It’s almost too easy to make fun of the Big East Mess (see it only took 12 words. I kid, I kid. But seriously, just look at the list of future additions to provide “stability” – Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU, Temple, and Navy. Are they serious? These teams span three time zones. The schools will be traveling more than George Clooney in Up in the Air. Could any conference have had a more embarrassing offseason? The perennial bottom dweller of the BCS rankings and butt of every joke, I’m positive the Big East Mess had to do regrettable, unspeakable things all over the country to add those schools, lost its only national brand in WVU, saw TCU run scared before setting foot in the conference, and worst of all – had to beg Temple to rejoin the conference. That was just this year’s addition and subtraction equation. Pitt and Syracuse have finalized their buyouts to leave after this season! All this from a conference that is 7-7 in BCS bowl games and is still considered worse than the miserable ACC. Alright, enough of the jabs; let’s talk about the outlook for the 2012-2013 season!
Louisville starts as a fringe Top 25 team, earning the 25 slot in the AP poll and 27th in the coaches poll. Charlie Strong has a heck of a team returning from last year, and I won’t be surprised to see them have a solid 2012 campaign. The offense returns the Big East Mess’s most dynamic player in dual threat quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The sophomore was thrust into the starting position as a true freshman and was able to lead the Cardinals to a share of the Big East Mess title in 2011. Bridgewater was turnover prone last season, but should be more comfortable in the offense to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Bridgewater will be throwing to his high school teammate Eli Rogers, who led the team in receptions last season. But the Cardinals allowed 41 sacks and had almost zero run option. The line returns four starters, and it can’t get any worse than last year, so look for Louisville to be more efficient in the run game. Defensively, Louisville is sound. Ranked in the Top 25 last year in points allowed, nine starters return with all four linemen and two All-Big East Mess secondary members. Louisville will enter as the preseason favorite, but the success of the season falls on the offensive line. Can they handle the pressure?
South Florida maybe the most talented team on paper year in and year out, but the Bulls have failed to string together an entire season since joining the conference. This is the year for the Bulls to step up. Senior B.J. Daniels returns as the starting quarterback and is throwing to his leading receiver Sterling Griffin and the talented Florida transfer Chris Dunkley. Their leading rusher, Darrell Scott, is no longer around, but all spring and summer sessions indicate a talented crop of running backs to fill the void. The offensive line returns three starters that should give Daniels the time to hit his skill players, and to create holes for those backs. Skip Holtz has hired Chris Coch from Kansas State to manage the defense, and he inherits a defense starting nine upperclassmen led by preseason All-Big East Mess defensive end Ryne Giddins and linebacker DeDe Lattimore. The area of concern is in the defense’s depth. There’s a lot of inexperience behind the starters and inexperience in the secondary can lead to back breaking big plays. As always, the Bulls defense will be strong, but they’ll need to limit the turnovers and stay healthy to contend for the title.
Let’s talk Temple football (who thought you’d ever see that written), but the Owls have to have one of the best turnaround stories of any program. Kicked out of the league for not meeting minimum attendance requirements and failing to field a competitive team, Temple has a chance to show they won’t just rollover anymore. Temple has appeared in two bowl games over the last three seasons, and that third season was a joke. They finished 8-4 and were denied a bowl bid (yet 6-6 teams are better entertainment?). A UConn like story isn’t out of the question for this Temple team. UConn came into the conference and was competitive right away, sharing the title only three years after joining. Expect this year to be a transition year for the players and staff, but don’t be surprised if they pull a few upsets. The offense loses four starters from the line and stud running back Bernard Pierce, but Montel Harris, the talented running back booted from Boston College, should provide some spark to the offense. Health will be his biggest concern with his surgically repaired knee, but if he comes out playing like he did at BC, conference opponents should be scared. Defensively there will be just as many growing pains. They lost four All-MAC players, but return players with plenty of game time experience. Overall, expect Temple to be competitive, but fall short of a lot of conference wins. The loss of key players from last year’s nine win team, new teams for the coaches to scout, and the jump to a BCS conference will make it hard for the Owls to become bowl eligible.
Pitt is an interesting case. Each year they bring in talented recruits and still haven’t managed to put it all together, and this is the last year to prove themselves before leaving for the ACC. They’ve shown flashes of brilliance and have been utterly miserable to watch the following week (unless you’re a WVU fan, then it’s must watch TV). Todd Graham bolted, but with his departure they were able to hire offensive coordinator, Paul Chryst, from Wisconsin. Chryst is trying to implement his pro style offense with a roster tailored to Todd Graham’s spread scheme. To make matters worse, Tino Sunseri is the most inconsistent quarterback in the league throwing 11 picks to only 10 TD’s. Expect a weekly starting quarterback battle throughout the year. But the offensive outlook isn’t completely glum. If there’s one thing Chryst knows it’s the run game. Pitt has the most talented backfield in the conference with Ray Graham and Rushel Shell. If Graham is fully recovered from his knee surgery, this will be the best one-two punch in the conference, and one of the best in the nation. This won’t matter though if the line doesn’t improve. They allowed Sunseri to be sacked 60 times last season, so as potent as the running game may be, it won’t matter if the boys upfront don’t do their part. The Panthers only return five starters on defense, but four of those are in the secondary. It will be tough to throw on the Panthers with preseason All-Big East Mess corner K’Waun Williams and two-time All-Big East Mess safety Jarred Holley returning. Luckily, the conference isn’t filled with the greatest offenses, so if Pitt can put up some points like Chryst was able to do at Wisconsin, Pitt should be able to hold on for a few W’s.
This conference is filled with more drama than a daytime soap opera. There are so many storylines and jokes to fill in here, but I’ll save those for the season. Here’s my prediction for the final standings:
Predicted Finish
1. Louisville
2. South Florida
3. Rutgers
4. Pittsburgh
5. Cincinnati
6. Syracuse
7. Connecticut
8. Temple
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