ESPN College Football

Welcome to the ESPN.com 2010 All-Big East team. Unlike the official league team, we don't do ties here. One man, one spot.

I compiled the following list after watching each team the entire season and through consultation this week with some coaches throughout the league. Later on today, I'll offer up some thoughts on the selections, explaining my picks and the toughest omissions.

Here is the team:

Offense

QB: Geno Smith, West Virginia
RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut
RB: Bilal Powell, Louisville
WR: Armon Binns, Cincinnati
WR: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh
TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville
OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut
C: Sampson Genus, South Florida
OG: Mark Wetterer, Louisville
OT: Byron Stingily, Louisville

Defense

DE: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh
DT: Chris Neild, West Virginia
DT: Terrell McClain, South Florida
DE: Julian Miller, West Virginia
LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut
LB: Derrell Smith, Syracuse
LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia
CB: Brandon Hogan, West Virginia
CB: Johnny Patrick, Louisville
S: Robert Sands, West Virginia
S: Sidney Glover, West Virginia

Specialists

K: Dave Teggart, Connecticut
P: Dan Hutchins, Pittsburgh
KR: Lindsey Lamar, South Florida
PR: Doug Beaumont, Louisville

The official Big East individual awards will be out next week. Here is my final forecast:

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: He's a lock to win this award. Todman is No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards and will go over 1,500 yards for the season this week at South Florida.

2. Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: If not for a knee injury at Pitt and the flu before the West Virginia game, Powell could have overtaken Todman for the rushing title. As is, he finished the regular season with 1,330 yards and a bowl game left.

3. Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: Despite the Bearcats' struggles, Binns has had a spectacular season. He has 72 catches for 1,072 yards and 10 touchdowns with a game left against Pitt.

4. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: Smith leads the league in pass efficiency with 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh: He's been the leader here for some time and there's no reason to move him now. An AFCA All-American, Sheard is second in the Big East in tackles for loss, first in fumbles forced and third in sacks despite near-constant double teams.

2. Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia: The entire West Virginia defense needs to be represented, and Neild is the anchor up front.

3. Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut: The senior is leading the league in tackles -- with 110 through 11 games -- for the second straight year.

4. Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia: There's a reason why teammate Keith Tandy leads the league in interceptions: opponents are scared to throw Hogan's way.

5. Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: Finished regular season with team-best 103 tackles on a very stout Orange defense.

Coach of the year race

1. Doug Marrone, Syracuse

2. Charlie Strong, Louisville

I struggled with this decision for a long time. Marrone led his team to a 7-5 record, while Strong's Cardinals were 6-6. But Louisville beat Syracuse and didn't play a second FCS team. It's incredibly close, and I would argue for co-coaches of the year. But if forced to choose one, I'll go with Marrone because he had more Big East wins (West Virginia, South Florida, Cincinnati and Rutgers) than Strong (Rutgers, Syracuse, Connecticut).

Player of the year race: Special teams

1. Nick Williams, Connecticut

2. Lindsey Lamar, South Florida

3. Dan Hutchins, Pittsburgh

Unlike last year, when it was clear that Mardy Gilyard was far and above the best special teams player in the league if not the country, there's no surefire winner this year. I pick Williams for now because of his ridiculous 42-yard kickoff return average -- tops in the FBS -- and his two touchdowns, including the 100-yarder against Pitt that changed that game and the Big East race. But Williams has only 11 returns all year, a very low number for an award like this.

Lamar has 24 returns and also two touchdowns, including one that spurred a win at Louisville. If either one has a big game this weekend in Tampa, that might tilt it in his favor. Hutchins led the league in punting and also handled field goals. But he shanked a few key punts and couldn't be relied on outside of 40 yards on field goals.

Rookie of the year

1. Chas Dodd, QB, Rutgers

2. Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia

3. Jeremy Deering, WR, Rutgers

4. Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville

Like special teams, there's no hands-down winner a la Dion Lewis in 2009. But Dodd shockingly became Rutgers stating quarterback and has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns despite awful protection from his line. Irvin leads the league with 10 sacks but is mostly a third-down specialist. Deering took over Wildcat duties from a banged up Mohamed Sanu and has produced more than 640 yards of offense. Smith led a surprisingly strong Louisville defense in tackles with 80.

1. Battle for first place: The three-team jostling match for the Big East's BCS bid could be down to two, or possibly just one team by Saturday. Pittsburgh can clinch the title with a win over West Virginia and a Connecticut loss to Cincinnati. West Virginia could force a first-place tie by beating Pitt, and UConn hopes for a Pittsburgh loss since it holds the tiebreakers over the Panthers and Mountaineers. This thing could be decided this weekend or set us up for an exciting finish next week.

2. Desperate measures: The margin of error is gone for three Big East teams. Louisville, Cincinnati and Rutgers each have six losses and must win this weekend in order to preserve bowl hopes. Louisville and Rutgers play in a postseason elimination game, while the Bearcats hope to get back to any bowl after winning the past two conference titles.

3. Brawl, y'all: The Backyard Brawl is always worth watching, especially with the stakes raised this year. And it should be a brawl. West Virginia's defense is allowing just 12.9 points per game, while Pitt has held opponents to under 16 points in conference play. A lot will ride on the shoulders of sophomore quarterbacks Tino Sunseri and Geno Smith, who could be making the first of three starts against one another. Can either offensive line handle the pressure from the opposing defense? Can either team mount a successful running game? This one might come down to one or two big plays, and both teams have the playmakers to spring one.

4. Pitt receivers vs. West Virginia's secondary: The Panthers and Mountaineers are the two most-talented teams in the league, which leads to some outstanding individual matchups. There's the head-to-head rushing battle between Noel Devine and Dion Lewis, Bruce Irvin versus Jason Pinkston on third down, Tino/Geno, etc. But the one I'm most looking forward to seeing is the Panthers wideouts going against the Mountaineers defensive backs. Jon Baldwin had eight catches for 127 yards last year, but West Virginia's Robert Sands had a key interception in the fourth quarter. Baldwin will likely get matched up against the Big East's best cornerback, Brandon Hogan, while league interceptions leader Keith Tandy will take on Mike Shanahan. Pitt has the tallest receivers in the league, but the 6-foot-5 Sands can give them trouble. Should be fun to watch all day.

5. Heinz special: In a game expected to be close and defensive-minded, special teams could make the difference. Watch what Pitt does if it stalls outside the West Virginia red zone. Panthers kicker Dan Hutchins has been money from inside the 40 but is just 1-for-5 from 40 yards and out, including last week's miss at South Florida that could have sealed the game. Pitt has struggled with special-teams plays in big games (see: Cincinnati 2009, UConn 2010). West Virginia won last year's game on a Tyler Bitancurt field goal. And remember the Heinz Field turf will be chewed up, which could affect footing on kicks.

6. Revved-up Bearcats: An arena football game broke out at Nippert Stadium last week as Cincinnati put up 69 points and 661 yards against Rutgers. The Bearcats got back to balance, as the previously missing running game exploded behind Isaiah Pead's 213-yard effort. And they had only one turnover. The performance was no surprise to Connecticut, which saw Cincinnati put up 711 total yards in last year's 47-45 win over the Huskies. But this year's Bearcats have been far more inconsistent. Did they finally find a groove, or was last week's outburst a product of Rutgers' implosion? West Virginia and Pitt will be hoping for the former.

7. UConn pass attack: The book on beating UConn has been to load up against the run and make quarterback Zach Frazer make plays. The Huskies, after all, have the Big East's worst passing offense. But Cincinnati can't stop anybody through the air; receivers often roam wild in the Bearcats' secondary. The last four Big East opponents have scored at least 31 points against Cincinnati, so Connecticut should have plenty of opportunities to connect on big strikes.

8. A little respect: The Big East went just 2-11 against BCS conference opponents this season, with the wins coming over Maryland (West Virginia) and Vanderbilt (UConn). This week brings a final chance to salvage a little nonconference respect before bowl season, and the opportunities involve the BCS league with which the Big East is most closely aligned: the ACC. In fact, both games (South Florida at Miami and Boston College at Syracuse) feature former Big East teams. The Bulls will be playing for more than league pride; they're looking to score another victory over one of the Big Three in their own state. The Orange, meanwhile, are trying to put a positive cap on a breakthrough season, and to finally give their home fans something to cheer about.

9. Points at a premium? Syracuse has mostly won games in spite of its offense, and the same can be said for Boston College. The Eagles rank just 106th nationally in scoring and will be without star tailback Montel Harris this week. The Orange, meanwhile, are 94th in the country in points scored. Neither Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib nor BC counterpart Chase Rettig will blow you away with stats. This could be a big-time defensive battle featuring some outstanding linebackers: Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlich for the Eagles, and Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue for the Orange. And speaking of tough sledding for the offense, how is South Florida going to move the ball on a fast, aggressive defense that turned Pitt into mush earlier this season?

10. Louisville's pressure vs. Rutgers' offense: Just about every week, we wonder how Rutgers' offensive line is going to hold up against an opposing defense. It's clear by now what the answer is: not well. The Scarlet Knights have another major challenge Friday against a Cardinals defense that is second in the league in sacks and has been playing great overall for the past month or so. Both teams really need this game (see No. 2) and Louisville would like nothing more than to clinch bowl eligibility in the same place it was humiliated at the end of the 2008 season.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: Powell had only 64 yards versus Pittsburgh but still has done more outstanding work than anyone else so far. If he misses this week's game against Syracuse, however, his candidacy would suffer.

2. Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: Todman needed 33 carries to gain 113 yards against West Virginia, but he regained the rushing yards per game lead in the league. He needs 46 more yards for 1,000 on the season.

3. Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: Anyone doubting his worth shouldn't any more after the Bearcats scored just seven points without an injured Collaros versus Syracuse.

4. Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh: It's true. Sunseri leads all Big East quarterbacks in passing yards (237 per game), touchdowns (seven) and completion percentage (68 percent) in league contests.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh: Sheard has taken his game to a new level this year and leads the Big East in sacks and tackles for loss despite commanding a lot of extra attention each game.

2. Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: Smith didn't have to do too much work for his big interception against Cincinnati since it was thrown right to him. But he continues to lead a balanced defense that is shutting down every opponent not named Pittsburgh.

3. Dom DeCicco, LB/S, Pittsburgh: As discussed earlier in the stock report, DeCicco has been a stabilizing force for the Panthers defense and now has 50 tackles and three interceptions.

4. Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse: Smith's running partner at linebacker has been just as valuable as any Orange defender. (And it's no coincidence that Pitt and Syracuse players dominate this category this week, as they are the teams playing the best).

Player of the year race: Special teams

1. Joe Lefeged, Rutgers: Lefeged is one of the best kick returners in the league and has also blocked two punts.

2. Rob Long, P, Syracuse: Long has been instrumental in helping the Orange use field position to its advantage in its Big East wins.

3. Dan Hutchins, P/K, Pittsburgh: Hutchins leads the league in punting average and boomed a 71-yarder last week against Louisville. But you'd like to see him be a little more consistent on field goals, where he's just 14-of-19 and only 1-of-4 outside 40 yards.

Coach of the year race

1. Doug Marrone, Syracuse: Balloting is closed on this one until further notice. Start etching Marrone's name in the hardware.

Louisville and Pittsburgh came into today's game averaging more than 30 points each.

But you wouldn't guess it by the first half, as Pitt went into intermission holding just a 6-3 lead in a battle of field goals. The Cardinals have to be thrilled with their defensive effort, and though they haven't scored since the opening drive, their main goal coming in was just to keep this one close and give themselves a chance to win on the road. So far, so good.

Pitt came in extremely worried about Louisville's running game, and though Bilal Powell is on pace for slightly more than 100 yards, the Cardinals have been balanced. Adam Froman has completed 10 of his 14 passes, but for only 59 yards. Doug Beaumont has six of those catches. Big plays have been hard to come by for either team.

Dan Hutchins badly missed a field goal near the end of the half for the Panthers, and the way things are going, points could be at a premium. Pitt exploded in the second half last week against Rutgers, but can it happen again against a Louisville team playing smart, disciplined defense?

Pitt is also going to be without fullback Henry Hynoski, who's been diagnosed with a mild concussion. Hynoski is a key part of the running game and the passing game for the Panthers.

There was nothing more significant that happened in Week 7 than the neck injury to Rutgers' Eric LeGrand. It's devastating, and fans from all schools have been sending in their prayers and condolences.

On to more trivial matters, as we review the games and action from the week.

Team of the week: Pittsburgh. The Panthers haven't had much reason to celebrate this season, but a 31-point road win against a Syracuse team that was jacked up on confidence will do the trick. Pitt fumbled away its nonconference opportunities, but it would be foolish to count this team out of the Big East race.

Best game: Cincinnati's 35-27 win against Louisville was far and away the most entertaining game of the week in the Big East. It was a shootout in the first half, as the Cardinals took a 24-21 lead into the locker room. The scoring slowed down in the second half, but there were many big plays, big performances and an exciting finish.

Biggest play: Robert Sands' interception of South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels in the final minute before halftime of West Virginia's 20-6 win on Thursday. The pick set up a Mountaineers' score right before intermission to make it 17-3 and put the game on ice. Lesson to USF coach Skip Holtz: Never let Daniels pass near the end of the half while in his own territory. That proved disastrous against both Florida and West Virginia.

Best call: The touchdown set up by the Sands play was an exciting hook-and-ladder pass that Jock Sanders lateraled to Noel Devine. Gotta give credit to Bill Stewart and Jeff Mullen for that, especially after criticizing them for the double-pass play that failed against Maryland. But, actually, my award for best call involves the first West Virginia touchdown. The Mountaineers had their big-back look with Ryan Clarke and a fullback in the I, but Geno Smith faked the handoff and found a wide open Brad Starks for a 31-yard strike. West Virginia hadn't passed much out of that formation, and it clearly caught USF off guard.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Cincinnati receiver Armon Binns had eight catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-clinching 62-yard score in the fourth quarter. Good to see Binns have a monster game after he'd been relatively quiet much of the year.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy was burned repeatedly in last year's game against South Florida. On Thursday, he had 10 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble to prove he's no longer a weak link in the chain.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Pitt's Dan Hutchins averaged 50 yards on five punts and had two downed inside the 20. He also made his lone field-goal attempt, a 24-yarder.

Strangest moment: Rutgers seemingly had everything in place for a game-winning field-goal try against Army after rallying from a 17-3 deficit. Chas Dodd completed a pass to Mohamed Sanu at the Army 28 on first down. Then Dodd ran for a 2-yard loss, trying to get the ball to the middle of the field. Then Army called timeout, and Rutgers somehow got a delay of game penalty after that stoppage as Dodd couldn't find his helmet on the sideline.

Forced to run another play, Rutgers gave up a sack. And then Dodd threw an interception on fourth down, forcing overtime. Fortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they still went on to win.

"We fouled that thing up," head coach Greg Schiano said. "I've made a lot of really good, time-management decisions over 10 years, really good ones that have won games for us. That one could have lost the game for us. That's my job to take control, and that was a bonehead move by me."

Worst hangover: Syracuse. The Orange kicked away a lot of momentum and fan excitement by losing 45-14 at home to Pittsburgh on Saturday. They surely thought they had improved to the point where they wouldn't get blown out at home like that in a conference game. You could sense the resignation by the home fans, many of whom headed for the Carrier Dome exits midway through the third quarter.

Now let's look ahead to Week 8, the first week when all eight Big East teams are squaring off head-to-head in conference play (Games listed in descending order of importance/interest):

Rutgers (4-2, 1-0 Big East) at Pitt (3-3, 1-0): The only matchup featuring two teams with undefeated Big East records. Rutgers had owned this series until Pitt struck back last year. How will the Scarlet Knights react after the LeGrand injury? (ESPN3.com, Noon ET).


Connecticut (3-3, 0-1) at Louisville (3-3, 0-1): The past three games in this series have all been close, with UConn winning all three. One of these two teams will essentially be out of the Big East race by Saturday night. (ESPNU, 3:30 ET)

Syracuse (4-2, 1-1) at No. 20 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0): How do the Orange bounce back while taking on what looks like the best team in the league? Can the Mountaineers keep things rolling and avoid a letdown? (ESPN2, Noon ET)

South Florida (3-3, 0-2) at Cincinnati (3-3, 1-0): Two teams going different routes, as the Bearcats have turned it on offensively, while the Bulls continue to search for answers on that side of the ball. (ESPN2, Friday, 8 ET)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Pittsburgh went into the half trailing by 14 but at least could say it moved the ball well on offense.

That's no longer the case. Two possessions into the second half, the Panthers have done nothing against Notre Dame. Coach Dave Wannstedt called for a fake punt after the opening series resulted in a three-and-out, but Dan Hutchins didn't even come close to converting the fake. Notre Dame cashed in with a 50-yard field goal by David Ruffer to make it 20-3.

Ruffer is now 15-for-15 for his career, an Irish record. He made the first 50-yarder by a Notre Dame kicker since 2003 -- and the holder bobbled the snap.

The Pitt defense has looked better in the second half. But if the Panthers aren't going to move the ball, Notre Dame will be happy to sit on its 17-point lead.

» Predictions: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ

When Temple's Adrian Robinson ripped the ball out of Jordan Todman's hands and ran in for the game-turning touchdown last week, he also ripped apart my string of perfection.

I had to settle for a 4-1 record after UConn couldn't get it done. But onward and upward. Huge games this week, and it's time for some huge picks.

Thursday

Pittsburgh 27, Miami 24: On paper, these two teams match up pretty closely. The Hurricanes have more speed, but I think Pitt is a little tougher and will benefit from playing at home. The Panthers have had a lot of distractions, including off-the-field issues and Greg Romeus' injury. But this smells to me like a rally-the-troops kind of moment. Miami hits some big pass plays, but Pitt's ground game starts churning and controls the tempo. It all comes down to a Dan Hutchins field goal to win it.

Saturday

LSU 31, West Virginia 27: This is my game of the week. See my video post this afternoon for an explanation of my pick.

Oklahoma 38, Cincinnati 17: You'd have to be an incredible optimist to go with the Bearcats in this one based on how both teams have played in the first three weeks. Sure, the Sooners had a couple of close calls with Utah State and Air Force, but Cincinnati hasn't yet showed the ability to beat a decent team. Oklahoma is too big and too fast for the Bearcats.

North Carolina 20, Rutgers 14: I'd feel better about the Scarlet Knights' chances if their offense had shown any signs of a pulse so far this season. Now they have to display major improvement against a weakened, but still very capable Tar Heels defense. Unless Tom Savage and the offensive line figured a lot of things out in the bye week, or if the Rutgers defense can create a couple scores, I don't see how they beat a North Carolina team that's already in must-win mode.

Connecticut 38, Buffalo 20: The Huskies should be mad and ready to deal out some punishment this week. If not, they've got bigger issues than we thought. Getting back to Rentschler Field should help.

South Florida 41, Western Kentucky 10: The Hilltoppers have lost 23 straight games, and they get a Bulls team that's had an extra week to prepare. Sounds like the recipe for a blowout.

Syracuse 35, Colgate 7: I expect a better all-around performance against this week's FCS opponent than last week for Syracuse, which messed around for a half before putting away Maine.

Last week: 4-1

Season results: 18-3 (85.7 percent)

Just call this kickers day on the blog.

Two Big East place-kickers made the preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award, presented to the top collegiate kicker. They are Tyler Bitancurt from West Virginia and Dan Hutchins from Pitt.

Hutchins led the Big East in field goals made last season, while Bitancurt had the highest percentage of makes (86.7 percent) among those who had at least six attempts in the league.

I probably would have added Cincinnati's Jake Rogers to this list as well.

PITTSBURGH -- I'll have plenty of coverage from my two-part visit to Pittsburgh, but here are some early thoughts and tidbits:

• As usual, this is what Dick Vitale would call an All-Airport Team. Meaning, the Panthers sure look good in person, like a football team ought to look. I've been to several spring camps now, and there just aren't many physical specimens like Greg Romeus and Jonathan Baldwin to be found anywhere in the Big East -- or many other places, for that matter.

• This is a team that has a lot of answers. But the No. 1 pressing concern is the interior of the offensive line, which is all new. Chris Jacobson was a big-time recruit and should be fine at left guard. Questions remain about center Alex Karabin and right guard Greg Gaskins. The tackle spots are in good shape, but you don't want to be weak up the middle, especially a team that likes to run as much as Pitt."It's going to be probably an ongoing process throughout training camp and throughout the season," Dave Wannstedt said. "Those guys will probably be playing their best football in December. It's one of those positions where it will take some time to bring those guys along."

• Wannstedt had glowing words for linebacker Tristan Roberts, who missed all of last year with an injury. Roberts is pushing two-year starter Greg Williams for that outside linebacker job and may win it."He looks like a different player than before he got hurt," Wannstedt said. "He's more physical, smart and he's moving around confidently."

• Dion Lewis and Ray Graham? Unfair. Graham caused oohs and aahs at practice with some of his moves Tuesday. I spent some time with Graham and he's an engaging guy. Look for that story soon.

• I'll have a story later today on the secondary, which is working in a lot of new pieces, especially at safety. That group will look a lot different in the fall when healthy, but the DBs played pretty well against Pitt's talented receiving group on Tuesday.

• Mike Cruz looks like he can be a solid tight end, but the Panthers will really miss Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson as playmakers at that spot.

• Tino Sunseri throws a great-looking ball. It's got zip and a tight spiral. I'll be stunned if he's not the starting quarterback, and I think he could have a really good year. Wannstedt praised him for not turning the ball over this spring, which of course is one of Wannstedt's cardinal rules for his quarterbacks.

• Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas are gone, but Pitt just plugs in new defensive linemen. Keep an eye on Tyrone Ezell. Dude looks like a beast.

• Favorite line of the day: Kicker Dan Hutchins walked by me on the sidelines and said, "Hey, I know you. You used to play here." Yep. Though I've changed a bit since then.

• I still need to see West Virginia, and there's a whole summer to deal with. But you'd have to really talk me out of making Pitt the Big East favorite at this point.

This is Part II of my interview with Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt. You can read Part I here.

With Elijah Fields gone, how comfortable are you with your depth at linebacker and safety?


Dave Wannstedt: I feel good about it. I think we have some young guys who have ability and I think we'll be fine.

How big of a spring is this for Dan Mason at middle linebacker?


DW: I think it's his job to lose. He's had a great offseason and I expect him to be a great player for us. Greg Williams is back and Max Gruder is back. With Mason, I thought he would play more than he did as a freshman. It just so happened that Adam Gunn played well and we just stayed that way. When we recruited Mason, we didn't expect to get a sixth year from Adam Gunn. Mason was the Big East defensive player of the week against Navy last year.

How about the offensive line? You lost three starters but it seems like you've been grooming some young guys to take over.


DW: Center will be the biggest position. Left guard will be fine. Chris Jacobson, he started the bowl game and can play. He's a big, talented kid. Three years ago, he was the most highly recruited offensive lineman in the state of Pennsylvania. So he'll be fine. There's competition at right guard and the same thing at center. So we've got to fill two spots, but we've got some young guys who've been waiting for that opportunity. We'll see. I'm not sure how it's going to pan out.

On the defensive line, you lost both starting tackles. How is the depth there?


DW: Myles Caragein really was a starter for us; he was as productive as any of them. We've got Chas Alecxih. We've got Justin Hargrove back, Tyrone Ezell was a redshirt freshman. So we've got good depth on the defensive line. Same thing at defensive end. Brandon Lindsey and Shayne Hale will be backing up there. I feel good about our depth.

Mike Shanahan really came on for you at receiver at the end of the year. How excited are you to see how he steps forward as a starter?


DW: I think Mike will be one of those guys. I think we have an excellent one-two-three punch right now. We've got Jonathan Baldwin as the big play guy, Shanahan as the possession guy and then we've got a couple young kids in Cam Saddler and Devin Street, a redshirt freshman, who really have some ability. They have a chance to make a difference on our team.

Both your tight ends, Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham, moved on. What happens with that position now?


DW: That will hurt us. We won't replace those guys. Mike Cruz will be the starter; he played a little last year and it's his time. He can catch, he's an athlete and he can block. Then we have a transfer, Andrew Devlin -- he went to Virginia and played as a freshman right out of high school, Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh. Then we have Brock DeCicco, Dom's brother who redshirted last year. Then we have a couple of young outstanding tight ends coming in. So we have some pretty good depth there.

Dion Lewis was so good last year, and you have a guy who can be a real playmaker in Ray Graham. You must be incredibly happy with the running back situation.

DW: Yeah, and we've got Chris Burns, who's a real good player and a little guy in Jason Douglas who has a lot of ability who we redshirted last year. Henry Hynoski is back at fullback, who I think is without a doubt the best fullback in the Big East and one of the best in the country. So I feel real good about the running back position. We've got ability there. We've got experience.

Can you lean on the running game a little bit more this year if you have a young guy like Sunseri at quarterback?


DW: When we're running the ball like we are it's going to open up some things and take a little bit of pressure off the quarterback. It's going to give us a chance to make plays in the play-action game when everybody doesn't know you're going to throw it. I think that's how you get the big plays, how you get guys open. On third down, it's tough. There are no secrets when you throw the ball on third down. As long as we run the ball like we do and are committed to it, we're going to have a chance to make some big plays in the passing game.

Any other guys who redshirted last year who you are looking at as maybe being impact players this year?

DW: We've got our long-snapper back, all our returners are back, our kicker is back in Dan Hutchins. We also have a kicker who's a redshirt sophomore in Kevin Harper out of Ohio, he'll be our kickoff guy. He has a lot of ability, and I think he'll be a guy who shows up for us. With the linemen, it's tough to tell. We redshirted four offensive linemen last year and four defensive linemen. Will any of the guys on the line step up and be ready? Who knows, we'll see.

It seems like you have the program to the point where you have enough depth to reload instead of rebuild.

DW: You know, as I sat here a year ago talking, I didn't know who was going to be our tailback, I didn't know who was going to be our quarterback, and we sure as heck didn't expect Dorin Dickerson to have that type of year. So when you look at the guys who had huge years for us, 12 months ago, and even coming out of spring, we didn't have that feeling. The thing that's great about college football is, those that stay will play. And if you get good kids who stay with the program and keep working, all of a sudden the light goes on.

The Dorin Dickersons and Billy Stulls of the world, they very easily could have quit, transferred or given up. And they both hung in there and stayed committed and ended up having storybook years. And I think that's a great lesson to all players at the college level. That will happen this year. There will be kids on our team and other teams that we're probably not talking about right now, but when it's all said and done they'll have great years. That's what makes it exciting.

Which players had the best bowl performances from the Big East? Here's our all-bowl team:

Offense

QB Tom Savage, Rutgers
There weren't a lot of big numbers for Big East quarterbacks in the postseason. The Scarlet Knights' true freshman completed 14 of 27 for 294 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, in a win over Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

RB Mike Ford, South Florida
Ford exploded for 207 yards on 20 carries -- almost all of them in the second half -- to help the Bulls beat Northern Illinois in the International Bowl.

RB Dion Lewis, Pitt
The sensational freshman had 159 yards on 28 carries and a score against North Carolina's tough run defense in the Meineke Car Care Bowl

RB Noel Devine, West Virginia
The Mountaineers' star ran for 168 yards on 16 carries in just three quarters against Florida State in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
Yet another freshman standout, Sanu had four catches for 97 yards and a score and also ran the ball 13 times for 41 yards and two more touchdowns.

WR Mike Shanahan, Pitt
Shanahan had five catches for 83 yards, many of them in traffic and in key spots, against North Carolina. And he's a freshman, too.

OT Anthony Davis, Rutgers
The future NFL first-rounder had his ups and downs this season. But he held off Central Florida's impressive pass rusher in a strong performance during his final college game.

OT Jason Pinkston, Pitt
North Carolina came into the Meineke game with the nation's No. 6 defense, but Pinkston helped the Pitt line move the chains and get the win.

C Moe Petrus, UConn
Petrus was part of a group that helped pave the way for 146 rushing yards against South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

OG John Malecki, Pitt

OG Zach Hurd, UConn

Defense

DE Lindsey Witten, UConn
The senior was part of a defensive line that overwhelmed the South Carolina offensive front.

DT Kendall Reyes, UConn
He had a one sack and put lots of pressure on Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia.

DT Mick Williams, Pitt
The Big East co-defensive player of the year registered a pair of sacks against North Carolina.

DE Alex Daniels, Cincinnati
One of the few Bearcats who had a good night in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Daniels had a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss against Florida.

LB Max Gruder, Pitt
Playing in his hometown, Gruder recorded 11 tackles and forced a fumble against North Carolina.

LB Scott Lutrus, UConn
The junior had nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery against South Carolina.

LB Steve Beauharnais, Rutgers
Another freshman, Beauharnais had seven tackles and a pair of sacks against Central Florida.

CB Billy Anderson, Rutgers
The little-known reserve returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first half in a key play.

CB Jerome Murphy, South Florida
He had an interception, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups in the International Bowl.

S Robert Sands, West Virginia
Sands was just about everywhere in the Gator Bowl, recording 13 tackles, two of them for loss.

S Robert Vaughn, UConn
Vaughn had an interception and two pass breakups in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Specialists

K Dan Hutchins, Pitt
Hutchins hit four field goals, including the game-winning 33-yarder, against North Carolina.

P Jake Rogers, Cincinnati
Rogers punted more than he has in a game all season, but he put half his six punts inside the Florida 20.

KR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
He sure had plenty of opportunities, but he piled up a Sugar Bowl-record 207 return yards on eight attempts.

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.

Instant analysis of Pittsburgh's 19-17 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

How the game was won: It was a close, back-and-forth battle as you'd expect between two teams and two head coaches that are in many ways mirror images of each other.

Pitt trailed 17-16 when it took over on its own 5-yard line in the fourth quarter. The Panthers wisely put the burden on their running game and Dion Lewis, who to that point had been shut down in the second half. Lewis rushed for 58 yards on a 17-play, 8:47 drive that resulted in a Dan Hutchins 33-yard field goal with 52 seconds left. The Pitt defense then held off a final Tar Heels' drive.

Turning point: Hutchins lined up for a 47-yard attempt on fourth-and-two earlier in the drive. That was probably out of his range. But North Carolina was whistled for an offsides penalty, allowing Pitt to move closer and to eat up even more time.

Player of the game: Lewis. Despite a costly fumble through the end zone for a touchback in the first quarter, Lewis was still the best player on the field. He finished with 28 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown as he broke Tony Dorsett's freshman Pitt record for rushing in a season. Also credit the Pitt offensive line, which won the battle up front against the Tar Heels' No. 6 rated defense.

Unsung hero of the game: Mike Shanahan. The freshman receiver had five catches for 83 yards, and many of them were in crucial situations. He held onto a 13-yard grab on third-and-seven despite taking a big hit over the middle during Pitt's winning drive.

Best call: Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt often is criticized for being too conservative. But facing a 4th and 1 on his own 30 on that winning march, he trusted his offensive line instead of going the safe route and punting. Quarterback Bill Stull followed that line for a three-yard gain on a sneak.

What it means: Pitt reached the 10-win mark for the first time since 1981 and should finish the season in the Top 15. The victory was a relief after the Panthers lost their last two regular season games in the final minute and saw their BCS bowl chances slip away. Now they have some momentum to build upon for next season, when they should begin the year in the Top 25. And the Big East is off to a 2-0 start in the postseason.

PITTSBURGH -- Quick review of the first half at Heinz Field, where No. 15 Pittsburgh leads No. 5 Cincinnati 31-17:

Best player in the half: Pitt's Dion Lewis has cemented his status as the Big East offensive player of the year. The Panthers gave Cincinnati a heavy dose of the running back in the first half, as Lewis carried 29 times for 108 yards and added three catches for 23 yards. Lewis has plenty of room to run behind his offensive line, which has overpowered the Bearcats' defense.

Turning point: Two big mistakes -- which Cincinnati has avoided all year -- turned into 10 points for Pittsburgh. Tony Pike threw a second-quarter interception, just his fourth of the year -- which led to a Dan Hutchins field goal. On the Bearcats' next possession, Nate Nix blocked a punt that ended up inside the Cincinnati 5. Bill Stull ran it in for a touchdown, making it 31-10 late in the half.

What Pitt needs to do: More of the same. The Panthers are dominating on both sides of the ball and would be up by 21 points if not for Mardy Gilyard's 99-yard touchdown return. Pitt needs to stay aggressive and not sit on the lead, because the Bearcats' offense is too explosive.

What Cincinnati needs to do: Reboot. The defensive game plan is not working at all. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco needs to find something to counter the running of Lewis, and the Cincinnati offensive line has to do a better job of protecting Pike. The Bearcats have not trailed in the second half all season, so we'll see what they're made of today.