We've reached another weekend, and rest assured we have only a few more of these before there is actual football practice. Let's get to some e-mail to close out the week.
Eddie from Norwalk, Conn., writes: Hey, Brian, I know the UConn secondary has some questions, but I would like to think that are big defensive three could match up with anyones in the conference. I would say Greg Lloyd, Lutrus/Wilson, and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are as good as most in the conference. Yes I know that spring injuries have set Lloyd and Wilson back a bit, but I feel come September everyone will be healthy and be playing better then ever before.
Brian Bennett: Well, Eddie, you kind of answered your own question there as to why I didn't include UConn in my top five Big East defensive triplets. We don't even know yet if Lloyd will play this season. And none of the defensive backs have proved much. Wreh-Wilson showed promise toward the end of the season, but given that he didn't even practice this spring, I'd say it's premature to call him one of the best in the conference at this point.
Brady W. from Barcelona, Spain, writes: After looking at your breakdown at the Top 25, list I was disappointed to see you didn't break it down considering the ranking of each player. I've attached my calculations with No. 25 = 1 pts and 1 = 25pts. It's considerably more interesting than just the number of players or such.
Pittsburgh: Total 92 points
West Virginia: 76
Cincinnati: 53
Connecticut: 41
Rutgers: 33
South Florida: 20
Syracuse: 6
Brian Bennett: I appreciate you doing the math for me there, Brady. But surely there must be better things to do in Barcelona, no?
Mike from Trinity writes: Hey, Brian, got a question that's been on my mind for a while now, maybe you can give me some insight. We all know about South Florida's quarterback issue. The thing that's been bothering me is that Skip Holtz inherited this roster. Had Jim Leavitt remained the head coach he would have the same lack of quarterbacks. In hindsight it looks like Matt Grothe getting hurt last season gave the team a QB with one season under their belt. Coaching changes aside was this going to play out any differently?
Brian Bennett: That's a good question. Leavitt was recruiting Brion Carnes, whose offer fell through the cracks during the coaching transition. But with Holtz picking up Jamius Gunsby, that's basically a wash (and Gunsby might be the better player anyway). I do know Leavitt was enamored with Evan Landi; who knows if he would have kept Landi at quarterback, though Landi's transition to receiver began under the former staff. Either way, there wouldn't have been much depth, and it appears Leavitt missed out on getting a quarterback or two in previous classes.
Andrew from California writes: At the end of the season when 10-2 (6-1) WVU faces 12-1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, how many points do you think WVU will win by? Do you think Texas keeps it close, or do you think WVU wins by more than 10? Also, 10-2 (6-1) Pitt in the Champs Sports Bowl versus (8-4) FSU: do you think Pitt loses by 20 points or 30 points?
Brian Bennett: Hey, I'm just glad we're talking about actual football again.
Eddie from Norwalk, Conn., writes: Hey, Brian, I know the UConn secondary has some questions, but I would like to think that are big defensive three could match up with anyones in the conference. I would say Greg Lloyd, Lutrus/Wilson, and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are as good as most in the conference. Yes I know that spring injuries have set Lloyd and Wilson back a bit, but I feel come September everyone will be healthy and be playing better then ever before.
Brian Bennett: Well, Eddie, you kind of answered your own question there as to why I didn't include UConn in my top five Big East defensive triplets. We don't even know yet if Lloyd will play this season. And none of the defensive backs have proved much. Wreh-Wilson showed promise toward the end of the season, but given that he didn't even practice this spring, I'd say it's premature to call him one of the best in the conference at this point.
Brady W. from Barcelona, Spain, writes: After looking at your breakdown at the Top 25, list I was disappointed to see you didn't break it down considering the ranking of each player. I've attached my calculations with No. 25 = 1 pts and 1 = 25pts. It's considerably more interesting than just the number of players or such.
Pittsburgh: Total 92 points
West Virginia: 76
Cincinnati: 53
Connecticut: 41
Rutgers: 33
South Florida: 20
Syracuse: 6
Brian Bennett: I appreciate you doing the math for me there, Brady. But surely there must be better things to do in Barcelona, no?
Mike from Trinity writes: Hey, Brian, got a question that's been on my mind for a while now, maybe you can give me some insight. We all know about South Florida's quarterback issue. The thing that's been bothering me is that Skip Holtz inherited this roster. Had Jim Leavitt remained the head coach he would have the same lack of quarterbacks. In hindsight it looks like Matt Grothe getting hurt last season gave the team a QB with one season under their belt. Coaching changes aside was this going to play out any differently?
Brian Bennett: That's a good question. Leavitt was recruiting Brion Carnes, whose offer fell through the cracks during the coaching transition. But with Holtz picking up Jamius Gunsby, that's basically a wash (and Gunsby might be the better player anyway). I do know Leavitt was enamored with Evan Landi; who knows if he would have kept Landi at quarterback, though Landi's transition to receiver began under the former staff. Either way, there wouldn't have been much depth, and it appears Leavitt missed out on getting a quarterback or two in previous classes.
Andrew from California writes: At the end of the season when 10-2 (6-1) WVU faces 12-1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, how many points do you think WVU will win by? Do you think Texas keeps it close, or do you think WVU wins by more than 10? Also, 10-2 (6-1) Pitt in the Champs Sports Bowl versus (8-4) FSU: do you think Pitt loses by 20 points or 30 points?
Brian Bennett: Hey, I'm just glad we're talking about actual football again.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
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