More reliable than the U.S. Postal Service, it's another edition of the Big East mailbag.
Griffin from NJ writes: I was looking at your list of home-run hitters in the Big East and I was shocked that Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers wasn't on the list. Then I saw the list of others to watch and Mark Harrison was there and Sanu wasn't. How can you make a mistake like that?
Brian Bennett: It all goes back to the definition of a home-run hitter in football. In my mind, that's a guy who can regularly rip off 30- to 40-plus yard plays, whether that's as a running back or receiver. I love Sanu as a player, but did you know he had only two plays from scrimmage last year that went longer than 35 yards in 113 touches? And that he averaged just 12.5 yards per reception? I expect him to get better at making the big plays, but he's not there yet. I've heard Kenny Britt comparisons thrown around with Harrison because of his physical skills, so I decided to think a bit out of the box for that post.
Jared from Ann Arbor, Mich., writes: Are you nuts? Connecticut winning at Michigan? Say what you want about Connecticut's defense, but they are massively undersized and won't get through a very veteran Michigan O-line. Similarly, I don't see UConn significantly threatening Michigan's weak spot (the secondary). I don't think they even have anyone on their team who can catch Denard Robinson .On top of that, they are playing in a hostile environment on one of the biggest stages in college football against a team hungry for wins. ... UConn is going to go down early and lose by about 2 touchdowns or more.
Brian Bennett: I haven't officially made a pick in this game, but I really like the Huskies' chances. Yes, they will have a size disadvantage, but size isn't everything. Will it be tough to win at the Big House? Sure, but Purdue did it last year. UConn is a well-coached, veteran team. Underestimate the Huskies at your own peril.
Pat from Pittsburgh writes: I love your blog, and I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't on it at least once a day. That said, I was wondering what your thoughts were about Pitt having an undefeated season this year? And if they did run the table do you believe they would get a title shot over, say, a 1-loss SEC or Big 12 team? The way I see it, if they can escape their nonconference schedule undefeated they should run the table because on paper no one can hang with the talent they have (i.e. Dion Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, Greg Romeus, Jabaal Sheard, Jarred Holley, Dan Mason, Hank the Tank, the list just goes on and on).
Brian Bennett: If Pitt goes undefeated, the Panthers will play for the BCS title. The schedule (at Utah, at Notre Dame, Miami) will be too strong to ignore. Remember Cincinnati almost got there last year without a nonconference schedule nearly as tough, at least on paper. Last year was a weird year with three undefeated BCS teams and five overall. That kind of thing isn't likely to happen again. Can Pitt do it? I don't think so. The schedule is too demanding, and despite your optimism, the Big East is too balanced.
Tommy from Memphis writes: Before Skip Holtz coached at ECU he was the head coach of UConn when we where Division [I-AA). When he left us we hired Randy Edsall who took us from [I-AA] too the Big East. Now that Skip is the head coach of South Florida, do you see any bad blood between South Florida and UConn?
Brian Bennett: I haven't heard anything of the sort, and from what I gather Holtz was and remains pretty popular in Storrs. I must confess that was back in the 1990s, well before I started following UConn football too closely, however. Any Huskies fans with a different sense about this should feel free to sound off below.
Dave R. from Charlotte, N.C., writes: Sorry, I need my expansion talk fix. What is the best-case scenario for the Big East Football schools 10 years from now? Is there any way the conference (whether the teams stay in the BE or break away to form their own conference) can shed its Junior BCS image? What can we realistically hope for?
Brian Bennett: Dave, I hope there are support groups for junkies of your ilk. In a best-case world, the Big East would have added a couple of teams (say, Central Florida and a beefed-up Villanova) and those schools had immediate success to give the league 10 legitimate football members. Meanwhile, a Big East network is up, running and profitable, while the league's top teams are consistently making runs at a national title. If another round of expansion madness arrives, the league would be in a position to poach as well as be poached. I'm thinking all of that may be a bit too optimistic, however.
Steve from Morgantown, W. Va., writes: I think maybe Cleveland sports fans felt how us WVU fans did when RichRod abandoned us while watching the LeBron special the other night. It was like watching all hope of a national championship walk out the door.
Brian Bennett: I'd certainly agree that Rich Rodriguez is about as popular in Morgantown as LeBron is in Cleveland right now. But West Virginia's national-title aspirations and opportunities didn't begin with RichRod, and they didn't end when he left town, either.
Griffin from NJ writes: I was looking at your list of home-run hitters in the Big East and I was shocked that Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers wasn't on the list. Then I saw the list of others to watch and Mark Harrison was there and Sanu wasn't. How can you make a mistake like that?
Brian Bennett: It all goes back to the definition of a home-run hitter in football. In my mind, that's a guy who can regularly rip off 30- to 40-plus yard plays, whether that's as a running back or receiver. I love Sanu as a player, but did you know he had only two plays from scrimmage last year that went longer than 35 yards in 113 touches? And that he averaged just 12.5 yards per reception? I expect him to get better at making the big plays, but he's not there yet. I've heard Kenny Britt comparisons thrown around with Harrison because of his physical skills, so I decided to think a bit out of the box for that post.
Jared from Ann Arbor, Mich., writes: Are you nuts? Connecticut winning at Michigan? Say what you want about Connecticut's defense, but they are massively undersized and won't get through a very veteran Michigan O-line. Similarly, I don't see UConn significantly threatening Michigan's weak spot (the secondary). I don't think they even have anyone on their team who can catch Denard Robinson .On top of that, they are playing in a hostile environment on one of the biggest stages in college football against a team hungry for wins. ... UConn is going to go down early and lose by about 2 touchdowns or more.
Brian Bennett: I haven't officially made a pick in this game, but I really like the Huskies' chances. Yes, they will have a size disadvantage, but size isn't everything. Will it be tough to win at the Big House? Sure, but Purdue did it last year. UConn is a well-coached, veteran team. Underestimate the Huskies at your own peril.
Pat from Pittsburgh writes: I love your blog, and I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't on it at least once a day. That said, I was wondering what your thoughts were about Pitt having an undefeated season this year? And if they did run the table do you believe they would get a title shot over, say, a 1-loss SEC or Big 12 team? The way I see it, if they can escape their nonconference schedule undefeated they should run the table because on paper no one can hang with the talent they have (i.e. Dion Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, Greg Romeus, Jabaal Sheard, Jarred Holley, Dan Mason, Hank the Tank, the list just goes on and on).
Brian Bennett: If Pitt goes undefeated, the Panthers will play for the BCS title. The schedule (at Utah, at Notre Dame, Miami) will be too strong to ignore. Remember Cincinnati almost got there last year without a nonconference schedule nearly as tough, at least on paper. Last year was a weird year with three undefeated BCS teams and five overall. That kind of thing isn't likely to happen again. Can Pitt do it? I don't think so. The schedule is too demanding, and despite your optimism, the Big East is too balanced.
Tommy from Memphis writes: Before Skip Holtz coached at ECU he was the head coach of UConn when we where Division [I-AA). When he left us we hired Randy Edsall who took us from [I-AA] too the Big East. Now that Skip is the head coach of South Florida, do you see any bad blood between South Florida and UConn?
Brian Bennett: I haven't heard anything of the sort, and from what I gather Holtz was and remains pretty popular in Storrs. I must confess that was back in the 1990s, well before I started following UConn football too closely, however. Any Huskies fans with a different sense about this should feel free to sound off below.
Dave R. from Charlotte, N.C., writes: Sorry, I need my expansion talk fix. What is the best-case scenario for the Big East Football schools 10 years from now? Is there any way the conference (whether the teams stay in the BE or break away to form their own conference) can shed its Junior BCS image? What can we realistically hope for?
Brian Bennett: Dave, I hope there are support groups for junkies of your ilk. In a best-case world, the Big East would have added a couple of teams (say, Central Florida and a beefed-up Villanova) and those schools had immediate success to give the league 10 legitimate football members. Meanwhile, a Big East network is up, running and profitable, while the league's top teams are consistently making runs at a national title. If another round of expansion madness arrives, the league would be in a position to poach as well as be poached. I'm thinking all of that may be a bit too optimistic, however.
Steve from Morgantown, W. Va., writes: I think maybe Cleveland sports fans felt how us WVU fans did when RichRod abandoned us while watching the LeBron special the other night. It was like watching all hope of a national championship walk out the door.
Brian Bennett: I'd certainly agree that Rich Rodriguez is about as popular in Morgantown as LeBron is in Cleveland right now. But West Virginia's national-title aspirations and opportunities didn't begin with RichRod, and they didn't end when he left town, either.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
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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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