ESPN College Football

Here are your links for today:

West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck needs to put his thinking cap on.

Players are doing their best to ignore the off-field drama at West Virginia. Watch video of some players doing interviews for the first time since the spring game.

If nothing else, Bill Stewart's final year at West Virginia will be weird.

Luck makes it onto the CBSSports.com top 100 list of influential folks in college football, ranking No. 20.

Former Syracuse players Delone Carter and Doug Hogue sit and wait for the NFL lockout to end.

A little late with this one but still a good link. CBS lists UConn DE/DT Kendall Reyes and Cincinnati RB Isaiah Pead as two seniors NFL scouts will be watching in 2011.

Scouts Inc. has come up with comprehensive draft boards for every position as we draw ever closer to the 2011 NFL draft (and, hopefully, a 2011 NFL season).

Let's start on the offensive side of the ball and take a look at where some Big East hopefuls are ranked. First, the skill positions:

• Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh: second round

• Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: third round

• Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: fourth round

• Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse: fourth round

• Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: fifth round

• Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: sixth round

• Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh: seventh round

• Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: seventh round

Now, the offensive linemen/tight ends:

• Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsbugh: fifth round

• Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville: sixth round

• Zach Hurd, OG, Connecticut: sixth round

• Ryan Bartholomew, C, Syracuse: seventh round

• Jason Kelce, C, Cincinnati: seventh round

Now let's move to the defensive side and see where Scouts Inc. rates some Big East defenders:

• Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida: second round

• Jabaal Sheard, DE/LB, Pittsburgh: second round

• Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville: third round

• Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: fourth round

• Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia: fourth round

• Robert Sands, S, West Virginia: fourth round

• Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers: sixth round

• Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia: sixth round

• Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: sixth round

• J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia: sixth round

• Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse: sixth round

• Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut: seventh round

These projections aren't gospel by any means, but they should give you a pretty good idea of how Big East hopefuls are being viewed right now.

We're down to the super six in our countdown of the best Big East players from 2010, based on performance last season and impact ...

No. 6

Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse, Sr.

Preseason rank: No. 22

2010 numbers: Carried 231 times for 1,233 yards and nine touchdowns.

Making the case for Carter: Syracuse wasn't much of a big-play offense, but they had a big-time back to carry the load. The bruising, 220-pounder was arm-tackle proof and helped the Orange control the clock when they had the ball.

Carter had six games of at least 90 yards rushing in the regular season, then erupted for 198 yards and two touchdowns in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl win. His 1,233 yards on the season -- his second straight 1,000-yard campaign -- was third highest in Syracuse history -- not bad for the school of Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little. Carter's solid pre-draft workouts suggest he will get a good look from the NFL. Big East defenders surely aren't sad to see him move on.

Previously

No. 25: Zach Hurd, OG, Connecticut
No. 24: Dave Teggart, K, Connecticut
No. 23: Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse
No. 22: J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia
No. 21: Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville
No. 20: Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh
No. 19: Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
No. 18: Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
No. 17: Kendall Reyes, DL, Connecticut
No. 16: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh
No. 14: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: Brandon Lindsey, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse
No. 11: Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia
No. 10: Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida
No. 9: Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia
No. 8: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 7: Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati

The NFL combine kicked into full swing over the weekend in Indianapolis, and several Big East players already turned in their audition.

There's a lot more testing to be done, with defensive linemen and linebackers getting center stage on Monday. But many results are already in, and here's a look at how Big East players have fared so far. All results are based upon performance by position unless otherwise noted:

Running back


Connecticut's Jordan Todman was third among running backs (and sixth overall so far) in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.40 seconds. He was third with a 38-inch vertical, third in the 60-yard shuttle, eighth in the 20-yard shuttle and sixth in bench press with 25 repetitions.

Huskies fullback Anthony Sherman topped running backs at 32 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.

Syracuse's Delone Carter was third in the 20-yard shuttle (and ninth overall so far), 14th in the 40-yard dash at 4.5 seconds, 10th in the three-cone drill, sixth in broad jump, seventh in vertical leap at 37 inches and fourth on the bench press.

Pittsburgh's Dion Lewis was 13th with a 4.57 time in the 40, fourth in the 60-yard shuttle, eighth in the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drills, and 14th in vertical leap at 34.5 inches. Lewis, by the way, measured in at 5-foot-7 and 193 pounds.

West Virginia's Noel Devine was seventh in the bench press.

Wide receivers


Pitt's Jon Baldwin topped all receivers (and is second overall so far) with a 42-inch vertical leap. He was fifth in broad jump, 12th in the 40-yard dash at 4.5 seconds and fourth in bench press with 20 reps.

West Virginia's Jock Sanders tied for sixth in bench press and was 10th in the 20-yard shuttle.

Offensive linemen

Syracuse's Ryan Bartholomew topped offensive linemen with 34 reps in the bench press. He was second in the 40-yard dash at 4.97 seconds and ninth in the 20-yard shuttle.

Cincinnati's Jason Kelce was first among offensive linemen with a 4.93 40-yard time and also came in first in the three-cone and 20-yard shuttle drills. He tied for eighth in vertical leap and was third in broad jump.

Defensive linemen

West Virginia's Chris Neild tied for 10th with 30 reps on the bench press.

South Florida's Terrell McClain tied for 14th on the bench with 29 reps.

Tight end

Louisville's Cameron Graham was 11th in bench, 12th in vertical leap, 12th in the 3-cone and 12th in the 20-yard shuttle.

Linebackers

Connecticut's Lawrence Wilson tied for seventh on the bench press with 24 reps.

West Virginia's J.T. Thomas did 23 reps, which tied for ninth.

UConn's Greg Lloyd tied for 13th with 22 reps.

The NFL combine officially began on Wednesday, as players arrived in Indianapolis and started interviews with team officials.

There are more interviews Thursday, along with measurements and medical examinations. Workouts start on Friday, and here is the schedule for position groups:

Friday: Specialists
Saturday: Offensive linemen, tight ends
Sunday: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs
Monday: Defensive linemen, linebackers
Tuesday: Defensive backs

It will be fun to follow the Big East players as they strut their stuff for scouts. Who will be the top player drafted from the league? My money is still on Pittsburgh receiver Jon Baldwin, whom I expect to put up dazzling numbers in his combine workouts.

Here again is the full list of Big East players scheduled to participate in Indianapolis:

Cincinnati (3)

Armon Binns, WR

Jason Kelce, OL

Jake Rogers, K

Connecticut (6)


Zach Hurd, OL

Anthony Sherman, FB

Jordan Todman, RB

Lawrence Wilson, LB

Greg Lloyd, LB

Scott Lutrus, LB

Louisville (3)


Cameron Graham, TE

Johnny Patrick, CB

Bilal Powell, RB

Pittsburgh (6)

Jon Baldwin, WR

Henry Hynoski, FB

Dion Lewis, RB

Jason Pinkston, OL

Greg Romeus, DE

Jabaal Sheard, DE

Rutgers (1)


Joe Lefeged, S

South Florida (1)

Terrell McClain, DT

Syracuse (4)

Ryan Bartholomew, OL

Doug Hogue, LB

Delone Carter, RB

Derrell Smith, LB

West Virginia (6)

Noel Devine, RB

Brandon Hogan, CB

Chris Neild, DT

Jock Sanders, WR

Robert Sands, S

J.T. Thomas, LB

• Cincinnati recruiting coordinator Troy Everhart went back to high school coaching.
• New UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni talked to the Hartford Courant about a variety of topics, including the quarterback and tailback situation this spring.
• Syracuse has some options to replace Delone Carter. Ryan Nassib is still the guy at quarterback despite a lot of eager backups behind him.
• USF will have a spring game and then a public scrimmage a week later. Derrick Hopkins hasn't made an impact in football for the Bulls, but he's a heck of a track star.
• Pitt emerged out of the winter chaos in pretty good shape.

I'm borrowing an idea from Big 12 blogger David Ubben and taking a look at the top individual performances by a Big East player in 2010.

Ubben's list was restricted to offensive players in conference games, and only players whose team won the game were eligible. I'm going to be a lot more inclusive than that. But I will give extra weight to performances in victories and in games against league competition or other high-caliber opponents. Sorry, but no stat-stuffing feats against FCS opponents were considered.

Here, then, is my Top 10:

1. Jordan Todman versus Pittsburgh: Todman -- with a heaping dose of help from his offensive line -- was simply unstoppable against Pitt's defense, running for 222 yards on 37 carries in a key win that changed the conference race. He was so good that Randy Edsall felt confident going for it on fourth-and-short from deep in his own territory late in the game, and of course Todman picked up that first down.

2. Isaiah Pead versus Rutgers: Granted, the Scarlet Knights' defense was a shell of its former self by this point. Still, Pead racked up a whopping five total touchdowns, most by a Big East player in a league game in 2010. He had 213 rushing yards and four scores on 31 rushing attempts and added a touchdown reception. Rutgers had no answer.

3. Sio Moore versus West Virginia: The Connecticut linebacker, often overshadowed by Lawrence Wilson and Scott Lutrus at his own position, was a one-man wrecking crew in the win that changed the Huskies' season. He collected 17 tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered two of them in the hard-fought upset.

4. Dion Lewis versus Cincinnati: The Bearcats had seen this show before. For the second straight year, Lewis was a load that the Cincinnati defense couldn't stop. He carried 42 times for 261 yards and four touchdowns in the snow at Nippert Stadium for what turned out to be his final regular-season college game.

5. Geno Smith versus Marshall: Down 21-6 in the fourth quarter, West Virginia looked like it would suffer its first loss to its in-state opponent. But Smith came to the rescue. He calmly led two scoring drives in the final minutes and delivered perfect strikes for the tying touchdown and two-point conversion plays attempt near the end of regulation. He finished 32-of-45 for 316 yards, and that's even more impressive when you consider it was just his second career start.

6. Bilal Powell versus Cincinnati: Our first performance on the list that came in a losing effort. It wasn't Powell's fault. The Louisville senior rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries and had perhaps the highlight of the season with his bruising, 85-yard scoring run. Powell also rushed for 204 yards on just 18 carries the week before, but it came against a truly terrible Memphis defense (not that Cincinnati's was all that much better).

7. Delone Carter versus Kansas State: Carter had a strong year but lacked a lot of explosive plays. That changed in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State's admittedly shaky defense. Carter crushed the Wildcats for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Orange held on for the postseason win.

8. Mark Harrison versus Cincinnati: There were a lot of great performances against the Cincinnati defense, but Harrison's was truly breathtaking -- and record-breaking. The Rutgers wideout had 10 catches for 240 yards and four touchdowns against the helpless Bearcats secondary.

9. Ray Graham versus Florida International: Not an elite opponent by any means, but what Graham did was still mighty impressive. Subbing for an injured Lewis, Graham nearly broke the Pitt single-game rushing record with 277 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.

10. Joe Lefeged versus Florida International: FIU appears again as a victim here in a ridiculous performance by the Rutgers safety. He had an interception, forced two fumbles and blocked a pair of punts to almost single-handedly ensure his team's narrow victory.

Honorable mention: Zach Collaros versus South Florida and Rutgers; B.J. Daniels versus Cincinnati and Clemson; Pead versus Oklahoma; Todman versus Cincinnati; Armon Binns versus Louisville; Chas Dodd versus Connecticut; Dave Teggart versus South Florida; Doug Hogue versus West Virginia; Marcus Sales versus Kansas State.

The official invitation list to the NFL combine is out, and 30 Big East players will be showing off their skills at the premiere pre-draft event.

The following league players are scheduled to participate in the set of drills before scouts from Feb. 23 to March 1 in Indianapolis:

Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh

Ryan Bartholomew, OL, Syracuse

Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati

Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia

Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville

Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia

Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse

Zach Hurd, OL, Connecticut

Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh

Jason Kelce, OL, Cincinnati

Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers

Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh

Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut

Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut

Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida

Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia

Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville

Jason Pinkston, OL, Pittsburgh

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville

Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh

Jake Rogers, K, Cincinnati

Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia

Robert Sands, S, West Virginia

Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut

Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse

J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia

Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut

Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut

Syracuse running back Delone Carter made a strong impression in Saturday's East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Fla.

Carter led all rushers with 54 yards on 11 attempts with a touchdown and earned MVP honors for the East, which won the game 25-8. Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay said in his stock report that Carter was among those who helped themselves the most all week at the all-star showcase.

Of all the running backs here, Carter showed the most quickness and was the most consistent runner. While he still has weaknesses in his game -- he dances around too much at times and is not a great pass catcher -- he runs hard. He's very competitive and fights for extra yards. Much more than we saw on tape, he also showed a good initial burst to turn the corner. We gave him a fourth-round grade off game tape and if nothing else, he showed he is worth of being picking in the mid-rounds after this week.

Connecticut linebacker Greg Lloyd was the leading tackler for the East squad with five stops. It's still puzzling how Lloyd became all but invisible for the Huskies this season.

South Florida's Terrell McClain -- who drew some buzz last week -- and UConn's Scott Lutrus each had one stop in the game.

One player who might have helped himself, according to McShay, was Armon Binns. The Cincinnati receiver had one catch for 11 yards in the game.

Binns, 6-3 and 204 pounds, is a big receiver but not very physical and it showed this week as he had a hard time getting off press coverage. He also lacks quickness and suddenness in his routes and had a hard time creating separation, which was one of the concerns we had about him heading into the week. While he flashes and makes acrobatic catches, he'll too often have mental lapses and drop balls he should be catching.

The East-West Shrine Game is on tap for Saturday, but the most important work for scouts came in the week leading up to the contest. Our ESPN experts were in Orlando to watch the players during practice and offered their thoughts on who stood out the most .

Todd McShay listed Connecticut fullback Anthony Sherman and South Florida defensive tackle Terrell McClain among his top performers.

On Sherman: "He's undersized (5-11, 240 pounds) and fullbacks border on extinct in the NFL, but I was impressed with Sherman. He's competed all week. He's tough and has some power at the point of attack. He also has good hands. He caught the ball smoothly and got up the field. It's a pretty good fullback class and right now he's No. 6 in the class. He's a longshot to get drafted yet he's done nothing but help himself this week"

On McClain: "He is strong at the point of attack and just doesn't give ground. He controls blockers with his hands. He has violent hands to get off blocks and he has a power rush."

McShay also talks about McClain in this video.

Syracuse's Delone Carter got some positive reviews earlier in the week for his strong running style, though there were questions about his hands in the passing game. Teammate and linebacker Doug Hogue was not practicing late in the week, and no reason was given for his absence.

Also scheduled to compete in the game from the Big East are Syracuse center Ryan Bartholomew, UConn's Scott Lutrus and Greg Lloyd and Cincinnati's Armon Binns.

• Paul Pasqualoni might have been UConn's first choice all along. A Huskies assistant found another job. Cody Endres is starting over at Slippery Rock.

• Delone Carter is a player to watch in the East-West Shrine Game.

• West Virginia picked up a pair of offensive linemen.
  
• USF landed another local receiver standout.

I listed the Top-10 moments of the Big East 2010 season earlier on Tuesday, now it's time to review the top games of the year.

I wanted to keep this to five but settled on seven. I'll try to get through this series quickly by running two a day until we're ready for No. 1. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on your most memorable games from 2010.

The qualifying factors include importance of the game, along with the excitement level and how well it was played. Let's get this thing started.

No. 7

West Virginia 24, Marshall 21 (OT), Sept. 10 in Huntington, W.Va.

Why this one: The Mountaineers trailed 21-6 in the fourth quarter before mounting a furious comeback to tie it and then win the game in overtime.

What it meant: West Virginia avoided an embarrassing early upset to a state rival that has never beaten the Mountaineers. Marshall coach Doc Holliday failed to one-up his former school. Perhaps this game was a signal of trouble for West Virginia, however.

Player of the game: Quarterback Geno Smith had his first real star turn, throwing for 316 yards and calmly leading the comeback in the fourth quarter.

Play of the game: Smith's 5-yard pass to Will Johnson in the end zone with five seconds left, which set up the tying two-point conversion try.

Quotable: "Not many young football players in this country could have done what he did. I like smiling a lot, and I was smiling watching him grow up." West Virginia coach Bill Stewart on Smith.

No. 6

Syracuse 36, Kansas State 34, Dec. 30 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Why this one: Syracuse registered plenty of milestone victories in 2010, but none were as exciting as the shootout bowl win over the Wildcats at Yankee Stadium. There were flea-flickers galore, all kinds of fireworks, and a controversial call late.

What it meant: The Orange won their postseason game after a six-year bowl absence. An eight-win season capped a breakthrough year.

Player of the game: Wide receiver Marcus Sales. Delone Carter ran for 198 yards, but it was Sales who came out of nowhere with the key contributions: five catches for 172 yards and three scores.

Play of the game: The unsportsmanlike penalty call on Adrian Hilburn after the Kansas State receiver caught a touchdown pass and then saluted the crowd with 1:13 left. That backed the Wildcats up on the tying two-point conversion attempt, which failed.

Quotable: "I stepped up, the whole team stepped up. We all made plays when it counted. I've never experienced anything like this. I mean, Yankee Stadium ... " -- Wide receiver Marcus Sales.

Let's put a final bow on bowl season with the Big East's All-Bowl team:

Offense

Quarterback: Ryan Nassib, Syracuse

Nassib, who struggled down the stretch of the regular season, took advantage of Kansas State's shaky defense to complete 13-of-21 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

Running backs: Delone Carter, Syracuse, and Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh

Carter ran 27 times for 198 yards and two scores in the Pinstripe Bowl. Lewis rumbled for 105 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in the BBVA Compass Bowl before declaring for the NFL Draft.

Wide receiver: Marcus Sales, Syracuse

Sales came almost out of nowhere to record five catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas State. No other Big East receiver had even a fraction of his stats in the postseason.

Tight end: Cameron Graham, Louisville

The league's best tight in the regular season kept it up in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, catching three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Offensive line: Jacob Sims and Sampson Genus, South Florida; Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh; Mark Wetterer, Louisville; Justin Pugh, Syracuse.


Sims and Genus were part of a USF line that pushed back Clemson's talented defensive front in the Meineke Car Care Bowl; Sims in particular helped keep Da'Quan Bowers quiet, which is not an easy thing to do. Pinkston showed some fire in protecting his quarterback after Tino Sunseri was hit late, and the Panthers ran for 261 yards while surrendering zero sacks against Kentucky. Wetterer and Pugh helped open holes for their high-scoring postseason offenses.

Defense

Defensive line: Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh; Terrell McClain, South Florida; Bruce Irvin, West Virginia.


Lindsey stepped up his game in the regular season when Greg Romeus was hurt and did so again in the bowl with Jabaal Sheard out. McClain didn't record many stats but was his usual dominant self in the middle against Clemson. Irvin had two sacks and a forced fumble against NC State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Linebackers: Derrell Smith, Syracuse; J.T. Thomas, West Virginia; Brandon Heath, Louisville; DeDe Lattimore, South Florida.


I went with a 3-4 look on defense to recognize the many strong performances by linebackers during bowl. Just about all of these guys had double-digit tackles and/or a couple TFLs.

Cornerbacks: Johnny Patrick, Louisville; Quenton Washington, South Florida

After getting burned on a play early, Patrick was all over the field. He forced a fumble and blocked a punt. Washington also blocked a punt and had a 45-yard interception return.

Safeties: Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh, and Robert Sands, West Virginia

DeCicco had nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Sands had eight tackles and a sack.

Specialists

Punter: Cole Wagner, Connecticut

Wagner punted seven times for an average of 46.9 yards -- with a long of 52 yards -- against Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Placekicker: Chris Philpott, Louisville

Philpott only got the call once, but he made the game-winning 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Kick returners: Jeremy Wright, Louisville, and Robbie Frey, Connecticut

Both Wright and Frey returned kickoffs for touchdowns in their bowl games. Wright's was especially crucial, as it tied the score in the fourth quarter.

Punt returner: Terrence Mitchell, South Florida

Mitchell had a 34-yard punt return against Clemson.

Here is the list of players from the Big East who will be participating in the East-West Shrine Game, a showcase for seniors and NFL hopefuls:

• Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut

• Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati

• Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse

• Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse

• Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut

• Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut

• Ryan Bartholomew, OL, Syracuse

• Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut

• Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida

• Zach Hurd, OL, Connecticut

The 86th annual game will be held Jan. 22 in Orlando.

• Rumors that Bill Stewart will step down are apparently just that: rumors.

• The search for UConn's new head coach is heating up.

• Pitt players are disappointed but say they'll be ready for Saturday's bowl game. Some other Pitt notes, including news of contact with Penn State's Tom Bradley.

• Skip Holtz's first season measured up well.

• Syracuse's Delone Carter will be playing in the East-West Shrine Game.