Big East: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Rutgers coach Kyle Flood did some more switching along his offensive line during the spring.

His post-spring depth chart looked different from the one he released before practices started. Four players had been moved around, and there could be a few more tweaks once fall practice begins in August.

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Kyle Flood
AP Photo/Mel EvansOffensive line depth should be a positive for Rutgers coach Kyle Flood in 2012.
At the end of spring, here is where everybody is lined up: Betim Bujari, center; Taj Alexander, right guard; R.J. Dill, right tackle; Kaleb Johnson, left tackle. Antwan Lowery, left guard.

Flood discussed some of the changes he made, and why he made them, during the Big East spring meetings. Here is what he said:

"Betim at center was something we started doing during the spring. I really felt like when we tried to evaluate at the end of the spring and said, ‘OK, who are the five best payers right now?’ Betim was going to be one of them. Kaleb Johnson was going to be one of them. Those were the two definites. We felt like by the end of spring, R.J. Dill was one of them. He has a résumé, now we’ve seen it live, now he has a chance to acclimate himself in our system. It was a good process for him and for us. We have three pieces of the puzzle now. Where is the rest of the talent pool coming from? If R.J. is a right tackle, we don’t want to move him.

"The interesting thing is going to be on the left side. Right now, we have Kaleb at left tackle, Antwan at left guard, but (tackle) Andre Civil had a really good spring. You almost have a situation where if Andre emerges during training camp, Kaleb could play guard. If Antwan continues to emerge, then Kaleb would start at left tackle. We don’t want to flip Kaleb from left to right. We know he’s one of the five pieces. There’s no doubt about that. On the right side, we have a nice competition for that right guard spot. The last week of camp, we played Taj at guard, which was great. I think with a good plan during training camp he has a chance to do a nice job for us and we have David (Osei) there. We feel we’ve built some depth there. We could have a situation with eight to nine players who can help us win and play consistent football."

Has he ever had that type of depth at Rutgers?

"I don’t think I’ve had that," Flood said. "The best group we had was in 2006 and the same five guys started every game. We never had to find out how many we had. This might be the deepest group we’ve had. Now we have to see how good they can be."

Flood has been adamant that he does not want to continue to flip players, so he is hoping to make decisions early in camp and stick with them. It will help to have Johnson and Bujari at full strength.

"When we decide whatever five are going to start, I want to give them the opportunity to build some chemistry and build some consistency," Flood said. "That’s critical. All the good lines I’ve ever coached have been like that."
Is there such a thing as a Big East coach being hated because he wins too much?

The answer is clearly no when you look at the current group of head coaches. Three of them have never coached in a Big East game. Three are going into their third seasons in the league and are barely above .500. Paul Pasqualoni has a bushel-full of victories, but nearly all of them came at Syracuse two decades ago.

So let us take a dip back into history to find an answer. Here are the all-time winningest coaches in Big East history, by overall percentage. I am using this statistic because many of the biggest winners do not stick around the Big East for long.
  • Larry Coker, Miami: 35-3 (.921)
  • Dennis Erickson, Miami: 42-6 (.875)
  • Brian Kelly, Cincinnati: 34-6 (.850)
  • Bobby Petrino, Louisville: 21-4 (.840)
  • Butch Davis, Miami: 51-20 (.718)
  • Bill Stewart, West Virginia: 28-12 (.700)
  • Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia: 60-26 (.698)
  • Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: 108-48-1 (.691)

The conclusion is an easy one: Much more than one hated coach, Miami was a hated team because of all the wins it racked up while playing in the Big East from 1991-2003. That includes two national championships and seven Big East titles, more than any other school. Coker was never vilified or hated. The man is impossibly nice.

Davis' image took much more of a hit at North Carolina because he left the place in scandal, with two major investigations hanging over the program. While at Miami, he was lauded as the man who saved the program from NCAA sanctions. It is hard to hate a coach who won 10 games only once in his career.

Erickson simply took over for Jimmy Johnson and continued what was started.

But the assignment is to find a coach hated for winning. Let's look at some of the other names on the list. Kelly and Petrino were hated much more for the way they left their programs, as documented earlier in this series. Kelly only coached three years in the Big East; Petrino only two in the Big East. I can't imagine their short stays struck fear into the hearts of opponents, despite all the victories.

So let's turn the focus to Rodriguez. He, more than any of the aforementioned coaches, probably fits the bill. In his final three seasons in Morgantown, Rodriguez won two league championships and had three 11-win seasons. His team went undefeated in league play in 2005, one of only two teams to accomplish the feat in the past seven years. He won with swagger and style, and some of the best athletes in Big East history.

But I used the word probably. Because as great as Rodriguez was, his on-field coaching career in the Big East will be defined by what he didn't do in 2007. West Virginia was ranked No. 2 in the country going into the regular-season finale against Pitt in the always heated Backyard Brawl. Win, and the Mountaineers would be playing for the school's first national title. Pitt was already out of the bowl picture, entering the game at 4-7. West Virginia was a 28 1/2-point favorite.

Slam dunk, right? Well, you guys know what happened. Pitt pulled one of the biggest upsets in the series, and Rodriguez went packing to Michigan. The loss will always follow Rodriguez, despite all of his wins in the league. On the day he needed a win most of all, he failed. But that loss did not make him a villain in Morgantown. Leaving did.

That is why it is hard to anoint any Big East coach as somebody hated for winning.

Current Big East coaches' career records in the league:
  • Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse and UConn: 112-63-1
  • Doug Marrone, Syracuse: 17-20
  • Butch Jones, Cincinnati: 14-11
  • Charlie Strong, Louisville: 14-12
  • Skip Holtz, USF: 13-12
  • Steve Addazio, Temple: 0-0
  • Paul Chryst, Pitt: 0-0
  • Kyle Flood, Rutgers: 0-0

Video: Rutgers coach Kyle Flood

May, 23, 2012
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Rutgers coach Kyle Flood discusses with Andrea Adelson some of the hot topics at the Big East spring meetings.

Big East lunchtime links

May, 23, 2012
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Spring meetings are wrapping up today, so the Big East chat has been moved to Thursday at 4 p.m. Hope to see you then!
It is well documented that coaches leave the Big East -- in less than graceful ways.

But I contend that nobody left their program more in the lurch than Todd Graham at Pitt.

What he did was cold and callous, resigning after he was not given permission to interview at Arizona State last December. Refusing to open the door when Pitt officials came knocking. Sending out a goodbye text to his players, the very ones he sold on honor, loyalty, trust and commitment. Now, this does not make him different than many other head coaches, who say one thing today and are gone tomorrow.

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Todd Graham
AP Photo/Charlie NeibergallTodd Graham's departure forced Pitt to find its fourth head coach in a two-year span.
What makes his situation different are the circumstances surrounding his departure. Yes, Greg Schiano left Rutgers in the lurch for the Tampa Bay Bucs, less than a week before signing day. But he had been at Rutgers for 11 seasons and built a successful program on his own. Maybe you overlook some of the more unsavory details about the way he left because you can appreciate what he did while in New Jersey.

Graham? He stuck around for one miserable 6-6 season. He did nothing but hurt Pitt. Because his one-year tenure left the Panthers looking for their fourth head coach in a two-year span. No other program has had to deal with that type of coaching turnover. Most importantly, no player has had to deal with that type of coaching turnover.

If college football is supposed to be about the student-athlete experience, then I cannot imagine anybody at Pitt can say they have had an unbelievable time when you consider the drama.

Dave Wannstedt recruited this group of seniors. Then he got fired after delivering a share of the Big East title. New coach Mike Haywood came along from Miami (Ohio). He was then fired after less than three weeks on the job after an arrest on domestic violence charges. In came Graham, who arrived selling high-octane football in a blue-collar Pennsylvania town. Was he all about the Pitt student-athletes?

Not if you consider billboards around the city with his face on it. Not when you consider the way he criticized his players for failing to pick up his prized system. Not when you consider the way he treated quarterback Tino Sunseri. It was always about Graham, which is why he ultimately left. The job was a mistake, he says now. His kids did not like Pittsburgh, he says now. Yet during the season, his wife proudly posted photos of herself and her kids in Pitt jerseys before games and practices.

He failed Pitt, and he failed his players, who came out on Twitter to blast him publicly for the way he left. Not one player ripped into Schiano. That shows you the big difference between the two.

Now, the Panthers players have to start over again. Sunseri has to learn his third offensive system in three years. Who can blame him for being slow to pick it up this spring? Changing playbooks once in four years is hard enough. Doing it three times in three years is almost too much to ask. Credit the Pitt players for not complaining about the lot they have been given.

They are happier to have new coach Paul Chryst, a man who at least seems to want to put roots down in Pittsburgh. He is going back to the way Pitt likes to play offense, another positive step. If hindsight is 20/20, Pitt should have just hired Chryst instead of Haywood when it had the chance. Instead, the Panthers went through an unnecessary and overly straining rigmarole.

Pitt is hoping all that is in the past. It cannot afford to have another coach leave it in the lurch yet again.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- There are plenty of questions surrounding the Big East headed into the summer. One, of course, is who will be the next commissioner?

I took a quick sampling from a few Big East coaches to see what they want in the next leader of the league. Here are a few responses:

Skip Holtz, USF: Somebody that’s going to have the vision, the leadership, the communication to do what’s in the best interest of this league moving forward. I’m excited. From a selfish standpoint, you’d like to have somebody with a football background … but I don’t think that’s what’s going to be mandated or required. I’m just looking for somebody with the leadership skills and strength to come in and run this league and do what’s in the best interest of the members involved.

Butch Jones, Cincinnati: Leadership. Vision, and also it’s, to be proactive. We have great institutions within the Big East Conference. We have a great philosophy on and off the field, with the institutions involved and where we are with the TV market, it’s a great product. We’re more competitive now than we have ever been. We made great additions to the league. Moving forward, that’s what you see.

Kyle Flood, Rutgers: I think the most important thing to me and to our football program at Rutgers is whoever ultimately ends up in that job becomes a vocal advocate for our conference. So whatever issues we decide in our conference, you want somebody who is going to have strong opinions based on the consensus of the people in the conference. And then have the ability to work with the other commissioners and work with the bowl representatives and the TV executives to get the best deal done for everybody.

Big East lunchtime links

May, 22, 2012
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Just put on a happy face!

Coaches you love to hate

May, 22, 2012
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Time for a little game. Think of the most vilified college football coaches today.

Your list probably looks something like this:

Bobby Petrino.
Rich Rodriguez.
Todd Graham.
Randy Edsall.

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Connecticut Huskies head coach Randy Edsall
Kim Klement/US PresswireRandy Edsall is just one of many former Big East coaches who left the league.
You know what they all have in common. They all were Big East coaches at one point in time. Really great Big East coaches, to boot. But alas, great coaches never stick around for long in this league, a common lament among Big East fans. Perhaps the bigger question is -- what has made the Big East a breeding ground for villainous coaches?

Consider the recent history.

Exhibit A. Petrino got his first head coaching job at Louisville, and did one heck of a job, going 41-9 in four seasons. But the Cardinals were never just right, were they? I mean, how could they be when you 1) Try to negotiate a deal to become head coach at Auburn behind your boss' back. 2) Interview at Florida, Mississippi AND LSU the following year, while pledging love and loyalty to Louisville in between. 3) Forget loyalty and interview with the Oakland Raiders after Year 3 in Louisville. 4) Finally end the misery and leave for the Atlanta Falcons after a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl berth.

That Atlanta dream job was not quite right either, so he left with good-bye statements taped to his players' lockers before the season even ended and headed for Arkansas. You all know how well his stint ended there.

Maybe all these aforementioned Big East coaches just hate good-byes.

Edsall left for Maryland after UConn lost the Fiesta Bowl to Oklahoma in January 2011 and never told his players word one about his plans. In fact, he did not even take the team charter home with the team. What may even be worse than that -- he made Jordan Todman get up in front of the team to explain why he was leaving early for the NFL draft. Edsall just finished a 2-10 season at Maryland in which he took a beating and lost 24 transfers. He is working hard to right the ship -- but you can bet some folks in Storrs are thinking, "Karma!"

Meanwhile at Pitt, Graham also had a tough time with good-byes at the end of last season. He told his players he was leaving via text message and hightailed it for Arizona State after a 6-6 season in which he had his players buying into an "high-octane" and "high-energy" offense. This, of course, came after he pretty much begged for the Pitt job after the Mike Haywood fiasco. But his shenanigans started at Rice, where he also had a one-year stint before leaving for Tulsa. ESPN.com columnist Mark Schlabach dubbed Graham the new president of the Liar's Club after his Pitt exit.

Rich Rod? Well, he is persona non grata in two states, West Virginia and Michigan. Who can forget the drama after he left the Mountaineers for the Wolverines in 2007, a few short months after signing a new contract and pledging his commitment to his school? West Virginia sued Rodriguez in the wake of his departure, and Michigan turned out to be an absolute disaster. It sure ain't easy being hated in as many spots as these guys.

There are others who left in less-than-ideal ways. How about Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, waiting until the end of his team banquet to announce his departure for Notre Dame? This was hours AFTER players began hearing news reports that they had lost their coach. Most recently, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano left for Tampa Bay less than a week before signing day, not even telling his loyal assistants, who were out on the road recruiting without any idea about what was happening.

His departure was tame compared to the rest. As for the others, I think they would make an excellent subject for a new television series.

"College Football Coaches Behaving Badly."
As part of “College Football Live’s” 100 Days Till Kickoff countdown, here’s a look at the top 10 players in the Big East. For those wondering, the Big East blog will still have its annual preseason Top 25 player countdown a little later in the summer.

Without further adieu:

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Pitt's Ray Graham
AP Photo/Keith SrakocicRay Graham could be the Big East's best player if healthy.
1. Ray Graham, RB, Pitt. Taking a calculated risk here, considering we have no idea how Graham is going to look a year after tearing his ACL. Coach Paul Chryst says Graham will be ready for fall camp. If Graham is able to return to form, he should be the best player in the league.

2. Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers. Greene goes into the season as the preseason favorite to win Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season, after sharing honors with Derek Wolfe in 2011. Though he broke his ankle in the bowl game, he will be ready for fall camp. Side note: Isn't it a neat that he and Graham are brothers?

3. Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt. Donald emerged last season, finishing second in the league with 11 sacks. He has shifted inside to tackle this year, but he is the most productive and experienced player returning to the Pitt defensive line and should continue his upward trajectory.

4. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville. Bridgewater had a sensational freshman season, winning league Newcomer of the Year honors. Hopes are high for him to build off his impressive campaign in his second year as a starter. Louisville will do more to take advantage of his athleticism, with plans to install some hurry up offense.

5. Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers. Ryan led the league with 16 passes defended -- 13 breakups and three interceptions last season. Defensive back is one of the strongest positions across the league, and Ryan leads the way as the Big East's best cornerback.

6. Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville. Smith has gotten better in each of his seasons with the Cardinals, so this season should feature more of the same. In 2011, he had 84 tackles, tied for second in the league, with nine pass breakups. He also tied for second in the league with three forced fumbles and made the Big East first team.

7. Ryne Giddins, DE, USF. Giddins emerged in the second half of last season (yes, I know many of you still remember him for his personal foul against West Virginia), and is in line to have a breakout year for the Bulls, who should have one of the stronger defensive lines in the Big East.

8. B.J. Daniels, QB, USF. Daniels should be the best quarterback in the Big East, considering he is going into his fourth year as a starter. Is this the year he finally lives up to expectations and delivers a long-awaited -- and first -- league title?

9. Walter Stewart, DE, Cincinnati. Coach Butch Jones says he has not been around a player as focused as Stewart in a long time. That is saying something, considering the defensive stars the Bearcats had last season. Stewart is poised to give Cincinnati a huge presence at rush end.

10. Lyle McCombs, RB, UConn. McCombs ran for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman last season and returns for 2011 with much more confidence -- and the Huskies hope a better offensive line. He goes into the season as the unquestioned featured back.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- One of the big topics discussed during the football coaches meetings at the Big East spring meetings was how they want the future BCS to look.

The consensus from the Big East coaches: They would like to see bowl sites incorporated for the semifinals, have no problem with a neutral-site national championship game, and want preference given to conference champions.

With talk about a four-team playoff growing, and the next BCS meetings scheduled for June, each conference is taking various proposals to their administrators and coaches for further evaluation. Big East athletic directors will weigh in on the future BCS during discussions Tuesday.

"In college football, it’s different than college basketball. We don’t play nearly as many games. Winning your conference should matter," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. "It should stand for something. Not that there wouldn’t be a place for a team in an at-large situation. But at the end of the day, winning your conference should have some value."

Added Cincinnati coach Butch Jones: "The first thing is preserving the bowl system. So much of it is a reward to our student-athletes and our universities and to our fans and it’s embedded in college football. But also it's good having a playoff to crown a national champion. So to be able to have the semifinals in the bowl games, that helps solidify that, but also having a neutral site for the national championship game would be extremely healthy for the world of college football."

As for the Big East's place in the future of the BCS, senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli believes there will be a seat for the league in the future despite talk about the league not being a part of the largest BCS revenue generators.

"Everything that’s being discussed at some level is going to include the performance of the teams in each conference," Carparelli said. "If you look historically at the number of teams we’ve had ranked, revenue-wise, we’ll do fine. Some conference may end up making more revenue than others but it’s probably deserved. And in the end, the pool of money is going to be so much greater this time around, we feel pretty confident we’ll have an increase in revenue we will be getting."
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- There are plenty of items on the agenda for the Big East spring meetings, which begin Monday and run through Wednesday. Here is a brief primer on what the league's administrators, coaches and interim commissioner Joe Bailey will have on the table.

1. Conference stability. Though a league official told Joe Schad that Boise State has reaffirmed its commitment to the conference, you can bet that is going to be among the topics discussed. The Big East needs Boise State to join in a pretty bad way, and the Broncos must find a home for its non-football sports now that the WAC appears to be on the brink of collapse. Boise State is the big-ticket school the Big East needs moving forward. But beyond Boise State and the non-AQ schools joining, the Big East needs to know that all its member schools are committed so it can move forward in a meaningful way. That goes for teams like Louisville, UConn and Rutgers to name three. All of the new members -- Boise State, San Diego State, SMU, Houston, UCF, Temple, Memphis and Navy will be represented at the meetings. Syracuse and Pitt will not be there.

2. Commissioner search. The Big East has to find a new leader for the conference and fast, what with BCS negotiations set to continue in June and TV negotiations set to begin in September. What will the consensus be among those in attendance about the type of person they want in charge? How will Bailey assist in getting the Big East the best leader it can find among a rapidly changing landscape?

3. TV contract. The Big East has to get an excellent TV deal when it begins negotiations in September. First and foremost, it needs to be in the same ballpark as the deal that it turned down last year; and it is going to have to be in the same ballpark as the ACC to really be able to move forward. How will the Big East negotiate, which TV partners are interested, and will this finally lend stability to the league?

4. BCS, playoff. It appears to be a certainty that a four-team playoff will be coming to college football for the 2014 season. Which format does the Big East approve? More importantly than that, how does the Big East keep its seat as one of the top-six conferences in terms of BCS revenue distribution? The league is in danger of falling out of that grouping. That leads to the next topic.

5. Bowl tie-ins. The recent news that the Big 12-SEC champions would play in a bowl game is not good for a league like the Big East. Colleague Mark Schlabach writes: "And what about the depleted Big East? It's pretty clear the Big East is no longer sitting at the same table with the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC, after it lost Pittsburgh, Syracuse, TCU and West Virginia to other leagues. Now the Big East might not even be sitting in the same room as the other BCS conferences." The possibility of a Big East-ACC matchup might be on the table, but Schlabach writes, "That matchup has really worked out well for the Orange Bowl. Maybe they'll increase the stakes by giving the winner an at-large invitation to the NCAA men's basketball tournament."

6. Divisional alignment. Lost among all the hot topics is divisional alignment once the Big East expands beyond eight teams for 2013. All reports point to Temple joining the West with Boise State and San Diego State, along with Houston and SMU. The other team moving out West has not been completely determined. Once Navy joins for 2015, then there will probably be more shifting. Of course, the Big East may look totally different in 2015 so ...
Sports fans cannot get enough of their teams -- particularly behind-the-scenes looks at their teams. That is one reason why "Hard Knocks" is so popular.

Rutgers has decided to delve into behind-the-scenes territory with a 90-minute documentary airing Saturday called “RFootball: 15 Days of Spring.” New coach Kyle Flood gave Mind Over Media total access to the program as it focused on telling the story of his first spring as head coach.

The documentary starts with the first day of spring practice, as Flood prepares to leave his home at 5 a.m. He gives his son a hug and is off to the athletic facility in the dark. When he arrives, he stops at the entrance, snaps a quick photo and then begins his day. Next up is linebacker Steve Beauharnais, one of several players miked for the documentary.

"This is the time to come together and build chemistry," he says into the camera. "This is a great time to get on the field, do what we love and build more chemistry."

Specifically about Flood going into his first spring, Beauharnais says, "It doesn't seem like it's his first rodeo. I love the way he's handling things, the way he's handling the media. I think he's going to live up to the expectations, and so is this team."

There is plenty to be seen, from the equipment room -- stacked with boxes and jerseys and pants -- to the weight room, to the practice field. Scott Vallone details film he watches so you get a better idea of what players are actually studying when they say, "I have been getting in the film room more."

There is even a glimpse into the home life of Rutgers fullback Michael Burton, who arrives at his room to find his girlfriend had made him dinner. I can see why he is prepared for some good-natured ribbing.

The documentary also features draft day with Mohamed Sanu and the final spring game, to wrap. It airs on SNY and Comcast Saturday. Check local listings for times.
Time for my long-awaited post-spring power rankings. I made only a few changes from the pre-spring rankings. Here goes ...

1. Louisville: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked better than ever this spring, giving me renewed confidence the Cardinals are going to be the preseason favorite in the league. The secondary should be exceptionally strong, and the offensive line should be better. Questions remain at running back and with depth in the front seven. But of all the teams in the league, I think the Cardinals have the most stability headed into the season. Plus, it hugely helps to have Charlie Strong entering Year 3.

2. USF: Big jump for the Bulls. I know I said I refused to buy into USF until the Bulls actually do something. But what they have returning is hard to ignore. Generally speaking, teams with 18 returning starters -- many of them seniors -- do really well. So do teams with veteran starting quarterbacks. While USF still has some major question marks on paper -- can B.J. Daniels develop, what happens at running back, where is the depth at linebacker -- the Bulls look like they have a shot.

3. Rutgers: At one time, I had Rutgers as my preseason favorite. But I am a little nervous about the situation at quarterback. I thought there would be a resolution this spring, but neither Chas Dodd nor Gary Nova did much to impress. Mohamed Sanu is gone, there are more shifts on the offensive line, and the running game has to prove something. I think the defense will be the best in the Big East. The offense is scaring me right now, which is why I moved the Scarlet Knights down.

4. Cincinnati: The Bearcats do return talent, and players who saw some significant action last season. But they also lose 21 seniors, including Big East Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Pead and Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe. I don't have any doubts that the Bearcats will have a good season. I just don't know if they will win another championship.

5. Pitt: If there is any team with "ifs" all over the roster, it is the Panthers. They have a new head coach. They are returning Tino Sunseri at quarterback. Nobody knows how Ray Graham is going to do after major knee surgery. The offensive line has to be better. There is not much depth on the defensive line. If all of these come together, the Panthers could be really good. If they don't, they could be really bad.

6. UConn: The Huskies will be good on defense. But what about quarterback? I feel like a broken record saying the same thing over again. Quarterback uncertainty always makes me hesitant to rank a team in the top half of the league. I was hesitant last year, and I am hesitant again this year.

7. Syracuse: I have said this before, but it bears repeating: I think Syracuse is the hardest team to gauge in the Big East. The Orange have to be more consistent on offense. They have to find a running game to help ease some of the burden off quarterback Ryan Nassib. Does Ashton Broyld give them enough to get them more explosive plays? The defense still has depth concerns in the front seven.

8. Temple: I worry about how the Owls will make the transition to the Big East in Year 1. I think Temple has a good team, but the Owls also lost a lot of their best players and have depth concerns on the offensive and defensive lines. That is enough to worry any coach in Year 1 in a major conference.

Big East lunchtime links

May, 16, 2012
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So I don't think Pitt fans are too happy about the Sunseri news. Understatement?
USA Today has come out with its thorough annual study into expenses and revenues at every single Division I public school, and the results are not all that surprising.

Only 22 schools among all Division I public schools operate in the black, generating enough revenue to cover all athletics expenses. UConn and Louisville are the only two Big East schools that fit that category among the six public league schools that provided information to the news organization.

According to USA Today, revenue generated across all schools increased by $190 million. But spending across 227 public schools in Division I rose by $267 million from a year ago. Subsidies across all schools also have grown. Rutgers receives the greatest help among the Big East schools when it comes to subsidies, at 47.3 percent of its revenue. West Virginia was the only Big East school getting less than 10 percent of its revenues from subsidies.

Check out the interactive database to see where your school stands. Syracuse (private) and Pitt (state exemption) are not included.
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