ESPN College Football

The Big East lost a handful of top-flight receivers, including Kenny Britt, Tiquan Underwood, Dominick Goodman and Taurus Johnson. But don't worry. Some of the league's best playmakers are still on board, and lots of new ones are ready to step forward.

Let's take the temperature of each Big East team at the receiver spot with the first spring practices less than a week away:

Feeling great

• Cincinnati: Goodman is gone, but first team All-Big East wideout Mardy Gilyard returns after catching 11 touchdown passes and 1,276 yards. The Bearcats will need Marcus "Bones" Barnett to get back to his freshman form and for a youngster like D.J. Woods to emerge. But there's not too much to be worried about here.

• South Florida: Seventeen different Bulls caught at least one pass in 2008, and there's a wide cast of characters ready to run routes for Matt Grothe again in '09. Leading receiver Jessie Hester Jr. is back, along with A.J. Love, Carlton Mitchell and Dontavia Bogan. Add in promising redshirt freshman Daniel Bryant and some incoming speedster recruits, and the Bulls have a full stable of receivers.

Feeling pretty good

• Pittsburgh: The Panthers might have the single most talented receiver in sophomore Jonathan Baldwin, who could develop into something truly special. Even without Derek Kinder, this should be a solid group as T.J. Porter, Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee come back. Still, these guys have to prove themselves in a passing game that hasn't exactly been prolific of late.

• West Virginia: The Mountaineers should be well-positioned to make the adjustment to more of a pro-style passing offense. Alric Arnett had a big Meineke Car Care Bowl and looks to be in line for a breakout senior year. Bradley Starks should be more of a contributor now that he doesn't have to split his focus being a backup quarterback. Newcomers like Logan Heastie could make an immediate impact, and Jock Sanders will try to work his way back from a suspension. The group has to be far more consistent for West Virginia to avoid last year's stop-and-start offensive problems.

One question

• Louisville: If Scott Long is healthy, this could be among the best receiving corps in the Big East. Long missed several games last season with a broken foot, then tore his ACL shortly after coming back. When he's right, he's the playmaker the Cardinals need. Doug Beaumont, Josh Chichester and Troy Pascley are among those who gained valuable experience with Long out last season, and they should be better for it this year.

Some questions

• Syracuse: The return of Mike Williams from his one-year academic exile figures to do wonders for this group, but Williams has to show that he's not too rusty. Junior Donte Davis started to become a go-to guy last season, and perhaps the new coaching staff can get more out of former major recruit Lavar Lobdell. Some of these questions should be answered in the spring.

Big questions

• Connecticut: UConn's passing game was a train wreck in 2008, and the receivers shouldered a large part of that blame. Now, with the Huskies looking to open up things more, they simply have to get better. Last year's leading receiver was Kashif Moore, who managed just 27 catches and 273 yards in 12 games. And he averaged fewer yards per catch than fullback Anthony Sherman. This is a work in progress, and Connecticut may have to lean on some true freshmen like prized recruit Dwayne Difton.

• Rutgers: Anytime you lose perhaps the best two receivers in school history in Britt and Underwood, there are going to be major question marks. Tim Brown (565 yards in 2008) and Dennis Campbell (183) are the leading returning wideouts, but they seem more like complementary parts than true No. 1s. The Scarlet Knights will likely look to youngsters like Marcus Cooper and Keith Stroud to become the next big things in Piscataway.