England Patriots current regime has deep roots at Syracuse. Pioli earned a masters degree while serving as a graduate assistant under legendary coach Dick MacPherson in the late 1980's.

Many are speculating that Herm Edwards' days are numbered in Kansas City and that Pioli would seek to bring in "his guy." Speculation of that occurring has since been tamped down, but in looking at the Blunda article, one will see some interesting potential choices for head coach should Scott Pioli make a move.

It's widely assumed that Pioli would want a defensive-minded head coach. There is no question that two high profile names in that regard would be the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo and the Vikings' Leslie Frazier. With a few job openings still looming, one of the aforementioned coaches may get snapped up. But the more interesting factor is Pioli's affinity for a 3-4 defensive scheme, something with which ex-Syracuse head coach and current Dolphins defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni is quite familiar.

One also has to remember that Bill Belichik is a Bill Parcells disciple. Parcells, of course, is at least indirectly responsible for Pasqualoni's hiring in Miami, and because Pioli has a similar mindset to Parcells/Belichik, he could find it very easy to warm up to the idea of Pasqualoni leading the Chiefs. The bottom line on Pasqualoni is that he had a very productive 15 years as head coach of Syracuse (although things leveled off in the last 7 or so years of his tenure) and he has made a good impression on the NFL in his short time there, with both the Cowboys and Dolphins. Somebody with that blend of experience could make for a very attractive head coaching candidate.

Steve Kragthorpe Learns Parenting 101

2009-01-14T16:08:00.004-05:00

Rule #1 for parents: If you explicitly bar your child from doing something, it will increase the likelihood that your child will in fact do what you are prohibiting them from doing.

Apparently Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe didn't get the above memo. When defensive back Latarrius Thomas decided to leave the Cardinal program for "greener pastures," Kragthorpe placed the explicit condition of him not being able to transfer to Eastern Michigan. ECU of course, is where ex-Cardinal defensive coordinator Ron English landed as a head coach. According to Michael Lewis of the News-Journal Online, LT decided not to heed Kragthorpe's warning, and will join English at ECU. Granted, this doesn't even begin to approach the magnitude of the Robert Marve situation at Miami, but it's yet another saga where coaches and kids are fighting over where they can and can't transfer.

In other news:

Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog gives us his final power rankings of the season...
...he also gets nostalgic on us
Mardy Gilyard is sticking around for his senior season at Cincinnati...
...and he gets another teammate (in addition to Vidal Hazelton)

I know I also promised a run-down of Big East players participating in "senior" bowls. Here's a full roster of the "Texas vs. the Nation Bowl." The following eight Big East players will participate:

Adrian Grady, DT, Louisville
Mike Teel, QB, Rutgers
Conredge Collins, FB, Pitt
C.J. Davis, OL, Pitt
Julius Williams, DE, UConn
Jason McCourty, DB, Rutgers
Dahna Deleston, S, UConn
Kevin Malast, LB, Rutgers

One In, One Out

2009-01-14T13:39:00.003-05:00

We learned of two very significant news items having to do with Big East teams today:

Number one is a surprise to nobody, given the significant amount of chatter from all ends of the media spectrum, that "Shady" McCoy would pack it in and accept his fate at the NFL draft. It was only a matter of time before an official announcement was made, and today was the day for that.

Hazelton's case is a little more surprising. It's widely known that the former high school all-American wanted to return to the East coast (he's a native of Long Island), and mentioned a few Big East schools as potential landing spots. Rutgers, Pitt, and Syracuse all came up as possibilities for Hazelton. I suppose Hazelton evaluated the situation at Cincinnati and felt as though it represented the best opportunity to maximize his abilities with one year of eligibility remaining in his college career.

Best of luck to both LeSean and Vidal in their future endeavors!

Shady Business

2009-01-14T07:44:00.002-05:00

When will LeSean "Shady" McCoy make a final decision on whether or not to enter the NFL draft? We thought we might have heard a firm answer by now, but that is apparently not the case. The Pitt community is on pins and needles waiting for this all-impactful choice. It's understandable considering the fact that the running game really buoyed the offense. Any alteration to the status of running backs on the team could have huge ramifications on how the offense performs next season. Then again, the Panthers do have an incredible stable of running backs to rely on that go well beyond McCoy; not to mention a top-flight running backs coach in David Walker. Should be interesting to see what develops today or in the next couple of days. Here are Pitt Blather's thoughts on the situation.

Also:

Four More...

2009-01-13T19:16:00.002-05:00

...links that is:

Honk if You're a USF Bull

2009-01-13T11:51:00.004-05:00

This could just be an indication that Greg Auman and the fellas at a USF Sports Bulletin have way too much time on their hands, but I found it interesting to learn that USF speciality license plates are sky-rocketing in number in the state of Florida. As Auman points out, you'll note that USF experienced a 50% increase in licence plates over a two year period (more than any other Florida school). Interestingly enough, USF is the third largest school in terms of enrollment, behind UF and UCF, with 46,174 enrolled students. That's a lot of license plates for the Florida DMV to be churning out, whether it's for USF or other schools.

USF fans have more to be excited about than car adornments though, as they've managed to get two more high profile recruits in the door:

Everything you've ever wanted to know about Lindsey Lamar: USF Sports Bulletin / Scout.com / Rivals.com / Bulls Report, and Julius Forte: Bulls Report / Rivals.com

Other news around the Big East:

For those of you interested in the LeSean McCoy situation, all I will say is that there is a ton of speculation on the web and elsewhere, that he is leaving for the NFL. The official decision has not been made yet, and there are certainly a ton of articles and blog posts at your disposal to see what's going on, so I won't bore you with re-posts of the same sources.

Brian Bennett is Light on Links Too

2009-01-12T12:24:00.003-05:00

See, I'm not the only guy in the Big East blogosphere that doesn't have a ton to talk about today. Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog threw out a couple of posts, namely this one that gives props to the conference's big-time performers in this season's bowls.

I think B-Squared is on the mark for the most part here, but I'd add one more "helmet sticker" for Pitt's entire defense. Sure, Wanny's squad was atrocious in trying to move the football against Oregon State in the Brut Sun Bowl, but you've got to give credit to a defense that shut down a team who had averaged 34 points per game during the regular season. It's unfortunate that the lonely field goal that Pitt's defense let up was enough to sink the Panthers. Good thing Dave Wannstedt is going a different direction with his offensive coordinator....oh wait.

LeSean McCoy is Hearing Jeopardy Music In His Head

2009-01-12T10:37:00.004-05:00

As basketball season picks up in the in Big East, the football news cycle gets slower and slower. Here's some info to tie you over for now:

Recruiting Continues at a Brisk Pace for Big East Schools

2009-01-11T17:42:00.003-05:00

A few links to fill you in on more recruiting info:

Sunday Links

2009-01-11T11:25:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, congrats to all the Big East alumni who proudly represented the conference in yesterday's NFL playoff games. Shout-out in particular to the Miami (pre-ACC conference) boys and Haruki Nakamura (Cincinnati) for fine performances in lifting the Baltimore Ravens to the AFC Championship Game, as well as Pitt alum Larry Fitzgerald for putting on a clinic in the Cards' win over the Panthers.

There will be more strong Big East ties to come in today's 1 p.m. match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. Most notably, you'll see ex-Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb match wits with former Syracuse coaching assistant Tom Coughlin.

Till then, let's take a look at what's been going on in the world of Big East college football since Friday:

The All Classless Conference

2009-01-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

College football is an interesting case study in sociology. Not to sound like a nerd or anything, but there are so many examples of conferences, teams, coaches, athletic directors, and groupings of fans that feel for whatever reason, that their rooting interests are paramount over everyone else's. One can essentially break this down to passion and/or pride, and it's certainly one of the things that makes college football and sports as a whole, so interesting.

I have to say though, that two ACC teams are carrying the torch for the "inferiority complex crowd" at the moment. And because these two teams -- Boston College and Miami -- are former Big East members, it makes for interesting fodder on the Dangerfield Division. Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN sums of the situation of Robert Marve transferring from Miami quite aptly, while also making reference to the firing of Jeff Jagodzinki at Boston College (although he applauds BC for taking a tough stance on Jags).

My impression of the treatment of Robert Marve is that it's completely ridiculous. Sure, Marve made a commitment to Miami and he should be held to the standard of upholding said commitment while working hard in the classroom and on the football field. He had his problems and was rightly reprimanded by the university when off-the-field issues arose. Now that Marve wants to transfer, the U is making life a little tougher for the once highly rated recruit out of Tampa, FL:

They are preventing him from transferring from any ACC school (this is fairly standard due to issues of scheduling, whereby schools typically don't like transfers to play them in upcoming scheduled games).
Miami has specifically singled out LSU, Florida, and Tennessee as school he may not transfer to (Miami backed off an initial ban from ALL SEC schools!)
He may not transfer to any programs within the state of Florida (this has changed as well, being that USF is now an approved program)

The above conditions are all-too-funny for me to bear. It's clear that Miami is very insecure about the way they will be perceived if they "go easy" on Marve. The fact is, Miami is not an elite program anymore. Sure, they've got tradition and a history of winning in the past on their side, but recent events have changed all that. I applaud coach Randy Shannon for trying to change the culture of Miami football, but the situation with Marve isn't helping. They should not feel threatened in any way by Marve going to another program, even if it's a program that is highly competitive or has close proximity to them. Instead, they should take the approach that they have fine recruits coming in the door (a top 10 recruiting class for 2010) and that they will be fine without a quarterback that probably was not going to start for them next year anyway.

In Wojciechowski's article, it was also interesting to see this tidbit about Florida head coach Urban Meyer's policy on players transferring:

Florida's Urban Meyer said his general policy, which can change based on family circumstances (illness, etc.), restricts schools on UF's schedule from receiving permission to speak with a potential transfer.

Okay, so there are restrictions at UF transfers too. But these restrictions change based on "family circumstances (illness, etc.). Guess what? Robert Marve's father is ill and dealing with the onset of cancer. One would think that this might change any perceived policy that a school has toward a player transferring, apparently not at Miami though.

I've already spoken at some length about the Boston College situation. Whether one supports BC AD Gene DeFilippo's decision to dispatch of Jeff Jagodzinski or not, it's obvious that the situation should have been handled behind closed doors. To air this dirty laundry in public is without tact to say the least. But this is also yet another situation where a school thinks it's a bigger deal on the college football scene than they currently are. For sure, the Eagles have performed better in the last four years or so than Miami, but other programs are not seething jealously over the state of football at Boston College. BC has always had a hard time reeling in big-time recruits (as they are again this year), and I can't see things getting any better with the instability brewing among the athletic department and coaching staff. Moreover, I don't see many high caliber coaches wanting to come to Chestnut Hill to roll the dice with DeFilippo (exhibit A: Brian Kelly).

To be fair in all the above criticism, the Big East has had its run-ins with unfair coaches/athletic departments. Everyone knows about the nasty divorce between Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia. But all in all, the Big East tends to keep its powder dry when running into sticky situations that can potentially get blown out of proportion. Observe Louisville's handling of the fickle Bobby Petrino potentially going to Auburn and eventually bouncing to the NFL as a prime example of how an athletic department can handle a tough scenario appropriately. There was no whining or moaning when Petrino ultimately left; Louisville simply turned around and hired Steve Kragthorpe right away. The same can be said of Cincinnati when they hired Brian Kelly immediately after Michigan State nabbed Mike Dantonio (in fact, Cincy is now better off).

Ultimately, I think what at least the Miami situation will produce, is an environment where potential recruits start asking programs more about their policy on transferring. It's only natural to want to know how programs will receive them if things don't go as planned. Frankly, I think recruits SHOULD inquire about this and it is completely understandable to want to safeguard oneself when coming, say, across the country to play for a nationally recognized program. I don't think any ACC programs or programs from other conferences will want to be seen as having an inflexible policy on transferring or the retention of head coaches.

As the BCS Rages on, Big East Teams Learn What They'll Look Like Next Year

2009-01-09T08:10:00.003-05:00

The recruiting scene is at a boiling point, transfers are coming and going, and many factors are taking shape that will indicate how Big East teams will look player personnel-wise next year. Here are some links (mostly courtesy of scout.com -- subscription required, but the headlines should give you most of the info you need to know) to give you a rundown:

It's down to Pitt and UNC for TE Malcolm Bush (Pitt is the favorite at this point) -- Scout / Rivals
Southern signal caller Clayton Moore (former Ole Miss commit) likes what he sees at Syracuse -- Scout / Rivals
Brett McMurphy of the Bulls Report says that USF is now an official option for former Miami QB Robert Marve
Shady's going pro....Chas at Pitt Blather comes to terms with the decision
Another day, another player transferring from the 'Ville
Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette examines WVU's recruiting
The Louisville Courier-Journal's Tom Heiser says "good riddance" to Matt Simms transferring from Louisville

Also, in case anyone didn't notice: Brian Kelly is not interested in the BC job opening, as some speculated he might be due to his Boston roots and his Irish Catholic background. Sorry BC. Priceless quote from Kelly on the situation:

“I grew up there and watched BC...We’ve got a great deal of respect for their
program, but that’s not a job I would be interested in. At the end of the
day, I’ve got a better situation here at the University of Cincinnati.”

Vidal Links

2009-01-08T15:08:00.002-05:00

Former USC wide receiver Vidal Hazleton decided in December to transfer and has been looking at a variety of options. He was first quoted as saying that Rutgers and Missouri were his top two choices. Now, his father Dexter remarks: "I think (Missouri and Rutgers) are out..."

Hazelton is reportedly now deciding whether to transfer to a D-1AA (Delaware is mentioned as a possibility -- his good buddy Pat Devlin will be playing there) to be able to play immediately, or to another D-1A school (Pitt and Syracuse are mentioned as options -- he would have to sit out one year in order to play).

Chas from Pitt Blather is not feeling optimistic about Hazelton coming to Pittsburgh. That being said, Hazelton was highly recruited coming out of high school and had a tremendous sophomore year for the Trojans, garnering 50 grabs and four touchdowns. It will certainly be interesting to see where he lands, whether it's a Big East school or elsewhere.

Speaking of recruits, here is Brian Bennett's first look at Big East recruiting...
...and speaking of wide receivers, Kenny Britt was named the Tri-State Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club

After the Pause, I'm Back With Links

2009-01-08T08:09:00.002-05:00

Hi All,

Sorry about the day and a half delay in postings. I needed to recharge my batteries and take care of some stuff, but I'm back now and I have links to share (many of which you may or may not be already aware of). I'm also planning on updating everyone on senior bowl rosters once those are finalized so that we can take a look at the presence of Big East players. First, here are the final bowl conference standings prior to tonight's BCS Bowl Championship game:

Pac 10 5-0
SEC 5-2
Big East 4-2
CUSA 4-2
Big 12 4-2
MWC 3-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 4-6
WAC 1-4
Big 10 1-6
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-5

Now for the links:

Laugh at Boston College and Get Your Links

2009-01-06T08:05:00.004-05:00

Upon further examination of the coaching situation at Boston College, it does appear that Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo wasn't bluffing, and fully intends to fire head coach Jeff Jagodzinski after taking an interview with the New York Jets. I realize this has very little to do with the Big East, but it's worth commenting on for the fodder it provides about a program that seemingly jilted the Big East (at the time).

My thinking is, this is a horrendous public relations disaster for the entire Boston College athletics department. Who's going to want to coach at a school that 1.) isn't a sports powerhouse in the first place, and 2.) treats their coaches with such vigorous disrespect in a public forum? I have no doubt that this issue could have been handled behind closed doors, but I'm not sure it was even warranted at all. I could understand this happening if Jago wanted to bolt BC for another ACC school, ala Tom O'Brien, but this was not the case. The Jets job represents a step up for the bright young coach, and regardless of how likely it would be that he got hired in New York, the BC athletics department should have been fully supportive of the opportunity.

Alright, that's enough of that. Now back to teams we actually care about:

I leave you with a vid of Florida head coach Urban Meyer discussing the success of his alma mater, Cincinnati (courtesy of palestra.net):

Get a Load of This Guy

2009-01-05T14:04:00.005-05:00

Recently fired Utah State head coach Brent Guy will be taking over as the linebackers coach at the University of Louisville according to Rivals.com. When it comes to his career as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, Guy has had a relatively hefty amount of success. He's had successful stints at Oklahoma State, Utah State, Boise State, and Arizona State (I guess he likes them states) in those capacities. It was only when he took the reins at Utah State as the head coach that he ran into some disfunction. Over four years in Logan, Guy's squad mustered a 9-38 record.

Guy will be joining former Cardinal linebacker coach Bill Miller on the defensive side of the ball. Miller and Guy will be reunited from their days on staff at Oklahoma State in the early 1990's.

A lot is going to have to be done if Louisville's defense is going to improve. Ron English remarked upon leaving Louisville, that he was surprised by the lack of stability in recruiting and retention within the program, making it difficult for him to run an efficient defense. As you'll also note below, Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog is predicting that the Cardinals' slide may get worse before things in Louisville get any better. On to that and other links:

Jago Links

2009-01-05T07:31:00.003-05:00

At this point, you probably know about Boston College's threat to head coach Jeff Jagodzinksi, if he decides to high-tail it New York today and interview for the Jets vacancy. If Jago heads to NYC, and all indications are that he will, it may lead to more than one Big East team trying to sway BC commits to look their direction. The Eagles' recruiting class is paltry at best, but Dillon Quinn is worth looking at, at the very least.

A couple of more recruiting links:

Connecting the Dots: Terry Richardson and Syracuse

2009-01-04T19:11:00.005-05:00

The Big East like any BCS conference has its fair share of coaching vacancy speculation among its teams. This year, the focus is on Syracuse in its quest to fill out a full staff for new head coach Doug Marrone; UCONN in replacing recently departed Rob Ambrose at offensive coordinator, and Louisville in replacing defensive coordinator Ron English. The situation at Syracuse and UCONN have some connections that are interesting when observed at close distance.

You may remember that UCONN head coach Randy Edsall's name came up quite often early in the process of Syracuse searching for a new head coach of their own. No surprise there, given that Edsall is a Syracuse alum, and he had proven (is still is proving) himself as a fine head coach. As we all know now, Edsall turned down the opportunity to pursue the Syracuse post, and Orange Athletic Director Daryl Gross turned his sights on another Syracuse graduate: Doug Marrone.

It's natural that Edsall would have someone on staff with Syracuse roots, similar to his own. That person, is running backs coach Terry Richardson, who starred as a running back for the Orange(men) in the early 1990's. Wait a second, is Marrone and Syracuse in need of someone to coach their running backs? Why yes they are; what a coincidence.

Doug Marrone has been busy hiring coaches to fill out a staff that he has promised will bring pride back to Orange football and the city of Syracuse. There is a discernible lack of Big East Conference experience in the newly hired staff. The only Big East experience comes from two coaches that Marrone retained from outgoing head coach Greg Robinson's staff (Derrick Jackson and Dan Conley). It would not be a stretch for Marrone to now turn his attention to 10 year Big East coaching veteran (all as UCONN RB coach) Terry Richardson.

Syracuse fans would be quick to point out that there is another Syracuse alum who is a high quality running backs coach in the Big East. David Walker, who was incidentally a teammate of Richardson's at Syracuse, coaches under Dave Wannstedt at the University of Pittsburgh. Some Orange fans might even prefer to have Walker on staff being that he already had a successful stint in Syracuse under Paul Pasqualoni from 2000-2003.

Walker's previous experience at Syracuse may in fact be a detractor for him to come back, even if Doug Marrone were to offer him the job. He may have a "been there, done that" outlook to the situation, and he knows there is a certain degree of stability working at Pitt. Walker also has the good fortune of working with top notch talent in LeSean McCoy, Kevin Collier, and LaRod Stephens-Howling. The talent level of the running backs at Pitt does not seem to be dropping off either; recent recruits include Chris Burns, Cameron Saddler, and Raymond Graham (all rated as four star recruits by Rivals.com).

Now back to Terry Richardson. Richardson is losing two major components of his recent success at UCONN: 1.) Offensive Coordinator Rob Ambrose who is leaving to coach Towson State. 2.) Running back Donald Brown who is leaving to pursue opportunities in the NFL. It would be understandable if Brown had at least decided to stay, that Richardson would in turn stick it out in Storrs. He would then be able to coach a potential Doak Walker Award winner, and if things went tremendously well, a Heisman Trophy finalist/winner.

It is widely speculated that Randy Edsall will go outside of the program to fulfill the offensive coordinator post, leaving Richardson without an opportunity to call plays or an overwhelming reason to remain at UCONN. It is also quite likely that Rob Ambrose will be calling the offensive plays at Towson, a role for which Richardson might have been otherwise considered. This leaves Syracuse with an opportunity to offer Richardson his second major college football job and a shot to come back to the school where he had so much success playing football.

Doug Marrone and Syracuse will be getting an excellent college football coach if they hire Terry Richardson. The proof is in the pudding:

Coached a top ten Big East rusher every season that UCONN has been in the conference
Coached two top ten Big East rushers in a single year on two separate occasions (while UCONN has been in the conference)
During UCONN's time in the Big East the team has not been ranked worse than fourth in rushing in the conference under Richardson
Career has culminated in coaching the nation's leading rusher in Donald Brown and nation's 13th ranked rushing offense overall

Something else to consider is that Terry Richardson is a native of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He is intimately involved in UCONN's efforts to attract talent from Florida and other southern states. This is the type of experience Marrone would welcome to compliment his stable of coaches who will perpetuate recruiting efforts in the northeast.

It is difficult to say whether or not Terry Richardson will be guiding future Syracuse running backs, but it is entirely plausible to connect the dots that way at the moment. Now that the International Bowl has come and gone, there will be plenty of opportunity for he and Doug Marrone to discuss the potential of a partnership. In the meantime, all one can do is keep their ear to the grindstone and see what develops in the ever evolving world of Big East football coaching.

How Important are Bowl Games in Comparing Conferences?

2009-01-04T14:48:00.003-05:00

I found an interesting piece on Rivals.com about whether one should judge the quality of a conference based on the performance of its teams in bowls. "Experts" from Rivals.com's staff weigh in on the issue; one that I and media outlets fuel by putting up standings from the outcomes of bowl games.

I'm a true believer in Bill Parcell's "you are what you are (your record)" philosophy. Utah won every regular season game that was put before them. Whether or not someone thought they should be in a BCS bowl game is moot because everyone knew what their schedule was prior to the season, and they went out and beat every single team on that schedule. Then, the night before last, they went out and beat up on Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Does that mean that the Mountain West Conference is better that the SEC? Not really. But it does prove that Utah deserved to be in that game, and that they are in all likelihood a better team than Alabama.

As this issue relates to the Big East, one has to take a look at the conference's record in BCS bowl games. 3-1 in the last four years is nothing to sneeze at, especially when those wins come against an SEC, Big 12, and ACC conference team respectively. If one wants to compare the Big East to the ACC this year, then one would see that the Big East went 2-1 against the ACC in bowls, but lost in the all important BCS game. Do the two other bowls overcome the BCS loss? Do the comparison of conference records in bowls overall make a difference (4-2 for the Big East vs. 4-6 for the ACC)? Do the amount of teams placed in bowls by the conferences come in into play (six for the Big East, 10 for the ACC)?

In examining the Big 10's record in bowls this season, one would see that have not fared so well (1-5, with one game remaining). Are we to then think that the Big 10 is a poor quality football conference that should play second fiddle to all or most other conferences? We can't because the bowl games they have played are not comparable to other conferences' games all across the board. The Big 10 has already played one BCS game (PSU lost to USC in the Rose Bowl) even before they face another BCS challenge in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas. Michigan State played (and lost to) a Georgia team that was a preseason number one team coming out of the SEC.

All in all, there is no fair way to compare the conferences because there are too many variables to consider. It's fun to have this debate and I would certainly like to think that the Big East's relative success in the world of bowls has it's meaning, but I understand that it's not a meaning that I can take all the way to the bank. For now, all that I, other bloggers like me, college football fans, and sports writers can do, is use the bowl match-ups as fodder for comparison and analysis. Don't get me wrong though, it's fun to chuckle at bowl records for the Big 10 and ACC conferences.

The Donald is Cashing In

2009-01-03T20:41:00.005-05:00

No, we're not talking about Donald Trump, although he's probably cashing in as well. We're talking about UCONN tailback Donald Brown who is fresh off a 261 yard performance in an International Bowl win over the Buffalo Bulls. Brown now concedes that he will be forgoing his senior season in Storrs to pursue opportunities in the NFL.

Brown is a junior and has one more year of eligibility to play college football. When asked prior to the bowl game if he was planning on leaving he said that he would stay, but as time went on reports surfaced that he and head coach Randy Edsall would discuss the matter further at a later time.

At the press conference after the International Bowl, Brown said the following:

"I'm not coming back, I'm going to the NFL. I know I told you guys earlier
that I was coming back but that was too [sic] eliminate the distractions on our
team. We had enough internal distractions going on and they didn't need that one
as a burden as well so I apologize for "lying" for what I did to protect my
team. They mean the world to me, so I'm willing to put my neck on the line for
them."

"To be honest with you, going into the season, I worked my tail off and I
made it a point to myself in the position to have the option to stay or leave.
As time grew closer and I just kept sleeping on it for nights and nights and I
just felt in my heart that was best for me. It was one of the toughest decisions
I ever had to make in my life."With the guy next to me [coach Randy Edsall]
giving me advice along the way and my parents and my high school coach made it a
lot easier for me."

This should not be unexpected at all and the UCONN backfield is left in the talented hands of Jordan Todman (who had a solid performance in the International Bowl as well) and Andre Dixon. The Huskies will also have a new quarterback handing the ball off to the new backfield; a possibility at QB is Notre Dame transfer Zach Frazier.

Brown is the second junior Big East football player who today declared that they would not return to college next year. Earlier today, Rutgers wide receiver Kenny Britt also declared his intention to make a jump to the pros. Currently, nfldraftdog.com has Brown tabbed as a 2nd round value and Britt as a 4th round value for this year's draft. It's disappointing to see these fine talents leave the Big East, but it does show potential Big East recruits that the league is producing top notch talent that can make a smooth foray into the NFL.

Yes UCONN!

2009-01-03T15:20:00.005-05:00

Well Big East fans, it all came down to today and the UCONN Huskies to conclude the conference's bowl season in the International Bowl against Buffalo. This was today's only bowl being broadcast and another opportunity for the Big East to showcase its wares against the MAC Conference champion led by hot coaching commodity, Turner Gill. UCONN did not disappoint as they overpowered the Bulls 38-20 in a game that demonstrated why Donald Brown was certainly overlooked as a Doak Walker finalist (and winner).

As mentioned, Donald Brown was worth the price of admission, carrying the ball 29 times for 261 yards (nine yards per carry) and a touchdown. With over 200 yards in the first half alone, Brown and soon-to-be departed offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose made it clear to Buffalo that they were going to be partying like it's 1909 by running play after play after play. Husky quarterback Tyler Lorenzen only made six pass attempts, completing four of them for 49 yards and a touchdown.

UCONN sealed the game with a little over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Buffalo quarterback Drew "free" Willy was picked off in the endzone by Husky linebacker Dahna Deleston, who in turn, rushed the ball back 100 yards for another score. UCONN ends their season 8-5.

All three International Bowls ever played have now been won by Big East teams (Cincinnati in 2007 and Rutgers in 2008), while UCONN gets their first bowl win since a victory over Toledo in 2004's Motor City Bowl. The Big East Conference concludes the bowl season 4-2, and are now 12-4 in bowls since 2006 (certainly something boast about when negotiating new bowl tie-ins).

More on Donald Brown:

It is still unclear whether Donald Brown plans on returning for his senior season. He smiled while evading a post-game interview question, instead noting that he would be celebrating the victory with his teammates. There is no question, that with the early departure of top flight running backs Shonn Greene (Iowa), Knowshon Mareno (Georgia), and Javon Ringer (Mich. State), Brown would be considered a leading candidate for the the Doak Walker award in 2009. The Heisman may prove at least somewhat elusive for DB because it is unlikely that UCONN will perform well enough (a BCS bowl appearance is helpful when pushing a Heisman candidate) in the 2009 season. That being said, there is a lot excitement in Storrs over the potential of Notre Dame transfer QB Zach Frazier to lead the team to more promising results. For right now, I encourage all UCONN and Big East fans to revel in the success of the conference's regular and bowl seasons.

First standings, then links:

Pac 10 5-0
SEC 5-2
Big East 4-2
CUSA 3-2
Big 12 3-2
MWC 3-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 4-6
WAC 1-4
Big 10 1-5
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-4

Buck Up Big East Fans, It Aint All That Bad

2009-01-02T10:06:00.003-05:00

Losses by Big East teams in bowls -- Pitt in the Brut Sun Bowl and last evening's defeat of Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl -- understandably have fans of the conference hanging their heads low. I can't stress enough that this should not be the case. Yes, it's disappointing to see Dave Wannstedt's Pitt team not muster a single point against an Oregon State team that had given up 65 points to Oregon two weeks prior. Yes, it's gut wrenching for the Big East Champ Cincinnati Bearcats to lose a mistake-filled game to a former conference member and hated ACC rival in the most important bowl for the conference this season. If we want to be considered a serious BCS conference, than it is completely necessary to feel utterly discouraged by these developments and expect that things should turn out differently.

The bottom line is that the Big East Conference still has a winning bowl record this season (3-2). Even with Virginia Tech's victory last evening, the ACC is a pitiful 4-6 in bowls despite placing 10 teams in the the post-season (not to mention, they are 1-2 against the Big East). Look at the Big 10 Conference. This "big time" grouping of teams is mustering a measly 1-5 bowl record this season. With UCONN yet to play, there is one more opportunity for a Big East bowl win, and it's a game that can decide whether we conclude the bowl season with a winning record or not.

Something else to consider is that the two teams that have lost in bowls for the Big East thus far, have done so after improving on their previous situations. This is the first season in Dave Wannstedt's four years as head coach, that Pittsburgh has gone to a bowl. Sure, they didn't pull out a victory, but it's something to build on going into next season. More importantly, Brian Kelly's Cincinnati squad has never seen the type of success that they encountered this season. Going to a BCS bowl game is a huge deal for a team that had been looked upon as a peon in the world of college football a few short years ago. Building blocks are now in place for these two programs to continue their winning ways and win bowl games in the future.

I'm also well aware that critics will try to point out that the Big East Conference's bowl victories came in lower tier bowls against teams of suspect talent. People can criticize all they want, but these are still valuable wins in my mind. Pat White going out the way he did against a solid UNC team coached by someone as well recognized as Butch Davis is something to crow about. Rutgers downing an equally hot team as NC State in the Papajohns.com Bowl is another accomplishment not to be diminished. Sure, the USF victory in the Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl may not seem like much, but the drubbing they delivered should speak volumes about their ability to score at will and win in convincing fashion.

I hope this little pep talk has Big East followers feeling at least a little better about this season. I leave you with updated bowl conference standings, and links that will both bring closure to last night's defeat and ones that will have you looking more optimistically to the future of Big East play. We now need everyone rallying around the UCONN Huskies in their Saturday match-up with Turner Gill's Buffalo Bulls.

Pac 10 5-0
CUSA 3-1
SEC 3-1
Big 12 3-1
Big East 3-2
MWC 2-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 4-6
WAC 1-4
Big 10 1-5
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-3

Closure:

UCONN will cheer you up:

BCS Bowl Win Streak Comes to an End With Cincy Loss

2009-01-01T23:55:00.008-05:00

Well, it was bound to come to an end at some point. After three consecutive wins by Big East schools in BCS bowls (West Virginia twice, and Louisville), Cincinnati was not able to keep up the momentum this evening against a stout Virginia Tech team. In beating the Bearcats 20-7 this evening, Virginia Tech broke a streak of their own, albeit, a streak of futility. Tech had been 0-4 in their last four BCS bowls prior to tonight, and the ACC had been 1-9 in their last 10 BCS bowls.

The game essentially ended when with roughly 10 minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter, Cincinnati was not able to punch the ball into the end zone, while being down by two scores. Curiously, the fourth down play was a single wing naked boot leg by quarterback Tony Pike, who simply retreated when hit by a Hokie defender at the one yard line. That was pretty much the story of the game as Cincy never really got a run game going, probably hampering their passing attack more as time went on. Any glimmer of hope for Cincinnati was shuttered when they perpetrated a "roughing the kicker" penalty on the ensuing three-and-out effort by Virginia Tech.

A few things that stood out to me while watching this game:

Virginia Tech's defense was stout as heck. They brought significant pressure to Tony Pike, "Macho" Harris played lights out in the secondary, and they were able to capitalize on turnover opportunities.

As pointed out by Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis during the telecast, Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Brian Stinespring brought a vastly different offensive game plan than had been executed by the Hokies in the past. This was a much more adventurous set of plays that allowed for a more vertical passing game than Hokie fans are used to seeing. If Cincinnati's defense was simply relying on game tape from games this season, they were going to be ill-prepared for their Orange Bowl opponents.

Brian Kelly is a great coach but I think he was so enamoured by his passing game on the first drive of the game that he refused to mix in enough run plays for the duration of the game. Running back Jacob Ramsey seemed to offer a spark on the ground at the beginning of the second half for the Bearcats, but Kelly didn't seem to want to return to utilizing him at any other point in the game, especially the ever important red zone opportunity mentioned above.

On a positive note, Cincy wideout Mardy Gilyard is straight nasty. You probably already knew that, but he proved it all the more with 255 all purpose yards, a touchdown, and a personal best in receiving yards (158 yards). It will be interesting to see how NFL talent evaluators receive Gilyard when he prepares for the draft.

Final thoughts:

The Virginia Tech Hokies were the better team this evening. The Cincinnati Bearcats showed signs of life in the passing game at points, they showed tremendous poise on defense through most of the game, but in the end, turnovers and a lack of variety in play calling on offense led to their demise in the 75th Orange Bowl. The Big East ends up 2-1 against the ACC in bowls this season, but unfortunately, the conference dropped the all important BCS match-up. Fortunately, the conference remains above .500 in bowl games this season (3-2) and has one more opportunity to keep it that way when the UCONN Huskies take on the Buffalo Bulls in the International Bowl on Saturday.

Photo Credit: C.W. Griffin / The Miami Herald

Orange Bowl First Half Observations

2009-01-01T22:25:00.003-05:00

I got pretty jacked up seeing Cincinnati storm down the field on their first drive of the game. Mardy Gilyard made an incredibly athletic catch for a touchdown and Tony Pike looked very comfortable in the pocket. Unfortunately, Virginia Tech had a nice opening drive of their own.

The story of the first half has been the defenses of both teams. Cincy has been able to move down the field through the air, but has struggled mightily on the ground (eight carries for 12 yards). Virginia Tech is benefiting from a solid ground game (21 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown) and Tyrod Taylor is playing solid football at QB for the Hokies.

There is no question that Brian Kelly is going to have to figure out a way to get the Bearcats' running game going. Because Cincinnati has been relatively effective in throwing the ball thus far, a better ground game in the second half has the potential of opening up the passing game even more. Expect to see more draw plays and delayed hand-offs in the second half for the Bearcats, playing off Virginia Tech's expectation of more to come in the Cincy passing attack.

All in all I think both of these teams have had their moments and flubs in the first half and are playing equally as well in most respects. It should be an exciting second half, so enjoy! In the meantime, here are my updated bowl conference standings through all games prior to the Orange Bowl:

Pac 10 5-0
Big East 3-1
CUSA 3-1
SEC 3-1
Big 12 3-1
MWC 2-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 3-6
WAC 1-4
Big 10 1-5
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-3

First Links of the Year

2009-01-01T15:00:00.003-05:00

I trust that everyone out there in T.V. land is enjoying today's slate of bowls while recovering from champagne hangovers. There were some interesting results from last night's bowl games, including two more losses for ACC teams (BC lost to Vandy -- Yikes! And Georgia Tech lost to LSU). With that, I give you the updated conference bowl standings as of South Carolina's loss to Iowa this morning:

Pac 10 4-0
Big East 3-1
CUSA 3-1
SEC 2-1
Big 12 2-1
MWC 2-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 3-5
Big 10 1-3
WAC 1-4
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-3

On to the first links of 2009:

Orange Bowl Links:

Brut(al) Sun Bowl

2009-01-01T01:48:00.003-05:00

Hey All. Happy New Year! I was out revelling with all the new year's partiers, so I was not able to comment on Pitt's loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. I'm back now though, and here are some thoughts:

I guess 6-0 for the Big East in bowls was not meant to be. I have to say, the Brut Sun Bowl was painful to watch. Here you have two teams that combined, score about an average of 31 points per game. All that was mustered in the 75th annual Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX was three points! Those three points came on a 44 yard field goal from Beaver kicker Justin Kahut, and were the difference in beating a Panther team that could get absolutely nothing moving on offense.

If I'm Dave Wannstedt, I have to be thinking seriously about making a change in offensive coordinators. Matt Cavanaugh is an NFL guy through and through. His gig prior to coming to Pitt was running the Baltimore Ravens' offense, which should tell you all you need to know about this guy's play calling ability. Wanny has been recruiting serious talent to Pittsburgh, which is clearly not going to waste on the defensive side of the ball, but could certainly use some new guidance on offense.

The bottom line on all of this is that one has to give all the credit in the world to a solid Oregon State team. As any true Big East fan can understand, the PAC 10 is another conference that is often times mis-targeted as a source of poor football. The left coast has proven their doubters wrong, especially this year. The PAC 10 is now 4-0 in bowls, and the best is yet to come with USC playing in tomorrow's Rose Bowl.

The next agenda item for the Big East is Cincy taking on Virginia Tech in tomorrow's Orange Bowl. I now leave you with updated conference bowl standings:

Pac 10 4-0
SEC 2-0
Big East 3-1
CUSA 3-1
Big 12 2-1
MWC 2-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 3-5
WAC 1-4
Indies 0-2
Big 10 0-3
MAC 0-3

Lest I Forget

2008-12-31T10:51:00.002-05:00

Apologies, I intended to be consistent about posting the standings for conferences this bowl season, but I forgot to provide an updated table this morning. You accept my apology? Thanks! Here are the goods so far, with five bowls being played today, including the Brut Sun Bowl (Pitt vs. Oregon State):

Big East 3-0
Pac 10 3-0
MWC 2-1
CUSA 2-1
ACC 3-3
Big 12 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
WAC 1-4
Big 10 0-2
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-3

Some observations on the above:

You've got to be impressed with the PAC 10 (especially after the way Oregon dispatched of OK State last night). They're another BCS conference that is constantly berated for being a perceived slouch, but the proof is always in the pudding (as it is for the Big East), during bowl season.
While watching the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl last night (good stuff, I know) ESPN displayed their updated standings (prior to Maryland winning the game). They took it off the screen pretty quickly, but I could have swore that they had the ACC at 2-2 at that point, which was wrong (should have been 2-3). Another gaffe by the research (or graphics) department at ESPN -- no surprise there. I do however, like that they lauded the Big East's 3-0 start.
The WAC is wack.

While I'm here, I'll dump some more links on you:

I Smell Brut Sun Bowl Links and More

2008-12-31T07:49:00.003-05:00

Get your fill of Brian Bennett's antics on ESPN's Big East Blog:

A trio from Scout.com:

What else?:

USF Exploits Its Pensicola Pipeline

2008-12-30T14:35:00.010-05:00

Fresh off a bowl win in St. Petersburg Florida, Jim Leavitt and the USF Bulls are back on the recruiting trail. They get major help along the defensive line by signing defensive tackle Anthony Hill, who was previously committed to Florida State, as well as defensive end Luke Sager. Both Hill and Sager are Florida natives (Hill is from Pensicola and Sager is from Niceville), and both had been sought aggressively by other D-1 programs.

As previously mentioned, Anthony Hill signed on to Florida State's 2008 recruiting class but came to find out that the class was too large and that he would have to greyshirt. This did not sit well with Hill, who decided to reverse course and sign on with the school that recruited him earliest and often. As a bonus, Hill will now be reunited (and it feels so good) with childhood friend and current Bull, Terrell McClain. Geez, maybe USF should move its campus to Pensicola; they've now plucked Hill, McClain, AND George Selvie from the Florida panhandle town.

___________________________

Speaking of big recruits, get a load of this picture of Nassau Community College offensive tackle Andrew Tiller (I'll give you a clue; he's not #50). Tiller, who is listed at 6'6" / 200 lbs, has already received scholarship offers from Miami, NC State, and Rutgers. As previously mentioned in a Dangerfield Division posting, Tiller is now a Syracuse target because his former head coach, John Anselmo, has joined Doug Marrone's staff as a defensive backs coach. I realize the other kid in this picture is probably your run-of-the-mill junior college athlete and true D-1 defensive linemen might not make Tiller look so big, but you've got to be impressed with the sheer volume of this guy! Big East defensive linemen, take note.

Photo Credit: Rivals.com

You need some more links? Of course you do:

ESPN's Brian Bennett is not scared of your questions
Full coverage on Pitt ahead of the Brut Sun Bowl (scout.com)
The motley crew over at the Bleacher Report doesn't like Pitt's chances (scroll down) (psssst....that's a good thing; they didn't like Rutgers' chances against NC State)

Still Enjoying All the Big East Bowl Wins

2008-12-30T07:52:00.003-05:00

Here are some post-Papajohns.com Bowl links:

Everything you need to know from the Newark Star-Ledger (as well as below)

From The Star-Ledger:
Video:
Recapping the game
Game highlights
Photos:
Slideshow
Photo gallery
In-game coverage:
As They Played
Newspaper stories:
Healthy D'Imperio makes his mark
Special plays were the difference On triumphant night, Mulcahy a Knight to remember
Kirschner named interim AD
Notebook: Britt 'on the fence' about entering draft

And more links:

"It's absolutely crucial that when the Big East has the opportunity to play outside
its conference, it's got to represent itself well, and I think we have."
-Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly

Rutgers Win in Papajohns.com Bowl Makes it 3-0 for Big East in 2008 Bowls

2008-12-29T19:56:00.005-05:00

For those of you keeping score, Rutgers' 29-23 victory over NC State in the Papajohns.com Bowl today, makes the Big East Conference 3-0 in 2008 bowl games; makes Rutgers 3-0 in their last three bowl appearances; and give the Big East two wins (no losses) over ACC opponents this bowl season. Quite the statement so far if you ask me.

Mike Teel and the Scarlet Knights continued the type of hot play that vaulted them into bowl eligibility in the second half of the season, halting another hot team in the Wolfpack. The difference in this game, no question, was Mike Teel's superb play (22/37, 319 yds, 2/1), Kenny Britt's ability as a formidable target for Teel (six catches for 119 yards), and four costly turnovers for NC State.

Teel played his final game as Rutgers quarterback and Kenny Britt probably has as well (he is a junior). ESPN's Todd McShay projects Britt as a second to third round pick, as a receiver in a mold of a "poor man's Terrell Owens (not his exact words)," with considerable size, average speed, good hands, but a questionable work ethic. Although McShay dismisses Teel's chances of being an NFL product due to his seeming inconsistency, I think his play down the stretch this season will at least get him some looks as a post-draft free agent signee.

The next bowl game for the Big East will be on Wednesday, when the Pitt Panthers take on the Oregon State Beavers in the Brut Sun Bowl. If you missed today's game on the tellie, here are some pictures courtesy of Bill Perlman of the Newark Star-Ledger. Finally, the ever popular and updated conference bowl standings:

Big East 3-0
Pac 10 2-0
MWC 2-1
CUSA 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 2-3
WAC 1-3
Big 10 0-1
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-2

Photo Credit: Bill Perlman / Newark Star-Ledger

More Before the Papajohns.com Bowl

2008-12-29T12:04:00.002-05:00

Here are some updated conference standings during the bowl season after last night's barn burner between Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl. Congrats to the WAC for finally getting on the board with a "W":

Big East 2-0
Pac 10 2-0
MWC 2-1
ACC 2-2
CUSA 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
WAC 1-3
Big 10 0-1
Indies 0-2
MAC 0-2

Links to Tie You Over Till 3 p.m.

2008-12-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

If you're near a television set around 3 p.m. est today, be sure to check out the Papajohns.com Bowl on ESPN, featuring the Big East's Rutgers and the ACC's NC State. Of course, I'll be at work, but I'll make every effort to see what I can and check things out online. I'm not sure what the 3 p.m. start time deal is all about, but it could be a welcome distraction for a typical Monday. In the meantime, here are some links to check out:

Better Ingredients, Better Pizza, Better Links

2008-12-28T23:39:00.002-05:00

Here are all the Papajohns.com Bowl related links you can handle before tomorrow's showdown in Birmingham, AL:

A video previewing the bowl game from NJ.com:

PapaJohns.com Bowl preview: Rutgers vs. N.C. State

Gone Bowling

2008-12-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

Fresh off three solid bowls from yesterday, I thought it might be a nice idea to go over the bowl conference records thus far:

Big East 2-0
Pac 10 2-0
ACC 2-2
MWC 2-1
CUSA 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
Big 10 0-1
WAC 0-3
Indies 0-2

First, kudos to the Big East for obvious reasons. USF engineered a blowout in what was essentially a home game for them, against a CUSA team (Memphis) that was ill-equipped to be playing post-season college football in the first place. West Virginia was impressive on the offensive side of the ball in their narrow victory over UNC yesterday; a victory they should get tons of credit for being that they pulled it out in a hostile environment.

The PAC 10 has been impressive so far, especially considering that most college football refuse to give the conference any respect beyond USC. I think most experts felt that BYU would dispatch of Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl, but it was quite the opposite as Mike Stoops probably single-handedly earned a contract extension in that game. Cal beating Miami is less of a surprise, as that was probably a push, and the Bears were able to play this game about 30 minutes from their home field.

I would like to trash the ACC, but I'm afraid I can't (yet). Wake Forest beating a solid Navy team is a good achievement and Florida State wreaking havoc upon a woefully under-equipped Wisconsin team is impressive despite the Seminoles playing in their home state. As I mention above, one can give Miami credit for keeping the Emerald Bowl a close affair against a team that played a de-facto home game. UNC is the one black eye on the ACC bowl resume at this point, given that they played their game in Charlotte, against a team that had not been playing well offensively. Then again, who's going to stop Pat White in his final game as a West Virginia Mountaineer?

Finally, let's skip down to the 0-3 WAC. Are you kidding me? This is a conference that many considered to be just as formidable as some BCS conferences; one that some even felt should have two at-large BCS bids (Utah AND Boise State). Granted, Boise State fell by a close margin to a solid TCU team, but it says something that they did not rise to the occasion in the Poinsettia Bowl when they felt they were unceremoniously left out of the BCS picture. Hawaii had no business being pushed around by Notre Dame on their home turf. I understand that the Irish have a massive amount of talent on their side, but their quality of play over the course of the year has been suspect, and the travel schedule should have taken its toll. The Fresno State / Colorado State could have gone either way, but it's surprising that the Pat Hill led club couldn't pull out at least one win for the conference it represents.

Stay tuned for more analysis on the bowl season. The best is yet to come with the SEC having not played any bowl games yet, and of course, the BCS bowls. For now, get your fill of more Big East related links:

Scout.com:

If you're a Rutgers fan:

And:

I leave you with this video of Rutgers players getting a tour of Birmingham's Civil Rights Museum (in case you thought that bowl teams don't spend their "non football" time productively):

Scarlet Knights tour civil rights museum

Big East 1, ACC 0

2008-12-27T16:20:00.004-05:00

Props to linebacker Pat Lazear (incidentally a native of my hometown, Bethesda, MD), for sealing another bowl victory for the West Virginia Mountaineers by picking off T.J. Yates late in the fourth quarter. If you are a fan of defensive play, you were probably not enamoured with either team's performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, but it was a defensive play by the sophomore linebacker that allowed the Big East to go 2-0 in bowls this season, for Pat White to go 4-0 in bowl games in his career as a starting quarterback, for Bill Stewart to win his second straight bowl as a head coach, and for the 'Neers to pull out a 31-30 victory over Butch Davis' Tarheels.

It's no secret that West Virginia has been the standard bearer for the Big East Conference these past few years, by winning two BCS bowls, and constantly impressing national audiences with their creative offensive schemes and ability to win big games. This season however, had been considered a disappointment by many fans in West Virginia, considering the fact that the team was returning Pat White and many members of a stout defense. The team ended the regular season 8-4, prompting many Mountaineer fans to question the hiring of Bill Stewart the day after he led the team to a victory in the Fiesta Bowl over Oklahoma. Stewart has had some quirky moments over the course of the season, but he indeed vindicated himself with an exciting win over a vaunted UNC team.

I made a plea in earlier blog posts, for WVU fans to cut Bill Stewart some slack in his first season as head coach. After hearing, during the Meineke Car Care Bowl telecast, about Stewart taking a janitor job while working as a UNC Graduate Assistant to make extra money, I gained even more respect for the man. I don't think there is a more ideal coach for the Mountaineers, not only in the "football" sense, but also in the "role model" sense.

More important to Big East fans, the conference now goes to 2-0 in bowl games for 2008/09 (ACC is 1-1), and defeats a hated ACC opponent. The next bowl game for the Big East will be the Papajohns.com Bowl, featuring two hot teams: the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the North Carolina State Wolf Pack.

Photo Credit: Nell Redmond

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-12-27T10:38:00.004-05:00

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News discusses how both the ACC and Big East Conferences are still out for respect this bowl season. Some interesting points made in the article:

"...the ACC and Big East can't shake the fact they are the only two major conferences that have never placed an at-large team into the BCS during its 11-year history."
"At least the Big East is 6-4 in BCS bowl games. The ACC, which raided Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College from the Big East in 2003, is 1-9 in BCS bowl games and has dropped eight straight since Florida State won the 1999 national championship."
"A major reason the ACC expanded was to create a conference championship game. This month's ACC championship game in Tampa drew 27,360 fans in actual attendance, well below the 53,927 tickets that were sold and distributed."
"(Greg) Schiano said getting a second BCS berth for the Big East would be a milestone, but adds the conference is unique since it has only eight members."
"The Big East is 14-9 against the ACC in the past three years."

I have to say that this is probably one of the more balanced articles written on the relevance of the Big East (and ACC) within the BCS landscape. Something that is not highlighted well enough is the fact that with eight teams in the conference, the Big East will probably never have an at-large bid in the BCS. Extraordinary circumstances would have to take place, due to the fact that all teams play each other every season in the Big East (and therefore beat up on each other), unlike the other BCS conferences, where it's possible to avoid playing highly competitive teams during certain years. The other scenario could be having two very dominant teams, while the rest of the conference is relatively weak, resulting in one undefeated team, and a one loss team (that may or may not deserve to get an at-large bid, depending on the Boise States of the world in a particular season).

The issue of an unlikely at-large BCS bid should be another reason for Big East expansion. As mentioned in a previous post on this blog, Memphis could be a viable addition to the conference. Dissenters may argue that expansion has not helped the ACC get an at-large BCS bid. I would counter that by noting that the Big East has been playing higher quality football, and with the opportunity to bring more teams into the fold, the conference could essentially do more with more teams, than the ACC. Anyway, that's a debate for another time and place, and I can assure you that I will be posting quite a bit on potential expansion of the conference. For now, check out some more links:

I know you all can't go without your daily Brian Bennett fix:

The Day After Links

2008-12-26T11:10:00.002-05:00

Morning All,
Here are some links to get you going:

My Christmas Gift To You: Links

2008-12-25T22:07:00.003-05:00

And since it's Christmas, I'll throw in a vid for you too:

Mike Locksley is already paying dividends at New Mexico by snagging 3-star QB Emmanuel Yeager from Louisville. Yeager had been originally committed to Central Michigan, but Ron English lured him to the Cards. Now that Ron has flown the coop, Locksley swooped in and used his D.C. area mojo to lock up his first recruit:

This is kind of a weak post, I know, but it's Christmas and I've been hard pressed to get some time at the computer. My apologies for that and I will make every effort to pump out some more good material in the coming days. Till then, take care.

Muffler Bowl Links and More

2008-12-24T09:11:00.002-05:00

Not that this had anything to do with the Big East, but did anyone peep the Poinsettia Bowl between TCU and Boise State last night? I know tons of people were crowing about the Broncos not having been included in the BCS bowl picture, but after last night, I think it's safe to say that it probably would not have worked out for them even if they got a crack at Alabama or something. Then again, TCU is a good team in their own right and BSU may have been deflated enough to not play as hard as they would have in a BCS game.

Oh well, after all of that, all I've got for you are some Meineke Car Care Bowl links, along with a couple of Pitt links:

Want to Go Bowling? Play Tough Teams

2008-12-23T19:54:00.003-05:00

I came across an interesting piece from the Wiz of Odds today. Apparently, it pays to play tough schedules in D-1A college football; it'll get you into a nice bowl. The teams with the toughest road to bowls?:

1) Florida
2) Oklahoma
3) Texas
4) Alabama
5) Boise State
6) Utah
7) USC
8) Pitt
9) Cincinnati
10) Penn State

Make your own judgement on the above list, but as far as I can tell, I can't see any ACC teams on here. PAC 10? Just lonely ole USC. Props to the Big East for not backing down from serious competition.

Meanwhile:

Take These Links...I'll Get Back to Ya

2008-12-23T12:10:00.003-05:00

Hi folks, I'll be in transit most of today, so don't expect too many updates until later today. Till then, Happy Holidays and enjoy these:

That's all for right now, but you can bet there will be lots more to come.

Syracuse Stiff Arms JUCO Recruit

2008-12-22T16:07:00.006-05:00

Photo Credit: Joe Lewnard, Daily Herald

It's currently 13 degrees and snowing in Syracuse, NY. Harper College (IL) head football coach Dragan Teonic (Ivan Drago anyone?) might be thinking it's just a cold day in hell. That's pretty much what he thinks of Syracuse, its university, and its new football coaching staff after he learned his two-time JUCO All-American quarterback had his scholarship rescinded this week.

It was mentioned in an earlier posting on the Dangerfield Division, that Garrett Barnas (the QB in question) did in fact commit to Syracuse, even though a new head coach had not been named yet. Barnas, recruited heavily by fired head coach Greg Robinson's staff was undeterred by the coaching uncertainty, having said:

"Syracuse is one of the top schools there is so that in itself made me lean
toward them, even though I knew the coaching staff probably wouldn't be there."

Defensive Line Coach Derrick Jackson, who was retained from the Robinson staff apparently kept recruiting Barnas during the coaching uncertainty. It was also Jackson who had to call Barnas to inform him of the bad news.

No reaction yet from Barnas himself, but his aforementioned coach is furious at best. You can see the quotes from the article yourself, and you'll see just what I mean. I have to say, I think the reaction is harsher than it needs to be, but the complaint that Marrone should have made the call himself is warranted. The excuse for rescinding the scholarship is also legitimate (5 QBs already on scholarship), but again, it would have been nice for Marrone to convey this himself.

I don't think too much bad will come of this. A mistake was certainly made, but mistakes can be expected in the confusion and fast pace of a coaching change. Good news for Syracuse? They're coming along further in their quest to fill out a staff.

Potential Big East Addition: Memphis?

2008-12-22T13:38:00.010-05:00

In regards to football, the Big East Conference is too small. It would be ideal to expand by at least one and have a ninth team take the field for the conference. Could the Memphis Tigers be that team? Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson seems to think so as revealed in an interview by Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (h/t to Brian Bennett at ESPN for this find).

Here are some primary nuggets in the interview that should get everyone's attention:

GC: To the BCS point, where do you think Memphis is right now? What are the
chances that Memphis will be in a BCS conference in, say, 10 years?
RC: I
really believe we will be. I really do. I think there will be some shakeup
...
GC: When you say, "I really believe we will be," put a number on it. What
are the chances?
RC: I think 80 percent. I think it's a strong
possibility.

80%?! Fairly presumptuous if you ask me, but hey, I'm not sitting in on meetings between the school and Big East officials, so this may almost be in the bag for all I know!

RC: See, I think we're still seeing the evolving of changes. Lou Holtz said
the other day that we ought to do away with all this. Everybody should be in the
BCS. Every conference should add two teams. I know that sounds way out there.
But if you and I were talking six years years ago and we said Cincinnati and
Louisville were going to be in the Big East, we would have said that's way out
there.
The thing that we've got going for us is how well our programs are
doing, Central time zone, airport is easy to get in and out of. Now, people
don't all buy it but the truth is location did hurt us last go-round. That is a
factor. The ultimate thing for us, we should be in the SEC.
GC: But that's
not going to happen.
RC: Yeah. So you look around at the leagues, at our
opportunities, and I've contacted every league, from the Pac-10 to the Big Ten,
I've contacted them all. And the truth is that the only realistic opportunity
for us right now would be the Big East because the SEC isn't going to happen.
You keep hearing about Colorado going back to the Pac-10, Arkansas going back to
the Big 12, yada yada yada. Missouri may be going to the Big Ten so they can get
an even number. All those conversations. Every time I'm at an NCAA meeting those
conversations come up but I don't see it happening. I think the most realistic
opportunity for us is the Big East.
So what we're doing, we're going to make
ourselves the best we can possibly be in Conference USA. We have to make sure
our academics are online, we have to make sure our high-profile sports are doing
well and that our other sports are showing. That's why what baseball is doing
for us is really good. Back-to-back soccer championships is really good. I visit
with athletic directors of other leagues on a regular basis. I make a point of
doing that to try to always position ourselves.

There's a lot of stuff in there, but R.C. makes some valid points and it sounds pretty cut-and-dry that he wants to get Memphis into the Big East.

My thoughts:

Basketball is the primary obstacle to this equation working. Memphis has a quality high profile hoops program, but the Big East is overloaded at this point (a curse of having been a "basketball first" conference at its inception). One of two things needs to happen: either the Big East needs to cut ties with some or all of its basketball only program, or it needs to create a "basketball only" division of the conference. Given the history of some of the rivalries in the conference(read Syracuse/Georgetown), the first option is pretty much off the table. The second option is actually kind of intriguing and very doable. As a matter of fact, it could become a model for other conferences. Couldn't you see the PAC 10 wanting to add Gonzaga for bball? Or the SEC adding Creighton, ACC adding Dickinson, etc.? Not bad eh?

I like the location. Despite all the banter about Memphis being too far West to be in the "Big EAST," it's still East of the Mississippi River (good enough for me). And when you see schools like DePaul and Marquette in the conference, who cares anymore? Memphis is a solid-sized market with an appreciation for sports. I think fans in the area would welcome the possibility of their Tigers making a BCS bowl every year.

The facilities are lacking, but that should not be a sticking point. According to the article, strides are already being made in this department by the renovation of locker rooms and gym facilities. Yes, the Liberty Bowl is old, but I like the idea that this stadium has traditional value. The Liberty Bowl game is one of the more traditional and celebrated non-BCS bowls, and the facility it's played on has at least some of the cache of stadiums such as the Rose and Orange Bowl. If you pour money into this place, it can be a solid place to play football for years to come.

All things considered, I support this move if it ever happens. The Memphis area market, the quality of the program along with other sports (namely basketball), and the prospect of being able to revolutionize the way conferences are organized are all positive factors in this potential scenario. Most importantly, it would also add another quality Barbecue destination to the Big East docket (Syracuse--Dinosaur BBQ and Louisville). Either way, I'd stay tuned now that this is all out in the open.

Better Bloggers Than I Debate the ACC vs. Big East

2008-12-22T09:50:00.003-05:00

Pseudo-professional bloggers Brian Bennett (Big East) and Heather Dinich (ACC) at ESPN renew their ever-popular debate over which conference deserves to have its integrity called into question.

Now, we all know girls know nothing about sports, so Brian's got this one pretty much in the bag. In debating the bowl match ups between the two conferences, Brian concedes that West Virginia will have its hands full with UNC, especially given the fact that this game is being played all-to-close to Chapel Hill. Mountaineer fans travel well though, so I think Bill Stewart's crew will feel as "at home" as they can in a hostile environment. I'm rating this game as more of a "push." If WVU can rev up their offense enough to demoralize an inexperienced (when it comes to bowls) team, they may be able to pull this one out.

The debate over the Papajohns.com Bowl between Rutgers and NC State gets a little feisty. This essentially comes down to which team is hotter than the other going into the bowl. In looking at the two teams' schedules, Rutgers made a considerably longer and harder slog to the end than the Wolfpack. In looking at common opponents, Rutgers got crushed by UNC early in the season, and NC State dominated the Tar Heels toward the end of their schedule. On the other hand, NC State got taken behind the wood shed by USF, and Rutgers did just that to the Bulls later in the season. Again, another "push" in my mind, but I give the edge to Rutgers just because they finished the season slightly more impressively than NC State.

The Orange Bowl will go to Cincinnati according to both bloggers. Ah, it feels good to know that everyone is in agreement here. I see Brian Kelly's passing attack being too much for a Tech defense that is far too predicated on the run. Moreover, the Hokies have been downright terrible in their own passing game and have found it difficult to score. Notch another loss for ACC teams, and another win for Big East teams, in BCS bowls.

You thought I forgot your links? Not by a long shot pal:

Three Links For Ya

2008-12-22T07:55:00.002-05:00

Post St. Petersburg Bowl Links

2008-12-21T17:35:00.002-05:00

If There Was Ever a Reason for Better Big East Bowl Tie-Ins

2008-12-21T14:11:00.003-05:00

Note to incoming Big East Commissioner John Marinatto: negotiating new and better bowl tie-ins for the conference should be your number one priority. The USF Bulls took the Memphis Tigers behind the wood shed yesterday in the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl, but you'd hardly know it because not a lot of people really cared.

Greg Auman drives the point point by noting that the St. Pete Bowl was the least attended inaugural bowl since 1997. If you take a look at the list he provides, you'll also see that the International Bowl and Papajohns.com Bowl in 2006 were also lightly attended inaugural bowl season events that involved Big East teams (USF and Cincinnati).

This is simply unacceptable for a BCS conference, let alone, a BCS conference that I feel is of a higher caliber than at least the ACC. I'm not saying that the Big East should never be involved in first time bowls, but the conference can't make a habit out of it. I noted yesterday in my review of the St. Pete Bowl, that the result of the game demonstrates that the Memphis Tigers didn't even belong on the same field as the Bulls. It's embarrassing for a mediocre CUSA team to have to travel several miles to compete in what is essentially a home game for the opposing team; a team that is bigger, faster, stronger, and better coached.

Despite the low attendance to the St. Pete Bowl, organizers felt it was a "great start..." Well, I guess it can't get that much worse going forward.

Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest, let me hook you up with a few links:

Syracuse WR commit Alec Lemon (MD) is still solid with the Orange after the recent coaching change:

“I feel like with a new coaching staff coming in, we can start the program up
again, start all over. From what I heard, we’re supposed to run a spread
no-huddle and that’s good for me.”

Reports: Louisville Defensive Coordinator Ron English to Become Head Coach at Eastern Michigan

2008-12-21T00:48:00.012-05:00

Reports indicate that Louisville Defensive Coordinator Ron English will inherit an Eastern Michigan football team that went 3-9 this season and 16-42 overall under former head coach Jeff Genyk.

English, who was in his first season in Louisville under Steve Kragthorpe, previously headed a defense under Lloyd Carr at Michigan and was promptly relieved of his duties there by Rich Rodriguez when Rodriguez was hired to lead the Wolverines. He was then hired by Kragthorpe who was desperate to upgrade a defense that ranked 84th in the country in 2007. Unfortunately however, English led only marginal gains in the Cardinal defense, as the team ranked 69th in overall defense this season, although the team experienced in an inordinate amount of injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

In a hiring season marred by racial tension, especially in regards the potential hiring of Buffalo Head Coach Turner Gill at many schools, Ron English becomes only the fifth head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Steve Kragthorpe can't be pleased with the progression of his team's defense, and although Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich has publicly backed his much maligned head coach, Kragthorpe knows that next season could very well be "make or break" for him. Louisville's offense was certainly more of a problem for the Cardinals this season, but the departure of Ron English will also allow Kragthorpe to make a serious upgrade.

Look for Kragthorpe to pursue TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas, who has led a Horned Frog defense that has ranked no less than 25th nationally over the past four years (including a number 2 ranking this season, and two years ago). Another option could be Northern Illinois Defensive Coordinator Tracy Claeys.

On a less serious note, maybe U of L should consider hiring recently fired Syracuse Head Coach Greg Robinson. Out of Robinson's 10 wins in four seasons as Orange Head Coach, two of them were against the Cardinals. GROB, as he is affectionately known amongst the Syracuse faithful was a career defensive coordinator with stints in the NFL and more recently at the University of Texas prior to becoming head coach at Syracuse. You know what they say: "If you can't beat em', hire em'." Why the heck not, right?

Photo Credit: Scout.com