ESPN College Football

Questions, questions, questions. The Big East is full of them, and so is my mailbag. At least I can answer some today. I will also answer more questions in my live chat today at 3 p.m. ET.

On a programming note, the blog will be double-dipping this week, heading to South Florida at Cincinnati on Thursday night and then West Virginia at Connecticut on Saturday. It's my first-ever visit to Rentschler Field, the only Big East venue where I've yet to see a game (because of scheduling quirks not disrespect, I assure you). The noon kickoff will put a dent in tailgating, I'm sure, but if you Huskies fans could pass along some recommendations for places to go in the area, I would appreciate it greatly.

Now to the mail ...

Kris from Hollidaysburg, Penn., writes: Brian, 2 questions, if that's OK. First, after watching WVU seemingly get their groove back, I was reminded of 2005 when they were down by 17 to a ranked Louisville team, but came roaring back to win. The freight train momentum from that game was maintained throughout the rest of the season and culminated in a beating of the SEC champion in the Sugar Bowl. I'm still not sure the same thing is happening, but what are your thoughts on this? Also, do you think Pat White will go down in history as a member of the so-called "best players to never win the Heisman" club? (Members include players like Vince Young, Peyton Manning, and Joe Montana.) In all likelihood, White will be the NCAA's all-time leader in QB rushing yards. White has led his team to 3 straight 11-win seasons, 2 BCS bowl wins over highly-touted major conference opponents, and a gritty win in the Gator Bowl with Steve Slaton injured. One of the best college players that never won the Heisman? Thanks for reading, and keep up the good work.

Brian Bennett: I'm not quite sure this Mountaineers team is as good as the one from 2005, and I'm certainly not ready to pronounce greatness based on one game. But if they can play like they did against Auburn every week, the Mountaineers will have an excellent chance of getting back to the BCS. As far as White, that's an interesting thought. I've been thinking this week of where White ranks among all-time players in Big East history, and maybe later this week I'll try to break that down. He's got to be among the top 5, right? White is a marvelous talent, and we've only got six regular-season games left to watch him, so make sure you enjoy it while you can.

Jordan Walker writes: Do you think that if WVU runs the table they could be in a big bowl? Can there be a 2loss team in the championship or has WVU got to give up all hope?

Brian Bennett: Well, if West Virginia runs the table, that means it wins the Big East and automatically makes a BCS game. A two-loss team might still get into the BCS title game, but only from the Big 12 or SEC. No Big East team has a chance.

Jim from Highland Park writes: Brian, Great job with your Big East Blog. I disagree with you from time to time but it nice to have some Big East discussion. As a Rutgers fan, I am happy to see the Scarlet Knights finally play with some passion. I'm trying to not get ahead of myself, but if this team finishes 6-6 (Knock on wood!) do they make a bowl game? Last year Louisville as well as a couple of other BCS schools finished 6-6 and didn't go bowling. In your latest blog you mention that 6-6 would be good for a bowl. With Notre Dame taking a bowl game away, wouldn't the Knights be a little short of a bowl? Or do the additional bowls make it very likely. Your thoughts?

Brian Bennett: This is going to be very interesting to watch, Jim. I do think the Scarlet Knights can get bowl eligible even at 3-5 right now, because they still have Army and Syracuse on the schedule. Win those two, and they simply have to split with Louisville and South Florida. But here's where it gets tricky: the Big East has six bowl slots, and right now there's a very real possibility that seven teams will reach eligibility. UConn and South Florida are already there, while Pitt, Louisville, Cincinnati and West Virginia all have five wins. (The Bearcats will need seven wins because they play 13 games). And as you mention, the Gator/Sun spot could be taken by Notre Dame. I'm going to write more about this later in the week, but one or maybe even two Big East bowl-eligible teams might get left out in the cold this season.

Niels Andersen writes: Enjoy checking your blog during the day. In your Week 9 synopsis you wrote South Florida was the only poll resident. How surprised were you to see UConn check into the BCS at # 25?

Brian Bennett: I was surprised by that, Niels. The computers must like UConn, because the Huskies don't have a lot of human poll votes. The win over Virginia looks better as the Cavaliers keep winning. This is important because if there's a three-way (or more) tie atop the Big East standings, the highest-ranked BCS team will win the automatic bid. The Huskies are now in a pretty good position.

Chris from Wallingford, Conn., writes: A few weeks ago, I said that in order for UConn to win the Big East, they had to beat Rutgers and Cincy. After this past weekend, I'm not sure what to think. I do think they have a chance now, but I really feel they HAVE TO beat WVU in order to do that. I'm one of those fans who winces every time I look up at the press box and see the 2007 Big East Championship banner at The Rent. That has to be the dumbest banner in all of sports, right next to the Patriots 18-0 banner in Foxbourough. They'll need the tie breaker against WVU to have any chance. After that, it's Cuse and USF on the road and home for Pitt. If, and it's a big if....they get by WVU, I have them going 2-1 the rest of the way for a 5-2 record. Of course, this is impossible to predict. I already regret posting this.

Brian Bennett: Yeah, you start thinking about all the possibilities in this league, and it makes your head hurt. I'm with you, though, in that I think UConn has to beat West Virginia this Saturday. If not, the Huskies would have two conference losses, and West Virginia would be 3-0. It's hard for me to imagine the Mountaineers losing three games the rest of the way after that, so you'd lose any head-to-head tiebreakers with them and probably would fall behind them in the BCS standings in the event of a multiple-way tie. There's a way to make this all simple: just win out.

Eric from New York writes: Hey BB... Any word on Scooter Berry? He left the WVU-Auburn game mid-way through the 2nd quarter. The big guy is a vital part of the D.

Brian Bennett: Bill Stewart says the MRI on Berry's knee came back clean and that's he's good to go this weekend at UConn.

Adam Kortis from Cincinnati: Brian, I am a recent graduate of Cincinnati and I have been a football fan the entire time I was in college. I have seen tremendous changes to the program by Dantonio and Kelly. I think what Kelly is doing with the team is amazing and I had extremely high hopes for the Bearcats this year. But there are two things that really frustrate me with this team: 1. The Bearcats play very aggressive but they seem to rack up a lot of penalties that kill them when they make great plays on both the offensive and defensive side, i.e. 1st and 30 against UConn. 2. It seems to me that Kelly doesn't trust the run and never wants to institute it more into the scheme. He will pass on 1st down and if it's incomplete then 2nd and long and another incomplete 3rd and long, defense pins their ears back. you would think Kelly would have
addressed the penalty issue after the Rutgers game and try to get more running plays even if they are options, end arounds, screens, etc. I just don't know where Kelly's head is at sometimes, or maybe I am a frustrated Bearcats fan.

Brian Bennett: I understand your frustration at the recent offensive problems, Adam. But I think you have to remember how decimated this team has been by quarterback injuries, and the fact the Cincinnati is 5-2 right now to me is still pretty remarkable. Yes, the third down production (0-for-25 the past two games) has been horrid, and the running game curiously ignored. But it's hard to criticize Kelly. I mean, the guy led you to a 10-win season and a No. 17 ranking last year and is 16-5 since coming to Cincinnati. I think he knows what he is doing.

William from Louisville: With Duke's win over Vandy (SEC school and we all been told how tough the SEC is) will U of L look at appealing the recent Franklin Co court decision?

Brian Bennett: Good point, William. For those who don't know, Louisville sued Duke after the Blue Devils pulled out of a planned home-and-home series. Duke won the case in court by arguing, basically, that it was such a weak program that the Cardinals could have replaced it with anyone and not noticed a difference. Well, now the Dukies are 4-3 and thinking bowl, so maybe Louisville should appeal. It's also interesting to note that Vanderbilt pulled out of a scheduled series with the Cardinals, too. Maybe we see why when West Virginia blows out Auburn and Vandy loses at home to Duke. Of course, the SEC is vastly superior to all other leagues, though.