Big East Predictions

Stiles Points is providing predictions for all the major conferences....today it is the Big East.....
1. West Virginia (12-0) - this team learned a lot over the last two years while posting a 22-3 mark....the X factor will be freshman Noel Devine....Pat White (photo) is an amazing talent at quarterback and Steve Slaton is a Heisman candidate....should be a fun year in Morgantown....

2. S. Florida (9-3) - the Bulls are the best kept secret in the nation....they pounded The ‘Ville 2 years ago and beat West Virginia last year....remember the name Mike Ford - a freshman running back who couldn’t make the grade at Alabama....he supposed to be the real deal....the Bulls return 9 on offense and 7 on a defense that only gave up 17 points a game....

3. Louisville (9-3) - even though Brian Brohm is back at quarterback, the Cards will miss Bobby Petrino....they return six on defense and added former Miami linebacker Willie Williams....they do have the best wide receivers in the conference....

4. Rutgers (8-4) - Greg Schiano will not be able to surprise anyone this year....Ray Rice will have to carry the load this year....

5. Pitt (7-5) - the Panthers were 6-1 at one point last year, then tanked the rest of the season....Wannstedt has recruited well and it will start to show this year....the Panthers took a hit by losing all-conference wideout Derek Kinder to a knee injury during summer practice...

6. Cincinnati (5-7) - the Bearcats have to start over again with another new coach....they return 16 players....

7. Syracuse (4-8) - is it too late to get Coach McPherson out of retirement?....

8. Connecticut (3-9) - this program was going north a few years ago, but has fallen on hard times....

Upset Alert
Sept. 28 - West Virginia @ S. Florida - a Friday night game in which West Virginia must have their A game or their title game hopes will not even make it to October.....
Sept. 29 - Louisville @ N.C. State - Chuck Amato is no longer the coach at N.C. State....the Wolfpack will be tough to beat at home....
Nov. 25 - S. Florida @ Pitt - the Bulls host Louisville the week before and could be in line for a let down in Pitt’s final home game of the year....plus it will also be cold this time of year....

Best Players
W. Virginia - Steve Slaton - rb; Patrick White - qb
S. Florida - Ben Moffitt - lb; Mike Jenkins - cb
Louisville - Brian Brohm - qb; Harry Douglas - wr; Mario Urrutia - wr; Malik Jackson - lb
Rutgers - Ray Rice - rb; Jeremy Ito - k; Anthony Davis - g
Pitt - Lowell Robinson - kr
Cincinnati - Dominick Goodman - wr
Syracuse - Jameel McClain - de
Connecticut - Danny Lansanah - mlb

Best coach - Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia - there are some good coaches in this conference, but R-Rod is the leader
Best quarterback - Pat White, West Virginia - Brian Brohm will be a better NFL quarterback, but Pat White is the man in college....he can beat you running and throwing....
Best offensive player - Steve Slaton, West Virginia - the kid is a beast....
Best defensive player - Ben Moffitt, S. Florida - everything I read about this kid indicates he is a difference maker....

Overview - forget the naysayers who bash the Big East.....last season proved that the Big East is a legitimate football conference and will only get better in time.....for instance, freshman offensive lineman Anthony Davis picked Rutgers over Ohio State when he was choosing his college....a few years ago that would not have happened....all the players and coaches in the conference are setting the foundation for a solid future of this conference.....they are the trendsetters....