By Matt Lowry (edited by Amy Lamare)

Welcome to the Big East.  This is a conference where almost every year the race is pretty damn unpredictable and often, an out of nowhere team comes and shocks the nation.  (Amy: Well, come on, this is the Big East – shocks the nation? Nah!) Last year the Big East was pretty weak with only two ranked teams in the conference.  Winning the Big East conference doesn’t always guarantee the highest ranked team takes the title either – last year UConn, ranked at #25, got the BCS Bowl over the better ranked West Virginia Mountaineers due to the Huskies beating them in head to head competition. This year the Big East is looking like it is West Virginia’s to lose. Next year will be even more interesting with the arrival of  the TCU Horned Frogs to the Conference. Let’s go ahead and preview the 2011 Big East from first to worst.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers are my favorites to win the Big East. Last year West Virginia went 9-4 and shared the Big East title with UCONN.  During the offseason Bill Stewart was forced to resign from West Virginia due to a well publicized coaching controversy. Dana Holgorsen was named the new head coach. This Mountaineer team returns 12 Starters (8 on offense- 4 on Defense).  Dana Holgorsen is known to make magic happen with the offense (Look at Oklahoma State for an example). He will have two powerful weapons in quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Tavon Austin.  Shawne Alston  will have to fill the void left by Noel Devine, one of the departed WVU offensive stars. The offensive line returns intact – which will provide Smith the protection he needs. The defense, on the other hand, will have to rebuild with seven starters lost. Defensive End Bruce Irvine has been picked by some to be an All American and will look to lead this inexperienced defense during the 2011 season. Defensive Coordinator Jeff Casteel,  entering his 10^th year,  will certainly have his hands full with this defensive unit.

Overall West Virginia breaks in a new coach and must work with a lack of experience on the defensive side of the ball. They will be exciting to watch but will they be able to stop teams from scoring? Time will tell, but this team remains the favorite to win what is overall, a weak conference.

South Florida

Last season South Florida went 8-5 with one of those five being a loss to the Florida Gators (Sure, Florida struggled all year but still, they are FLORIDA). This year USF could really sneak up and challenge West Virginia for the Big East crown. South Florida returns 11 Starters overall (5 on Offense 6 on Defense) and has some very good recruits joining the Bulls this year. South Florida’s offense is very athletic this year. BJ Daniels returns as the starting quarterback but will have to stay both healthy and consistent in order to get South Florida to a BCS bowl.  The battle for the starting running back slot between Demetris Murray and Colorado Transfer Darrell Scott should be interesting. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them split carries as each has explosive traits. Another player to watch for is Lindsey Lamar. He is a speedster on special teams and will make a lot of noise this year. The defense seems to be the strength of the team this season – returning six starters in the Secondary. The Defensive line will have to step up as they will all be unseasoned. They will need to take the pressure off the defensive backs and linebackers in order to make things easier

kip Holtz has a lot of potential on this team, and they could win the Big East. If USF plays their cards right look,  for the West Virginia/South Florida game on “Championship Saturday” (December 1^st) to be a de facto Conference title game. (The Big East is one of two BCS conferences currently without a title game.)

Pittsburgh

Last year Pittsburgh went 8-5 (5-2 in Big East Play)  and shared the Big East title in a three-way split with UCONN and West Virginia. The Panthers  have lost a lot of players and personnel from last year’s team including head coach Dave Wannstedt  - who resigned after the season.  Todd Graham,  Tulsa’s head coach last season, is the new Panthers coach. Simply put, he has a lot of work to do in his first season.  Pitt returns 13 starters (5 on offense- 8 on Defense). On offense the Panthers lost a lot of fire power from last year’s team, they return only five starters. QB Tino Sunseri returns to the team behind an experienced offensive line to help make things a bit easier in the backfield. The Receiver position will need some work as well – beyond  Mike Shanahan the position is wide open. The Running back position is hurting with the departure of Deion Lewis. Ray Graham will attempt to fill that void and help Pitt field a running game. The defense will be a huge strength for the Pittsburgh Panthers. With eight starters returning,  Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will have it pretty easy (Well not really). All of the defensive line returns with senior Brandon Lindsey standing out in the group. Linebackers and the Secondary also return starters which makes this group the most experienced defense in the Big East. (A scary thought.)

Syracuse

I have the Syracuse Orangemen at 4^th in the Big East I think this could be a  Dark Horse team. Now before you look at me all crazy just hear me out.  Last year, the Orangemen had a successful season under head coach Doug Marrone. They ended their season with eight wins. This year expectations are pretty high in Syracuse  - it has been a long time since they have been coming off of eight wins. Syracuse returns 12 Starters (7 on Offense- 5 on Defense) and could sneak up and surprise their opponents. The offense will have a lot of firepower led by  QB Ryan Nassib who was absolutely solid in his first full season under center. Look for him to have the same success this year with a strong offensive line. The O-Line looks to be the strength of the team this year.  Both Wide Receivers Van Chew and Marcus Sales return to the team, making the passing game viable for the Orangemen. The defense has five starters returning and will be a work in progress. Syracuse must replace their top two linebackers (Derrell Smith and Doug Houge), but look for Marquis Spruill to stand out in on this defensive unit. The Defensive Line will have a job getting pressure off the Linebackers and Defensive Backs and with Mikhail Marinovich and Chandler Jones to take care of getting into the backfield.

The Orangemen will have plenty of firepower on offense and leadership on defense to improve on the eight win season.  They have a tough schedule with an out of conference trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to face USC,  but Syracuse gets a break with both West Virginia and South Florida at home. If they can capitalize on that home field advantage, well the folks in Syracuse will have something to celebrate this season.

Cincinnati

I have the Bearcats at 5^th in the  2011 Big East. This is a team who took a big hit last year with the departure of head coach Brian Kelly (who, for those of you living under a rock, left to coach Norte Dame). Butch Jones took over and his first year wasn’t what he had in mind with a record of 4-8 (2-5 in Big East Play). This wasn’t the same Bearcat team the Kelly years. The Bearcats return 16 starters to the team (5 on Offense—11 on Defense) and things could get better for Cincinnati this year.  That said, the O-Line is completely  depleted and inexperienced.  QB Zach Collaros and running back Isaiah Pead return to the team and, by default due to their experience, will have to carry most of the load on offense. DJ Woods also returns to bring a top target for the passing game but other receivers will have to step up as well. The defense, on the other hand, returns every single player from last year’s team.  Cincy and Pitt are the most experienced defenses in the Big East this year.

Look for this year’s Bearcat team to improve from that 4-8 disaster season last year. The offense will have to grow up fast and put some points on the board while the defense will  try to win them some games.

Louisville

I have the Louisville Cardinals at 6^th in the Big East preview. Head Coach Charlie Strong came into his first season with some work to do. Projected to finish last in the Big East last year,  Charlie Strong made it clear to his Louisville players that they had to be tougher –  and they did finishing the season at  7-6 and making it to a Bowl Game. This season Louisville looks to improve on that record. The Cardinals return 11 Starters (4 on offense- 7 on defense).  The offense lost a lot from last year’s team and with only four starters returning on the offensive side of the ball A LOT of it work needs to be done. Louisville will be unproven at quarterback and running back as they break in two new starters. Junior QB Will Stein looks to be the projected starter for the Cardinals and will have to try and lead this team and put some points on the board. The receiving core returns intact with Josh Bellamy, Andrell Smith, and Damian Copeland.  The offensive line will break in new starters as well with only one returning starter in Mario Benavides. The defense will be the strength of the team this year as they return seven starters. Charlie Strong is a defensive guy so look for this team to be lead by their defense.  The defensive line returns all but one starter. Linebackers Daniel Brown and Dexter Heyman return to the team to provide big time help for the defense on the blitz. The corners will have new starters as well but look for Safeties Hakeem Smith and Senorise Perry to lead them and provide help.

Overall Louisville is on the rise under Charlie Strong with recruiting getting better and talent beginning to pile up. This year’s Cardinal team could win as many as eight games.

Connecticut

Last Season was a big season for UCONN Football as they won  a share of the Big East title and got the conference’s automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl, where they got rocked by the Oklahoma Sooners. To add on to the pain UCONN head coach Randy Edsall left for the Maryland head coaching job. New head coach Paul Pasqualoni comes with a 107-59 record (Not bad at all). This year the Huskies come into the season returning 15 starters (6 on offense- 9 on defense).  The offense breaks in a new QB and offensive coordinator in George DeLeone.  Mike Box will be the starting quarterback for the UConn Huskies and will have plenty of weapons to work with. DJ Shoemate (who transferred from USC) will get the start at running back  (something he could never manage at USC) but will have to take care of the fumbling issues that he had last season.  The offensive line returns with a few starters to protect the QB and help the running game.  The wide out position returns 100% intact with Mike Smith standing out.  He will provide the leadership for this UCONN team and will be Mike Box’s number one target. The defense also returns strong with nine starters from last year. The defensive line is lead by potential all-conference DT Kendall Reyes who will try to blow up plays in the backfield. The line backing core will be a weak point on this team.

Rutgers

The  Rutgers Scarlet Knights are dead last in the Big East Preview. Last year was a huge drop off from their nine win season. The low point was having 69 points hung on them by Cincinnati. Rutgers has hit rock bottom. This year Rutgers returns 17 Starters to the team and will look for some sort of improvement from the team. The offense has a new offensive coordinator in Frank Cignetti who is breaking in a Pro-Style offense. Quarterback Chas Dodd who started seven games as a freshman will get a full start under center this season and will have plenty of weapons to dish it to with Mark Harrison and Mohamed Sanu returning to the team at wide receiver. Jeremy Deering will get the start at running back after moving from a deep wide receiver position. Look for him to thrive in the wildcat plays. On defense Rutgers has to replace six starters from last year’s team. This will be a team that will have its work cut out for them on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line will be hurting after the departure of their two top tackles.  The secondary will also need some work as well after Greg Schiano moved Marcus Cooper from receiver to corner last season.