ESPN College Football

Like we did for every week of the regular season, it's time to hit the rewind button and look back on the Big East postseason:

Team of the postseason: Connecticut. The Huskies took out an SEC opponent (South Carolina) in impressive fashion and finished the year with four straight wins. There was no better story in college football this season.

Best game: Pitt's 19-17 win over had all the requisite drama and a game-winning field goal in the final minute. Hard to believe, but it was the only Big East bowl game decided by fewer than 12 points.

Biggest play: Connecticut receiver Kashif Moore's one-handed, 37-yard touchdown grab from Zach Frazer in the first quarter against South Carolina. It was spectacular and set the tone for the Huskies' win.


Best call: Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt's two fourth-down decisions on the winning drive at the Meineke Car Care Bowl. First, he decided to go for it on fourth-and-one from his own 30 with half a quarter left instead of punting and playing defense. Bill Stull converted the quarterback sneak. Then on fourth-and-two from the North Carolina 30 with 1:56 left, Wannstedt sent out the field goal unit but hoped to draw the Tar Heels offsides. That's exactly what happened, and both plays helped Pitt string together an incredible 18-play, 79-yard, 8:47 drive to win the game.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Dion Lewis. How appropriate that the league's offensive MVP and freshman of the year also wins postseason Big Man on Campus honors. He deserves it after his 159 yards rushing on 28 carries and a touchdown against North Carolina.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): The UConn front seven. Can't single out just one guy in a dominating effort by the Huskies up front. South Carolina was shut out until scoring a touchdown with 3:24 left. The defensive line, led by tackle Kendall Reyes, looked fast and determined and was every bit as good as what the Gamecocks saw in the SEC. The linebackers, particularly Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson, made plays all over the field. And almost all of them return in '10.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Pitt's Dan Hutchins missed a field goal early but rebounded to hit four of them, including the 33-yard game-winner with 52 seconds left.

Worst hangover: Cincinnati, and not just because the Bearcats and their fans spent a week roaming the French Quarter. The biggest game in school history turned into possibly the biggest mismatch in a BCS game, as Florida staked a 37-3 lead and rolled to a 51-24 victory at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It will probably be a long time before we see those Cincinnati white helmets again. And it may be a while before a Big East team silences a skeptical public about its national title credentials.

Best timing: Rutgers senior linebacker Damaso Munoz had been kidded by his teammates for being one of the few Scarlet Knights' defenders who had never scored a touchdown. So with 2:18 left against Central Florida, Munoz corralled an onside kick and ran it back 35 yards to paydirt. He dived into the end zone and spiked the ball to cap his career.

Best off-the-field game: The backflip contest between South Florida defenders Jason Pierre-Paul and Kion Wilson before the International Bowl. Pierre-Paul won easily with a dazzling array of flips, and that athleticism is why NFL scouts drool over the still-raw defensive end. You can watch the whole thing here.

Strangest moment: At the end of three quarters, West Virginia tailback Noel Devine had rushed for 168 yards on 16 carries, including a 70-yard gain. And those numbers wouldn't change. Despite closing the gap on Florida State to 23-21 on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers never again gave the ball to their best offensive weapon. It's as if West Virginia coaches thought Devine had already opted to leave for the NFL before the fourth quarter began.

The bad news is there are no more Big East games in the 2009 season. The good news is you won't have to read any game predictions from me for another eight months.

I correctly predicted that the league would go 4-2 in its bowl games this season, but I didn't get all the wins and losses right. Here's a look at how my postseason predictions fared:

St. Petersburg Bowl

• My pick: Rutgers 21, Central Florida 17. I thought this would be a close, defensive struggle. Not so much, as the Scarlet Knights blew out the Knights 45-24.

Meineke Car Care Bowl

• My pick: Pitt 24, North Carolina 21. I rightly saw this one as a close game that would come down to the end. Pitt used a late field goal to win 19-17.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

• My pick: West Virginia 27, Florida State 25. I knew the Mountaineers would get a battle from the emotionally charged Seminoles. I didn't realize that they would completely stall after taking a 14-3 lead or fail to give the ball to Noel Devine in the fourth quarter in a 33-21 loss.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

• My pick: Florida 33, Cincinnati 21. My crystal ball was just a little off, as I had the right score for a New Year's Day game involving a Florida school versus the Big East, just the wrong game. Clearly I gave the Bearcats' defense way too much credit in this pick, as they lost 51-24.

International Bowl

• My pick: South Florida 31, Northern Illinois 16. I didn't think the Bulls would have too much trouble in this game. And after being tied 3-3 at the half, they pulled away for an easy 27-3 victory.

Papajohns.com Bowl

• My pick: South Carolina 34, UConn 28. I figured the Gamecocks would take advantage of Connecticut's shaky late-season defense, but instead the Huskies nearly pitched a shutout before giving up a late score in an impressive 20-7 win.

Some were close, some were way off. I'll try to do better next year.

Here's the final tally on 2009 picks from the ol' blog:

Regular season 57-11 (83.8 percent)

Bowl season: 4-2 (66.7 percent)

Total: 61-13 (82.4 percent)

The Big East finished 4-2 during bowl season, marking the fourth straight year that the league has posted a winning record in the postseason. Dating back to 2006, the Big East is 17-6 in bowl games.

While that's a commendable record that the conference will surely highlight in its media guide and promotional materials, this year's record is not as impressive as it seems. The league went 2-2 against teams from BCS conferences in bowl games, and both wins came against opponents (North Carolina and South Carolina) that finished 7-5 in the regular season.

Big East champion Cincinnati wasn't remotely competitive in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Florida, the league's one marquee matchup. League runner-up West Virginia lost by double digits to a 6-6 Florida State in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl. Instead of merely reciting the 4-2 record, here's how we should look at the Big East's bowl season:

Took care of business: Rutgers and South Florida. Both the Scarlet Knights and Bulls should have been considered heavy favorites against Central Florida and Northern Illinois, respectively. BCS conference teams have no business losing to also-rans from Conference USA and the MAC. To their credit, Rutgers and South Florida won their games going away to help the Big East avoid embarrassment.

Good wins: Pittsburgh and Connecticut scored the best victories for the Big East. Pitt took out North Carolina in Charlotte in an exciting game to finish with a 10-win season. UConn notched its first-ever win against an SEC team, dominating South Carolina from start to finish in a 20-7 victory at the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Fell flat: Cincinnati was vastly disappointing and cost the Big East some credibility on the national stage. There's simply no other way to put it. West Virginia's loss wasn't terribly surprising, given the emotion surrounding Florida State coach Bobby Bowden's last game. Still, the Mountaineers clearly had the better team and seemed to make almost no adjustments after grabbing an early 14-3 lead.

That's a clearer picture of the Big East's 4-2 postseason.

Thud.

That's the sound of the Big East in bowl season. Sure, the league is 2-2 right now, but its New Year's Day performance is what people will remember.

Cincinnati came up small on the biggest stage, getting absolutely steamrolled by Florida in a 51-24 Allstate Sugar Bowl loss that wasn't even that close. The Big East needs all the high-profile wins it can get on the BCS stage and against the elite in the sport; the Bearcats' performance, coming in as a 12-0 back-to-back league champ, did great damage to the league's credibility.

West Virginia's performance was almost as bad. Yes, the Mountaineers were playing in a no-win situation in Bobby Bowden's last game, and quarterback Jarrett Brown didn't play the second half after hurting his ankle. The bottom line is still that the Big East's No. 2 team -- West Virginia finished 5-2 in the league and beat Pitt -- lost to a 6-6 team by two scores.

At least Pitt won a virtual road game against North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and a UConn win Saturday over South Carolina would give the league an SEC scalp. But both those opponents are mediocre, middle-of-the pack teams. And South Florida's game against Northern Illinois won't matter to anybody unless the Bulls manage to lose.

The sky is not falling. Cincinnati will finish in the Top 10 and Pitt probably ends in the Top 15. West Virginia and Rutgers won nine games.

But you make your rep in the highest-profile games. And at the very top, the Big East bottomed out.

NEW ORLEANS -- Instant analysis from the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which Florida won 51-24 over Cincinnati.

Player of the game: There can be no doubt about this one. MVP Tim Tebow went out in style in his final college game, as the Florida quarterback passed for a career high 482 yards, completed 31 of his 35 passes and accounted for four touchdowns.

Stat of the game: Cincinnati had only 110 passing yards at the end of three quarters. This from one of the most prolific throwing and scoring teams in the nation all year. Florida's defense, however, was just too much for Tony Pike & Co. to overcome. This was a total domination, as the Gators led 37-3 early in the second half.

What it means: Cincinnati's 12-0 season now comes with a black mark at the end of it. The Bearcats were one second away from reaching the BCS title game but showed they are nowhere near worthy of being there. The Big East also suffered a credibility blow as well. Florida came out determined to make a statement and likely would have crushed most teams. But the Bearcats are the one who incurred this embarrassment, and incoming coach Butch Jones knows he has some work to do, especially on the defensive side.

Record performance: Tebow set all kinds of Sugar Bowl records, including passing and total yards. His 533 total yards were also the most ever in a BCS game, surpassing Vince Young's spectacular 2006 Rose Bowl performance for Texas.

Unsung hero of the game: Tebow had the big numbers, but receiver Riley Cooper added seven catches for 181 yards, including an 80-yard score. The Gators receivers as a whole played as well as they have all season.

NEW ORLEANS -- Cincinnati players talked all week about how much respect they had for Tim Tebow.

Wonder what they think of the Florida star now? Tebow is 28-of-31 for 436 yards and has four total touchdowns as the Gators lead 44-10. His 472 total yards is a BCS record, surpassing Vince Young's 2006 Rose Bowl haul.

Like Alabama, Cincinnati had hoped to make Tebow a pocket passer instead of letting the Florida run game beat them. Unlike Alabama, the Bearcats have had absolutely no way of stopping him.

NEW ORLEANS -- Any thoughts that Cincinnati would make major adjustments and somehow climb back in the Allstate Sugar Bowl were quickly extinguished.

Florida got a big kick return and scored again on a fourth down option pitch from Tim Tebow to Emmanuel Moody to go up 37-3.

It's just about pride now for Cincinnati. Can the Bearcats at least make this score somewhat respectable?

NEW ORLEANS -- Halftime analysis from the Allstate Sugar Bowl, where Florida leads Cincinnati 30-3:

Player of the half: Tim Tebow. Perhaps you've heard of him. The Florida star is adding to his legend in his final college game with a nearly flawless first half. Tebow completed his first 12 passes and 17 of his first 18. He finished 20-of-23 for 320 yards and three scores -- and again, that's in the first half.

Stat of the half: Cincinnati has 55 total yards to 383 for Florida.

Turning point: When this matchup was announced. Seriously, it's been completely one-sided, and Cincinnati does not appear to belong on the same field with the bigger, faster and crisper Gators.

Unsung hero: The Florida secondary has been great at keeping Cincinnati's receivers bottled up. Mardy Gilyard has only four catches for 20 yards. There just aren't openings down the field, even when the Gators bring pressure.

What Cincinnati needs to do: They need to mix some things up. Why not give Zach Collaros a shot and see if he provides a spark at quarterback? But defensively, I'm not sure what the answer is. Tebow is picking the defense apart. Interim coach Jeff Quinn needs a miracle.

Record performance: Tebow's 12 straight completions to start the game set a new Sugar Bowl record.

NEW ORLEANS -- At least Cincinnati won't get shut out.

Jake Rogers' 47-yard field goal with 3:11 left made it 23-3, Florida. That was the end of the Bearcats' most promising drive since the opening possession, but it still didn't result in a red-zone trip.

And then Florida immediately responded with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow to Riley Cooper on the next play from scrimmage. It's 30-3, and somebody might need to call this fight.

The "SEC! SEC!" chants are getting louder and louder, and Cincinnati fans have no response.

Rough New Year's Day for the Big East.

NEW ORLEANS -- So far, this is men against boys.

Cincinnati just hasn't been in Florida's league through a quarter and a half. The Bearcats offense has 11 total yards, and that Gators' pass rush is getting to Tony Pike just by bringing the front four. Having Carlos Dunlap back has been a big boost for the Gators.

It's "only" 16-0 but it's been a clear domination. Cincinnati needs something good to happen right away or it could get run out of the building like Hawaii did against Georgia here. And given how great the Bearcats' season was, that would be a shame.

NEW ORLEANS -- That was about the worst possible first quarter for Cincinnati.

Tim Tebow is 10-for-10 and the Bearcats offense is 0-for-3 on drives. Florida's 9-0 lead seems larger than it is. Cincinnati has yet to adjust to the Gators' defensive speed and may not be able to. Meanwhile, Florida is too big and Tebow has been too good for the Bearcats defense to handle.

This is a big test for interim coach Jeff Quinn. He and his staff have to come up with some adjustments and fast, or they could get blown out.

Yes, things looked really bad early on in the Pitt game, too. But Florida is better than Pitt and is playing with a ton of confidence right now.

NEW ORLEANS -- Cincinnati's only chance in this game is probably to score a lot of points.

But after two possessions, the Bearcats' high-powered offense has been shut out. They've had some success with short passes over the middle, but the running game has been non-existent (and harmful, since it's led to two holding plays), and Florida's secondary is covering the deep ball well.

Interim coach Jeff Quinn emptied the playbook with a throwback pass from Isaiah Pead to Tony Pike, who then tried to hit Ben Guidugli on a deep pass. But Gators star corner Joe Haden recovered to knock it away. Pike also had Armon Binns open, but he's probably not used to seeing corners recover as quickly as Haden did.

NEW ORLEANS -- Cincinnati's defense, which was so leaky in the last month of the regular season, apparently hasn't gotten any better.

Florida marched down the field on a 13-play, 84-yard drive to take a 6-0 lead (Walter Stewart blocked the extra point). The Gators are more physical than the Bearcats and any question of whether they'd come ready to play has been answered.

Tim Tebow got it done with his arms and legs that drive. The Bearcats had Florida in a couple of third-and-longs, but Tebow found receivers for the first down. He was 7-for-7 on the drive. If Tebow can stand in the pocket and deliver completions like that, Cincinnati is going to have a long, long night defensively.

One of Florida's best offensive players, though, is probably done for the game. Running back Jeff Demps injured his left forearm near the goal line and was taken to the locker room.

NEW ORLEANS -- Florida center Maurkice Pouncey is a tough guy.

Team officials say Pouncey spent five-plus hours at Tulane Hospital today with kidney stones. Remarkably, after four bags of IVs, he is still starting for the Gators.

Obviously, keep an eye on how effective he will be.

NEW ORLEANS -- The teams have completed their pre-game warmups, including Tim Tebow for the last time as a collegian (try to hold back those tears).

There don't appear to be any significant injuries for either side. Urban Meyer is not in a hospital gurney. So we should be all set to go.

Cincinnati will wear all white uniforms, including white helmets for the first time since the 1966 season.

Mardy Gilyard looks ready. Early in warmups, the Cincinnati receiver went over to the sidelines where the Bearcats fans were and tried to pump them up. They chanted, "Mardy! Mardy!"