Linkage

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Posted by DCS

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

• Brian Bennett answers your questions here and here
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin says that MagicJack may in fact be back as the sponsor of the St. Petersburg Bowl next year and beyond
• Tom Heiser of the Louisville Courier-Journal weeps for Dalton Cissel who turned down Navy to walk on for Kragthorpe's "sinking ship" (pun intended I suppose)...
• ...speaking of Louisville, B-Squared (a Louisville native himself) interviews the Cards' new d-coordinator, Brent Guy
• More from Tony Fiammetta's journey toward the NFL
• A thoughtful piece from Bleed Scarlet on how Iowa's days recruiting in the Garden State may be over

A Hump Day Look Around the Big East Football Landscape

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Posted by DCS

Here's what I've got for you:

• In case you were worried, USF's academic performance rating improved (Brett McMurphy / Bulls Report)...
• ...and the MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl is no more...well sort of
• Rutgers hires a Director of Football Recruiting Operations
• Bill Stewart suspends Jock Sanders indefinitely; no surprise there (Scout.com)
• Keith Sargeant of Scarlet Scuttlebutt opines on the Sporting News' rating of Kenny Britt as a top 10 prospect for this year's NFL draft
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin assures the Bulls faithful that it's okay to schedule two D-1AA opponents

Buck Up Big East Fans, It Aint All That Bad

Friday, January 2, 2009

Posted by DCS

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:

• Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog chalks up Cincy's loss to mistakes and a stout Hokie defense....
• ....but B-Squared notes that fans should not look down on the Bearcats' season
• Orange Bowl analysis from Matt Zemek of scout.com
• Orange Bowl pics, courtesy of scout.com

UCONN will cheer you up:

• A year in review for UCONN on the UCONN Blog -- many positive things to note about the Husky football team
• Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant updates us ahead of the International Bowl

Post St. Petersburg Bowl Links

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Posted by DCS

• Greg Auman discusses how the Chargers' Philip Rivers inspired Matt Grothe and the USF Bulls to win
• USF Offensive Coordinator Greg Gregory comments on the Bulls' bowl win

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

Posted by DCS

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:

• WVU kicker Pat McAfee calls out the "fair weather" Mountaineer faithful
• Rutgers keeps the recruiting gravy train rolling with another commit
• Doug Marrone is going to be patient about hiring a Defensive Coordinator
• David Moulton of the Naples Daily News (FL) asks Notre Dame to join a conference as a Christmas wish
• Rutgers is building a Delaware pipeline

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.”

No Contest: USF Downs Memphis to Make Big East 1-0 in 2008 Bowls

Posted by DCS

The Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl in Florida was not one of the more anticipated bowls for college football fans this season. For the University of South Florida Bulls however, it was an opportunity to go out on a high note after a season that produced many disappointments. Go out on a high note they did, as USF trounced the Memphis Tigers 41-14 in front of an announced crowd of just over 25,000 at Tropicana Field.

USF quarterback Matt Grothe was unquestionably the player of the game going 17/24 for 236 yards and three touchdowns (no interceptions). Grothe also put up numbers on the ground by rushing for 83 yards on 15 carries, including a 32 yard scamper. For his troubles, Grothe was named "most outstanding player" for the game.

ESPN this evening incorrectly reported that "The Bulls have made a bowl game the last four seasons, which is every year they've been in the Big East, but this is their first win." In fact, USF is now 2-2 in bowl games since 2005. They defeated East Carolina in Papajohns.com Bowl in 2006.

This win starts the Big East Conference on an auspicious note for this year's bowl season. The next bowl involving a Big East team comes next Saturday in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, when West Virginia takes on North Carolina.

Notes:

• USF rocked some white helmets this evening; a look they had not previously donned. I liked it and think the white helmet/green uniform combo should become a USF staple.
  
• I think this bowl was a first step in what I feel will be a larger point that Big East teams will make this season: that the conference needs to negotiate better bowl tie ins. Memphis did not deserve to be on the same field as the Bulls this evening and it showed from the opening drive when Matt Grothe hit Taurus Johnson for a quick fade rout to begin what would be a USF rout of the Tigers.

Photo credit: AP

Tuesday A.M. Links

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Posted by DCS

• Meineke Car Care Bowl Opponents WVU and UNC can both theoretically have a shared beef with Ernie Davis bio pic "The Express"
• North Carolina fails to live up to their high standards for college football

Possibly the dumbest segment I've ever seen, but either way, it gives view of preparations for the St. Pete Bowl at the Trop:

Links; Are We Starting to See a Pattern?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Posted by DCS

More from B Squared on ESPN's Big East Blog:

• Pitt's Year in review
• Interview with Doug Marrone part 1
• Interview with Doug Marrone part 2

And:

• New Jersey will undertake a full audit of the RU Athletics Department (yikes!)
• What has Brown done for UCONN? I guess not enough; he's coming back
• Brian Kelly is looking for room on his mantle for all his "Coach of the Year" awards

And finally; a breakdown of the St. Pete Bowl by ESPN's Todd McShay:

It's Monday, But I've Got Links Once Again

Posted by DCS

From the bleachers (the Bleacher Report):

• Teddy Leroux likes USF's chances on a neutral field (ahem, at home) against Memphis
• Adam Helfgott says "woulda, coulda, shoulda" for Rutgers 2008 season

And...

• Rutgers lands the second coming of Ray Rice

I'd also like to leave you with this link to a highly entertaining video, courtesy of Track 'em Tigers. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Big East, but provides some important perspective on the heat athletic directors get when they're in the process of hiring a new head coach.

Links for Lunch

Friday, December 12, 2008

Posted by DCS

The Doug Marrone hiring is not the only news in the Big East. Check it:

• Cincinnati hopes to reap recruiting benefits from their Orange Bowl berth (and win)
• Kevin Donahue at Fanblogs.com thinks Brian Kelly and others got a big stiff-arm on Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year nominations.
• Travis Rice details the Rodgers / McCoy showdown in the Sun Bowl on the Bleacher Report
• An update on where USF stands prior to the St. Pete Bowl
• B squared over at ESPN mixes it up in his Friday Mailbag
• Ousted Rutgers' AD Mulcahy speaks out

Those Ingrates; the Scarlet Knights

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Posted by DCS

Tom Luicci of The Star Ledger feels that Rutgers got stiffed when they were selected for the Papajohns.com Bowl. Hey, see for yourself:

"No point in mincing any words here. Rutgers is heading to what is arguably the
worst bowl on college football's 34-game post-season lineup."

He goes on to describe how Rutgers deserves to instead play in the Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl in Florida; the bowl that USF was selected to play in against Memphis. I agree in principal that Rutgers is a better team than USF, that they are more entertaining to watch (at least this season), and that Birmingham, AL is a less desirable destination travel to for a bowl. Despite that, Rutgers should take an overall view of how this affects the Big East Conference.

If USF were to instead play in Alabama against a God-awful team, nobody would show up. Because the Bulls are playing what is a de-facto home game, they'll get fans in the seats and create some local interest in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Rutgers on the other hand, has to deal with going to a substandard bowl, albeit against a worthy opponent, making for an intriguing match-up. There's no question that incoming Big East Commissioner John Marinatto will need to improve the conference's bowl tie-ins, but for now, I say Rutgers should take one for the team and represent the conference well against the ACC.

Vegas Says USF By Two Touchdowns; No Bull

Monday, December 8, 2008

Posted by DCS

Brett McMurphy of the Bulls Report (linked above) lets us know that Las Vegas odds makers are expecting the USF Bulls to hand the Memphis Tigers a sound loss by 14 points in the MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl on December 20. Yowzaaa! I realize this is tantamount to a home game for the Bulls, but what does this say about Memphis if USF is arguably the Big East's worst team (certainly coldest team) going into bowl season? Let's have a look see shall we? Memphis started slow this season, losing their first three games (Ole Miss, Rice, and Marshall). Hey, some teams are slow starters, okay? The Tigers would then go on to even their record by rattling off three straight wins against powerhouse programs: Nicholls State, Arkansas State, and UAB. I won't go into the rest of the schedule; you can see it for yourself. I will say though, that they lost to Louisville, and Big East fans are keenly aware of how inept of a team Steve Kragthorpe's guys were this season. Anywho, if there is a team that USF can exploit to get off the schneid, this is it.