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You waited all weekend for me to confirm what you already figured out: West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith takes the No. 1 spot in my countdown of the top 25 players in the Big East for 2011.

He may not have won Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors, but I thought Smith was the best and most valuable player in the league this year. Why?

Making the case: There is no way West Virginia would have had another record-breaking offensive year and been one of the most explosive groups in the country without Smith. Take Smith away, and Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are not nearly as effective. There is no denying that trio of players benefited from playing in the high-powered offense Dana Holgorsen brought with him from Oklahoma State. But one glance at what happened at Pitt should show everybody that there is no such thing as just being able to insert any warm body into a spread offense and have it work like magic.

Were there problems? Sure, there were problems. Smith made bad decisions at times. The offense failed to put together a complete game on more than one occasion, driving the ball ridiculously well at some points, then stalling at others. We finally saw the full capability of the offense on display in the Orange Bowl against Clemson, a sign of things to come for 2012. But for 2011 at least, Smith learned the offense and did a great job in his first year -- setting the school and Big East record with 4,385 yards, while throwing for 31 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Smith ranked No. 8 in the nation in passing, and was the most highly visible player in the Big East.

With Smith leading the way, West Virginia set 19 different school records. Smith owns seven of them. And if anybody needs reminding, his backup was a true freshman. So if Smith had gotten hurt, this team would have been in a heap of trouble. I don't think you can say the same of Austin. As good as Austin is, I think West Virginia would have been able to make do without him. That's why I have Smith ahead of his teammate.

Why Smith over Isaiah Pead? As I have written before, I understand the argument for making Pead the No. 1 player in the Big East. He had his best season, and was extremely valuable to the Bearcats, especially after Zach Collaros got hurt. But in a must-win game against Rutgers the week after losing Collaros, Pead had his worst game of the season, with 28 yards on 14 carries. A lot of that was a function of the way the Scarlet Knights focused on shutting him down and making Munchie Legaux beat them. But I think all Bearcats fans can probably agree they expected a little more out of Pead in that game. It was as if the entire offense failed to show up. To me, MVPs find a way to make a play -- even with nine men in the box.

Not to take away anything from the season Pead had. I obviously think highly enough of him to rank him No. 2 in the Big East. But overall, I thought Smith was better and more valuable, so he gets my No. 1 ranking.

Preseason ranking: No. 1

The countdown:

No. 2 Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati

No. 3 Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

No. 4 Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

No. 5 Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers

No. 6 Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati

No. 7 Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia

No. 8 Ray Graham, RB, Pitt

No. 9 Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati

No. 10 JK Schaffer, LB, Cincinnati

No. 11 Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn

No. 12 Najee Goode, LB, West Virginia

No. 13 Bruce Irvin, DE West Virginia

No. 14 Julian Miller, DE, West Virginia

No. 15 Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

No. 16 Trevardo Williams, DE, UConn

No. 17 Aaron Donald, DE, Pitt

No. 18 Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers

No. 19 Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville

No. 20 Dexter Heyman, LB, Louisville

No. 21 Lyle McCombs, RB, UConn

No. 22 Antwon Bailey, RB, Syracuse

No. 23 Duron Harmon, S, Rutgers

No. 24 Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia

No. 25 Ryne Giddins, DE, USF

We continue on with our 2011 postseason position rankings with quarterback. There should not be too many surprises on this list. For me, it was hardest to separate Syracuse-USF-Rutgers in the middle of the pack. You could also make the case to flop Pitt and UConn.

1. West Virginia. Geno Smith went about shattering school, Big East and Orange Bowl records during his career year for the Mountaineers, throwing for 4,385 yards, 31 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. His development under Dana Holgorsen was about what we expected. Preseason ranking: 1.

2. Cincinnati. Zach Collaros' worth to the team was illustrated when he got hurt against West Virginia. The Bearcats lost their grip atop the Big East and ended up sharing the league title. Munchie Legaux was not great, but Collaros was. Cincinnati may have relied more on the run this year, but I thought Collaros and Isaiah Pead complemented each other perfectly. Preseason ranking: 2.

3. Louisville. True freshman Teddy Bridgewater really helped anchor this team once he replaced Will Stein in the starting lineup. He set a school freshman passing record with 2,129 yards and won Big East Newcomer of the Year honors. Without Bridgewater, I'm not sure this team wins a share of the Big East title. He showed poise and maturity beyond his years. Preseason ranking: 7.

4. Syracuse. Ryan Nassib had a career year for the Orange, setting highs for completions, attempts, yards, completion percentage and touchdown passes. There is no doubt he made some significant strides for Syracuse, but the biggest knock is that he never really was able to make the plays to get his team in position to win just one game in the final stretch of the season. Preseason ranking: 6.

5. USF. Coach Skip Holtz rightfully points out that the Bulls offense was improved in 2011 vs. 2010. But I think most of us were waiting on B.J. Daniels to take that next step and become an elite quarterback in the Big East. We are still waiting. He barely improved his completion percentage and threw just 13 touchdown passes -- though he did have a career-high with 601 yards rushing. What sticks out most are critical mistakes against UConn and West Virginia that cost his team wins. Preseason ranking: 4.

6. Rutgers. Greg Schiano went with musical quarterbacks again, switching back and forth and then back again from Chas Dodd to Gary Nova to Dodd. Neither was particularly effective, and both had a penchant for making bad mistakes. It's a true credit to receiver Mohamed Sanu that he was able to have such a great year with such inconsistent quarterback play. Preseason ranking: 5.

7. Pitt. How much more can be said about the way Tino Sunseri played this season? The further removed we are from the year, the more I'm convinced that his coaches let him down. Still, he was not very good in 2011 -- 38 yards passing against Utah was the low point. It was a disaster of a season. Preseason ranking: 3 (Gulp!)

8. UConn. Three quarterbacks in contention, but the Huskies really had no true quarterbacks. Johnny McEntee ended up winning the right to start, but he was completely overmatched. Scott McCummings came in for Wildcat duties and Michael Nebrich was an afterthought. No surprise that this was the worst passing offense in the Big East. Preseason ranking: 8.

We're back, and the kindly introduction is over. It's time to get to know the real West Virginia.

How will the Mountaineers handle the transition? Big 12 blogger David Ubben and Big East blogger Andrea Adelson debated the issue.

David Ubben: TCU's jump would seem to be a lot bigger, but the Big East has had its well-chronicled struggles the past few years. The Mountaineers left the league with a convincing Orange Bowl win against Clemson, scoring 70 points in the process. Talk about endearing yourself to your new offensive-minded friends, huh? You've seen this team up close lately, though. What, if anything, do you think WVU will have to change to get back to the BCS as a Big-12 member?

Andrea Adelson: Well, one thing that definitely is going to change is the way West Virginia plays defense. Long-time defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is out, and so is the odd 3-3-5 stack defense. The Mountaineers are going to go with a 3-4 base set under former Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest. This should help ease the transition from the stack, as West Virginia does not have the type of players on the roster to go with four down linemen.

In addition to the new scheme, West Virginia is losing its two best pass-rushers in Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller, perhaps its best defensive player in linebacker Najee Goode, and its best cover corner in Keith Tandy. There were times last season when the Mountaineers got beat deep in pass coverage, which will not bode well in Big 12 play.

However, cornerback Brodrick Jenkins has the potential to be truly terrific in 2012. He showed flashes late last season. As for the offense, coach Dana Holgorsen is looking for perfection. That means more consistent play out of an offensive line that was mediocre at times last season, and more explosion out of the run game. Starting running back Dustin Garrison is coming off ACL surgery, so it will be interesting to see whether he will be the same back come August.

Say what you will about the Holgorsen passing offense, but he definitely wants a running back to complement Geno Smith the way Kendall Hunter did with Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State in 2010. How do you think West Virginia will fit in to its new conference home?

DU: WVU is a good fit on the field. Geographically, not so much, but the Big 12 teams have to like that. There's a lot of uneasiness with TCU entering the league. That could shake up recruiting a lot and cut into the share of teams like Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

But West Virginia's clearly a strong brand. This is a team that could just as easily have been in the SEC. Instead, it's in the Big 12. The three BCS wins are a big deal, as was the Orange Bowl win. That's endeared the Mountaineers to their new opponents in the Big 12. To win like that on that kind of stage says a lot about where the program is and where it's headed. Having a coach like Holgorsen, who has lots of ties to Texas, will help them grab a few players in Texas, too. The difference between WVU and Mizzou isn't much when you think about recruiting in Texas. I could see WVU being the biggest threat to Missouri recruiting in Texas.

But like TCU, winning games gets people excited. Big 12 fans are psyched about the Mountaineers, who seem like a fun group.

How do you think WVU's transition will compare to TCU's?

AA: Watching a team put up 70 points is always fun! Hearing a guy like Holgorsen talk is always fun because you never know what he is going to say.

But on to your question: I think West Virginia will have a much smoother transition than TCU because it has played in an AQ conference already. Yeah, OK enter your Big Least jokes in here. But West Virginia has been a solid program throughout the course of its history. Note that the Mountaineers are one of just 14 schools to have 700 program victories -- joining Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12.

West Virginia is one of just three schools to have at least nine wins in seven straight seasons. That doesn't happen by accident. And it's also important to note West Virginia is not exactly in a recruiting hotbed. Talent does not come pouring out of the state the way it does in Texas. The Mountaineers have built pipelines into Florida -- Geno Smith and Stedman Bailey being two notable examples on the squad -- and try to mine talent in Baltimore, Virginia and Washington, D.C. So I do think there will be inroads made into Texas with the Big 12 affiliation.

Already on the roster from the state are starting running back Dustin Garrison and quarterback Ford Childress, an ESPNU 150 player in the class of 2012. I respect the job Gary Patterson has done in building TCU, but I simply think there is going to be much more of a growing curve for a team transitioning to an automatic qualifying conference. What do you think?

DU: I'd agree. The Big East has been weak, but there aren't any teams like New Mexico and UNLV in that league, who are little more than a week off for teams as talented as TCU has been the past few years. Show up and you win.

Last year, even Kansas beat the MAC champions, Northern Illinois, before losing its final 10 games of 2011. Big 12 champion Oklahoma State lost to 6-7 Iowa State, too. This league is so, so deep. You have to show up and play well every week, and even then, you might not win. In 2010, 11 of the league's 12 teams had five wins and at least played a game with a chance to win six and qualify for a bowl game.

This year, nine of the 10 teams did that. It's got elite teams, too. Texas and OU played for titles in 2008 and 2009 and OSU was barely shut out of the title game this year.

The depth of the Big 12 is what TCU will have to get used to. In that sense, WVU will have to adjust much less. Of course, you never know for sure. We'll find out next year. WVU had some head-scratching losses, too. Losing to Syracuse by 26 points? Really? Sheesh.

Both of these teams are built to win in 2012, and I think they'll do it. But winning a Big 12 title requires you to show up every week and play well. In the Big East, which sent an eight-win team to the BCS in 2010, that hasn't necessarily been true.

In the Big 12, Texas or OU has basically run through the year with 0-2 losses every single season. If WVU wants to win this league, they'll have to do that.

When do you think WVU will win its first title? Will it win one?

AA: It is tough to put a time frame on when West Virginia will win a league title. As crazy as it might sound, I think this team is built to contend in 2012. The Mountaineers dropped FSU from the nonconference schedule, so you could consider Kansas as filling that void. I am sure West Virginia takes that.

Oklahoma is going to be a preseason national favorite, but after that, every single team returning has major question marks. Is Texas going to be Texas? What does Baylor do without RG3? What does Oklahoma State do without Weeden and Justin Blackmon?

You bring up a good point about the head-scratching losses. There have been a bunch of those over the last several seasons -- including TWO in a row to Syracuse. This is a team that has simply been inconsistent. It didn't put together a full game against Clemson. But I think Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are going to be a handful for teams to stop, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Mountaineers were a surprise contender in 2012. Are you buying or selling?

DU: I'd generally agree. Year 1 seems to be their best chance. It's a wide-open year in the Big 12, and I think Oklahoma's a bit overrated heading into next year, though the potential for a national title run is there. Texas looks like it's on its way back up, but next year won't be the year.

If it doesn't happen next year, though, I don't think WVU will win a Big 12 title in the next decade. It's a solid program that I think could get into the BCS, but win the Big 12?

With the stability, metroplex location and winning tradition, I like TCU's upside a whole lot more, and its ability to win a Big 12 title in the future. I'm buying a Horned Frogs Big 12 title in the next decade. Not so much on WVU.

Time to put you on the spot: What's WVU's record next year and Big 12 finish?

AA: I can see the hate mail trickling into the Big 12 mailbag over that one, Mr. Ubben!

DU: Maybe so. But hey, that's how we do things on the Big 12 Blog. I call it like I see it. And I see more potential for the Froggies, though I think the Mountaineers will be a solid, solid program. I wouldn't be that surprised if they won the league, but I'm not betting on it.

This is a league built around the state of Texas, and the location's going to make it tough for them to consistently field teams that can win 11-12 games consistently.

Next year, I'll take 9-3 for the Mountaineers, but a tie for third place.

After a bit of a delay, thanks to some legal wrangling, West Virginia is finally free.

The Big East and the Mountaineers have settled their lawsuit, and West Virginia is officially on its way to the Big 12 for 2012.

That means it's off the Big East blog and onto the Big 12 blog, too.

To help the Big 12 get to know its newest member, Big 12 blogger David Ubben asked Big East blogger Andrea Adelson for her thoughts.

David Ubben: AA, Les Miles had my favorite quote of the 2011 season in relation to West Virginia. "They were having a football party and invited us. I knew our guys would show up."

You were there, Andrea. What can Big 12 fans expect when they go to Morgantown? Is it a football party every weekend?

Andrea Adelson: Define "every weekend." West Virginia fans show up for the super gigantic games against teams like LSU and Pitt, but there has been concern that the fan base is "fair weather." Note -- 46,000 fans came out to watch Bowling Green. Now, the truth is, no fan in America gets up for the cupcake patsy schedule. But this rubbed Dana Holgorsen the wrong way, and he ripped on the fans after that game:

"All I heard about was how much this meant to everybody across the state of West Virginia. This was the NFL team in town and we're going to be here to support you. Well, having 40,000 people at a game isn't doing that. ... We do our best every week to fix what the problems are offensively, defensively and special teams wise. Well, what's everybody across the state of West Virginia, including the student body, doing to fix the fact that our players had to play in front of 40,000 people?"

Now, you remember Holgy from his days at Oklahoma State. OK maybe not, since there were not many of them. But he likes stirring the pot, and I firmly believe he did that to motivate a fan base that had become dispassionate with good ol' Bill Stewart "I never met a punt I didn't like" in charge. The fact is that West Virginia has the most spirited fan base in the Big East and averaged 8,000 more fans than Louisville, which ranked No. 2 in the league in attendance in 2011. The atmosphere is fun, and was absolutely electric against LSU.

I anticipate many more crowds like that with teams like Texas and Oklahoma appearing on the schedule. West Virginia fans have gotten a bad rap nationally because of the couch burning and rowdiness. But in the two games I attended last season, I thought everybody behaved themselves accordingly.

And hey, they now serve alcohol in the stadium. I'm sure Big 12 fans can drink to that.

DU: No doubt about the couch burning. Apparently West Virginia passed some legislation to make it stop, but I always found it sort of endearing and mostly harmless, albeit destructive. Maybe that's just me.

Holgorsen definitely speaks his mind, and I know fans will be fired up about alcohol sales in the stadium. What about once fans get to the stadium? Any in-game traditions they should be prepared for? Remember, this is the same league that had Texas A&M for its entirety. Visiting fans are prepared for a little weirdness.

AA: You mean weirder than couch burning?

Well, the Mountaineers mascot runs onto the field with the team toting a real rifle. Each year his costume is tailored to fit just him. But my favorite tradition has to be the playing of "Country Roads" at the end of each home victory. Fans stay in the stands and join the team in signing the song, which became a tradition in 1980 after John Denver dedicated Mountaineer Field with the song.

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It is time to take a last look back at how each Big East team fared in 2011 with season-ending report cards. I wrap up the series with a look at West Virginia.

Offense: I could list the litany of school records West Virginia set this season, but there may not be enough room in this here post. Let's just say Dana Holgorsen is who we thought he was, and his high-flying system translated into the highest flying offense in school history. Geno Smith set a Big East single-season record with 4,385 yards passing; Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey each went over 1,000 yards receiving; and West Virginia averaged 459.6 yards of total offense while scoring an average of 34.9 points -- nine points higher than a year ago. The run game was inconsistent, and so was the offensive line. Though West Virginia did not put together a complete game on offense until the Orange Bowl, it is hard to give this unit anything but an A.

Grade: A.

Defense: No question this group got better as the year went on, primarily because all of the new starters on defense got a better feel for playing together. Taking Bruce Irvin out of the starting lineup and getting him back into situational downs shot up his sack numbers as well and helped the Mountaineers get reacquainted with their pass rush. One of the biggest reasons why West Virginia was able to storm back and win a share of the Big East was because of the way the defense played down the stretch, forcing critical turnovers and making key plays to pull out some close victories. And let's not forget the game-changing play against Clemson in the Orange Bowl, when Darwin Cook returned a fumble 99 yards to turn the tide in the game.

Grade: B.

Overall: West Virginia lived up to preseason expectations, even though it had to go about that in a roundabout way. After losing to Louisville, many counted the Mountaineers out. But they won three straight to earn the spot in the BCS title game, and then absolutely crushed Clemson with the spotlight squarely on them. This is a team that has some really excellent skill players who should rank right up there among the best in the country. The defense was up and down and will face a true test next season with a different scheme and many of its best players gone. But for 2011, there is no other way to judge this season than to say it was a success.

Grade: A.

Previously featured:

• Cincinnati
• UConn
• Louisville
• Pitt
• Rutgers
• USF
• Syracuse

With one day to go before signing day, it is worth taking a look back at how the players on the Big East first-team fared when they were coming out of high school.

You will see, once again, that recruiting rankings generally have nothing to do with the way a player will do in college. So anybody freaking out about what your school does or does not have in the way of commitments for 2012, just take a deep breath. And look at how some of the most unheralded players out of high school become some of the best in the Big East.

I used ESPN recruiting rankings. Note only one player honored on the first team was ranked as an ESPNU150 player. Many on defense came in as either athletes, receivers or quarterbacks.

Offense

WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers. Sanu was ranked the No. 18 safety in the nation coming out of high school in 2009, with a scout grade of 80.

WR/RS Tavon Austin, West Virginia. Austin was rated the No. 41 running back in the nation coming out of high school in 2009 -- three spots behind De'Antwan Williams (Rutgers) and one spot behind Jason Douglas (Pitt). Know who else was ranked ahead -- Victor Marc and Bradley Battles of USF.

OT Justin Pugh, Syracuse. Unranked at his position for the class of 2009, Pugh got a scout grade of 40. Talk about making the most of somebody who was "undervalued."

OT Don Barclay, West Virginia. Ranked No. 65 at his position in the class of 2007. One other West Virginia player was ranked athead of him, at No. 55 -- Gino Gradkowski, who transferred to Delaware.

OG Randy Martinez, Cincinnati. Rated the No. 161 defensive end in the class of 2007.

OG Art Forst, Rutgers. Forst was ranked the No. 25 offensive tackle in the class of 2008 -- the second-highest Big East player on the list behind Lucas Nix of Pitt.

OG Andrew Tiller, Syracuse. Tiller was unranked and did not even get a scouts grade when he was being evaluated in 2009 out of Nassau Community College.

C Moe Petrus, Connecticut. The best center in the Big East was unranked and had no scouts grade when he signed with UConn in 2007.

TE Nick Provo, Syracuse. Provo was ranked No. 86 at his position in the class of 2007

QB Geno Smith, West Virginia. Smith has lived up to his billing -- ranking No. 97 on the ESPNU150 in the class of 2009. He was the No. 8 player at his position and No. 15 in the state of Florida.

RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati. The No. 152 ranked running back in the class of 2008, Pead got a scout grade of 71. He just won MVP Honors on the Senior Bowl.

RB Ray Graham, Pittsburgh. Rated the No. 66 running back in the class of 2009, Graham was rated behind West Virginia's Daquan Hargrett (left program) and USF's Adaris Bellamy (academics).

RB Antwon Bailey, Syracuse. Ranked the No. 128 running back in the class of 2008 -- well behind fellow signee Averin Collier (No. 42). Collier was considered the gem of the class, but academics derailed his career.

K Dave Teggart, Connecticut. Teggart was ranked the No. 25 kicker in the class of 2007.

Defense

DL Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati. Wolfe was unranked at his position in the class of 2008 and got a scout grade of 40. Four years later, he was the co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

DL Kendall Reyes, Connecticut. Reyes also was unranked in his position in the class of 2007 with a scout grade of 40. Believe it or not, he came into UConn at 220 pounds (he's now around 300) and now has a shot to be a mid-round draft pick.

DL Chandler Jones, Syracuse. Jones came to Syracuse as a 230-pound tight end, unranked and giving a scout grade of 40. Now he is headed to the NFL draft as a projected second-to-third round pick.

DL Bruce Irvin, West Virginia. Irvin took an incredible journey to West Virginia through Mt. SAC junior college after dropping out of high school.

LB JK Schaffer, Cincinnati. Schaffer was ranked the No. 93 outside linebacker in the class of 2008, behind such players as Tyler Urban, Marvin Booker (Rutgers), Quavon Taylor (USF) and Marcus Witherspoon (Rutgers).

LB Khaseem Greene, Rutgers. No ranking or scout grade for Greene, who went to prep school before arriving at Rutgers.

LB Najee Goode, West Virginia. Goode was a quarterback and linebacker in high school who was not ranked.

CB Adrian Bushell, Louisville. Bushell was ranked the No. 21 cornerback in the class of 2008 and originally signed with Florida. After playing at junior college, he made an immediate impact with the Cardinals.

CB Keith Tandy, West Virginia. Tandy was ranked the No. 207 quarterback in the nation in the class of 2007. The same group that featured Jimmy Clausen and Ryan Mallett.

S Drew Frey, Cincinnati. Frey was a receiver coming out of high school and unranked, with a scout grade of 40.

S Hakeem Smith, Louisville. Smith was ranked the No. 93 receiver in the class of 2009, but his athleticism allowed him to switch to defense and emerge as one of the best safeties in the league.

S Jarred Holley, Pittsburgh. Also a receiver in the class of 2008, Holley was ranked No. 230 at that position with a scout grade of 65.

S Duron Harmon, Rutgers. The No. 49 athlete in the class of 2009, he was ranked below teammate Jamal Merrell, Todd Thomas of Pitt and Kayvon Webster of USF.

P Pat O'Donnell, Cincinnati. O'Donnell was unranked with a scout grade of 40, but he has emerged as one of the most impressive iron men in the league.

As it stands today, there are only two players from the Big East listed on Mel Kiper's top 5 player rankings by position for the 2012 draft -- Mohamed Sanu at receiver and Bruce Irvin at outside linebacker.

But take heart, my friends. Next season seems to be in line to be much better.

Kiper has come out with his top 5 player rankings by position for the NFL draft class of 2013. These only include seniors, of course, since we have no idea about underclassmen leaving early. You will see several more Big East players listed:

Quarterback

No. 4 Geno Smith, West Virginia. Kiper believes Smith will get more scrutiny next season once he enters the draft spotlight.

Running back

No. 3 Ray Graham, Pitt.

Fullbacks

No. 5 Ryan Clarke, West Virginia

Receiver

No. 3 Tavon Austin, West Virginia

Center

No. 3 Mario Benavides, Louisville

You can see the complete lists by clicking on the links above. As always, I'll keep you updated once these lists start changing. For now, really interesting to see how some of these players stack up against the rest.

Come one, come all for your midweek Big East mailblog.

Jackson Fiske in Cincinnati writes: Do you believe that the moves the Big East has made toward expansion have been beneficial? Obviously it is important to maintain a certain number of teams, but it seems like the conference is going after quantity and not quality. Conferences like the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-12 would never consider adding some of these choices.

Andrea Adelson: I think the Big East did the best it could do under the circumstances. The truth is that the Big East simply does not have the cache to be able to go and raid other conferences. No team from the ACC or Big Ten, for example, is leaving its secure conference home to join one that has been teetering on the brink. So given that, the Big East did what needed to be done to survive. It added the most successful non-AQ teams out there which also expands its television footprint and national reach. The Big East was not going to sit there and fold. Bringing in these schools had to be done.

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Mike in Orlando writes: Andrea, It opens up quite a few possibilities with Navy joining the Big East in football only, the most obvious one being its effect on Air Force and Army in negotiations. What I've wondered, and what I've heard whispered in the darker corners of the forum Internet is the effect this move will have on BYU and Notre Dame. Do you think it is a pipe dream or a possibility that we see the addition of (best case scenario, in my opinion) of AFA, ND, and BYU by 2015, making a 14-team (and very powerful, market-wise) conference?

Adelson: I think Notre Dame is a pipe dream. I will not rule out the other two even though they said no for right now. Market forces can change minds, especially if independence does not work out for BYU (Although the Big 12 could be an option as well). Notre Dame will wait until the very last moment to join a conference. If and win that does happen, I just don't think the Big East will be the big winner.

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John in Roanoke, Va., writes: Andrea, your question about the Big East Offensive MVP is interesting. However, I think you (and others) have missed an important angle when comparing Smith vs. Austin vs. Pead. Who was most VALUABLE to their team? In other words, how many more games would their respective teams have lost if they went down with a season-ending injury on the first play of game one? Without Austin, WVU might have lost an extra game or two -- the team would have lost explosiveness at the slot position, but there are other weapons at the receiver position. Without Pead, Cincy simply relies more heavily on a proven quarterback in (Zach) Collaros, but I'll admit they still might have lost another game or two. Without Geno, WVU relies on a true freshman quarterback, mostly unrecruited and certainly unproven. WVU would have been lucky to go 6-6.

Adelson: John, you bring up a logical point. I think I addressed the idea of who was most valuable in the blog. I believe the award went to Pead because coaches believed he was most valuable, especially once Collaros went down. How would Cincinnati have done without Collaros AND Pead? Based on your reasoning, Smith should have been the MVP of his own team. But he was not. That honor went to Austin, which I thought was very interesting and the whole reason I revisited the topic.

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Grant in NYC writes: Hi AA. As an alum and die-hard 'Cuse football fan, I find it hard to believe that Doug Marrone has not changed or announced any coaching changes. The last two years we have had the same offensive coordinator and the offense has been horrible. We were the only team in the Big East not to play at all two quarterbacks. (Ryan) Nassib played the whole year. Not one other quarterback got a chance to show what they can do. I would like to see Doug Marrone go with a dual-threat like a Ashton Broyld or another mobile quarterback. What do you think? I do like coach (Scot) Shafer as the DC. We just didn't have the man-power last year as the year before, which you will agree. Also we lose a lot this year due to players leaving early, kicked off the team and what not. Do you see 'Cuse getting any better this season? The recruiting seems to be OK at best, but no studs or four-stars. I know we don't always get the best players, but Doug Marrone seems to know what he is doing and I do like coach Marone. I just wish we can get a big fish one of these days.

Adelson: I agree wholeheartedly with your defensive assessment. However, I am not of the same mind about pulling Nassib. I understand the frustrations over the offense not really making strides this year over last year, but what would putting in an inexperienced quarterback have done? Nassib did end up having a career year, and he improved in virtually every statistical category even if it didn't feel that way. He gives Syracuse the best chance to win. Broyld is totally unproven, and so are the other guys on the roster. I don't think Cincinnati or USF would have played their backups if given a choice. Would you rather play three like UConn? I don't think so. Syracuse has just got to find a way to be more consistent with Nassib leading the charge. As for recruiting, your complaints are understood. But again, it is all about developing the talent you bring in. I have always believed this star rating system is a crock because nobody really knows how these kids are going to turn out. Florida has consistently signed Top 5 recruiting classes filled with four and five star players and went 7-6 last season. It's all about getting as much as you can out of these kids once they arrive.

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Kris in Hollidaysburg, Pa., writes: Andrea, There were a lot of people on the chat last week speculating that the ACC is having buyer's remorse over Pitt and Syracuse, and I tend to agree. Of the teams that will no longer be in the Big East, who will get the most TV money: ACC schools Pitt and Cuse, or Big 12 schools WVU and TCU? What about a few years down the road? Thanks.

Adelson: Well if you are splitting a pie 10 ways versus splitting it 14 ways, then I go with the Big 12 schools. I think the ACC is going to renegotiate with Syracuse and Pitt on board and will be lucky to get an incremental increase per school as part of the new deal. Any conference with Texas and Oklahoma in it would probably get more television dollars in my best estimation.

Let me take you back to December, when the Big East unveiled its player of the year awards.

Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead won Offensive Player of the Year honors over West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, sending Mountaineers fans into a wild fury.

It was a conspiracy!

West Virginia was being punished for leaving the Big East!

It was obvious Smith was the best player!

That just about sums up the feedback I got into the mailbag, and the comments I saw on the blog.

I was surprised, too. Smith had my vote for Big East Offensive Player of the Year. But I also saw the merits of giving Pead the award, and tried to explain that rationale in one of my mailblogs last month. What helped me to understand was talking to several coaches around the league, who simply thought Smith had a much better supporting cast around him, which helped him boost his numbers.

Well, lo and behold. Another school has supported that theory.

West Virginia itself.

Last week, the school announced its team award winners. Taking home Offensive Player of the Year: receiver Tavon Austin. Not Smith.

So perhaps we should revisit the Pead vs. Smith debate one last time.

To support the idea that Smith had help in boosting his numbers, all you need to do is take a look at this one impressive stat: going into the Orange Bowl against Clemson, Austin had 1,063 yards receiving. Do you know how many yards came after the catch? According to ESPN Stats & Information, that would be 807 -- the most of any player in the BCS Top 25. Or to put it another way, 75.9 percent of his yards came after he caught a pass.

That is some impressive shakin' and bakin' -- which no doubt played a part in Austin being named his team's Offensive Player of the Year. When he got into open space, he was unstoppable. I think the Orange Bowl summed up the way they complemented each other. Austin got my vote for MVP of the game because I felt he was the biggest difference-maker on the field. But Smith won MVP honors for his eye-popping numbers.

It is entirely possible the two split votes among the eight league coaches who cast their ballots. There already is early talk that they could split Heisman votes next season. If anything, the old debate about whether a quarterback makes a receiver or vice versa is an intriguing one when it comes to these two players.

As for Pead, anybody who watched Cincinnati play this season noticed a transformation on offense. Last season, the Bearcats ranked No. 1 in the league in pass offense, averaging 260.7 yards a game, and No. 5 in rushing offense. This season, Cincinnati ranked No. 2 in rushing offense, averaging more than 20 yards more a game in this area. Pass offense was down to 207.6 yards a game.

You could say that is a function of Cincinnati trailing in games last season, but the reality is that Pead was the best player on offense in 2011, and coach Butch Jones made a commitment to making sure he was utilizing his best player. Pead had a carer-high 237 carries -- 80 more than last season. He also had a career-high 12 touchdown runs and more than 1,200 yards on the ground.

Smith and Austin posted career-highs as well, and so did West Virginia receiver Stedman Bailey in this new offense. But clearly the coaches looked beyond the numbers and at the value of each player to their respective teams. Did Austin give Smith a boost? Absolutely. Did the new offense give them both a boost? Absolutely. Nobody will dispute that.

But after seeing Austin win his own team's offensive player of the year award, I felt it necessary to re-think who is most deserving of being Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

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.

This season saw plenty of players emerge throughout the Big East. But who was most improved among them?

It was tough in many cases to narrow this down to one player per team. My criteria might be different from yours. I am looking for players who were not on any preseason lists, who were not expected to have breakout seasons, who had yet to live up to their full potential.

For example, it would be easy to say West Virginia receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey were among the most improved. There is no doubt they were, as they each got over 1,000 yards. But we all expected them to have big seasons because of Dana Holgorsen. So I went with a different player for West Virginia.

Here are my picks:

Cincinnati: Drew Frey, safety. Runner-up: Derek Wolfe, defensive tackle. This was an incredibly tough choice for me. Wolfe essentially doubled his stats from 2010, ranking No. 5 in the nation in tackles for loss (21.5) and No. 16 in sacks (9.5) en route to Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. But Wolfe did make my preseason list of top 25 players in the Big East, as I anticipated he would be in store for a solid season. Frey, on the other hand, was a huge question mark going into the year because of the way the Cincinnati secondary played in 2010. He ended up second on the team in tackles (73) and had eight pass breakups. Do you know how many he had last year? One. Frey was first-team All-Big East and emerged as one of the best safeties in the league.

UConn: Trevardo Williams, defensive end. What a leap Williams made this season, leading the Big East with 12.5 sacks and winning second-team honors. Though he started seven games last season, it was no sure thing that Williams would emerge as the full-time starter. But he more than held his own, and worked in the offseason to use more than just his speed to get after the quarterback. It paid off.

Louisville: Preston Brown, linebacker. When the season started, Brown was not even penciled in as a starter. He played in 13 games in 2010 but coach Charlie Strong was waiting on him to emerge and prove he could be counted on. He most certainly did that in 2011, finishing third on the team with 84 tackles. He was consistently good for most of the season, and he and Dexter Heyman proved to be a great linebacker duo.

Pittsburgh: Aaron Donald, defensive tackle. Donald figured to be counted on to provide depth, but he went ahead and finished second in the Big East in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (16) -- both team-highs. He also added a team-high 11 quarterback hurries. He ended the season as a starter and a second-team All-Big East selection.

Rutgers: Khaseem Greene, linebacker. Runner-up: Mohamed Sanu, receiver. This was really, really, really hard to decide. Sanu set a Big East and school record with 115 receptions and was the best player on offense. Greene won Co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year after switching positions in the offseason. So why Greene? Well, Sanu was on my preseason top 25 players list and I thought he had a chance to have a good season because he was healthy and would be playing receiver. But Greene was more of a question mark because he had moved over from safety. He was on nobody's radar for Defensive Player of the Year when the season started, but emerged as one of the finest players in the league. So he gets the nod.

USF: Kayvon Webster, cornerback. Webster was one of the more highly touted prospects USF signed in 2009, but it has taken a while for him to live up to expectations. He did so this season, in his first year as a full-time starter. Webster had 49 tackles and seven pass breakups this season and made the All-Big East second team.

Syracuse: Alec Lemon, receiver. Lemon more than doubled his receiving and yardage totals from 2010 -- setting a school record with 68 receptions for 834 yards with six touchdowns, all career highs. He had seven or more receptions in six games; in 2009 and 2010 he had two games combined with seven or more catches. Lemon quickly emerged as a much-needed go-to receiver, especially with Marcus Sales out (suspension). His performance placed him on the All-Big East second team.

West Virginia: Tyler Bitancurt, kicker. Runner-up: Stedman Bailey. You can make the argument for Bailey and I would not disagree. Geno Smith and Tavon Austin were projected to have big seasons -- both were in my preseason top 25. Bailey was right on the outside. But the strides Bitancurt made were bigger than any other kicker in the Big East. He took his field goal percentage from 58.8 percent to 72.7 percent, moving him from last place to No. 4 in the league. He nailed a 28-yard kick with no time left against USF to give the Mountaineers a share of the Big East title and a BCS berth.

You know you love it -- way too early Heisman hype is here!

Several of you have already asked about the possibility of West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith and receiver/all-purpose player Tavon Austin being candidates for the Heisman.

Somebody out there agrees with you. And it is none other than HeismanPundit.com, which analyzes the top candidates every year and does a pretty good job to boot. He is already out with his early 2012 Heisman candidate list and ranks Smith at No. 4 and Austin at No. 14.

To no one's surprise, they are the only Big East players on the list.

The expectation, of course, is for Smith and Austin to be even better in 2012, in Year 2 under coach Dana Holgorsen. We only saw flashes of their true potential in 2011 as the offense struggled for any measure of consistency. But if the Discover Orange Bowl is any measure of what is to come, then watch out, America.

Smith accounted for seven touchdowns in the 70-33 win over Clemson and threw for over 400 yards. His performance allowed him to break the Big East single-season passing mark, with 4,385 yards. Meanwhile, Austin had 280 all-purpose yards against the Tigers, and ended the season as the national leader in that category, with an average of 198 yards a game.

Of the top 10 all-purpose players in the nation in 2011, only three players will be back for 2012 -- Austin, Sammy Watkins of Clemson and Montee Ball of Wisconsin. Ball ranks No. 3 on the Heisman Pundit list, while Watkins ranks No. 8. While I understand Watkins has shown flashes of greatness, based on what I saw in the Orange Bowl, how can Watkins be considered a better overall player than Austin? What could hurt Austin is sharing the ball with Stedman Bailey. There is no equivalent at Clemson, so that could mean bigger numbers for Watkins.

One other point to note: West Virginia is not the only team with a duo on this list. Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint are on the list for Michigan, and Watkins and Tajh Boyd are on the list for Clemson.

Without further adieu, here is your 2011 Big East All-Bowl team:

OFFENSE

QB: Geno Smith, West Virginia. Smith was named the Discover Orange Bowl MVP after the Mountaineers routed Clemson 70-33. Smith ended up with Orange Bowl records for passing yards (401), touchdowns responsible for (six) and total offense (433). He threw just 11 incompletions and had zero interceptions.

RB: Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati. The Big East Offensive Player of the Year turned in a terrific final performance as a member of the Bearcats in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Vanderbilt. Pead set a school bowl record with 149 yards rushing in a 31-24 win, his sixth 100-yard game of the season. His 12-yard touchdown run with 1:52 remaining sealed the team's first bowl victory since 2007.

RB:Jawan Jamison, Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights run game was inconsistent all season, but the redshirt freshman stepped up against Iowa State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Jamison was named MVP of the game after gaining 131 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. It was his third 100-yard game of his career. All of them happened this season.

WR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia. The best playmaker on the Orange Bowl field was pretty much unstoppable. Austin racked up an Orange Bowl record with 280 all-purpose yards, including 117 yards receiving, 46 yards rushing and 117 yards on kickoff returns. He also set Orange Bowl records for receptions (12) and receiving touchdowns (four).

WR: Josh Bellamy, Louisville. Bellamy set a season-high with 98 receiving yards in a loss to NC State in the Belk Bowl. Still, he had the most receiving yards by a Cardinal in a bowl game since Harry Douglas had 165 against Wake Forest in the 2007 Orange Bowl. His 53-yard reception in the first quarter was a career long and the second-longest pass play for Louisville this season.

OG: Randy Martinez, Cincinnati. Martinez has been one of the most consistent offensive linemen for the Bearcats over the past two seasons, and he graded out near the top once again in the Liberty Bowl. Martinez helped pave the way for 221 rushing yards -- second most against FBS competition this season.

OG: Betim Bujari, Rutgers, OT: Desmond Wynn, Rutgers. Bujari made just his third start of the season, on the left side no less. Wynn slid over from guard to tackle. But the combination worked for the Scarlet Knights, who put together perhaps their best effort on the offensive line all season. Rutgers ran for 173 yards -- their second-highest total of the season. And they did not allow a sack.

OT: Don Barclay, West Virginia, C: Joe Madsen, West Virginia. One of the biggest knocks against the Mountaineers this season was their inconsistency on the offensive line. In the days leading up to the Orange Bowl, Madsen said he felt the unit had played to the level of its competition. The hope was that facing several NFL draft prospects on the Clemson line would help West Virginia play better. Whatever works, right? West Virginia ran for 188 yards and did not allow a sack in its domination of the Tigers.

DEFENSE

DL: Myles Caragein, Pitt. The Panthers may not have had the greatest game in the BBVA Compass Bowl against SMU, but Caragein was solid for most of the afternoon, with six tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup.

DL: Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati. Wolfe ended his Co-Defensive Player of the Year season with six tackles, including two for loss, against Vanderbilt.

DL: Aaron Donald, Pitt. Donald did his part for the Panthers, with one sack, a forced fumble, a tackle for loss and five tackles in all. Pitt racked up four sacks on the day and held SMU to 61 yards rushing in the loss.

LB: Najee Goode, West Virginia. Goode was a part of an outstanding defensive effort, with 1.5 tackles for loss, one sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery against Clemson.

LB: Khaseem Greene, Rutgers. After posting one of the best regular seasons in school history, Greene finished everything off with a team-high 13 tackles in the Pinstripe Bowl to finish the year with 140, tied for fifth in the school single-season record books. Unfortunately, he could not complete the game after breaking his ankle. He is expected to be fine for 2012.

LB: JK Schaffer, Cincinnati. Schaffer had nine tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss in a win over Vanderbilt. He closes out his career with 337 stops, a mark that ranks him ninth on the Big East career list.

LB: Nick Temple, Cincinnati. The true freshman saved his best performance of the season for the final game of the season. Temple had a career-high eight tackles, a forced fumble and his first career interception in a win over Vanderbilt. Simply put, he was everywhere for the Bearcats.

S: Darwin Cook, West Virginia. Cook had perhaps the play of the game in the Orange Bowl, when he scooped up a fumble by Andre Ellington and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown to seize momentum in the second quarter against Clemson. West Virginia ended up scoring 35 points in the frame to put the game way, way, way out of reach.

S: Eain Smith, West Virginia. With starting Terence Garvin out because of a knee injury, many wondered whether Cook and Smith would take more on their shoulders. They both delivered in a big way. Smith finished with a game-high 13 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and assisted on a tackle for loss.

CB: Keith Tandy, West Virginia. Tandy had six tackles and an interception on the night, and was part of a secondary that completely shut down Sammy Watkins, holding him to 66 yards on five catches. After a shaky start, West Virginia hunkered down and gave up just 78 yards passing in the second half. Tajh Boyd completed only 52 percent of his passes.

CB: Logan Ryan, Rutgers. Ryan really seemed to grow up throughout the season and ended the year with another big performance. Logan had seven tackles -- 2.5 for loss -- one interception and half a sack in the win over Iowa State.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: Tyler Bitancurt, West Virginia. Bitancurt was 10-for-10 on extra-point attempts in the Orange Bowl, setting a new record for extra points attempted and made in any bowl game.

P: Justin Doerner, Rutgers. Doerner had a terrific performance against Iowa State with a season-best 49.7-yard average on six punts. Two of them went inside the 20. One of them went 57 yards. His average was tops among the five Big East punters in bowl games.

KR: Ralph David Abernathy IV, Cincinnati. After Vanderbilt went up 21-17 early in the fourth quarter, Abernathy took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 90 yards for a score to put the Bearcats up for good. It was the first return for a score in his career.

AP: Austin. See above.

Now it is time to relive the top moments in the Big East for 2011 -- both the good, and the bad.

1. Eric LeGrand returns. Not only was this the top moment in the Big East, it was one of the top moments in all of sports in 2011. Seeing the injured LeGrand lead his Rutgers teammates onto the field in his wheelchair before the start of the West Virginia game Oct. 29 in middle of a snowstorm had to soften the hearts of even the most jaded. What LeGrand has been able to do is truly inspiring in the year since he was paralyzed making a hit against Army in 2010. He has gone further than anybody ever anticipated -- he has started rehab work on a treadmill and gotten twitches and sensations throughout his entire body. And he has begun to do radio and television work for Rutgers, as well.

2. Expansion. This is the storyline that eclipsed most everything else for the entire season. First it was Pitt and Syracuse leaving, seemingly catching commissioner John Marinatto off guard. Then TCU jumped ship. Then West Virginia. When everything was tidied up in December, the Big East had gone Big Country, adding Boise State, San Diego State, SMU, UCF and Houston. West Virginia's fate remains tied up in pending lawsuits. However that saga plays out, the Big East is prepared to launch Version 3.0 in 2013.

3. West Virginia goes BOOM! You could make the case that the way the Mountaineers dismantled Clemson in the Discover Orange Bowl should be ranked higher. In any other season, it would be No. 1. But when folks look back on the 2011 season, I think the first two stories are more likely to come to mind because of the way they transcended sports, and signaled the dawning of a new era. If we are going with purely on-the-field stories, then this one is the hands-down choice. West Virginia scored a bowl-record 70 points on the Tigers. For perspective, not even the worst teams in the nation -- New Mexico, FAU, Indiana and Akron -- had 70 scored on them this year. The ACC champ did. Unforgettable moment: Darwin Cook returning a fumble 99 yards to swing momentum, then taking down Obie the Orange Bowl mascot.

4. Down goes Collaros. One play changed the entire complexion of the Big East race. Too simple to say? Nope. Cincinnati had a two-game lead on everybody else on Nov. 12 when West Virginia came to town. In the second quarter, Bruce Irvin sacked Zach Collaros, who fumbled on the play. Julian Miller recovered in the end zone for a touchdown but the damage was done for the Bearcats. Collaros broke his ankle, and Cincinnati dropped two straight. West Virginia won out and finished in a three-way tie with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers clinched the BCS berth -- leading to the eventual walloping of Clemson -- because they finished as the highest-ranked team in the final BCS standings.

5. Todd Graham bolts. In one of the most stunning turns of events this season, Todd Graham decided he had enough of Pittsburgh after 11 months on the job and a 6-6 record. He bolted for Arizona State without saying good-bye to his players, gleefully spewing the same speech he gave to the Panthers when he was hired for his "dream job." His coaching move drew universal scorn, and outrage from his players, as well. They took to Twitter to lambaste their former coach for his lies and unseemly departure.

6. Four clutch plays. West Virginia faced a must-win against USF in the regular-season finale Dec. 1. With the game tied at 27 and 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bulls embarked on a drive that took them down to the West Virginia 28. That's when clutch play No. 1 happened. Najee Goode forced B.J. Daniels to fumble and the Mountaineers recovered. Geno Smith took over with 3:02 left. Clutch play No. 2: Stedman Bailey makes an unbelievable catch on fourth-and-10 for 26 yards, down at the USF 16. Clutch play No. 3: Shawne Alston drags Bailey back to the line of scrimmage after the catch so the Mountaineers can get the snap off without a penalty. Clutch play No. 4: Tyler Bitancurt hits a 28-yard field goal to win the game 30-27 and a share of the Big East title.

7. Ray Graham gets hurt. Pitt running back Ray Graham ranked second nationally and led the Big East in rushing yards per game (134.1) headed into Week 9 against UConn. But early on against the Huskies, Graham crumpled to the ground while making a cut, clutching his right knee. He had torn his ACL, and his season was over. You could almost say the same for the Panthers, who struggled to do anything on offense without their best player.

8. Charlie Strong, surfer. You know how momentous Louisville's 38-35 victory over West Virginia was this season? So momentous it sent coach Charlie Strong bodysurfing over his players in a jubilant locker room afterward. He had Adrian Bushell and Andrew Johnson to thank. On the first play of the fourth quarter, West Virginia lined up for a 23-yard field goal to tie the game. Bushell blocked the kick; Johnson returned it 82 yards for a touchdown and the momentum went to the Cardinals. It was their first win in Morgantown since 1990, and third win ever in the series.

9. Syracuse does what? Surely Syracuse's win over West Virginia in Morgantown in 2010 was a fluke. Surely the Mountaineers would gain revenge in the Dome. Yeah. About that. The Orange schooled West Virginia and reintroduced the Mountaineers to the tight end, pulling the biggest upset of the season 49-23. Syracuse had not scored that many points in the series since 1960. The game also marked the triumphant return of Chandler Jones -- who had two sacks and six tackles in his first game back from a knee injury.

10. USF collapse. The Bulls began the year 4-0 with a national ranking and a victory at Notre Dame. Then Big East play happened. USF lost seven of its final eight games and missed a bowl for the first time as members of the Big East. The Bulls also posted their worst record in Big East play (1-6). A team pegged as a dark horse disappointed in every possible way, losing five games by six points or fewer.

Here are some of the highs and lows of Big East bowl season:

Best performance, team: West Virginia. The 70-33 win over Clemson in the Discover Orange Bowl goes down as one of the best team performances in bowl history. The Mountaineers set a bowl record for points scored, and another bowl record for points scored in one quarter (35, second); an Orange Bowl record for touchdowns (10); and tied an Orange Bowl record for first downs (31). Theirs was the most dominating bowl win of the season.

Best performance, individual: Tavon Austin, West Virginia. Geno Smith won game MVP honors, but I thought the biggest difference maker was Austin. He set Orange Bowl records for total yards (280), receptions (12) and receiving touchdowns (4) and his versatility was a major reason why the Mountaineers won. Smith said this about Austin after the game: "He won me an MVP. I should give him a trophy."

Worst performance, team: Pitt. The numbers on offense were ugly once again in the BBVA Compass Bowl against SMU. The Panthers had season lows in points and yards rushing (10), and their 205 total yards were second-worst this season. They also were 6-of-17 on third down, and had no touchdowns in four trips inside the SMU 25. Pretty sure Pitt is happy to turn the page on this season.

Best comeback: Zach Collaros, Cincinnati. In the weeks leading up to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, we could only guess about whether Collaros would make it back from a broken ankle. He was weeks ahead of rehab, but there was still soreness and he was not running all that well. But Collaros is such a gamer, he refused to be held out of the game. He made his triumphant return and the Bearcats beat Vanderbilt 31-24.

Worst injury: Khaseem Greene, Rutgers. It looked gruesome on television -- Greene went down hard on his ankle against Iowa State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, and we were all thankful when the television replays stopped. It was a tough end to the season for the co-Defensive Player of the Year, who had one of the finest defensive performances this bowl season with 13 tackles, half a sack and a forced fumble. Greene ended up with a broken ankle, but should be just fine for the start of training camp this summer.

Worst loss: Louisville. Yes, we can say Pitt had a terrible loss, but the season had gone horribly for the Panthers and after another coaching change, you almost understood why they failed to show up. But the Cardinals finished the season with wins in four of their final five games, and earned a share of the Big East title. They were riding high going into their game against NC State in the Belk Bowl. An NC State team, by the way, that Cincinnati clobbered earlier in the season. I fully expected a win. But Louisville came out flat and trailed 31-10 before a valiant attempt at a comeback. Too many mistakes did in the Cardinals and they lost 31-24. I give a hand clap to the comeback, but I firmly believe this is a game the Cardinals should have won.

Best momentum swing (1): Clemson running back Andre Ellington was on his way in for a short touchdown in the second quarter against the Mountaineers. But he lost the football, and Darwin Cook returned it 99 yards for a score. West Virginia ended up scoring 35 points in the second quarter -- including 21 off three turnovers.

Best momentum swing (2): Cincinnati trailed Vanderbilt 21-17 early in the fourth quarter, after Larry Smith connected with Chris Boyd on a 68-yard touchdown pass. Ralph David Abernathy IV took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 90 yards for a score to put the Bearcats ahead 24-21. It was the first return for a score in his career. Even better -- Cincinnati would never trail again.

Worst series: Louisville scored to make it 31-24 with 4:29 left in the fourth quarter. Plenty of time to kick it deep and then trust your defense to get a three-and-out to set up good field position for a game-winning drive. Charlie Strong opted for an onside kick, and NC State recovered. Luckily for the Cardinals, NC State coach Tom O'Brien made a move that was even more head-scratching when he decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Louisville 33. The Cardinals stopped them to get great field position with 1:35 remaining. But Teddy Bridgewater took two sacks on the drive, and ended up throwing his third interception to end the game.

Best turnaround: Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights went into their game against Iowa State averaging 2.6 yards a carry and 91.5 yards a game on the ground. They nearly doubled those numbers in the bowl game, rushing for 173 yards and 4.1 yards a carry, as Jawan Jamison had 131 yards and two touchdowns.