ESPN College Football

College football guru Phil Steele has unveiled his preseason All-Big East selections.

I agree with most every first-team selection. Here are a few of my early thoughts. Note: the ESPN.com preseason Big East first team will come out just before the season begins.

• I completely understand having Teddy Bridgewater as the first-team quarterback, but I probably would have gone with B.J. Daniels here. I know many people think that makes me a little bit nutty. But I will repeat my thought process on this -- Daniels is going into his fourth year as a starter with some pretty terrific receivers and quality backs. On paper, he should be the best quarterback in the league.
• A little surprised to see Anthony McClung ahead of Alec Lemon at first-team receiver. Coach Butch Jones has said that McClung needs to have an outstanding summer to continue his development. Lemon was better last year; and I think he will have another solid season -- if healthy. It was also interesting to see two Pitt receivers on the first and second teams -- Devin Street and Mike Shanahan, respectively. Tino Sunseri is still the quarterback and the Panthers will be run heavy, so I'm not sure they will have two of the top four receivers in the league.
• Andre Davis may end up having a better season than Sterling Griffin at USF.
• Defensive line continues to be a position of strength. I think Walter Stewart is going to be one of the better players in the league. Maybe he sneaks in over Trevardo Williams, though it's hard to ignore the 12.5 sacks Williams had a year ago.
• Watch out for Pitt safety Ray Vinopal. He was not listed on any of the four teams. I think this is the deepest position in the league.
• I would have had Ralph David Abernathy IV at Cincinnati ahead of Jeremy Deering at kick returner.

2011 overall record: 6-7

2011 conference record: 4-3 (T-4)

Returning starters

Offense 8; Defense 4; Kicker/punter: 2.

Key returners

RB Ray Graham, QB Tino Sunseri, OG Chris Jacobson, RB Isaac Bennett, WR Devin Street, DT Aaron Donald, S Jarred Holley, CB K'Waun Williams

Key losses

DE Brandon Lindsey, DT Chas Alecxih, DT Myles Caragein, LB Max Gruder, CB Antwuan Reed

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Ray Graham* (958 yards)

Passing: Tino Sunseri* (247-of-385 for 2,616 yards, 10 TDs, 11 INTs)

Receiving: Devin Street* (754 yards)

Tackles: Max Gruder (116)

Sacks: Aaron Donald* (11)

Interceptions: Eight tied with one each

Spring answers

1. Depth at safety. Pitt has some major talent at safety, with four players capable of starting in Jarred Holley, Andrew Taglianetti, Jason Hendricks and transfer Ray Vinopal, one of the highlights for the Panthers this season. Coaches are going to have a hard time determining the starters from the backups once the season begins.

2. Michigan transfers rise. Speaking of Vinopal, he and Cullen Christian came to Pitt from Michigan and were forced to sit out a year. Though the scheme has changed, both players had terrific springs. Vinopal was making plays all over the field, exactly what you want your safety to do. Christian is making a serious play to win the starting cornerback job opposite K'Waun Williams.

3. Chryst comfortable. Pitt has had more coaching transitions in the last two years than any other school in America. So naturally, many wondered how coach Paul Chryst would do in his first spring. I haven't heard any complaints about him or what he is trying to do at Pitt. His persona has been embraced, and so has his offensive scheme.

Fall questions

1. Is Ray Graham 100 percent? All indications are that Graham is on schedule in his rehab from a torn ACL. But he missed all of spring, and just how much he will do in the fall remains up in the air. Remember, he will be less than a year removed from knee surgery when the season opens in September. So his recovery will be one of the biggest story lines to watch this season for the Panthers.

2. Can Tino Sunseri be better? If everything holds as expected, Sunseri will be going into his third season as a starter. Of course, he will be going into his third different offense as well, hard enough for most players to adjust to, let alone the quarterback. Coach Paul Chryst did a great job tailoring the offense to the players he had while at Wisconsin. It will be paramount to do the same with Sunseri, to get him comfortable in the offense and limiting his mistakes.

3. Revamped defensive front. Pitt lost three of its top four linemen from a year ago, and will feature a radically reshaped defensive front. Sack leader Aaron Donald is the only one who returns. The others who will be counted on to step up, from Shayne Hale to Bryan Murphy to T.J. Clemmings, were all highly touted players who must now meet expectations to maintain Pitt's status as a solid defensive team.

The best receivers from the Big East last season are gone. Mohamed Sanu, to the NFL. Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, to the Big 12.

Much like the quarterback position, the title of best receiver in the Big East is there for the taking in 2012.

Here is a quick glance at who returns as the most productive wideout in the league:

Alec Lemon, Syracuse. If you saw my earlier post, then you also know Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib returns as the most productive at his position as well.

Lemon had a career year in 2011, with 68 receptions for 834 yards and six touchdowns. All three stats are tops among returning receivers in the league. Who else returns among the top 10 statistical receivers in 2011?

• Devin Street, Pitt, 53 catches, 754 yards, 2 touchdowns
• Anthony McClung, Cincinnati, 49 catches, 683 yards, six touchdowns

Yes, that means only three of the top 10 receivers in the league return to their respective teams.

This is among the most wide-open positions headed into spring practice. Not because there is inexperience. In fact, a lot of veteran players return, guys such as Mike Shanahan, Sterling Griffin, Michaelee Harris. Marcus Sales is back for the Orange as well.

But as noted above, many of these players now have the opportunity to become the best in the league. Players we have waited on to blossom perhaps have opportunities now -- players such as Mark Harrison and Brandon Coleman at Rutgers, for example.

I will have more on the receivers as a whole in my spring video series looking at positions across the Big East later week, including players I believe have a great opportunity to emerge this season.

We have already seen Twitter and social media make a significant impact in college football.

Athletes have the ability to speak their minds in 140 characters, free from the watchful eyes of their coaches and sports information directors. Some have forced their coaches to bar players from using Twitter because of their irresponsible actions. Others have lambasted outgoing coaches, or announced transfer decisions.

But in several recent cases, players have congratulated prep football athletes on recruiting decisions. That is a big no-no and constitutes a secondary NCAA violation. As Mitch Sherman of ESPN Recruiting Nation points out, the NCAA generally has a difficult time catching up with the changing times, and rules regarding Twitter are no different:

In general, according to one senior Division I administrator who formerly directed compliance, implementation of NCAA bylaws require three to four years to catch up to society.

Nothing that impacts recruiting has changed as fast and dramatically as social media. And while several proposals under consideration this year address electronic correspondence between institutions and prospects, NCAA legislation continues to lag in trying to apply old rules to new venues like Twitter.

As long as the NCAA treats a mention on Twitter or post on a Facebook wall no differently than a quote in the newspaper, headaches will remain. Somewhere in this process -- and there's no easy remedy -- social media needs its own rules. Because it's a different animal.

Sherman goes on to clarify what players can and cannot say to prospective student-athletes. But can we really expect these athletes to remember all these rules, when coaches have a hard enough time doing the same?

None of the eight current Big East schools prohibit their athletes from using Twitter. Some teams have players more active than others. Pitt receiver Devin Street, for one, made headlines last year when he took to his Twitter feed and blasted outgoing coach Todd Graham.

New Pitt coach Paul Chryst was asked last week whether he had a specific policy on social media.

"We haven't gotten to one yet," he said. "We've got some people on top of that. It's real, right? It's happening. You see it all over, misuse of it. You can also show responsible use of it. But I think it's an issue we have to be conscious of. We don't have a formal policy yet but I can see it coming."

It is time to evaluate the receiver position in the Big East. For the postseason rankings, I am going to include tight ends as well. Before the season started, I did them separately, but it makes more sense to do them together.

This is a position group that has a clear-cut 1-2. To me, the rest are pretty interchangeable, as no other group really stood out to me this season.

1. West Virginia. Slam dunk to have the Mountaineers on top, given the way Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey performed this season. Each had 1,000-yard seasons -- the first time in school history two players hit that mark. Bailey led the Big East with 12 receiving touchdowns, and was No. 1 in receiving yards per game. Austin was third in receiving yards per game and second in receptions per game. Add in Ivan McCartney, also ranked among the top-10 receivers in the Big East and that says it all. Preseason ranking: No. 2.

2. Rutgers. Mohamed Sanu had an unbelievable season for Rutgers with a school and Big East record 115 receptions. He dominated at receiver, leading the league in receptions per game and finishing second in receiving yards per game. That domination meant his teammates did not get as many opportunities -- Brandon Coleman only had 17 receptions; Mark Harrison 14, Quron Pratt had 32. But when you have an unstoppable force like Sanu, you keep going to him. Preseason ranking: No. 1.

3. Syracuse. When you think of the Orange, you don't necessarily think of high-profile receivers. But Alec Lemon and Nick Provo teamed to have outstanding seasons this year. Both posted career years, Provo made the Big East first team and Lemon made the second team. The two combined for 119 catches and 13 touchdowns. Depth wasn't great, but the performance of Lemon and Provo make up for that and vaults Syracuse here. Preseason ranking: No. 5.

4. Cincinnati. I thought the Bearcats receivers had a down year. D.J. Woods didn't really live up to his potential, and Anthony McClung led the team with 683 yards. That is the fewest yards for the team's leading receiver since 2006. What really sticks out: when Zach Collaros got hurt, the receivers as a whole never really stepped up the way they should have to help Munchie Legaux. Preseason ranking: No. 3.

5. Louisville. The Cardinals did get much better play out of their receivers, and were helped with the impact freshman DeVante Parker and Eli Rogers made. They didn't have anybody with eye-popping numbers, but they did have consistent enough performances out of this group. Preseason ranking: 7.

6. USF. The Bulls were really hurt by injuries at this position, and never really had a go-to guy emerge. Sterling Griffin was en route to a good season before he got hurt; A.J. Love got hurt as well. That left the position in the hands of many young, inexperienced guys. I thought Deonte Welch really had a nice second half. He was their best receiver when Griffin was out. Preseason ranking: 6.

7. UConn. Considering the way the Huskies struggled in the pass game, Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore and Ryan Griffin all put together solid seasons for UConn. Both Moores ranked in the top 10 in the Big East in receiving, and Griffin was the second-best tight end behind Nick Provo. Depth was lacking at the position -- as only five players caught double-digit passes, and only three are true wide receivers. Preseason ranking: 8.

8. Pitt. The Panthers got their tight ends and running backs involved heavily in the pass game, probably because there was depth lacking at the actual receiver position. Devin Street put together a solid season, with 754 yards receiving, and Mike Shanahan was decent. But otherwise, big plays were lacking. Passing game woes obviously had an impact. Preseason ranking: 4.

National signing day is inching ever closer, so it is time to take a look at the biggest recruiting needs for every team in the Big East.

Cincinnati

Defensive line. Cincinnati loses a host of seniors from this position, including Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe, John Hughes, Monte Taylor, and Rob Trigg. Factor in the key contributors for 2012 will be seniors in Dan Giordano, Brandon Mills and Walter Stewart and it is time to reload at this position.

Receiver. There is some promising young talent on the roster, but several guys are going to be leaving in the next few years. The Bearcats really need a guy who can stretch the field and make some big plays to join Anthony McClung and Alex Chisum.

Secondary. The Bearcats are going to take a hit at this position after 2012, losing a ton of seniors-to-be, including Cam Cheatham, Drew Frey, Dominique Battle and Reuben Johnson. Senior safety Wesley Richardson is already gone. The lone four-star commitment the Bearcats have is from a safety, Marcus Foster.

UConn

Quarterback. This need has been addressed in this recruiting cycle, with junior college transfer Chandler Whitmer and Casey Cochran already enrolled in school.

Tight end. With the impending departure of Ryan Griffin and John Delahunt, the Huskies could use another young player to be groomed to take over. Tight end is a critical part of the UConn offense.

Offensive line. UConn is losing its two best linemen in Moe Petrus and Mike Ryan. Of the 16 linemen currently listed on the roster, seven are juniors or seniors. Linemen generally take a redshirt season, so it never hurts to sign more to be able to restock.

Louisville

Linebacker. The Cardinals are losing Dexter Heyman and have a lot of juniors and seniors on their roster at this position. It is no surprise, then, that three of the top players coming in are linebackers -- Keith Brown and James Burgess are already enrolled; four-star recruit Nick Dawson has given a commitment.

Offensive line. Louisville has young players here, but not much depth, as evidenced this season when several true freshmen were forced to play much earlier than anticipated. It never hurts to build depth here, and the Cardinals have gotten a huge commit from four-star guard Abraham Garcia out of Miami.

Running back. This was an area the Cardinals struggled in this season, having to move quarterback Dominique Brown to the position. Victor Anderson is gone, and this team could really used another back to carry the load.

Pitt

Quarterback. This one is pretty self explanatory if you watched Tino Sunseri play. Mark Myers and Trey Anderson are also on the roster, but the Panthers are in definite need here -- which is why so many fans are looking forward to commit Chad Voytik coming to town.

Linebacker. This has been an area of inconsistency for the Panthers, who lose their best player in Max Gruder. There are some young players with talent in Todd Thomas and Ejuan Price, but this position could definitely use an upgrade.

Receiver. The play of the offense was disappointing this season, and that includes the receivers. Pitt could use some players to stretch the field. Ronald Jones was a start this season. But when you consider that Cameron Saddler, Mike Shanahan and Devin Street will all be upperclassmen in 2012, this is a definite area of need.

Rutgers

Receiver. Mohamed Sanu is gone, and Mark Harrison is a senior to be. There is plenty of young talent, but there is a reason Rutgers has commitments from four athletes. This gives the Scarlet Knights the flexibility to try them at receiver or running back, another area of need.

Running back. Once Savon Huggins got hurt this year, Rutgers had Jawan Jamison and Jeremy Deering at running back and that was about it. Depth has to be developed here.

Offensive line. Strides have absolutely been made at this position, but coach Greg Schiano likes to reiterate that the Scarlet Knights aren't going to pull themselves out of the hole they were in overnight. They need another solid draft class at this position to keep building.

USF

Secondary. Injuries and inconsistent play this season showed the Bulls really lacked some depth and need some immediate help in this area, which is why they signed junior college cornerbacks Fidel Montgomery and Josh Brown. One of their top four-star commitments is cornerback Chris Bivins.

Quarterback. Beyond B.J. Daniels, a senior in 2012, the Bulls have Bobby Eveld and Matt Floyd as the two heirs to take over. Eveld has been less than impressive, and we don't know much about Floyd. The Bulls would be served to get another quarterback in as they prepare for the future.

Running back. Darrell Scott is gone, and the Bulls are really in need of a game breaker at this position. Demetris Murray is going to be a senior, and nobody else really has stepped up at the position. Depth has to be built here, because USF goes into spring practice with four running backs on the roster.

Syracuse

Defensive line. The Orange are losing Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich and could really used some difference-makers up front who can help get after the quarterback. Depth is an issue here. One of their big commitments so far has been defensive end Josh Manley out of Georgia.

Secondary. This was one of the weakest parts of the team and now the Orange lose Phillip Thomas and Kevyn Scott, and there was a lack of depth when injuries hit this position in 2011. Brooklyn prep safety Wayne Morgan would be a huge get to add to this unit.

Receiver. Alec Lemon is a senior, Van Chew is gone and who knows what happens with Marcus Sales. The bottom line is the Orange are in major need of a game-changer to turn 15-yard passes into 40-yard receptions.

West Virginia

Quarterback. Geno Smith is a rising senior and after him it is crickets in the form of one player behind him in Paul Millard. So consider this need majorly filled with Ford Childress, ranked No. 139 on the ESPNU 150.

Offensive line. The most inconsistent part of the team in 2011, West Virginia has a major need here. The Mountaineers struggled so badly here they started converted defensive lineman Curtis Feigt late in the season. Don Barclay is gone, and Joe Madsen, Jeff Braun and Josh Jenkins are all upperclassmen.

Defensive line. Julian Miller, Josh Taylor and Bruce Irvin are gone, and there are depth concerns here. West Virginia has four commitments from defensive linemen already.

The time has come for Pitt to move on from the debacle of the past year, and really, there is no better person to do that than Paul Chryst.

He is no-nonsense, a man who does not yabber on and on like a certain somebody Pitt fans want to forget. A man who has proved he can coach and can mold his players from good to great. A man who proved -- most especially this year -- he can coach both a smashmouth style and a pretty passing style, too.

Chryst may have been passed over for the job a year ago because he was not "high-octane," but that is a word that no longer fits in the Pitt vocabulary. The Panthers need solid coaching and no drama, and that is what Chryst should be able to provide.

Because the biggest mess that has to be fixed on this team is the offense. Quarterback was a disaster position in 2011, and not all of the blame belongs to Tino Sunseri. He simply was not a good fit for the spread. Seeing how Chryst was able to work with Russell Wilson this season and tailor the offense to his strengths has to make the Panthers believe he can do the same with Sunseri or whoever wins the starting job.

Ray Graham has the potential to go from being great to entering the Montee Ball stratosphere. Graham is coming off a knee injury, and this hire should encourage him to stay in school for one more season. He already was the best player on the offense, and if he returns, he should have a real opportunity to reach 1,500 yards next season.

But what about the offensive line, you ask? Pitt does not have 300-pound behemoths like Wisconsin. That is quite true. Pitt was bad in pass protection, though mostly because of strange blocking schemes that none of the players fully endorsed. Sunseri held on to the ball way too long, too. Let's face it -- neither Sunseri nor his offensive linemen ever fully grasped the timing concept that is the heart of the Graham offense.

Pitt should be better up front with Chryst in charge. Should Chris Jacobson receive a sixth year of eligibility, the offensive line will have an anchor to help lead the way. As for the receivers, there is plenty of talent here as well, from Devin Street and Mike Shanahan to Ronald Jones and Cameron Saddler. There is no reason they cannot develop further under a coach who should be able to maximize their talents.

What Chryst did as offensive coordinator speaks for all the possibilities. Over the past three seasons, Wisconsin has averaged 39.3 points a game. This season, Ball became a first-team All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist, leading the nation in total rushing yards (1,759) and scoring (38 touchdowns). Wilson completed 73 percent of his passes for 2,879 yards with 31 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

Those stats perfectly illustrate how Chryst adapts to his personnel. Wilson shattered the Wisconsin single-season passing touchdown mark. John Stocco held the old mark of 21 set in 2005. They are the only two quarterbacks to throw more than 20 touchdowns in Wisconsin history.

Then there is the coaching up part, too. According the ESPN Stats & Information, Wilson immensely improved his accuracy on passes longer than 15 yards. That has been one of the biggest areas of weakness for Sunseri. Wilson completed 52.4 percent of his passes longer than 15 yards this season, with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Last season at NC State, Wilson completed 33.6 percent of his passes longer than 15 yards, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Chryst also has started to win over his new players. Street, one of the most outspoken on Twitter when Todd Graham bolted for Arizona State, tweeted two separate messages: "Just met the new head man ! Ready to rock" and "Said its not what he says its his actions !!! Perfect."

All of these are signs of hope. Now all the Panthers need is for Chryst to stay on the job for more than 11 months.

Todd Graham arrived in Pittsburgh talking a big game, throwing around his ideas for a high-octane offense, for doing everything the Pitt way, for making the city and its fans get behind him and his players with the special brand of football he had to offer.

But from the start, it was obvious Graham did not do anything the Pitt way.

He did it the Graham way.

Graham took a sledgehammer to Pitt football in every way imaginable, gutting the true essence of what this program represented. He was flashy. Self-absorbed. Concerned for his own advancement. When his high-octane offense looked as exciting as a jalopy riding in a NASCAR race, he blamed his players -- not himself.

And when his first opportunity came to bolt, he did, taking a page out of the Randy Edsall Book of Class to deliver the message to his players via text message. Graham lasted less than a year at Pitt, compiling a 6-6 record after setting preseason expectations so high, the Panthers were picked to finish second in the conference.

The Graham way indeed.

The disaster started before Graham, of course, when athletic director Steve Pederson decided to fire coach Dave Wannstedt even though he delivered a share of the Big East championship last December. Wannstedt failed to live up to some pretty high expectations, but he never wounded his school, his players or his fans with such a reckless, selfish attitude. Nothing about Wannstedt ever screamed, "Me first." It was Wannstedt last week who astutely pointed out that Graham treated quarterback Tino Sunseri with little respect throughout the entire season.

After getting rid of Wannstedt, Pederson turned to Mike Haywood, but that turned out to be a disaster itself. Haywood was arrested on domestic violence charges a short time later, leaving the Panthers desperate. Graham had lobbied hard for the job before Haywood was hired, so Pitt already was familiar with him and his background at Tulsa.

So in came Graham, who professed his love for Pitt, for this being a dream opportunity, for all the amazing things he could do to get this team back into a BCS game. I sat down with him for the first time during the Big East spring meetings last May, and he went over all his talking points when I asked him why he wanted to coach at Pitt.

"I’ve spent my whole life working to get this job," he said. "This is the best job I’ve ever had. To get an opportunity in a conference like this in a place like Pitt where you can compete to win it all ... our goal is to win championships. We’re extremely motivated."

Not motivated enough. In hindsight, perhaps Pederson should have seen the signs. Graham now has two one-year tenures on his résumé, a man so completely consumed with finding a bigger, better opportunity that he has no sense of loyalty, relationships or how to tell the truth.

Just ask Pitt receiver Devin Street, who took to Twitter on Wednesday to deliver one harsh message after another:

"I feel like dirt and I was just abused. For a year"

"I'm literally sick. That man pulled me in his office one on one and lied to me"

"He's an actor he did it to rice then us now he's gonna do it to ASU... That energy is fake he has them fooled"

Or defensive end Brandon Lindsey, who tweeted, "For someone who said they read the bible everyday, he must've missed the pg that said 'thou shall not lie'"

It is understandable for the players to be reacting this way. They are going on their fourth head coach in a year. But we all know coaching changes are a necessary part of college football. Coaches lie to advance themselves. None of this is new to Pitt or to the sport itself.

What is so unsettling about this situation is the way Graham went about leaving. He asked for permission to interview at Arizona State but was denied. So he resigned anyway, after 11 months on the job and a .500 record to show for all his bravado. Whatever his reasons, his final day proved to fit Graham to a tee:

He did it the Graham way.

Time to take a look back at the Big East in Week 11 before moving on to Week 12.

The good: If you like parity, you love the Big East. Six teams have a shot for either an outright or shared conference title with three weeks left. That might be good for fans of those teams -- Cincinnati, West Virginia, Rutgers, Louisville, Pitt and UConn -- but not so much for national respect. The Big East has no teams in the latest BCS standings, while the Mountain West and Conference USA have two each. ... West Virginia has had major problems with its special teams all season, but its much-maligned unit came up with the play of the day in a 24-21 win against Cincinnati. Eain Smith blocked the potential game-tying 31-yard field goal with no time left, giving him the first field goal block of his career. It also was the first time since 2004 that West Virginia blocked a field goal in the game. Geno Smith was his usual terrific self, throwing for 372 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Smith tied a Big East record with his seventh 300-yard game of the season, matching Brian Brohm of Louisville in 2007. Even though Cincinnati lost, the Bearcats had a season-high 18 tackles for loss in the game. ... Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu broke the Big East record for single-season receptions and now has 94 and counting. Sanu is ranked second nationally in receptions (9.4 rpg), trailing only Jordan White of Western Michigan (11.0 rpg). Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights recorded their sixth non-offensive touchdown of the season after getting a touchdown off a blocked punt. ... Pitt beat Louisville 21-14 for its first road win of the season. The Panthers had been 0-2 going into the game. The win also was the first of the season when they scored fewer than 35 points. Receiver Devin Street has now posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. ... USF broke its four-game Big East losing streak with a 31-17 win against Syracuse. Eleven different receivers caught a pass in the game, and the Bulls had eight tackles for a loss as they put together their most complete effort of the season.

The bad: Cincinnati took double blows on Saturday, losing the game and starting quarterback Zach Collaros, now out for the season with a broken right ankle. Bearcats fans can look to 2009 to keep their hopes up, when Collaros had to start the season while starter Tony Pike recovered from an arm injury. Cincinnati made the BCS that season. ... What has gone wrong in Syracuse? The Orange dropped their third straight game and have somehow forgotten how to score. After putting up 49 points on West Virginia, Syracuse has scored a combined 48 points in its past three games. ... Louisville also saw its three-game wining streak stopped after another subpar performance from the offense. The Cardinals appeared to be turning a corner, especially in their past two games, in which they had scored 14 points in each of the first quarters. In a loss to Pitt, they managed 14 points the entire game, the sixth time this season they have failed to score 20 or more points. In those six games, Louisville is 1-5. The defense also gave up a season-high 200 yards rushing, to a team missing its best player in Ray Graham.

Milestone watch

Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia. Bailey had his seventh 100-yard game of the season in a win against Cincinnati, pushing him over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Bailey has 1,037 yards on the season.

Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse. Lemon had 10 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns against USF, giving him 336 receiving yards in the past two games. He is the first Syracuse player to register back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Taj Smith in 2007.

Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati. Pead now has 3,095 career rushing yards, ranking third on the school's all-time list.

Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse. Nassib has completed 217 passes this season, breaking his own single-season school record of 202, set last year.

Week 12 schedule

Cincinnati at Rutgers, noon, ESPNU

Louisville at UConn, noon, Big East Network

Miami at USF, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU

Do you like your Big East standings shaken or stirred?

• Munchie Legaux can keep Cincinnati's BCS hopes from going up in smoke.
• Louisville coach Charlie Strong says his team can't handle winning.
• Pitt receiver Devin Street fills the need for a playmaker.
• Rutgers' Big East title chances regain momentum.
• Syracuse's plan to wear down USF wore out early.
• USF receiver Terrence Mitchell might take a medical redshirt.
• Despite mistakes, West Virginia found a way to win.

Let us take one final look back at Week 10 before moving on to Week 11.

The good: Cincinnati moved to 3-0, but this is a team living on the edge right now. The Bearcats have faced second-half deficits of nine against Louisville, 10 against USF and 10 against Pitt in their three Big East games, but have been able to come back to win all three. I am sure coach Butch Jones would like to not have to sweat a game out, but the Bearcats are going to be in for another huge test Saturday when they play West Virginia. Both teams have high-powered offenses to be sure, but against Pitt, Cincinnati did not have a passing touchdown for the first time this season. ... Meanwhile, Louisville is on a roll, having won three straight league games for the first time since 2006. The Cardinals have been bolstered with excellent first quarters, outscoring their past five opponents 41-7 in that period. The win was particularly stunning because West Virginia has owned the series. It was the first win for Louisville since a 44-34 win at home in 2006. Teddy Bridgewater continued his improvement, throwing for a career-high 246 yards. He has completed more than 70 percent of his passes in back-to-back wins against Syracuse and West Virginia. ... UConn got a much-needed win against Syracuse, and relied on its ground game to get it. The Huskies had a season-high 198 yards on the ground against an FBS opponent. Lyle McCombs had a career-high 152 yards rushing and UConn got three rushing touchdowns after getting just one in its first seven games against FBS teams. ... Rutgers is bowl eligible for the sixth time in seven seasons after a comeback win against USF. It was the second time this season the Scarlet Knights erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit. They won both those games in overtime. Receiver Mohamed Sanu has 81 receptions for 844 yards on the season, and needs 12 catches to break Larry Fitzgerald's single-season league record of 92. ... Syracuse safety Phillip Thomas leads the Big East with six interceptions after getting two against UConn. It was his second multi-interception game of the season.

The bad: The Bulls have lost their past four games with every breakdown imaginable. The defense faltered in losses to Pitt and Cincinnati; the offense faltered in a loss at UConn; special teams hurt bigtime in a loss to Rutgers. They have now lost four straight games for the first time in program history. Incredibly, USF has scored first in all eight of its games this season. The Bulls just cannot hang onto wins. They have had second-half leads in their past three games, but have lost all three. ... Meanwhile, West Virginia has dropped two conference games for the sixth straight season after a disappointing loss to Louisville. The Mountaineers have not finished better than 5-2 in league play since going 7-0 in 2005. It was just the third time they lost a game when scoring at least 30 points since 2000. They are now 73-3 since 2000 when scoring 30 or more points. They had a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, the first such score against West Virginia since Virginia Tech did it in 2004. ... Syracuse forced a season-high five turnovers against Connecticut, which should be good. Except the Orange failed to turn any of them into points and lost their second straight game. It actually is the second time this season a Big East team forced five turnovers and lost (Rutgers against North Carolina). ... Pitt has had tough luck in close games, but the Panthers have themselves to blame. In four of their losses this season, they have held second-half leads. Against Iowa, Notre Dame and Cincinnati, those leads were lost in the third or fourth quarters.

Notable

Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia, had a career-high eight receptions for 118 yards, his sixth 100-yard game of the season.

Justin Francis, DT, Rutgers, had a career-high 11 tackles with four tackles for loss and two sacks against USF.

Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers, had a career-high 17 tackles against USF.

Kevin Harper, K, Pitt, made a career-long 52-yard field goal against Cincinnati, marking the longest field goal by a collegiate player in Heinz Field history.

DeDe Lattimore, LB, USF, had a career-high 2.5 sacks against Rutgers.

Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse, had a career-high 157 yards receiving on nine catches against UConn, becoming the ninth player in school history with 100 career receptions.

Nick Provo, TE, Syracuse, has 39 receptions this season, setting a single-season record for a Syracuse tight end.

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia, threw for 410 yards and moved into second place on the school's career passing chart with 6,197 yards. He had his third 400-yard game of the season.

Devin Street, WR, Pitt, had a career-high eight receptions for 118 yards against Cincinnati.

Week 11

USF at Syracuse, 8 p.m., Friday, ESPN2

Pitt at Louisville, noon, Saturday, Big East Network

West Virginia at Cincinnati, noon, Saturday, ABC

Rutgers at Army, 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network

What did we learn in the Big East in Week 7?

1. The offense went missing. West Virginia and its prolific offense took a seat on the couch this week, leaving the rest of the league in the spotlight. Most of us had to hide our eyes at what passed for offense Saturday. UConn, Louisville and Pitt failed to score offensive touchdowns. USF had one. The highest scoring team -- Cincinnati with 25 points. That would be 20 points below its season average. Only the Bearcats and Rutgers went over 20 points. It was the ugliest weekend of the season.

2. Pitt is in trouble. The Panthers have now scored 10 points of offense in the past two games combined, reaching rock bottom in a 26-14 loss to Utah in which they scored on a kickoff return and a blocked punt. Simply put: they have no quarterback. Tino Sunseri has had one good game out of the seven he has started. True freshman backup Trey Anderson has looked totally overwhelmed. Teams know they can key in on Ray Graham when there is no threat to pass. Pitt finished with 50 yards passing, and starting receivers Devin Street, Mike Shanahan and Cam Saddler combined for -- NO catches. What is supposed to be a "high-octane" offense is sputtering like a clunker that is running on molasses. If Pitt continues to play this poorly, its bowl prospects will be in serious jeopardy.

3. The USF Bulls teased. Again. This is a team that starts off hot, but then disappoints. With 16 days between games, you would have thought the Bulls would have played a bit better against UConn. Four turnovers -- including three from B.J. Daniels -- cost them big time in a 16-10 loss. So did nine penalties and an inability to convert on third down for the second straight week. After a 4-0 start that featured three wins against cupcakes, the Bulls are now 0-2 in conference. Their two losses are to teams that currently have losing records (Pitt, UConn are each 3-4).

4. Rutgers, Cincinnati nearly bowl eligible. Two teams nobody picked anywhere near the top of the conference are now one win away from becoming bowl eligible. Both were 4-8 last season; both sit at 5-1 headed into next week. Both hit the road next week: Rutgers is at Louisville; Cincinnati goes to USF.

5. Defensive fronts dominated. Well, maybe the offense was bad, but the defensive lines had nice showings Saturday. Cincinnati defensive tackle Derek Wolfe had a career-high 11 tackles and the Bearcats had four sacks. Rutgers had four sacks -- on a triple-option team. Pitt had seven sacks against Utah. USF tied a school record with seven sacks -- Ryne Giddins set a career high with two sacks and Sam Barrington set a career high with 1.5 sacks. Louisville had three. The only Big East team that did not have a sack this week was UConn -- the No. 2 team in the conference in that category headed into Week 7.

Let us take a look at the good and the bad from Week 3, with a quick peek ahead to Week 4.

The good: Big East teams went 4-3 in Week 3 and still have two undefeated teams ranked in the Top 25. West Virginia moved up to No. 16 after beating Maryland 37-31, and USF moved up to No. 18 with a 70-17 win over Florida A&M. College GameDay will be in Morgantown this weekend as the Mountaineers host No. 2 LSU in a critical game, not only for the Big East, but for West Virginia as well. Keep this in mind: West Virginia is 70-2 since 2000 when scoring 30 or more points. ... Meanwhile, Louisville pulled off the upset of the week with a 24-17 win against Kentucky, breaking a four-game losing streak against their in-state rival. Louisville has held each of its first three opponents to fewer than 300 yards of offense. ... Though Syracuse lost to USC, quarterback Ryan Nassib had a streak of 22 consecutive completed passes spanning the games against Rhode Island and USC. Nassib finished four shy of the NCAA record of 26, held by California’s Aaron Rogers.

The bad:You already know the bad. The games were an afterthought this weekend after news broke that Syracuse and Pitt were ready to hightail it out to the ACC. Gamedays are supposed to be sacred. But when it comes to expansion, nothing is sacred anymore.

As for on-the-field action, UConn and Pitt each blew fourth-quarter leads and lost. The Huskies had their nine-game home winning streak stopped against Iowa State. But there was nothing worse than seeing Pitt blow a 24-3 lead and fall to Iowa 31-27. Iowa scored three touchdowns in seven minutes in the fourth quarter to cap the greatest comeback in school history. The fourth quarter has been a problem for Pitt all season. The Panthers have given up 41 points in the final period in three games. They allowed teams like Buffalo and Maine to get closer than they should have been, and obviously ended up losing to Iowa because of those late-game breakdowns. Chas Alecxih told reporters after the game:

"[The team leaders], we have to step up. This is our team and we're up, what was it, 24-3 at the end of the third and lose?
That is a joke, that is not going to happen again, I will tell you that."

Career days:

B.J. Daniels, QB, USF. Threw for a career-high 382 yards and four touchdowns.

Isiah Moore, WR, UConn. Had career highs of eight catches and 143 receiving yards in a loss to Iowa State.

Nick Provo, TE, Syracuse. Had career highs of eight receptions and 85 receiving yards against USC.

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia. Had career highs in completions (36), attempts (49) and passing yards (388) in a win against Maryland.

Darrell Scott, RB, USF. Ran for a career-high 146 yards and three touchdowns.

Devin Street, WR, Pitt. Had seven receptions for a career-high 138 yards and a touchdown against Iowa.

WR Tavon Austin (11 receptions, 122 yards), WR Stedman Bailey(8 receptions, 113 yards) and WR Ivan McCartney (8 receptions, 101 yards) gave West Virginia three 100-yard receivers for the first time in school history. All three are career highs.

Week 4 schedule
NC State at Cincinnati, 8 pm, Thursday, ESPN
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh, noon, Saturday, ABC
Toldeo at Syracuse, noon, Saturday, Big East Network
Ohio at Rutgers, 2 pm, Saturday, ESPN3
Connecticut at Buffalo, 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Big East Network
UTEP at USF, 7 pm, Saturday, ESPN3
LSU at West Virginia, 8 pm, Saturday, ABC

Let's take one look back at Week 2 before moving on to Week 3 in the Big East.

The good: OK, so Week 2 was not as good as Week 1. Perhaps Big East fans can take solace in knowing that the Big Ten might have fared worse this past weekend, with losses to teams like New Mexico State and Rice. One other bright spot: the league does still have two ranked teams -- more than the zero that started the season. West Virginia is up to No. 18 and USF to No. 20 in the latest AP poll. USF had the best game of the weekend -- more on that later. While Pitt continues to struggle with its new offense, running back Ray Graham does not. Graham leads the nation in rushing, averaging 161 yards a game. His six rushing touchdowns are tied for the national lead with Temple's Bernard Pierce. Graham is tied for second nationally in overall scoring with 18 ppg.

Though Cincinnati lost to Tennessee, Isaiah Pead showed what makes him one of the best backs in the Big East. His 65-yard touchdown run to open the game showcased his talent -- he leads the league with a whopping 11.5 yards per carry. While UConn has little offense to speak of, redshirt freshman Lyle McCombs has two straight 100-yard rushing games, putting him second in the league in rushing. Could he be supplanting expected starter D.J. Shoemate? Rutgers might have suffered a disappointing loss to North Carolina, but its defense has been one of the most opportunistic in the Big East. Already, the Scarlet Knights have forced five fumbles and gotten five interceptions, while adding a league-leading nine sacks. Rutgers is at plus-eight on the season in turnover margin, but Cincinnati (plus-seven) and USF (plus-six) are right behind.

The bad: Louisville outgained FIU (446-293), had more first downs (24-9), an edge in time of possession (14:16) and ran 86 plays, but big plays killed the Cardinals. The defense allowed TD passes of 74 and 83 yards to T.Y. Hilton and had two turnovers to zero for the Panthers in the disappointing loss. Three FCS opponents put a scare into Big East teams -- Maine made things uncomfortable for Pitt, and Rhode Island made things uncomfortable for Syracuse. West Virginia trailed Norfolk State at halftime. All three Big East teams ended up winning -- but they have really big tests this week and cannot afford the sloppy play that plagued them at times last weekend. If you want to look at the bright side -- Syracuse is 2-0 for the first time since 1999, while Pitt and West Virginia also are unbeaten.

UConn had Vanderbilt beaten, but the Huskies' offense could not get out of its own way. Johnny McEntee had four turnovers. His final interception was returned for the game-tying score. UConn did not have a first down the rest of the game and Vandy won 24-21. The Huskies had no offensive touchdowns in the game. Rutgers, meanwhile, continues to struggle rushing the football. The Scarlet Knights had 1 total yard rushing against North Carolina, mainly because of sacks. But if you add up what the backs gained, it still was not pretty. De'Antwan Williams, Jeremy Deering, Joe Martinek and Savon Huggins combined for 18 yards on 20 carries. Rutgers ranks last in the Big East in rushing offense, averaging 69 yards a game and 2.1 yards a carry.

And it is the same old story in Cincinnati. The Bearcats find themselves at the bottom of the league in total defense after finishing seventh in the league last season. The biggest problem was through the air, where the bigger Tennessee receivers had a size advantage and burned the Bearcats. Tyler Bray had 405 yards passing.

Career days: Here is a look at some players who had career days this weekend.

• Louisville tight end Josh Chichester: six receptions for a career-high 111 yards.
• Louisville quarterback Will Stein: 30-of-43 for 349 yards and two touchdowns. The completions and yardage totals
  were both career highs.
• Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu: career-high 13 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.
• Pitt receiver Devin Street: career highs of six receptions and 74 receiving yards.
• USF quarterback B.J. Daniels: career highs in passing yards (359), completions (28) and attempts (39).
• West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith: 20-of-34 for a career-high 371 yards. His four touchdown passes tied a career high.
• Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib: tied a school record for completions with 29 on 37 attempts for 318 yards and three touchdowns.

Looking ahead: Here is the Week 3 slate for the Big East. The league has five games against AQ opponents from the five different conferences.

• Iowa State at UConn, Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN2
• Pitt at Iowa, Saturday, noon, ESPN2
• West Virginia at Maryland, Saturday, noon, ESPNU
• Akron at Cincinnati, Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN3
• Louisville at Kentucky, Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPNU
• Florida A&M at USF, Saturday, 7 p.m., Big East Network
• Syracuse at USC, Saturday, 8 p.m., FX

We are just hours away from kickoff ...

• JK Schaffer is the heart of the Cincinnati defense. Zach Collaros is working on cutting down the interceptions. Here is a little primer on Austin Peay.
• Did the UConn home opener really have to be pushed to Saturday?
• Here Charlie Strong goes again, rebuilding Louisville. The father of one suspended Miami football player wonders where the punishment is for Clint Hurtt. Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal gives his best case/worst case for the Cardinals.
• Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a good rundown on the speculation surrounding Pitt to the Big 12. Receiver Devin Street is ready to play. Pitt names its team captains.
• Game day for Rutgers: What to watch. Savon Huggins is ready to manage expectations and attention. Five questions facing Rutgers.
• In the goose bumps department: Former Syracuse punter Rob Long is cancer-free and healthier than ever. Way to go, Rob! Syracuse needs its offensive motor to hum this season. The Orange open tonight and all looks pretty good.
• USF names its team captains, including junior B.J. Daniels. Where is the Notre Dame mystique?
• Watch out for the Mountaineer Mantrip. Dana Holgorsen is not sentimental about his debut Sunday. Will West Virginia go 11-1?
• Athlon Sports with its Big East predictions for Week 1.