ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Just got to Annapolis, where I'll be covering tomorrow's Pitt-Navy game. Wouldn't it be cool if Navy played its games on an aircraft carrier? I mean, you'd have to be careful diving for balls out of bounds and all, but still.

Anyway, time to catch up on some correspondence.

Rob from Pittsburgh writes: Brian, in response to the boo-ing at the WVU/Syracuse game, the funny thing is that "bubble screen" which the more unenlightened fans in the stands were booing, wasn't actually a "bubble screen" at all but were three level flood plays in which the quarterback has to make a read and go through his progressions to determine the throw. According to Jarrett, he wasn't seeing open receivers down the field so went to the safety valve in the flat several times. The formation in which they run the three level flood is a spread formation and very similar to the old "bubble screen" formation which fans were so frustrated with. I was amongst the fans in the stands and was every bit as frustrated as anyone else but understand that things aren't always what they appear. I didn't know about the specifics until later but always refrain from booing my team under any circumstances. You are entirely correct in the lateral damage statement you made. As a football player on the field, (especially the quarterback throwing the ball and making the reads), I would take that personally and it would definitely affect my confidence. Mountaineer fans everywhere: Be patient and save your negativity until after the game and send messages here or the post-game radio shows instead and support our Mounties always!!

Brian Bennett: Good points, Rob. Of course, Brown had an injured shoulder as well, though fans didn't know that until after the game. As I've said, I certainly understand the frustration, but patience is needed.

Brian from West Haven, Conn., writes: I have got to say that I am getting a little annoyed with college football politics. The sport itself is great but I really can't stand all the other BS. The BCS and weekly rankings are a joke. Heisman voting is a joke. It seems that most "experts" use nothing but the team logo on the side of the helmet when making their decisions. Donald Brown is the perfect example. I know that you have been lobbying for him lately, but no one else wants to look his direction. Javon Ringer is getting all of the talk, with worse numbers than Brown. Lately teams have been loading up the line against both, and Brown is the only one still putting up huge numbers. He is a stud. And as far as the BCS, and the rankings are concerned, I have had it. Shouldn't a season be looked at as a whole and not just what happened last week? The fact that USC is ranked higher than Oklahoma in the USA Today poll is nonsense. Oklahoma lost to the new #1 team in an extremely competitive game. We should give USC more credit because they lost a few weeks back to an average team? I will stop here because I could give you examples like this all day, but from reading your articles all year, I have a feeling that you would probably agree with most of what I have said. Let me know what you think.

Brian Bennett: I agree that there are many imperfect things about the way college football is run. The coaches' poll is so erratic and nonsensical that I barely even look at it. There's no way it should be used in the formula to determine a national champion. Since there is no playoff on the horizon, I'd like to see a system similar to the college basketball tournament selection committee, where experts could watch teams all year long and then choose the most deserving ones bases on objective and informed subjective data. But I'm probably dreaming.

Anonymous from Schuylkill County writes: What is with all the Rutgers bashing? They have played, by far, the toughest schedule to date in the conference. You said that RU and Cuse are the only two schools out of the Big East race before any team played a conference game. I realize you are a L'ville fan and you are still upset with 2006, but let's not let lingering feelings alter our perception when we are supposed to be unbiased writers. Only 5 Big East teams will be going bowling (with Notre Dame taking one bid) and I highly doubt L'ville will be one of them.

Brian Bennett: Hmmm ... why would I be down on Rutgers? Let me think about that for minute. Maybe, and bear with me here, just maybe it's their 1-5 record. I know, I know. Crazy, right?

Yes, the schedule has been difficult, and I said at the beginning of the season it was too hard for them to compete for the Big East title. But they've played one team currently in the Top 25. According to NCAA statistics, Rutgers has played the 29th toughest schedule in the country. Syracuse has played the No. 15 most difficult slate.

Also, thanks for resurrecting the old myth of my Louisville fanhood. There was one thing I was upset about in that 2006 Louisville-Rutgers game: the pre-game traffic that nearly forced me to miss the beginning. But the game itself, and the Scarlet Knights fans celebrating on the field and singing "Livin' on a Prayer" afterward, is one my most indelible memories of covering this league.

Andrew from Morgantown: What are your thoughts on Tajh Boyd decommiting from WVU after only six games and the only reason we hear of is his dad's, "We don't like where the offense is going." Weren't Boyd and Heastie supposed to be the future of the WVU offense? And do you think WVU fans should worry about Heastie leaving WVU as well?

Brian Bennett: I'm not a huge recruiting guy, but I did see where Heastie told reporters he's still in the fold this week. It's so hard to judge whether this is a big deal, because you have no way of knowing how good Boyd would be in college. At least it happened early enough that the Mountaineers can find another quarterback on the recruiting trail.

Jeff from Cincinnati writes: I was wondering what UC's chances are of winning the Big East with all of their QB troubles. When Pike gets back do you think we have a legitimate chance at a Big East title?

Brian Bennett: Absolutely. The Bearcats have as good a chance as anyone. Pike will be back for the UConn game, which will be a huge road test. He was good before he broke his arm, but let's also remember that Pike's two career starts came against Akron and Miami of Ohio. He's going to see better competition. Then again, never doubt Brian Kelly.

Eric from Dalton, Ga., writes: Brian, I really enjoy the blog, but I have a pet peeve. It seems like this year people are harping on the Big East's nonconference record. I'll grant it's not as good as it has been but it's not as bad as folks are acting like it is. Removing the FCS schools, in fact, it's fifth of all the conferences. In fact, if there is anyone that should be getting clobbered it's the Pac-10. I took a few moments to break it down for you. Please share this type of stuff with your readers it gives them a sense of perspective.
1) SEC 21-5 .808
2) Big 12 28-10 .737
3) Big 10 23-10 .697
4) ACC 18-10 .643
5) Big East 15-12 .556
6) MWC 17-10 .630
7) Pac-10 11-15 .423

Brian Bennett: Thanks for the numbers, Eric. I think one reason the Big East took a public relations hit in the nonconference schedule is because league teams didn't really notch many major victories and suffered some bad losses. What I mean by bad losses is those in which the Big East team should have been favored or at least even, or in which it got blown out. Here's a list of some of those "bad" losses:

Bowling Green 27, Pitt 17
Kentucky 27, Louisville 2
Akron 42,
Syracuse 28
East Carolina 24, West Virginia 3
North Carolina 44, Rutgers 12
North Carolina 38, UConn 12

As you can see, those aren't good. And the Big East's signature nonconference win was South Florida over Kansas, the only win the league has over the Top 25. So the conference doesn't have much to hang its hat on. The Pac-10 has definitely been bad as well, though I would say that league does tend to schedule tougher opponents more frequently than the Big East (and far fewer FCS opponents). There's little getting around the fact that the Big East is having a down year so far. The league will get another chance to prove itself in bowl season, however.