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

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.

Louisville's Doug Beaumont had a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown called back because of a holding penalty in the second quarter of Saturday's game against UConn. Not to be denied, Beaumont took another one back 74 yards for a score in the third quarter, this time without any yellow laundry on the field.

That was only a brief measure of Beaumont's resiliency. The senior receiver had to undergo knee surgery after the third game at Oregon State, but he missed only two games before coming back at full strength against Connecticut. Beaumont took home a device that put air pressure on his leg, sleeping with it on every night. Then at 6 a.m., he'd report to the team trainers for treatment.

"I woke up early every morning so I'd make sure to be in there first thing," he said. "When I had class, I'd go to class and then be right back in there."

Head coach Charlie Strong didn't expect Beaumont to return so quickly but said that the receiver "wore our trainers out."

"He's special," Strong said. "He's driven and he works so hard. That's why I always say, just give me 10 Beaumonts, and I'll be fine."

Strong hasn't figured out any cloning mechanisms just yet. But while he doesn't have 10 Beaumonts, he may have the next best thing: A large senior class that was willing to follow a new head coach.

Strong could have come into Louisville and shaken things up completely, deciding to go with young players and fresh recruits instead of the guys who'd been a part of the previous three non-winning seasons. But he saw that the Cardinals had a 27-man senior class that could be their best attribute this year.

"Anytime you have seniors play well, you always have a chance," he said.

What's impressive is that Strong and his staff have, in many cases, gotten these seniors to play the best football of their careers. For example:

• Running back Bilal Powell has already passed the 1,000-yard mark, shattering his career single-season high of 392 yards;

• Quarterback Adam Froman has greatly improved his efficiency and proficiency in his second year of starting;

• The offensive line, featuring four senior starters, has paved the way for the best rushing attack in the Big East;
• On defense, linebacker Brandon Heath, cornerback Johnny Patrick and defensive linemen Malcolm Tatum and Rodney Gnat are all playing key roles;

• Beaumont, who had never scored a touchdown before this season, now has two scores.

"They are a veteran team," said Dave Wannstedt, whose Pitt Panthers host Louisville on Saturday. "I think they've all bought into what Charlie is trying to do, and he's getting most out of them."

Strong plays down his role in getting these seniors to reach new heights. But he laid it at their feet to break Louisville out of its losing ways this season, and he and his staff have put those players in better positions to succeed. He says he didn't have to do much to convince them of that.

"They wanted to win," he said. "And they felt like our staff knew enough about winning that they could buy into it. I put it on them and gave them the leadership opportunity to go and lead this football team."

Those seniors are a big reason the Cardinals have already matched last year's win total. With guys as hungry and resilient as Beaumont, they might not be done yet.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Charlie Strong and his defensive coaching staff worried all offseason about the lack of size along the Louisville front seven and how they would hold up against bigger, power-running teams.

So as Connecticut came into Papa John's Cardinal Stadium with the Big East's beefiest offensive line and top rusher, Strong's worries arrived personified. Except there was nothing to fear. Louisville held UConn to 108 yards, its worst rushing day of the season, and limited Jordan Todman to 80 yards on 19 carries. The Cardinals had nothing else to worry about in a 26-0 shutout.

"You can't stay in one spot or they're going to mash you and knock you back," Strong said. "You have to have a lot of movement, and we had a lot of movement today where we were able to get off and just run."

Much like his defense, which registered its second shutout in three weeks, Strong's Cardinals are on the move right now. Used to getting knocked back in the Big East the past three years under Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville just dominated one of the teams considered as a preseason league contender.

Well, forget UConn as a contender. The Huskies (3-4, 0-2 Big East) have all sorts of problems right now, not least of which is their quarterback situation. Redshirt freshman Michael Box made his first career start and finished just 4-of-12 for 35 yards with an interception before suffering an undisclosed injury late (Box called it "a little bit of a bell ringing"). Coming off a bye week, Connecticut appeared lethargic and slow, perhaps still dealing with the shocking dismissal of starting quarterback Cody Endres on Wednesday.

Louisville (4-3, 1-1) -- which won only one Big East game a year ago, by one point over Syracuse -- looked more athletic, more determined and like far more of a league power than the Huskies.

"This sort of puts us over the hump," said senior receiver Doug Beaumont, who had a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown. "We haven't won too many Big East games, but now we know can go out there, keep playing hard and anything can happen. The Big East is wide open."

In a week where Syracuse wins at West Virginia and South Florida upsets Cincinnati on the road, yeah, it seems like anything can happen. Nothing is more surprising than the development of Louisville's defense. The same players that had Strong and his assistants pulling out their hair in the spring and summer were all over the field making plays against UConn.

"I guess our offensive line is way better than theirs, because I felt more comfortable going against them then I did going against our offensive line in practice," said Louisville freshman Brandon Dunn, who made his first career start at defensive tackle.

Or to continue the anything-can-happen theme, how about Bilal Powell going over 1,000 yards in the seventh game of the season? The senior running back had never surpassed 392 yards in any previous season before Strong anointed him as his go-to-guy. Strong made sure Powell got to 1,000 on Saturday, keeping him in the final minutes until he had the 102 he needed (he finished with 105). Even more surprising, the painfully shy Powell agreed to his first group media interview of the season afterward.

"It means a lot to me, just looking over and seeing my teammates getting excited about me getting closer and closer to 1,000 yards," Powell said. "I tell our younger guys a lot, 'You came into something real good.' A lot of the older guys, the last three years -- I don't want to talk about that. There's a lot of excitement around the building, and I'm just overwhelmed by everything that's unfolding right now."

Louisville just proved that its days of getting overwhelmed in the Big East are over.

I predicted in the preseason that Louisville would finish last in the Big East and that Connecticut would be a strong contender for the league title.

Shows what I know. The Cardinals are dominating UConn 26-0 in the fourth quarter, and if it weren't for the Huskies' red zone defense, the score would be embarrassingly bad for the visitors. Instead, Chris Philpott has four field goals.

Through three quarters, Connecticut had just 128 total yards. This is a team that had a bye last week, though of course its plans had to change in a hurry when Cody Endres was suspended in the middle of game week. As little as the Huskies have done on offense, you have to wonder if Randy Edsall would have been better off starting Zach Frazer instead of Michael Box. At least Frazer has experience. Frazer finally came in during the fourth quarter after Box struggled badly.

It might not have mattered, though, because Louisville is playing extremely well on defense. UConn has actually held Bilal Powell somewhat in check -- 72 yards in three quarters is in check for him -- but Adam Froman has spread the ball around to four different receivers. Doug Beaumont also had a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter after having one called back earlier.

So Louisville will be 1-1 in the Big East while UConn will fall to 0-2. In this year's Big East, there's nothing surprising about that.

1. TCB Weekend: It's a rare week when every Big East team is favored and expected to win, with only UConn's game against Vanderbilt featuring a major-conference opponent. The league has been battered and bruised for its September performance, so this is a time to pick up some wins and confidence -- provided that everybody takes care of business.

2. Endres enters: Cody Endres looked good in relief of Zach Frazer at quarterback for Connecticut last week, and now he gets his first starting assignment since October of last season. Can he keep it up against an SEC defense? And can the Huskies passing game continue to show improvement?

3. UConn's rush to victory: Notice I called Vanderbilt an SEC defense in the last item, and technically that's true. But the Commodores rank 105th in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing 206 yards per game. We don't know yet if Jordan Todman will play after missing last week's game with an arm injury. But clearly there should be some running room for a team that loves to move the ball on the ground.

4. Macho Man Savage?: Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage is dealing with bruised ribs, and if you ever experienced an injury there, you know how painful that can be. It remains to be seen whether Savage, who has gotten off to a rough start while healthy, will play or be able to be effective against Tulane. If he can't go, then true freshman Chas Dodd may be forced into action, or Mohamed Sanu will see a whole lot of Wildcat time. That could make an already scuffling Rutgers offense even more sketchy.

5. Pitt's new-look line: Pittsburgh shook things up this week with its offensive line, moving tackle Lucas Nix inside and installing Jordan Gibbs at right tackle. The Panthers are desperately trying to get the line right and open up room for their running game, which is key to everything they want to do. The reshaped line gets its first challenge against Florida International, which gave Rutgers all it could handle in Week 2. FIU likes to blitz from different angles and has Florida athletes, so this will be a good litmus test for Pitt's makeover.

6. Sunseri in the spotlight: Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri did not look good against Miami, and when reserve Pat Bostick came in during the fourth quarter some fans were ready to make the change permanent. Dave Wannstedt isn't ready to make a switch and still believes in Sunseri. But clearly, the first-year starter needs to get on track, because the Panthers don't have much room for error. And they have a veteran in Bostick waiting in the wings.

7. Bulls on the run or in the air?: South Florida escaped Western Kentucky last week by running the ball almost exclusively. Now the Bulls play a Florida Atlantic team that ranks last in the country in rushing defense. So expect some more of the power I-formation look, and potentially a big day for Demetris Murray and Mo Plancher. At the same time, however, receivers Dontavia Bogan and Sterling Griffin could be back from injury, and both could use some work before next week's Big East opener against Syracuse. So USF needs to air it out a bit, too.

8. New Cardinals catchers: Louisville has suffered all kinds of injuries at the receiver position, the latest knocking out leading pass catcher Doug Beaumont. The Cardinals need to find people to make plays in the passing game this week at Arkansas State, and they could look to junior college transfer Josh Bellamy, sophomore Andrell Smith or freshmen Kai Dominguez and Jarrett Davis. None have much experience, and Louisville will likely need to get plays out of them against a Red Wolves team that's averaging 28 points per game.

• Zach Frazer is down to third string at quarterback for UConn.

• There's nothing wrong with West Virginia being angry about its loss at LSU.

• Antwan Lowery's move to offensive line is paying off for Rutgers.

• Other receivers have to step up for Louisville with Doug Beaumont out.

• Syracuse receiver/returner Steve Rene is out for the season.

• Shane Gordon will get some more run at linebacker for Pitt.

Louisville will be without leading receiver Doug Beaumont indefinitely after the senior underwent knee surgery during the team's bye week, head coach Charlie Strong said on Monday's Big East coaches teleconference.

Strong did not give many details on Beaumont's injury, which occurred during a 35-28 loss at Oregon State on Sept. 18. Beaumont had nine catches for 121 yards that game. For the season, he has 16 receptions for 244 yards and a touchdown; no other receiver on the Cardinals roster has more than five catches.

Louisville plays at Arkansas State this Saturday.

Without Beaumont, the Cardinals will have to rely more on Josh Bellamy, Andrell Smith and tight end Cameron Graham.

"We have enough guys," Strong said. "When guys get their opportunity, they have to do their job, and guys are going to have their opportunities now."

Beaumont is one of the most respected players among the Cardinals, and you hope he doesn't have to miss too much more of what was turning into a very strong senior season.

Louisville has a tough task this weekend at Oregon State. I caught up with quarterback Adam Froman to ask him about preparing for that game and other pressing topics for the Cardinals (1-1).

On the Louisville offense so far: "The second half of the Kentucky game was much more consistent. That's the biggest thing with our offense, is just more consistency. That second quarter against Eastern Kentucky, we scored 21 points, and that's tough to do against any team. So that's what we're capable of. In the second half, we had a great drive but had an interception and kind of went downhill from there. We've seen a lot of good things; we've just got to be consistent."

On receiver injuries: "Whenever you've got guys you've worked with since the spring, summer and fall -- that starting group you're used to working with, you know everything about each other -- and you've got to change that up, it's going to effect the offense. But that's part of football. You know a guy or two will go down on either side. I think we've adjusted pretty well. We've had some guys step up, and we're going to continue to do that throughout the season."

On lack of big passing plays so far: "It depends a lot on what the defense gives us and what defense they're playing. But we've got to make them happen, too. We haven't made enough big plays. When they're there, we've got to hit them. When they're there, we've got to catch them. As a whole offense, we have to get all 11 guys on the same page. We had a long touchdown to [Doug] Beaumont, and we've had like seven or eight passes over 16 yards. That's pretty good, but we've got to keep making those plays."

On whether defenses are stacking the box to stop the run: "I wouldn't say they're stacking the box. We have a great running game with Bilal [Powell] and Vic [Anderson], and as a quarterback, I'm a threat to run, too. I think teams are very conscious of it. I don't think they're loading the box yet, but they're very conscious of it."

On dealing with road environment at Oregon State: "I think we're going to get the speakers out [Thursday] and start blaring crowd noise in. We're going to have to get used to it. We're going to have to use silent counts, hard counts. It's a distraction if you let it be a distraction. I think our team is mentally strong enough that we can go out there and kind of put that out of our minds. But for some of the young guys, it's going to be kind of a wake-up call."

On whether young players will be nervous: "It'll probably happen. But the freshmen we've got playing for us have done a great job so far. They came out in that first game and we had a packed stadium with almost 60,000 people, and they did a great job of not coming out with a deer-in-the-headlights look. They came out and played and executed their assignments. Freshman mistakes are going to happen. We have to try to limit them, and have the older guys calm them down and carry the weight a little bit. I'm sure there are going to be a couple guys who are like, 'This is big-time football. I'm not sure I can do this.' But once you get that first hit out of the way or the first catch, first touch, whatever it is, they'll be good to go."

On the need to score points to keep up with Oregon State: "Our defense has played pretty great so far. After that first quarter in the Kentucky game, I think they've only given up 10 points. That helps an offense immensely. But Oregon State has got some pretty explosive players. And when you have an offense like that, they're going to score points. Things are going to happen. As an offense, we have to be able to bounce back. If they score a touchdown, we've got to come right back. Having confidence going in there that we can do that is going to be huge for us. We've got receivers that have been really working on their confidence a lot. Those first two games hurt them -- we've had nine dropped balls or whatever it was -- but I think they've really been working this week. Their chins are up and they're ready to go."

On going back to the West Coast (he's from Santa Rosa, Calif.): "I can't wait. I can't wait to get that fresh air. I may have my parents bring me some In-N-Out."

Looks like Charlie Strong will be celebrating his first victory soon.

Louisville has broken open its game against Eastern Kentucky with two touchdowns in the final 3:12 of the first half to take a 23-0 lead. And it's nice to see senior receiver Doug Beaumont get his first career score on a 42-yard pass from Adam Froman. Bilal Powell has added two touchdowns.

Barring a second-half shocker, the Big East will win all of its games this week against FCS opponents and avoid the embarrassments some other schools have faced in that regard.

• South Florida linebacker Donte Spires has persisted through a multitude of obstacles to be in position to help the Bulls.

• Two of Louisville's starting offensive linemen had a year wasted by Steve Kragthorpe. But they're trying not to complain about it. (Throw in Doug Beaumont's wasted freshman year, and Kragthorpe showed some incredibly poor roster management in 2007).

• Joe Martinek and Jordan Thomas could form a nice power-speed combo for Rutgers at running back.

• Pitt's offensive line will be in for a challenge against Utah, but it gets challenged every day in practice.

• Jock Sanders could break West Virginia's receiving record, but he's in a crowded mix at his position. Which is just fine by him.

• Birthday boy Randy Edsall says hype won't bother the Huskies.

• Syracuse's two kickers are locked in a fierce, but friendly competition.

There's a new award in college football this year and it's got an interesting twist. The Paul Hornung Award will be given to the nation's most versatile performer. It's named after the former Notre Dame star, Heisman Trophy winner and Louisville native Hornung, who did almost everything during his career including kick field goals.

The award will be given out in January, taking the bowls into account unlike most of these trophies.

Three Big East players have been recognized on the preseason watch list for the inaugural award. They are:

Douglas Beaumont, WR/PR, Louisville
Jock Sanders, WR/RB/PR, West Virginia
Mohamed Sanu, WR/QB/PR, Rutgers

All three are versatile and valuable, but I'd say Sanu -- who runs the Wildcat formation at quarterback and who is a top notch receiver and special teams ace -- has the best shot of the three of taking home the first Hornung hardware.

Doug Beaumont's college career hasn't gone the way he envisioned it.

Beaumont was Kentucky's Mr. Football for the 2006 season, and when he signed with his hometown school of Louisville in 2007, the Cardinals were coming off a 12-win, Orange Bowl campaign. Even with Bobby Petrino leaving for the NFL, Beaumont figured the good times would roll on.

"I knew when I got here there was a winning tradition," he said.

Unfortunately, his career arc has happened to coincide with one of the worst stretches the program has experienced in the past 20 years. Louisville didn't register a winning season or make a bowl game in Beaumont's first three college years, leading to the firing of Steve Kragthorpe.

"It hurts a bit," said the former All-Big East receiver. "When I went into the recruiting process, I looked for a team where I could year in and year out go to a bowl game. It hurts not going to one in my first three years. Hopefully I'll have one before I leave."

For that to happen, the Cardinals will likely need a big year out of Beaumont, who is the team's most experienced and most proven receiver. He led the team with 62 catches for 750 yards as a sophomore, then saw his numbers dip to 38 receptions for 465 yards last year as veterans Scott Long and Trent Guy returned from injuries.

The 5-foot-9, 187-pound Beaumont is one of the quickest players on the team and should thrive as the slot man in Mike Sanford's spread offense. He's also eyeing a role on punt and kickoff returns.

"I can use my quickness and speed to take one-on-one opportunities against linebackers and nickelbacks," he said. "I should be able to get open that way."

And, he hopes, that will allow him to fix a glaring hole in his résumé. Despite being one of the team's top playmakers the past two seasons, Beaumont has yet to score a college touchdown.

"That's one of my big goals, to get that touchdown," he said. "I got one called back last year. Hopefully I'll have more than just one as a senior."

Beaumont likes the way the team is responding to new head coach Charlie Strong. He says the Cardinals have a "swagger" that they lacked the past few seasons, thanks to the attitude injected in them by Strong and his staff. He knows most people are picking Louisville to finish at the bottom of the Big East again, but he said the players are using that as motivation every day in workouts.

Not that Beaumont needs any extra motivation. He wants to finish his career the way he originally envisioned it going.

"Growing up here and watching Michael Bush and Brian Brohm, you just know you want to be a hometown hero," he said. "You want to show your hometown you can win games. I want to get fans the fans motivated and know we're back on the rise."

Let's continue our post-spring position rankings for every Big East team, moving on to wide receiver. Remember, depth matters as well as star power:

1. Cincinnati: Pretty easy call here. The starting trio of Armon Binns, Vidal Hazelton and D.J. Woods is as good as anybody's in the country. If Kenbrell Thompkins, Marcus Barnett and Jamar Howard can add to the group, this could be a really deep and dangerous unit.

2. Pittsburgh: It just doesn't get any better than Jonathan Baldwin. Mike Shanahan came on late in the season a year ago and should provide a strong No. 2 target. Guys like Devin Street, Cam Saddler and Greg Cross could make this a corps that can give Cincinnati a run for its elite status.

3. West Virginia: Depth here is a problem. But the Mountaineers are solid on the front lines with Bradley Starks, Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin, who will try to succeed as a wideout. Stedman Bailey played very well this spring at times. Beyond that, there are question marks, but incoming freshman Ivan McCartney could contribute right away.

4. Rutgers: Mohamed Sanu is the only proven receiver on this team. But Mark Harrison, Tim Wright and Quron Pratt all looked great this spring. I'm expecting big things out of this crew this year.

5. Connecticut: No one on the current roster had more than 24 catches a year ago, but the Huskies still should be fine at receiver this year. Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore and Michael Smith are all quite capable of providing big plays. If youngsters like Gerrard Sheppard, Malik Generett and Dwayne Difton can add something positive, this ranking will improve.

6. South Florida: The loss of A.J. Love to an ACL injury in the spring game leaves this group with more questions than answers. Dontavia Bogan turned in a huge spring game performance and may have to become the go-to guy. Sterling Griffin and Lindsey Lamar have tremendous speed if not much experience. Evan Landi is trying to convert from quarterback into a dependable target. It's still a work in progress.

7. Louisville: Eventually, Doug Beaumont (38 catches a year ago) is going to find the end zone. Troy Pascley and the 6-foot-9 Josh Chichester have been around a few years now, and Andrell Smith looks promising. Still, one wonders if the Cardinals have any true deep threats. Incoming freshman Michaelee Harris and junior-college import Josh Bellamy could contribute right away.

8. Syracuse: Perhaps I'm not giving the Orange enough due, but I just haven't been overly impressed with their receivers outside of Mike Williams for the past few years. Guys like Marcus Sales, Alec Lemon and Van Chew have improved, and Hofstra transfer Aaron Weaver could help this year. But this is a case of needing to see it before I believe it.

Heather Dinich did this for the ACC and Adam Rittenberg followed with the Big Ten, so I'm jumping on board with the Big East. It's time to examine offensive and defensive units that are in need of repair in the league and see which ones are closer to recovering.

Up first: offense.

In need of repair

1. Louisville: Steve Kragthorpe took over as his own offensive coordinator last year with pretty disastrous results. The Cardinals averaged only 18.1 points per game, their lowest total in more than a decade, while finishing last in rushing offense. They were particularly brutal in the red zone, where they left a lot of points on the table.

2. Syracuse: The Orange offense did come on late in the year, scoring 31 points each against Rutgers and Connecticut. Before that, however, Syracuse had totaled 26 points in its previous three games, all losses. The mid-year dismissal/defection of receiver Mike Williams stymied the passing attack for a while, and Syracuse had the worst turnover margin in the league.

3. Rutgers: The stats say the Scarlet Knights finished fourth in the league in scoring at 28.8 points per game. In reality, they benefited by pouring on the points against the weaker opponents on the schedule (and there were a lot of those). Rutgers also had a lot of scores either produced or set up by its defense and special teams. But the offense lacked a powerful running game or a lot of big threats in the passing game outside of Tim Brown.

Fastest road to recovery

1. Rutgers: This is a team that has a lot of pieces to be a good offense, starting with quarterback Tom Savage and receiver Mohamed Sanu. The wideouts as a group have greatly improved this spring, and with either an improved Joe Martinek, De'Antwan Williams or some incoming freshmen this summer, coach Greg Schiano hopes the running game will become more explosive. It will all rest, however, on how well a rebuilt offensive line comes together.

2. Syracuse: Head coach Doug Marrone has take over the reins of the offense after letting Rob Spence go. Marrone was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints before getting the Syracuse job, and there were whispers that he had a bigger hand than usual in the Orange's last two games last season, when they broke out some new tricks to get back on track. Syracuse has strong running backs and some emerging receivers. The Orange need quarterback Ryan Nassib or Charley Loeb to become a real leader.

3. Louisville: The Cardinals' offenses looked pretty good at times this spring, but it was also going up against a patchwork defense. New offensive coordinator Mike Sanford is installing a Florida-esque spread attack, and while Louisville has good tailbacks, the receiving position is full of mostly unproven guys outside of Doug Beaumont. Adam Froman and Justin Burke are still battling to win the starting quarterback job, but neither of them has shown to this point that they are at the elite level. The Cardinals should improve on that 18.1 points per game average, but the question is how much.