2009 Big East College Football Preview

2009 Big East Preview

The Big East has always been overshadowed by other conferences in the country. This year they have several teams that are ready to make the league take notice of the Big East. The preview will list the teams in predicted order of finish in the Big East.

1. Pittsburgh Panthers—with any team coached by the “stache” Dave Wannstedt the first place to look is the offensive line. Coach Wannstedt loves to run to set up the pass and with four returning starters on the line they should see some success this year. LeSean McCoy left but in this offense he can be replaced. The Panthers counter with a defense that is nasty and will shut the opposition down. They are one of the deepest in this league and by far the toughest. Pittsburgh wins with defense.

2. West Virginia Mountaineers—West Virginia starts the 2009 without QB Pat White. White was the staple of this team and it will be hard to replace him. Head Coach Bill Stewart will try and replace him with senior Jarrett Brown and look to air it more this year. The only problem is the offensive line is being rebuilt and they won’t be as good as they were last year. The bright side is they return the entire defensive team from last year and that will keep them near the top of the Big East.

3. South Florida Bulls—Matt Grothe is where everything starts and stops with the Bulls this year. He is the best quarterback in the league and will be back to try and get a Big East title. He takes too many chances and that could increase with a lapse in protection as the Bulls return one starter on the offensive line. The Bulls are in a must win situation since it is the last year for the superstars on this team. If they can avoid the normal late season breakdown they may shock some experts.

4. Cincinnati Bearcats—Brian Kelly is one of the hottest coaches in the country and he staved off other offers to stay at Cincinnati. He recently signed an extension and brought in Bobby Diaco (Virginia) to run the defense as they switch over to a 3-4. This is a good time to switch because the Bearcats basically lost their entire defense. The good news is they still have a solid offense led by Tony Pike at quarterback. If the Bearcats can make this defense work they are looking to another great year and a bowl bid. They finish the year with three of four games at home against the Big East and that will help.

5. Uconn Huskies--Last year the Huskies had one of the worst offenses on the planet so they needed to shake things up. This year they will do just that as they go for a no huddle approach. They have the talent to get it done and will look for offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to find it. Andre Dixon can be that man in the backfield to carry the load. Connecticut will be in the race but will play more of a spoiler as the season unwinds. Playing all of the Big East toughest teams on the road will be a huge problem.

6. Rutgers Scarlet Knights—Greg Schiano has a lot to do to prepare the Knights for this year. They have lost veteran QB Mike Teel and still have not found a runner to replace Ray Rice. They have talent at running back and have four runners that may win the job; the problem lies in picking the right one. The defense is young and unless a surprise emerges this year it’s going to be a long year for the Scarlet Knights.

7. Louisville Cardinals-- Steve Kragthorpe has his hands full this year with Louisville. They limped to a 5-7 record last year with a defense that could be beat by anyone in the Big East and they lost much of the coaches in the off-season. Kragthorpe will call his own plays on offense and that should lead to his last year. They have no QB, have to replace everyone on defense, and will be near the bottom of the Big East.

8. Syracuse Orangemen –Doug Marrone took over the coaching job from Greg Robinson and he has plenty of work to do. Syracuse will take some time to recruit and rebuild. Right now the cupboard is empty and it will take several years for the Cuse to show some promise, three wins would be a gift.

Big East Winner: Pittsburgh Panthers