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• Linebacker Doug Rigg is ready to step up for West Virginia, which lost two starters at the position. Jorge Wright, who came to WVU as a 16-year-old, is trying to fill Chris Neild's sizable shadow.

• First West Virginia, and now Rutgers is exploring whether to sell beer at its home games. Justin Francis overcame some trouble early in his career and is now looking to start at defensive end as a fifth-year senior for the Scarlet Knights.

• A tight end talks about why he chose Louisville.

• Greg Romeus is ready for the NFL Draft after a season full of adversity at Pitt.

• Is Jordan Todman a draft diamond in the rough?

• Ready for some primetime Belk Bowl action? You'd better be, because the Big East's No. 2 team might end up there this year.

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

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

• Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh: second round

• Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: third round

• Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: fourth round

• Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse: fourth round

• Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: fifth round

• Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: sixth round

• Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh: seventh round

• Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: seventh round

Now, the offensive linemen/tight ends:

• Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsbugh: fifth round

• Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville: sixth round

• Zach Hurd, OG, Connecticut: sixth round

• Ryan Bartholomew, C, Syracuse: seventh round

• Jason Kelce, C, Cincinnati: seventh round

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

• Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida: second round

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

• Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville: third round

• Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: fourth round

• Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia: fourth round

• Robert Sands, S, West Virginia: fourth round

• Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers: sixth round

• Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia: sixth round

• Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: sixth round

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

• Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse: sixth round

• Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut: seventh round

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

Now that we're down to the final players on the Big East postseason Top 25 list -- it shouldn't take too much sleuthing on your part to figure out the remaining names -- let's take a look at who missed the cut.

First, let's examine the players from the preseason list who failed to make the postseason order:

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia. (Preseason No. 2): Devine is the most shocking absence on this list, based on what we thought this summer. Can't blame him entirely, as he never quite recovered from a toe injury he suffered at LSU, or the exacerbating ankle sprain he had against Louisville later in the season. Devine finished with just 936 rushing yards, only seventh in the Big East, and only topped 85 yards once from the LSU game on.

Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh (Preseason No. 4): Another guy who seemed like a lock, the 2009 league co-defensive player of the year injured his back in the preseason and then tore his ACL when he tried to come back against UConn. But his loss was Brandon Lindsey's gain.

B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida (Preseason No. 6) and Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers (Preseason No. 7): Remember the Daniels vs. Savage debate? That became null once Savage struggled, got hurt, was benched and eventually transferred. Daniels needed most of the season to find any sort of rhythm as well.

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers (Preseason No. 12): Sanu remains one of the most physically-gifted guys in the league. But he suffered like every other offensive player on the Scarlet Knights, and his overuse in the Wildcat wore him down. He's as versatile as anyone, but his production was down.

Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia (Preseason No. 13): Sanders did have the second-most receptions in the league with 69. But I thought Tavon Austin was the more valuable West Virginia receiver. And Sanders remained more of a possession guy, averaging only 10.6 yards per catch and recording just four receiving touchdowns.

Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut (Preseason No. 18): Once again, injuries cut short Lutrus' season, though he was valuable when healthy.

Vidal Hazelton, WR, Cincinnati (Preseason No. 20): We'll never know how good Hazelton could have been for Butch Jones, as his one and only season with the Bearcats ended after just one half with a knee injury in the opener.

Steve Beauharnais, LB, Rutgers (Preseason No. 21): I thought Beauharnais would establish himself as a star after a promising rookie campaign. Didn't happen.

Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh (Preseason No. 23): I was wrong in the Tino vs. Geno debate, but Sunseri didn't have a bad season. He completed 64.5 percent of his passes as a first-year starter. But the consistency wasn't there, and he had some bad games.

Now let's take a look at some of the guys who almost made my Top 25 postseason list but just missed the cut, in alphabetical order by school:

JK Schaffer, LB, Cincinnati: Finished second in the Big East in tackles with 111, but I couldn't justify taking any Cincinnati defenders on the list.

D.J. Woods, WR, Cincinnati: Finished third in receptions, second in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns among Big East players. But he had so many turnovers that hurt the team, he had to miss the cut.

Sio Moore, LB, Connecticut: Announced himself with 110 tackles and a humongous game against West Virginia. But Randy Edsall continually downplayed Moore's overall game, perhaps just to make sure he didn't get ahead of himself.

Jesse Joseph, DE, Connecticut: Had better stats than Kendall Reyes, who did make the list. I thought Reyes had a little more impact in big games. Joseph was very deserving as well.

Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville: He was easily the best tight end in the Big East in 2010. But it was a bad year for tight ends overall.

Ray Graham, RB, Pittsburgh: This was a tough call. Graham is clearly one of the most exciting players in the league, and he averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Here's the thing, though: more than 40 percent of his rushing yards this year came against New Hampshire and Florida International, he never had more than 75 rushing yards in a league game and he had some costly fumbles. I thought Dion Lewis was more valuable in Big East play. With Lewis gone, Graham will be on the preseason 2011 list, for sure.

Mark Harrison, WR, Rutgers: The only Scarlet Knights player I seriously considered for this list after a miserable season in Piscataway. Harrison had 829 yards, nine touchdowns and a league-best 18.8 yards per catch. So why'd he miss? Almost a third of his yards and four of his scores came in the blowout loss at Cincinnati. He was invisible the first four games before a big performance against UConn. He basically had two great games. Harrison is extremely talented and improved immensely. His time on the Top 25 list is coming.

Dontavia Bogan, WR, South Florida: Where would the Bulls have been without Bogan? He was clearly their best receiver and stepped his game up as a senior. But 685 receiving yards was a little underwhelming for this list.

Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia: I get that Irvin is a fan favorite. I also get that he had 14 sacks. But Irvin really only played on third downs and in obvious pass-rushing situations. He was a specialist, albeit a very special one.

Julian Miller, DE, West Virginia: Miller is more of a complete defensive end, and I would have put him on the list ahead of Irvin.

Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia: Tandy led the Big East with six interceptions. Loved his improvement. But even he admitted that Brandon Hogan was the best cornerback on his team and in the league. Tandy was in the right place at the right time for a lot of those picks.

• Pitt experienced some culture shock in its first day of spring practice. Greg Romeus has no regrets about coming back for his injury-filled senior year. Dion Lewis impressed, but Jon Baldwin did not at the Panthers' pro day.

• UConn had a bounce in its step as spring practices began in Storrs. The Huskies are starting fresh. Two starting linemen were out the first day of drills.
• Rutgers will use the spring as a time to experiment.

• USF lost about $63,000 on its Meineke Car Car Bowl trip.

• It's a fine time to remember Jim Brown as Syracuse heads to Cleveland for the NCAA tournament.

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati (3)

Armon Binns, WR

Jason Kelce, OL

Jake Rogers, K

Connecticut (6)


Zach Hurd, OL

Anthony Sherman, FB

Jordan Todman, RB

Lawrence Wilson, LB

Greg Lloyd, LB

Scott Lutrus, LB

Louisville (3)


Cameron Graham, TE

Johnny Patrick, CB

Bilal Powell, RB

Pittsburgh (6)

Jon Baldwin, WR

Henry Hynoski, FB

Dion Lewis, RB

Jason Pinkston, OL

Greg Romeus, DE

Jabaal Sheard, DE

Rutgers (1)


Joe Lefeged, S

South Florida (1)

Terrell McClain, DT

Syracuse (4)

Ryan Bartholomew, OL

Doug Hogue, LB

Delone Carter, RB

Derrell Smith, LB

West Virginia (6)

Noel Devine, RB

Brandon Hogan, CB

Chris Neild, DT

Jock Sanders, WR

Robert Sands, S

J.T. Thomas, LB

• Dana Holgorsen has his energy drinks stocked up -- and he and his new assistants are ready to roll up their sleeves and work.

• Doug Marrone still has work to do to get Syracuse recruiting where he wants it. Rob Long is fighting the good fight.

• Some thoughts on Pitt's recruiting class. Greg Romeus will attend but will only interview at the NFL Combine.

• A grand jury will tackle a locker-room fight at Louisville.

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

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

Jon Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh

Ryan Bartholomew, OL, Syracuse

Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati

Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia

Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville

Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia

Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse

Zach Hurd, OL, Connecticut

Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh

Jason Kelce, OL, Cincinnati

Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers

Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh

Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut

Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut

Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida

Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia

Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville

Jason Pinkston, OL, Pittsburgh

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville

Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh

Jake Rogers, K, Cincinnati

Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia

Robert Sands, S, West Virginia

Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh

Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut

Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse

J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia

Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut

Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut

Pittsburgh Panthers (7-5) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (6-6)

Jan. 8, noon ET (ESPN)

Pittsburgh take by Big East blogger Brian Bennett: If you would have told Pittsburgh before the season it would be be playing an SEC team in a bowl, the Panthers would have envisioned the Sugar Bowl, or maybe even the BCS title game. Expectations ran that high.

Playing Kentucky in something called the BBVA Compass Bowl? Never. But that's how disappointing this season has been.

Pitt was widely expected to win the Big East, and it did earn a share of the conference title. But it was one of the hollower championships you'll ever find as the Panthers finished 7-5 and spit the bit in all their crucial games (Utah, Notre Dame, Miami, UConn and West Virginia).

The offensive line was a mess early, but problems ran deeper than that. First-year starting quarterback Tino Sunseri had his ups and downs, reigning Big East defensive player of the year Greg Romeus barely contributed because of injuries, the linebackers looked lost, etc. But mostly, Pitt just kept making mistakes in costly situations.

Head coach Dave Wannstedt still has enough individual talent -- like running back Dion Lewis, receiver Jon Baldwin and defensive end Jabaal Sheard -- to beat just about anybody, especially a middling SEC team like Kentucky. But as a team, Pitt has been untrustworthy in big situations, and that's why Wannstedt is on the hot seat.

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Kentucky take by SEC blogger Chris Low: Making its fifth straight trip to a bowl game, Kentucky is in some pretty exclusive company in the SEC. The only other four schools who can say they’ve done that are Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU.

The Wildcats (6-6) had high hopes for this season and looked like they might be on the verge of breaking through after rallying from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat South Carolina at home on Oct. 16. But that wound up being their final real highlight, and they lost three of their last four SEC games, including a 25th consecutive setback to Tennessee.

The thing Kentucky did do all season was keep defenses on its toes. Senior quarterback Mike Hartline had his best season with 3,178 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. It hurt the Wildcats when senior running back Derrick Locke went down during the middle of the season with a shoulder injury. He’s back now and should be completely healthy for the bowl game.

The Wildcats’ top playmaker, and one of the best all-around players in the country, is junior receiver Randall Cobb. Cobb accounted for 16 touchdowns four different ways this season and is ranked second nationally with 2,192 all-purpose yards.

Dave Wannstedt received the inevitable question Monday about his job security, and the Pittsburgh coach gave the expected response, saying he was just worried about the Panthers' final game against Cincinnati.

But with the season looking like a lost cause, Wannstedt's status is just about all any Pitt fans want to discuss. My inbox is full of e-mails on the subject, most of which are a variation of the question, "How much longer must we put up with this?"

To be fair, it's not like Wannstedt has pulled a Greg Robinson and imploded a program. Pitt won 19 games the previous two seasons and still has a chance at an eight-win campaign in 2010, not to mention a share of the Big East title with a victory Saturday (and the Panthers could still back into a BCS bid if West Virginia and Connecticut collapse). Pittsburgh fans have an inflated view of their program's value, colored by the Jackie Sherrill glory years of the late 1970s and early '80s. Consider that the Panthers won 10 games last year for the first time since 1981; the team had reached that plateau once between 1917 and 1975.

Yet there's no doubt that Wannstedt's teams have underachieved. Since the shocking 13-9 upset at West Virginia to end the 2007 season, how many times have the Panthers won a game they shouldn't have? Iowa in 2008 is the only possible candidate. On the flip side, they've lost several games they had no business losing, from Bowling Green in 2008 to NC State last year and Connecticut this season.

The worst part for Pitt is, the window for claiming the program's first-ever outright Big East title has never been more wide open than the past two years. Yet after reaching the top 10 last season, the Panthers closed the year with a listless loss at West Virginia, then blew a 31-10 lead at home to Cincinnati with the BCS bid on the line. This year, with no dominant teams in the league and nemesis Brian Kelly gone, Pitt was supposed to finally break through. Instead, the team is just 6-5, with humiliating home losses to Miami (which just fired its coach) and last week to archrival West Virginia.

UConn coach Randy Edsall and South Florida's Skip Holtz each called the Panthers the most talented team in the Big East the week before playing them. And think of the talent that has gone through the Steel City the past few years without a championship to show for it yet: LeSean McCoy, Jon Baldwin, Scott McKillop, Greg Romeus, Jason Pinkston, Jabaal Sheard, Nate Byham, Dorin Dickerson, Dion Lewis and on and on and on. There's no reason Connecticut might have more Big East titles and one more BCS bid than Pittsburgh during Wannstedt's six years if the Huskies win this weekend.

Perhaps we all overrated this year's team, distracted by the star power of Lewis, Romeus and Baldwin and ignoring the missing starters at other key positions. Injuries to Romeus and middle linebacker Dan Mason hurt, too. That's Wannstedt's story.

“The whole thing with the development of a new quarterback, the three new linemen and the new tight end and a new wide receiver, I knew it would be difficult," Wannstedt said Monday. "I knew that we had the least amount of starters returning in the conference out of anybody. I knew we were a young team and that it would be a work in progress."

But youth doesn't explain why the Panthers were still making the same mistakes in Game 11 as they were in Game 1. Or why a fifth-year senior center (Alex Karabin) would snap the ball over quarterback Tino Sunseri's head in a key situation against West Virginia. Or why Pitt even had to play Karabin, a walk-on before this summer, at that crucial spot when the coaching staff had already used a junior-college stop-gap at center the two years prior.

Does all of this mean that Wannstedt should or will be fired? Fans have clearly turned on him, and season tickets for 2011 will be a tough sell with his face on them. But Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg has always been a big Wannstedt supporter and personally awarded him a contract extension before the 2007 West Virginia game. Athletic director Steve Pederson didn't hire Wannstedt, but his relationship with the coach was so good that the two agreed to an extension to 2014 this offseason with almost no negotiation involved.

There's so much to like about Wannstedt. He's a terrific ambassador for his alma mater, he cherishes the school and what it means, and despite a string of embarrassing off-the-field incidents this year, he runs a clean program where players graduate. He's also a tremendous recruiter and currently has the No. 21 class of 2011, according to ESPN.com.

Even with Baldwin, Pinkston, Romeus and Sheard leaving, Pitt had only 12 seniors this year and should be well-stocked moving forward, with Sunseri having a year of starting under his belt. There are no obvious, ready-made successors roaming the sideline of college football. (Boise State's Chris Peterson was once a Panthers quarterbacks coach, but only the most delusional fans think he'd consider coming back).

The window might be closing fast for Pittsburgh with Louisville and Syracuse improving and TCU coming on board in 2012. I think Wannstedt should be given another year, considering all the positives he brings to the program, the talent still on hand and his recent record relative to the Panthers' history.

But things have to change at Pitt, and I understand why fans are ready for that change to start at the top.

Greg Romeus' college career has come to a sad end.

The Pittsburgh senior defensive end won't play again for the Panthers after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee during Thursday's game at Connecticut. The 2009 Big East co-defensive player of the year had just returned from back surgery that shelved him most of the year. He ends the year with just seven tackles.

I feel really bad for Romeus, a talented player who probably has seen his NFL draft stock plummet with all the injuries this year. He came back for his senior campaign with an eye on moving into the first round but will now just have to prove he's healthy. You wonder if returning from back surgery and starting against UConn was a bad idea; he was not effective at all in that loss. But we'll never know if the knee injury would have happened anyway.

But for Pittsburgh, this isn't nearly as big of a setback as it seemed when Romeus first went out in September. That's because the defensive end position has been a major strength for the team all season.

Jabaal Sheard, the senior who played the end spot opposite Romeus, has had an All-American type season and likely will win Big East defensive player of the year honors in 2010 if he keeps it up. Meanwhile, Romeus' replacement, Brandon Lindsey, has been better than anyone could have expected. Lindsey is tied with Sheard for the Big East lead in sacks with nine, and he leads the league with 13 tackles for loss. Romeus had only eight sacks and 11.5 TFLs last year.

Lindsey isn't as physically intimidating as Romeus, nor is he the run-stopper that Romeus is. But with younger players like T.J. Clemmings and Bryan Murphy being worked into the mix, Pitt is well stocked at the defensive end position. If the Panthers don't win the Big East title, it won't be because of the loss of Romeus.

For his sake, though, I wish Romeus' career had a better ending.

The rest of the Big East is very pleased with this halftime score: Connecticut 10, Pittsburgh 7.

A Pitt loss would open up a lot of possibilities for the title race. There's a whole half left to play, but the Huskies are bringing a strong fight to the current league leaders.

UConn is a totally different team at home, and it is playing the same hard-nosed defense that led to an upset victory over West Virginia two weeks ago. Pitt came in as the highest-scoring team in league play, but Dwayne Gratz has picked off Tino Sunseri twice to end Panther drives. Sunseri had only thrown two interceptions in his first three Big East games.

Jordan Todman has already run for 102 yards on 16 carries in the first half against a Pitt defense that had been leading the Big East in rush defense during conference play.

The Panthers' only score came early after a Zach Frazer interception on a flea flicker. Dion Lewis punched it in for a touchdown just three minutes into the game.

Since then, though, it's been all UConn. That's good news for the rest of the Big East.

One bright spot for Pittsburgh: Greg Romeus started at defensive end, returning from September back surgery.

Stock up

1. Jacquian Williams: The South Florida senior linebacker was named Big East defensive player of the week for his 11-tackle performance against Rutgers. He has been involved in key plays at the end of the last two Bulls' wins, sacking Chas Dodd on a fourth down last week and pressuring Chazz Anderson to seal the Cincinnati victory.

2. Jeremy Wright: The Louisville freshman took home offensive player of the week honors after running for 98 yards and two touchdowns against Syracuse in place of the injured Bilal Powell. "He's not very big, but he's a tremendous runner and he plays very hard," coach Charlie Strong says of the 5-foot-11, 199-pound Wright.

3. Maikon Bonani: Closing out our trio of player of the week honorees is Bonani, the USF kicker who has made 8-of-9 field goals since taking over for Eric Schwartz.

4. Brandon Dunn: The Louisville true freshman has started three straight games at defensive tackle and has helped solidify the Cardinals' run defense. Strong says Dunn has "tremendous strength and tremendous quickness" and gives "relentless effort."

5. Greg Romeus: The reigning Big East co-defensive player of the year has resumed practicing after September back surgery and could be back for Pittsburgh on Thursday night against Connecticut.

6. Paul Pasqualoni: After a staff shakeup, the former Syracuse head coach is the new defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, though he may not last long in that position.

Stock down

1. Rutgers' defense: We usually praise the Scarlet Knights' defense while lamenting the poor play by the offensive side of the ball. But Rutgers hasn't exactly been been stonewalling people lately, giving up 69 points in two straight Big East losses. The sack numbers and tackles for loss are way down, too.

2. Syracuse's passing game: The Orange are averaging just 140 yards through the air in Big East play, and their 54.6 completion percentage is seventh in the league. That's been good enough to win three conference games, but it needs to improve for Syracuse to get to a higher level.

3. Marcus Campbell: The UConn defensive end was given another chance this season by Randy Edsall after having to sit out 2009 because of academics. On Monday, Campbell -- who was already out for the season with a knee injury -- was arrested and charged with stealing a backpack and a laptop computer. Guys like Campbell and Cody Endres have not rewarded Edsall's faith in them.

4. Greg Robinson: The man who replaced Pasqualoni and sunk Syracuse to new depths may not last long in his current position. The scrutiny on Michigan's defensive coordinator didn't lessen after last week's win, as the Wolverines gave up 65 points to Illinois.

Some assorted notes from Monday's Big East coaches' teleconference and other items:

• Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros (bruised knee) has healed and should play Saturday at West Virginia. Head coach Butch Jones said Collaros was "immensely improved" and played the duration of the Bearcats' last practice. Collaros missed the last game, a 31-7 loss to Syracuse on Oct. 30.
• Will Louisville quarterback Adam Froman (thigh bruise) and running back Bilal Powell (knee) return this week against South Florida? Head coach Charlie Strong said there was no update on either player and that he "didn't know where they are at this point." He said Froman would regain his starting job over Justin Burke if healthy. Jeremy Wright, who filled in for Powell, was named Big East offensive player of the week for his performance at Syracuse.
• Reigning Big East co-defensive player of the year Greg Romeus may make his return Thursday night at Connecticut. Romeus, who has been out since back surgery in September, has practiced in the past week. Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said his senior defensive end would be a game-time decision Thursday night.
• Rutgers coach Greg Schiano hasn't named a starting quarterback for this week's game against Syracuse. Though Chas Dodd has started the past four games, the offense continues to struggle and Tom Savage is healthy again. Schiano told reporters Monday that he'd probably announce a starter later in the week.
• Several coaches were asked about the Big East's expansion plans, and predictably they deflected most of that talk by saying the decision wasn't in their hands. Wannstedt did say, however, that given the landscape in college sports, he doesn't "see how we can't move in that direction."
• Some kickoff times and TV info for the Nov. 20 games have been announced. West Virginia at Louisville will be at noon on the Big East Network. Pitt at South Florida will also be at noon on ESPN2. Connecticut at Syracuse is a -- gasp, night game alert! -- 7 p.m. kick on ESPNU. Information for Rutgers at Cincinnati is still to be announced.

Starting off with some Thursday morning quarterbacking ...

• Seniors led the charge as South Florida broke another streak. Mo Plancher had the game of his -- very long -- career. Nothing is easy for the Bulls, but their fortunes are looking up.

• Rutgers' true freshman Jeremy Deering had his best game just days after his mother died.

• Louisville's backups are ready in case quarterback Adam Froman and running back Bilal Powell can't go against Syracuse.

• Some players have made sacrifices to contribute to Syracuse's success.

• Pitt is trying to keep from getting rusty during its bye week. And Greg Romeus is back at practice.

• Jeff Casteel says the West Virginia defense has to take some blame, too. A late hit on Noel Devine may have changed the Mountaineers' season.

• UConn's Marcus Campbell, already out for the season with a knee injury, is now suspended again.

• Should the Big East go to 12 instead of 10?

Stock up

1. Brandon Lindsey: After a three-sack performance against Rutgers, the Pitt defensive end now leads the Big East with eight sacks. Not bad for Greg Romeus' fill-in.

2. Pitt's offense: The Panthers are averaging 43 points per game in conference play and have found good balance between the running and passing games to become very dangerous.

3. Scott Shafer: The Syracuse defensive coordinator has engineered terrific game plans against South Florida and West Virginia, and his blitz schemes have caused a lot of Big East teams trouble. Why did Michigan let this guy go?

4. B.J. Daniels: The South Florida quarterback got plenty of grief during his struggles, so it's only right that he earns praise for his four-touchdown, no-interception showing last week against Cincinnati in a big win. If he can approximate that performance in the future, the Bulls will be tough to beat.

5. Marcus Barnett: The Cincinnati receiver known as "Bones" had maybe his best game since his freshman year, catching nine balls for 174 yards and one touchdown. All three Bearcats receivers went over 135 yards against USF.

6. The Louisville defense: I had serious doubts about how this defense would compete this year, given its lack of size. The Cardinals have posted shutouts in two of their last three games, including a 26-0 whitewash of Connecticut on Saturday.

Stock down

1. The West Virginia offense: The Mountaineers are averaging 17 points and fewer than 300 total yards in their two conference games and were shut down for the final 46 minutes against Syracuse.

2. UConn's special teams: The Huskies posted a terrible trifecta on special teams against Louisville. They missed a field goal, fumbled away a punt return and allowed a punt return for a touchdown (after having another punt return score called back on a Louisville holding call).

3. Fairness on Syracuse's schedule: As Doug Marrone pointed out this week, the Orange aren't getting as much rest as their opponents. They just played a West Virginia team that was coming off a Thursday game the week before. This week, they get Cincinnati, which played last Friday. In two weeks, they will face Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights have a Wednesday game the prior week. Then it's UConn on Nov. 20 after the Huskies play a Thursday game the week before. Plus, the Orange only have one bye week instead of two like most other Big East teams.

Marrone says he understands why the situation exists: Syracuse hasn't been good enough to be featured on weeknight prime-time games. But he's starting to change that.

4. Safety for Rutgers' quarterbacks: Chas Dodd was sacked six times against Pitt, one week after being taken down behind the line eight times by Army. Nothing will wreck a young quarterback's confidence like a lack of protection. (See: Savage, Tom.) Dodd is holding onto the ball a little too long at times, but the O-line has to do a better job or else Dodd and Savage could be battered and bruised the rest of the year.