ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Because of the lack of a playoff system in college football and the subsequent weight placed on the regular season, one or two plays made or not made early in the year can make a huge difference.

The Big East is having a solid season, with three teams in the top 21 of the BCS standings and one legitimate national title contender. But let's look at how things might have changed with just a couple of alterations:

What if ... Pitt had held on against NC State?

Rewind to Sept. 26 in Raleigh. Pitt had a seemingly comfortable 31-17 lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. A Dave Wannstedt defense should close the deal, right?

Wrong. As you know by now, Russell Wilson went wild, and the Wolfpack scored 21 unanswered points. The Panthers still had a chance to win it, getting a gift turnover at the NC State 8-yard line in the final minutes. But Dorin Dickerson couldn't come down with a difficult catch, and Bill Stull's final pass sailed out of the end zone. Someone forgot to remind Pitt that it had a 6-foot-5 receiver (Jon Baldwin) with the leaping ability of an NBA small forward on that series.

What has to be most maddening for Pitt is that NC State hasn't won a game since, including a 21-point loss to Duke (!) at home. Had the Panthers won that game like they should have, they would have entered the Top 25 earlier, would be sitting at 8-0 and stalking the top 10, with hopes of a BCS title berth still alive.

What if ... West Virginia had held onto the ball at Auburn?

Remember the monsoon-like conditions that delayed the start of this Sept. 19 game? Perhaps that had something to do with the Mountaineers' slippery hands that night. West Virginia committed six turnovers, which negated its 509 yards of total offense. The Mountaineers looked like the better team most of the night and led 21-10 early before the turnovers doomed them to a 41-30 loss.

The defeat didn't look so bad as Auburn started off 5-0 and cracked the top 20. But since then, the Tigers have been exposed while losing three straight, eliminating any chance that West Virginia can sneak back into the BCS title picture as a one-loss team.

The Mountaineers would have climbed the rankings quicker with a win over an SEC team on the road, and based on their recent history and reputation, would probably be in the top 10 right now. Can you imagine the state of the Big East if Cincinnati, Pitt and West Virginia were all unbeaten right now? It's not that far off from being true.

What if ... UConn had protected its leads?

Football is not the top priority for the Huskies today, with Jasper Howard's funeral taking place. Still, their season and the Big East race could look much different had they closed out games.

Connecticut has led in the fourth quarter of all three of its losses. It was up 10-0 on North Carolina in the fourth (losing 12-10), ahead of Pitt 21-6 late in the third (losing 24-21) and up at West Virginia 24-21 last week with under three minutes left (falling 28-24). If even one or two of those go the other way, the season outlook is much better for this 4-3 team.

What if ... Pitt and Cincinnati win out before Dec. 5?

I get asked a lot if the Big East could somehow land two teams in the BCS. The scenario that could make it somewhat plausible goes like this: Cincinnati gets to 11-0 and teams ahead of it fall off, allowing the Bearcats to climb into the top three of the BCS standings. Pitt wins its next three to go 10-1, jumping into the top 10.

Then Pitt nips Cincinnati in a close, exciting game at Heinz Field on Dec. 5. The Panthers secure the Big East's automatic BCS bid, and the Bearcats stay ranked high enough to qualify for a BCS game.

Forget this one happening. Under BCS rules, Cincinnati would most likely need to finish in the top four to automatically qualify for an at-large bid. We all know a Big East team isn't getting an at-large invitation, and any Big East team that loses will almost assuredly take a big hit in the polls. Just look at how the Bearcats were treated this week, dropping three spots in the BCS standings despite winning 41-10 over Louisville.

This is one what-if you don't need to spend any time pondering.