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Not getting drafted doesn't necessarily mean the end of one's football career. Once the draft finishes, there's a scramble for players and teams to sign free-agent deals. Here's a list, compiled from various media and team reports, of undrafted Big East players who have signed with NFL teams (list will be updated as new information rolls in):

Cincinnati

Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Indianapolis

Aaron Webster, S, Houston

Mike Windt, LS, Cincinnati

Connecticut

Lindsey Witten, DE, Pittsburgh

Louisville

Joe Tronzo, FB, Cincinnati

Scott Long, WR, San Francisco

UPDATE: Trent Guy, WR, Oakland

Pittsburgh

Bill Stull, QB, Kansas City

John Malecki, OG, Tennessee

Mick Williams, DT, New York Jets

Aaron Berry, CB, Detroit

Rutgers

Kevin Haslam, OT, Jacksonville

Jack Corcoran, FB, Houston

UPDATE: Tim Brown, WR, New York Giants

South Florida

Kion Wilson, LB, San Diego

Delbert Alvarado, K, Dallas

West Virginia

Jarrett Brown, QB, San Francisco

Alric Arnett, WR, Denver

The NFL's fortnight of drafting -- what, it was only three days? Really? -- came to an end this weekend. I already touched on the first-round results on Friday. Here's a look at where Big East players went the rest of the draft, with some quick comments on each pick:

Second round

No. 37: Nate Allen, S, South Florida, to Philadelphia: No surprise here, as Allen was mentioned as a possible first-rounder at various points.

Third round

No. 65: Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida to St. Louis: Here is proof that college production isn't always the most important thing to NFL scouts. Murphy struggled against some of the Big East's better receivers, but he has great physical tools and hopefully will find his niche in the pros.

Fourth round

No. 99: Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, to St. Louis: If you watched any Bearcats games the past two years, you know that the Rams got an absolute steal. Think Sam Bradford will like having Gilyard around?

No. 101: Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse, to Tampa Bay: He was a first-round talent who was lucky to get picked this high given his off-the-field issues.

No. 107: Marcus Easley, WR, UConn, to Buffalo: Easley had great workouts, and though some thought he would go higher than this, it's still a great story for a guy who was a walk-on this time a year ago.

Fifth round

No. 157: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse, to Baltimore: Jones was talked about as a possible first-rounder earlier in his career. This is a great value pick for a player who will always give maximum effort.

Sixth round

No. 177: Carlton Mitchell, WR, South Florida, to Cleveland: Mitchell looked impressive in his workouts, but falling to the sixth round makes you question if he made the right choice in skipping his senior year.

No. 182: Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh, to San Francisco: The best blocking tight end in the Big East during his career.

No. 204: Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati, to Carolina: Pike has to be disappointed that he fell this low and that he was drafted by the same team that took Jimmy Clausen a couple rounds earlier.

Seventh round

No. 226: George Selvie, DE, South Florida, to St. Louis: How much would you have bet against the notion that Selvie would be a seventh-round pick at this time last year? Selvie's production dropped after his breakout sophomore year, and now he'll have to prove himself again.

No. 227: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh, to Houston: Surprised to see Dickerson go this low after his great Combine performance. He's a tweener who needs the right team to showcase his skills.

No. 231: Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia, to Washington: Capers has a lot of talent and potential.

No. 237: Ryan D'Imperio, LB/FB, Rutgers, to Minnesota: The Scarlet Knights' linebacker was drafted as a fullback although he never played it in college.

No. 238: Ricardo Mathews, DT, Cincinnati, to Indianapolis: Mathews didn't get as much attention on the Bearcats' defense as some other players but had a nice senior season.

No. 249: Robert McClain, CB, UConn, to Carolina: McClain had four interceptions last year and also served as the team's punt returner.

Here's a handy-dandy list of NFL Draft picks per Big East school:

South Florida: 5

Rutgers: 3

Cincinnati: 3

Connecticut: 2

Pitt: 2

Syracuse: 2

West Virginia: 1

Louisville: 0

And, finally, some notable players who weren't drafted (I'll have more later on those who signed free-agent contracts): Andre Dixon and Lindsey Witten from UConn; Aaron Webster and Alex Daniels from Cincinnati; Scott Long from Louisville; and Jarrett Brown from West Virginia.

Cincinnati held its pro day this morning, and while Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard are the highest-profile prospects, others did their best to impress the scouts as well.

Gilyard and Pike didn't do every drill because they did most of the same stuff at the NFL combine. But Gilyard did run the 40 and posted a time of 4.47 seconds, best of those who participated today.

Defensive lineman Alex Daniels pulled a muscle during his 40 but had some other impressive numbers. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 31 times, tying Curtis Young for best on the team. Daniels also showed off a 36.5-inch vertical leap and 10-foot, nine-inch broad jump. Not bad for a 265-pounder.

Defensive back Brad Jones ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds, second-fastest behind Gilyard. Jones also had a 39-inch vertical. Safety Aaron Webster ran a 4.66 in the 40.

Linebacker Marcus Waugh, known as a workout warrior, benched 225 pounds 29 times.

As promised, it's time to get to your reactions to my postseason Big East Top 30 players list. There were a few main objections echoed by many people. These questions reflect the majority of the e-mails I received regarding the list. Remember that reasonable minds can disagree, to steal a line from another ESPN guy, and that a list like this is always going to be subjective and open to debate.

Greg from Cincinnati writes: Brian, I normally really enjoy your material. However, I have to ask if I missed Pitt winning the Big East this year. How does the No. 2 team end up with five of the top 10, while the champions from Cincinnati get two?

Bob from New Brunswick, N.J., writes: Your top 30 has seven Pitt players, but only three Cincinnati players. Even among those who just missed, you mention five Panthers and only two Bearcats. Yet Cincy was better over the course of the season. Is this perhaps a reflection on a difference in coaching, or is there another explanation?

Brian Bennett: Yes, this was the most frequently e-mailed comment/complaint. Where were all the Cincinnati players? Look, there's no denying that the Bearcats had the best team, as evidenced by their 12-0 record. But this is a top 30 list of individual players. Cincinnati was extremely well-coached and executed its system to near perfection offensively, and if this were, say, a Top 50 list, its players would be all over the list.

I just didn't think that Cincinnati necessarily had the best individual talent. I've explained that Zach Collaros just didn't play enough games for me to put him on the postseason list. Five Bearcats players made the All-Big East first team; the only two I didn't include were Aaron Webster and Chris Jurek. Webster was an extremely close call, but with the way the defense played down the stretch, he missed the cut for me. Jurek was a terrific college player, but I'm not sure how much future potential he has.

Perhaps I'll look stupid in a few years when a boatload of players from the '09 Bearcats are starring in the NFL. But to me it seemed like Brian Kelly had a few superstars and a whole bunch of really, really good players who did everything right.

Of course, there's one guy from that team whom many people thought I misfired on ...

Jesuit Educated from North Bend, Ohio, writes: To exclude Armon Binns from your 2009 Big East Top 30 players by suggesting Cincinnati's offense inflates receivers' statistics is bemusing at best and stupid at worst. By your logic, albeit flawed, Dion Lewis's statistics are inflated given he had 68 percent of Pitt's rushing attempts. Mr. Binns's receptions accounted for less than 20 percent of Cincinnati's total receptions of 311. He also scored every 5.5 times he touched the ball compared to Mr. Lewis's 19-to-1 ratio.While I am not at all suggesting Mr. Binns should be the Big East's top player, I am suggesting your credibility as as a football reporter/pundit/talent judge is suspicious when Mr. Binns is excluded from your Top 30 while the two wide receivers from Rutgers and the wide receiver from Connecticut are included.

Brian Bennett: Well, first of all I don't really buy your comparative stats since by nature a receiver touches the ball far fewer times than a running back. Did Binns have the numbers to make this list? Yeah. He had 888 receiving yards and, most impressively, 11 touchdown grabs. So why did he just miss?

Three things went into my reasoning. First, it's clear that Binns was the No. 2 receiver on that team behind Mardy Gilyard and got a lot of open looks because of that. Secondly, though he had a great season, he wasn't dominant. He had only three games in which he had more than 100 yards receiving. And finally, though you may disagree, Cincinnati's offense does inflate statistics -- the Bearcats passed the ball 57 percent of the time in 2009, which was a far higher percentage than any other team in the Big East.

For an example of how Kelly's offense can inflate receiver numbers I present this example: Marcus Barnett. He had a freshman year that was arguably better than Binns, catching a school record 13 touchdown passes and 862 yards overall. Yet, he has barely been heard from in the two years since as he fell out of favor with Kelly.

I don't mean this to sound critical of Binns, because he's a terrific talent who's got a world of potential. I will agree that perhaps he should have been in the Top 30 somewhere, and I can assure you he'll be there in the preseason list. But I don't see him as the slam-dunk postseason pick like many of you do.

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Robert G. from Louisville writes: After analyzing your Top 30 Big East players list I can only draw one conclusion: Fire Dave Wannstedt. There is no excuse for having that many top players in your conference and continue to fall short of conference championships and BCS bowl participation.

Brian Bennett: Well, I assume you're being facetious here, Robert. After all, Wannstedt's Panthers have won 19 games in the last two years combined, so it's not like they're wildly underachieving. But there is a kernel of truth in there. It's hard to argue that Pitt has had as many, if not the most, talented players in the Big East of late, thanks to great recruiting efforts. It's time for the program to capitalize on that ability and win a Big East title. And with Nos. 1, 4, 5, 14 and 28 from my list returning to Pitt, 2010 looks like as good a time as any.

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Jeff K. from Cincinnati writes: Arthur Jones rated below Greg Romeus and Mick Williams from Pitt? I understand Pitt was solid defensively for the most part all year (other than NC State and the meltdown against my beloved Cats) but Arthur Jones will WOW those at the combine, much more so than either of the Pitt DT/DE's. Wait and see!

Brian Bennett: This goes back to the whole production vs. potential criteria. As I said at the beginning, I judged production to be more important. Thus, while Mick Williams may or may not have a ton of pro potential, he was arguably the most productive defensive player in the Big East in 2010. Jones had injury issues and didn't put up his usual numbers, though he did receive a lot of attention from offensive lines. And while I agree that Jones should impress at the combine, if he's healthy, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Romeus. A 6-foot-6, 270-pounder who can run like he can doesn't come along every day.

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Casto from Arlington, Va., writes: I am confused as to why you would rank Dion Lewis above Noel Devine? Devine averaged more yards per carry, more yards per catch and most importantly, Devine won the Backyard Brawl for WVU with his 88-yard TD against Pitt. On average, if Devine would have gotten the 325 carries that Lewis did, he would have had 1,976 yards!

Brian Bennett: In some ways, Casto, you could have put my top three in just about any order and make a strong case for it. But let's look at Devine vs. Lewis for a moment, because it is an interesting debate.

First, we'll throw out the Backyard Brawl from your argument, because Lewis actually outgained Devine in that game (158 yards to 134, with most of Devine's yardage coming on that one spectacular run). Yes, Devine averaged more yards per carry (6.1 to 5.5) and had 84 fewer rushing attempts. Some of that was because he injured his ankle late in the year.

But I think we also have to give credit to Lewis for being a workhorse back. Devine has never been a 25- to 30-carry guy in his career, whether that's because of his stature or simply because of West Virginia's philosophy. Lewis is about the same size but proved he could carry a heavy load on his shoulders. And the fact that he was just a freshman makes it all the more impressive and earns him more points in the potential category.

Are the two far apart? No. In fact, watching them both pursue the Big East rushing title in 2010 is going to be one of the highlights of the season.

West Virginia linebacker Reed Williams was named the 2009 Big East football scholar-athlete of the year today by the conference's academic affairs committee.

Williams, a three-year-starter and second team All-Big East performer this past season, will receive a $2,000 scholarship which may be applied to graduate or professional studies. He was one of 16 national finalists for the this year's William V. Campbell Trophy, which is presented to the national scholar-athlete of the year. Already a graduate student with a degree in finance, Williams was named to West Virginia’s dean’s list in each of his five academic years and is a four-time Big East All-Academic selection.

He is the headliner of 106 players who were chosen to the league's All-Academic team. To be nominated, a player must have a cumulative grade-point index of at least 3.0 and have completed a minimum of two semesters of academic work.

UConn placed the most members on the All-Academic team with 16, while Rutgers was second with 15. Notable players who made the list while performing at an all-conference level on the field include Cincinnati's Jeff Linkenbach and Aaron Webster, UConn's Marcus Easley, Pitt's Jonathan Baldwin, John Malecki and Adam Gunn, Rutgers' Devin McCourty, South Florida's Nate Allen and Syracuse's Derrell Smith.

The entire list can be viewed here.

We're just a day away from national signing day. (Sometimes I inadvertently transpose the first g and n in the word signing while typing that; wouldn't it be cool if there were a national singing day?). Anyway, there will be lots to talk about the next couple of days in the recruiting world. For now, let's address some other issues in the ol' mailbag:

Adam B. from Pittsburgh writes: I have been hearing fairly persistent rumors over the past four to five days that it is a done deal that Pitt will be going to the Big Ten. Have you heard this as well? How likely is this move? I would just like to have some light shed on this.

Brian Bennett: Adam is just one of about, oh, 300 people to ask me this question since Sunday. I can answer this one really quickly: the rumors have no merit. None. Somehow this thing got started on message boards and on the series of tubes and took off, but no one could claim a source and the timing never made any sense at all.

I've talked to people at Pitt, and my colleague Adam Rittenberg has spoken to Big Ten officials, and everybody says there have been no contact whatsoever between the two parties. Look, it's possible that Pittsburgh could eventually be invited to join the Big Ten. But that day is several months away at the earliest and is no guarantee. For now, there's simply nothing there.

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Andrew from California writes: In your questions with Big East head honcho John Marinatto you mentioned Villanova for possible expansion. My question is how come no one considers Georgetown for expansion? Philly already has Temple and the Eagles to compete for ticket sales, and Villanova only has about 9,000 students and very little money in the bank. Georgetown is bigger, has a lot more money and D.C. is a big tourist draw to help bring people in. They could easily bring their on-campus field to 35,000 seats with the available space and use RFK stadium for big games.

Brian Bennett: Sounds good on paper, but in reality Georgetown's program is really struggling at the FCS level. The Hoyas went 0-11 this past season and are just 5-38 since 2006. And my understanding is the school has had issues with its on-campus stadium. Georgetown just isn't in a position to move up to the FBS and compete anytime soon. Right now it needs to focus on trying to win at the lower level. Villanova, meanwhile is the reigning FCS champion.

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Brett from Austin, Texas, writes: I'm disappointed that you didn't ask Marinatto tougher questions regarding the possibility of the Big 10 possibly taking a Big East team. This is a serious crossroads for the Big East and you let him off the hook by alllowing him to deflect just about every question you question. The commissioner came off as out of touch with what is really going on in college football and I'm afraid that might be bad news for those us that are fans of Big East football.

Brian Bennett: Well, Brett, the bottom line is that right now this is a Big Ten issue more than a Big East one, so what's the commissioner supposed to say? At the end of the day, if the Big Ten offers a Big East school a chance to make a whole lot more money, there's not much the Big East can do to match the financial incentives, other than -- as Marinatto pointed out -- make the league as strong as possible right now. I assure you Marinatto is not out of touch; in fact, he's very plugged in, and many people credit him for being one of the strongest reasons the Big East survived after 2004. But it's clear that his style is not to talk much about these issues publicly, unlike some other leagues.

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Ken from Philly writes: Hey, BB, how can you have George Selvie and Jabaal Sheard ahead of Lindsey Witten [in your postseason Top 30 list]? Yes alot of his sacks came against lesser competition, but USF and Pitt had there share of cupcakes (especially USF). And Selvie and Sheard played opposite two players who will be in your top 10 whereas Witten played opposite true freshman all year.

Brian Bennett: It's close -- I had Witten 29th, Sheard 28th and Selvie at No. 26. The reason I ranked Witten behind those guys is because I felt like he disappeared during the middle of the year. And it seemed like he even worked his way into Randy Edsall's doghouse after a hot start. I felt like Selvie and Sheard, on the other hand, brought it every game even if their stats maybe aren't as good. And I thought Witten was a little weaker against the run, particularly compared to Sheard. Again, though, we're almost splitting hairs here.

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Dave from Charlotte, N.C., writes: The Big East has two big things going for it: 1) the perceived greatness of the basketball conference; and 2) the actual computer-ranking "goodness" of the football conference (at least for the past few years). Given that, in your opinion, is there any chance at all that the Big East could expand by raiding other BCS conferences? Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Penn State come to mind. I know it's a long shot, but it doesn't seem that crazy when you add it up. Of course, the major stumbling block in this is that the Big East management seems to act reactively instead of proactively.

Brian Bennett: For all the expansion talk about schools like Villanova and Central Florida, the best thing the Big East could do is grab an established program that's already in a BCS league. It's not going to be anyone from the Big Ten because that league makes too much money and going to the Big East would be a step down.

So the only real option on that front would be the ACC, which hasn't exactly tore it up in football since expanding to 12 teams. Maryland and Boston College would make the most sense, especially if they get fed up with what is perceived at times to be a bias toward the Carolina schools. I have no idea if either would be interested in bolting or what it would take, but those seem to make the likeliest targets if the Big East chose to go that way.

I think the Big East learned some painful but valuable lessons from the last raid and I believe the conference will be more prepared this time around. But the next year or so will present a major challenge that requires bold thinking and leadership.

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Jim from Fort Mitchell, Ky., writes: Cincinnati wins two Big East titles and has Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard being drafted and you focus on Pitt?

Brian Bennett: Since that's all you wrote, I don't really know what you're referring to, Jim. But given the timing of your e-mail, I'm going to assume you're talking about my post that looked back on the 2006 recruiting classes. And clearly, Pitt had a great haul that year with players like Nate Byham, Jason Pinkston, Dorin Dickerson and Greg Romeus. Neither Gilyard nor Pike were in the '06 class; they were both fifth-year seniors from the class of '05. While Cincinnati certainly had key contributors from its '06 class, notably Aaron Webster, Ben Guidugli and Ricardo Matthews, by my count more than half that class never did much. The players who formed the nucleus of the two-time Big East champs mostly hailed from other classes.

Six Big East players will participate in the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game on Feb. 6 in El Paso, Texas. The game is not as prestigious as the Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine Game but still offers a showcase for potential future pros.

The Big East players who are on the roster are:

• Alex Daniels, DE/OLB, Cincinnati

• Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati

• George Johnson, DE, Rutgers

• Robert Vaughn, S, Connecticut

• Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut

• Scott Long, WR, Louisville

In addition, former Pittsburgh defensive lineman Tommie Duhart, who finished up his career at Youngstown State, will participate.

It's been a while since I opened up the mailbag. There wasn't one last week while I was embroiled in Sugar Bowl coverage. So let's do a two-parter today. Still time to get your questions in for this afternoon's second part.

Robert G. from Louisville writes: I think you're being too critical of Cincinnati. When you look at the emotions involved in this game -- the Bearcats are coming off just being dumped by their coach, while Florida has Tim Tebow's last game and a coach who is doing his job despite the discomfort it creates for him. Same with West Virginia; how hard would it be for any team to beat Bobby Bowden in his last game?

Brian Bennett: Emotions only go so far. Yes, Cincinnati had some difficult things to deal with when Brian Kelly left, but that happened on Dec. 10, giving the team a full three weeks to get ready. To a man, the Bearcats said they would be OK and that they were focused on the game. And Kelly or no Kelly, this was the biggest game in school history, with a chance at going 13-0 on the line. And they laid a total egg. The game was never even close, as Florida led 37-3 at one point in the third quarter. There's no other way to say it except that Cincinnati was outplayed and outcoached thoroughly in New Orleans.

As for West Virginia, yes, Florida State had a lot of emotion on its side. But then how do you explain the Mountaineers taking a 14-3 lead? I didn't really understand the game plan for West Virginia. It had the better team and was controlling the action early but just couldn't maintain it. Maybe emotion helped the Seminoles get some momentum after it got back in the game, but that never should have even happened.

Don from Dayton writes: I have to admit that Cincinnati's performance in the Sugar Bowl was poor, but I have to remind you and everyone else that they lost their head coach less than a month before the game. I am not trying to make excuses, but Brian Kelly did call a considerable amount of the offensive plays. In the Sugar Bowl, the offense was nonexistent. Do you think that will be taken into account when the final standings come out?

Brian Bennett: Kelly may have called a better offensive game, but unless he played linebacker, too, it probably wouldn't have mattered much. Florida absolutely steamrolled Cincinnati's defense on its way to 51 points. I don't think there was any way the Bearcats could have hung with the Gators no matter who was coach. Guys like Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Spikes were just too much defensively.

David from Cincinnati writes: Brian, please tell me that the Bearcats' terrible postseason is no reason to be any less optimistic about next year. I really think less than 10 wins (losing to Oklahoma, splitting Pitt and WVU) would be a disappointment.

Brian Bennett: I'll say this: there aren't many teams, if any, who would have beaten Florida last Friday night if the Gators played that way. So it should have no effect on next year from that standpoint. What will have an effect is a coaching transition and losing valuable players like Mardy Gilyard, Jeff Linkenbach, Aaron Webster, etc. I think Cincinnati should be very good again, but to place those kind of expectations on Butch Jones in Year One may be a bit unfair.

Brad / Little Birch, W. Va., writes: What is your bet on what Noel Devine does now? Will he stay or will he go and what makes you think that? Please reply in 2 page double space format...

Brian Bennett: I can't give you double-spaced, but I'll try to add a bibliography at the end. My gut feeling is that Devine will go. We all know his life story (both his parents died of AIDS) and I think it's going to be too hard for him to say no to an NFL paycheck. And really, will his stock get any higher than it is now? Devine has done just about all he can do at the college level. That's just my feeling, anyway.

Aaron from Nashville: What do you make of West Virginia being put in a no-win situation against Florida State? If we win we're the villain. If we lose, well, they went 6-6 and it makes WVU and the Big East look pathetic. Also, do you think the outcome would have been any different had Jarrett Brown been able to go in the second half?

Brian Bennett: All that is true, but the bottom line is that Florida State was, in fact, a 6-6 team, and West Virginia was better. For whatever reason, the Mountaineers just didn't seem to make very good adjustments as that game went on. I don't know if Jarrett Brown makes too big of a difference; he was only 1-of-4 with an interception. The game plan did not seem to involve throwing the ball, except late when the coaching staff ignored Devine for some reason. If nothing else, at least Geno Smith got some valuable experience for 2010.

The story has been told so many times by now, but it's no less amazing.

Cincinnati has gone from virtually no tradition of success to a national power almost overnight. The Bearcats hit their absolute apex this season with a 12-0 record that left them one debatable Big 12 second away from playing in the BCS title game. They came up just short, but nobody's complaining about a second straight Big East title and BCS bid, with a Sugar Bowl date against defending national champion Florida awaiting.

What's all the more remarkable is how head coach Brian Kelly replaced 10 defensive starters, lost star quarterback Tony Pike to an injury halfway through the year and never let his team look back. The season began with a bang as the Bearcats pounded Rutgers 47-15 in the opener, and they announced themselves as a national power by winning at Oregon State two games later. They were never seriously challenged until Connecticut charged back and forced Cincinnati to escape 47-45 on Nov. 7.

That exposed some major weaknesses in the defense, but the offense just kept outscoring people. Even down 31-10 and 38-24 in the regular season finale at Pitt, the Bearcats couldn't be beat. It's a testament to Kelly's coaching genius and why Notre Dame may end up hiring him this week. If Kelly's time at Cincinnati is ending, then what a time it was.

Offensive MVP: Mardy Gilyard. While the Bearcats had to juggle quarterbacks in the middle of the year, Gilyard was the constant force for this offense. He caught 80 passes for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns. And that's not even counting his brilliant work on special teams.

Defensive MVP: Aaron Webster. This is a tough call, since Cincinnati got contributions from a wide variety of players but had no defensive superstars. The choice is Webster because as the only returning starter, he provided leadership and poise in a very young secondary. He also had 62 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles from his safety position.

Turning point: The Bearcats didn't face a lot of adversity this year, outside of the loss of Pike in the South Florida win. Until the last game, that is, when they trailed 31-10 late in the first half against Pitt. A loss would have cost them the Big East title and probably sent them to the Meineke Car Care Bowl instead of the BCS. That's when Gilyard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score, igniting a comeback that will remembered for decades in Cincinnati.

What's next: The most immediate concern is whether Kelly stays or goes, and who might replace him if he leaves. Then the Bearcats can take a huge leap forward in their program if they can beat Florida. Looking ahead to next season, they lose Pike, Gilyard and six defensive starters.

But Zach Collaros showed he can be an elite Big East quarterback, and USC transfer Vidal Hazelton will look to fill Gilyard's shoes at wideout. Whether it's Kelly or his successor at the helm, Cincinnati will have a chance to keep its success going.

The official league selections will come out tomorrow. Here are my choices for the best of the Big East, from a season's worth of observations and some consultation from league coaches:

Offense

QB: Tony Pike, Cincinnati

RB: Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh

RB: Noel Devine, West Virginia

WR: Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati

WR: Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh

TE: Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh

OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh

OT: Jeff Linkenbach, Cincinnati

C: Moe Petrus, Connecticut

OG: John Malecki, Pittsburgh

OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut

Defense

DE: Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh

DE: Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida

DT: Mick Williams, Pittsburgh

DT: Chris Neild, West Virginia

LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut

LB: Kion Wilson, South Florida

LB: Derrell Smith, Syracuse

CB: Devin McCourty, Rutgers

CB: Aaron Berry, Pittsburgh

S: Aaron Webster, Cincinnati

S: Nate Allen, South Florida

Specialists

K: Tyler Bitancurt, West Virginia

P: Scott Kozlowski, West Virginia

KR: Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati

PR: Robert McClain, Connecticut

PITTSBURGH -- As Cincinnati went through pregame warmups under falling snow at Heinz Field, receiver/kick returner Mardy Gilyard tried to warm his teammates' spirits by telling everybody, "Hey, we're on the beach."

But with 1:26 left to go before halftime, the beach -- where the Bearcats frolicked last year during Orange Bowl week -- seemed awfully far away. Pittsburgh's dominating running game and pass rush had caused things to snowball against Cincinnati, which found itself trailing 31-10. Even Gilyard, ever the optimist, admitted that "it started to get real cold."


That's when the rest of the team turned to Gilyard for some heat. Running back John Goebel, several defensive players and even head coach Brian Kelly grabbed him on the sideline. We need something on this kickoff, they implored.

"I prayed that I could take one back," Gilyard said. "And then everything parted like the Red Sea."

Gilyard's 99-yard return for a touchdown finally gave Cincinnati some life, and the defending Big East champions refused to die the rest of the way. Despite trailing by two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter, the No. 5 Bearcats rallied to win 45-44 thanks to Pitt's late missed extra point and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Tony Pike to Armon Binns with 33 seconds left.

"Our guys are resilient," Kelly said. "Our guys believe, I believe in them, and you've got to have that belief. We've won 18 consecutive regular-season games. Don't count us out."

But is it enough to count the 12-0 Bearcats into the BCS title game? Barring a loss by Texas in the Big 12 title game later Saturday night, Cincinnati will join the 2004 Auburn squad as the only BCS conference teams to go undefeated and not play for the national title in the BCS era. Even a Texas loss might not do it, as Cincinnati would still have to climb past undefeated and No. 4 TCU.

Kelly said he didn't think his team deserved to get into the BCS title game ahead of Texas, but that it should go instead of TCU with a Longhorns' loss. Cincinnati players said they feel they've done enough to play for a national championship. And so, apparently, does Pitt receiver Jonathan Baldwin, who interrupted the Cincinnati postgame news conference to shout, "Good job. Now go win the championship."

"We did our part," senior safety Aaron Webster said. "Now it's in other people's hands."

Big East commissioner John Marinatto, who attended Saturday's game, said the league "strongly believes Cincinnati should be in the championship game" and that any undefeated BCS conference team deserves that privilege. However, Marinatto is not a playoff advocate and did not sound like someone ready to promote sweeping change.

"We recognize as a group the system is not perfect," he said. "At our annual meetings, we'll get together and talk about whether anything needs to be changed."

In order to even make this debate relevant, Cincinnati had to make a lot of changes defensively on Saturday.

Pittsburgh (9-3) scored on each of its first five possessions. Freshman sensation Dion Lewis carried 29 times for 108 yards in the first half alone as the Panthers' offensive line obliterated the Bearcats defense. Cincinnati looked like toast.

Pitt scored only twice after halftime, though, as Lewis -- who finished with a school-record 47 carries for 194 yards and three scores -- had to work a little harder. The defense incorporated more run blitzing, often bringing Andre Revels or J.K. Schaffer to the point of attack to shore up its deficiencies.

"We came in as a defense at halftime and said, 'We just have to tackle him,'" Webster said. "'Don't try to get the big hit, because he'll just dribble out of them. Just tackle and play the next down.'"

A few stops were all the Bearcats' offense needed. They scored three touchdowns in the final 11:09. When Pitt missed the extra point after a Lewis score with 1:36 left, Kelly had one thought: "Cool."

"I was like, man, they're going to give us a shot here," he said.

But Kelly said the comeback would not have been possible without Gilyard's first-half kickoff return. The team often follows his exuberant personality, and Gilyard has had the uncanny ability the past two seasons of coming up with a huge play when the Bearcats need it the most. That's one big reason why the Bearcats are back-to-back Big East champions.

"I'm a praying man, and God is good," Gilyard said.

In other words, for Cincinnati, life's a beach.

We've got two weeks left in the season, though two Big East teams -- Louisville and Syracuse -- wrap up their 2009 this weekend.

The end of the season also means it's time to start thinking about who will make the All-Big East team. Here's an early look at who I think should and should not make the team at each position:

Quarterback

Raise your hand if you thought Pitt's Bill Stull would be the Big East's first-team quarterback this year. Heck, most people thought he'd lose his job. But he's leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency -- all by a large margin. Had Tony Pike stayed healthy or Zach Collaros played a full year, we might be talking about them here. But they didn't, so it's an easy choice.

Running back

Dion Lewis is a shoo-in. The second running back spot on the team will likely belong to Noel Devine. But he's been slowed lately, mostly due to injuries. If that continues, there's a chance that UConn's Jordan Todman or Andre Dixon could slip onto the first team. Combine the two Huskies, and they've produced exactly 1,800 rushing yards.

Receiver

Mardy Gilyard and Tim Brown are the choices here for now, though you could make a strong argument for Jonathan Baldwin. If Baldwin has a big two final games, perhaps he'll earn a spot on the first team. Jock Sanders has had a great year as well. Mike Williams looked like a lock before he quit Syracuse.

Tight end

No doubt about it, Pitt's Dorin Dickerson -- a Mackey Award finalist -- gets the nod. His teammate, Nate Byham, might be the second-team tight end.

Offensive line

This is always the most difficult position to single out players, because offensive line play is not easy to evaluate from the outside. My two tackles at this point would be Cincinnati's Jeff Linkenbach and Pitt's Jason Pinkston. Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis is the best pro prospect, but he's been far too inconsistent. Pitt's John Malecki is another lock at guard. The other two spots are less obvious. Perhaps Zach Hurd from UConn at guard and Chris Jurek from Cincinnati or UConn's Moe Petrus at center. This is one where I'll have to pick some coaches' brains to decipher.

Defensive line

You might be shocked at the one guy who's not on my list here: South Florida's George Selvie. I think his opposite end, Jason Pierre-Paul, has had the better year. I'd put Greg Romeus at the other end, along with his Pitt teammate Mick Williams at one defensive tackle. The other defensive tackle is up for grabs; I think I'd vote for West Virginia's Chris Neild in a tight one over Syracuse's Arthur Jones.

Linebacker

A lot of players have strong cases here. My three, at this point, would have to be USF's Kion Wilson, UConn's Lawrence Wilson and Louisville's Jon Dempsey. That's leaving off a lot of really good players, including Pitt's Adam Gunn and Syracuse's Derrell Smith.

Secondary

Cincinnati's Aaron Webster and USF's Nate Allen are my safeties, hands down. Devin McCourty is clearly a first-team cornerback. The other cornerback spot is debatable; right now, I'd probably pick Pitt's Aaron Berry, who's coming on strong at the end of the year.

Specialists

The clubhouse leaders are Pitt's Dan Hutchins at place-kicker, West Virginia's Scott Kozlowski at punter, Gilyard as punt returner and Louisville's Trent Guy as kick returner.

This early ballot leaves off several players I had ticketed for first-team honors in the preseason, including Selvie, Jones, West Virginia's Reed Williams, Rutgers' Ryan D'Imperio and others. But there's still time for performances to sway my picks, and I plan on getting a lot of input on my choices before picking a final team.

Now I want your input. Agree or disagree with these selections? Let's hear it.

Take it from Gordon Gecko. Don't get emotional about stock.

Stock up


1. Devin McCourty: You'll notice Rutgers' McCourty appearing in the defensive player of the year race Top 5 today. He's probably the best cornerback in the league and also might be the Big East special teams player of the year. I should have had him in the race earlier, but it was hard to tell how strong his season was against such low-caliber competition. Not anymore.

"I don’t know if there is a defense or special teams player playing better than him in the entire country,” Greg Schiano said Monday.

2. Isaiah Pead: The Cincinnati back has been a big part of the offense all season, but he became a featured runner for the first time against West Virginia and responded with career bests of 18 carries and 175 yards. And Brian Kelly says the Bearcats need to run the ball more in the final two weeks.

3. Chris Campa: The hard-hitting Louisville linebacker was named Big East defensive player of the week after recording 15 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against Syracuse.

4. Ryan Clarke: Not since Owen Schmitt has West Virginia had a big, bruising back like Clarke. He rumbled for 60 yards against Cincinnati, including a 37-yard touchdown.

5. Dave Wannstedt: Five years after it looked like Charlie Weis would coach circles around him, Wannstedt has a Top 10 team that has beaten Notre Dame two straight years, while Weis is perhaps on his last legs. Credit Wannstedt for adjusting his style to the college game, something Weis has yet to master.

Stock down

1. B.J. Daniels on the Big East road: One reason for South Florida's struggles has been the play of Daniels lately on the road. In the Pitt and Rutgers games, he was a combined 11-of-25 passing for 183 yards, four interceptions and no touchdowns.

2. Syracuse's receivers: How badly do the Orange miss Mike Williams? In the two games since he selfishly quit the team, Syracuse wideouts have a total of 15 catches. Only three of those receptions have gone for 10 yards or more.

3. Bill Stewart's fourth-down play-calling: Against Cincinnati, Stewart opted to go for it on fourth-and-8 from the Bearcats' 24. Incomplete pass. West Virginia lost by three points. At South Florida, trailing by a score in the third quarter, Stewart elected to punt on fourth-and-8 from the Bulls' 33. The punt netted only 13 yards as it went in for a touchback. South Florida then drove for a field goal.

Welcome to the world of coaching, where if a call works you're a genius, and if it doesn't you're an idiot. Ask Bill Belichick.

4. The campus experience for home games: Cincinnati just moved its 2012 "home" game with Virginia Tech to FedEx Field in Washington, D.C., which will be quite a walk from the dorms for students. Rutgers will play a home game in Giants Stadium. Syracuse and UConn have been in talks to play Notre Dame at neutral pro stadiums. South Florida and Pitt already play in NFL buildings, while UConn plays several miles the actual university.

It's just reality in the Big East, but something is lost when games are not on campus.

5. Replay officials: For obvious reasons.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading rusher with 1,291 yards on 224 attempts (5.8 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns.

2. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: The Big East's leader in total receiving yards, with 68 catches for 930 yards and eight touchdowns.

3. Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading passer, he has completed 66.3 percent of his attempts for 2,115 yards and 18 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

4. Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers: Brown leads the league in receiving yards per game with 860 yards on 40 catches. He has six touchdowns and is averaging 21.5 yards per reception.

5. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Has been slowed of late with injuries, but he has rushed for 1,098 yards on 192 attempts this season with 10 touchdowns.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: Leads the league with 13 tackles for loss and was part of a wrecking-crew defensive line against Notre Dame.

2. Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: See above.

3. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: Has 7.5 sacks, an interception and forced key fumble against Notre Dame.

4. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: The Bulls may have fallen off a bit, but Pierre-Paul remains a force with 12 tackles for loss and four sacks.

5. Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: Holding on here as the Bearcats' defensive leader, but Cincinnati has shown a few cracks on that side of the ball.

Coach of the year race

1. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati: For leading the Bearcats to a 10-0 start.

2. Dave Wannstedt, Pitt: For guiding the Panthers to a 9-1 start and Top 10 ranking.

3. Greg Schiano, Rutgers: For overcoming early problems, throwing young players into the fire and still being 7-2.

4. Randy Edsall, Connecticut: For his leadership through the Jasper Howard tragedy and keeping UConn very competitive.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Stock up

1. Pitt: At 8-1 and a Top 10 ranking in November for the first time since 1982, the Panthers are at their highest point in a quarter-century. And Notre Dame is coming to town for a sold-out game at Heinz Field. Can the Panthers continue their climb?

2. Julian Miller: The West Virginia defensive end was named Big East defensive player of the week for his three-sack performance against Louisville. The Mountaineers weren't sure about their defensive line outside of Chris Neild and Scooter Berry going into the year (remember the Tevita Finau saga?) Miller has shored that up with team bests of 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

3. UConn's grit: We knew the Huskies were tough the way they hung in there after the Jasper Howard death. To come back from 20 points down in the second half on the road against a Top 5 team and nearly pull off the victory was an amazing feat.

4. Darius Ashley: The Louisville freshman running back wasn't used much early in the season, then hurt his shoulder against Pitt. With Vic Anderson and Bilal Powell sidelined Saturday, Ashley carried the ball a whopping 33 times for 164 yards.

5. Adrien Robinson: With Ben Guidugli still slowed from a concussion at Syracuse, Robinson took on a bigger role as Cincinnati's tight end against UConn. He had two catches for 74 yards, including a ridiculous 54-yard grab off a batted ball that set up an important field goal at the end of the first half.

Stock down

1. Syracuse's depth: Already battling roster problems -- the Orange had just 55 scholarship players available for the Pitt game -- Syracuse lost star defensive lineman Arthur Jones and starting offensive lineman Jonathan Meldrum to season-ending knee injuries this week. It could be a struggle to find enough bodies to finish the season at this point.

2. UConn's defense: Credit the Huskies for never quitting, but they should use the bye week to figure out what's wrong with the defense. They have given up big plays at the end of games to lose and got stomped for 711 total yards by Cincinnati. The secondary is a major question mark.

3. Noel Devine: Stock is down only relevant to where he was two weeks ago, when we were calling Devine a Heisman Trophy contender. Since then, Devine has run for 42 yards at South Florida and 56 versus Louisville before being sidelined with an ankle sprain. The Mountaineers must have a vintage Devine performance on Friday at Cincinnati.

4. Cincinnati's defense: From third in the country in scoring defense, allowing an an average of a little more than 12 points a game, to surrendering 45 to a Connecticut team not known for being explosive. Yep, that stock has gone down. Is it a one-week blip in the market, or a more problematic long-term concern?

5. The Big East's bowl hopes: Notre Dame's loss to Navy took the Irish off the BCS table, which means the Irish are firmly pointing toward taking the Big East's spot in the Gator Bowl and moving the No. 2 league team to the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Big East should root for Pitt and UConn to beat Notre Dame the next two weeks, and then hope Stanford takes care of business Thanksgiving weekend to make the Irish ineligible at 6-6.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading rusher at 1,139 yards on 203 attempts, with 12 touchdowns.

2. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: The Big East's leader in receiving yards, with 65 catches for 908 yards and eight touchdowns.

3. Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leader in passing yards and pass efficiency; he's has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,879 yards and 17 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

4. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Fallen back a bit after the past two games. He has rushed for 1,010 yards on 167 attempts this season, with 10 touchdowns.

5. Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: Yes, that's right. Collaros not Pike. If you credit Collaros with the South Florida win -- the game was very much in doubt when he came in after Pike's injury -- Collaros has won four Big East games and will start a fifth this week. For the season, he has completed 76 percent of his passes for 1,229 yards and 10 touchdowns, with only one interceptions. He's also run for 288 yards and four scores.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: Leads the league with 13 tackles for loss, has three sacks and has forced three fumbles.

2. Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida: Leads the Bulls with 61 tackles. Had some strong comments before the Rutgers game and needs to back them up Thursday night.

3. Julian Miller, DE, West Virginia: See above.

4. Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: Has three interceptions and 42 tackles.

5. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: Has 7.5 sacks and and an interception.

Newcomer of the year

1. Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt: See above.

2. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: Has 9.5 sacks, and interception and a forced fumble.

3. Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers: Has completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,341 yards and and eight touchdowns with one interception.

4. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers: has 32 catches for 291 yards and has run 10 times for 55 yards.

5. Darius Ashley, RB, Louisville: See above.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Stock it to me.

Stock up


1. Tim Brown: You had to wonder if a guy as small as Brown could become a true No. 1 receiver. He's answered that question resoundingly with a terrific season, catching 37 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns for Rutgers. He had two scores, including the last-minute, 81-yard game-winner against UConn last week. Imagine his numbers if he had a more experienced quarterback all year.

2. Eric Schwartz: There's no other way to say it: South Florida's kicking was flat-out brutal during the middle of the year. But ever since he drilled a wholly unexpected 50-yarder to end the half against Cincinnati, Schwartz has been money in the bank. The junior walk-on has made six straight, including all three against West Virginia.

3. Cincinnati's hands: The Bearcats are the only team in the country that has not lost a fumble this year, amazingly. They have committed only four turnovers the entire season.

4. Mo Plancher: South Florida's running game aside from B.J. Daniels had stalled in recent weeks. Plancher helped fix that with 86 yards on 18 carries against West Virginia, creating many yards after first contact and setting a tone for that game.

5. Gallows humor: We criticized Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe's weird postgame comments about wanting to play against Tony Pike last week. This week, we credit the coach for his surprisingly funny press conference opening line about talking to Jon Gruden. Here's hoping that if this is indeed the final month of the Kragthorpe tenure, we get to see more of the guy's personality in the final days.

Stock down

1. Syracuse and Louisville crowds: The Orange drew only an announced 33,802 fans to Saturday's game against Cincinnati, a number that was probably inflated. Louisville had a stadium-record low 21,497 turn out for Arkansas State. Pathetic all around. Cardinals fans at least had somewhat of an excuse with the bad opponent, apathy for Kragthorpe's team and a game that spilled into Halloween trick-or-treating time. The Orange were playing the No. 5 team in the country at noon and offered free tickets to students. What's the deal with that?

2. Mike Williams: For quitting on his team. Don't be surprised if he comes back before the season is over, but that wouldn't make his decision-making any less boneheaded.

3. West Virginia's pass defense: Cornerback Keith Tandy got burned a lot against South Florida, but he wasn't the only culprit. The Mountaineers rank seventh in the league against the pass and have allowed big days through the air to Connecticut, Colorado and Auburn. That needs to get fixed before the Mountaineers take on Cincinnati and Pitt.

4. Overtime: The very first game of the year, Syracuse's loss to Minnesota, went to an extra period. Since then, the Big East hasn't given us an free football. Come on guys, put in a few overtime hours.

5. Instant replay: Maybe it's just me, but it seems like a lot of the Big East games I've seen this year have been bogged down by endless replay reviews that take far too long to resolve. I'm all for getting the call right, but the countless breaks in the action kill any kind of flow to the game.

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