ESPN College Football

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.

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

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

Running back


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

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

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

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

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

Wide receivers


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

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

Offensive linemen

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

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

Defensive linemen

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

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

Tight end

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

Linebackers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cincinnati (3)

Armon Binns, WR

Jason Kelce, OL

Jake Rogers, K

Connecticut (6)


Zach Hurd, OL

Anthony Sherman, FB

Jordan Todman, RB

Lawrence Wilson, LB

Greg Lloyd, LB

Scott Lutrus, LB

Louisville (3)


Cameron Graham, TE

Johnny Patrick, CB

Bilal Powell, RB

Pittsburgh (6)

Jon Baldwin, WR

Henry Hynoski, FB

Dion Lewis, RB

Jason Pinkston, OL

Greg Romeus, DE

Jabaal Sheard, DE

Rutgers (1)


Joe Lefeged, S

South Florida (1)

Terrell McClain, DT

Syracuse (4)

Ryan Bartholomew, OL

Doug Hogue, LB

Delone Carter, RB

Derrell Smith, LB

West Virginia (6)

Noel Devine, RB

Brandon Hogan, CB

Chris Neild, DT

Jock Sanders, WR

Robert Sands, S

J.T. Thomas, LB

I wrote on Wednesday about the need to improve Big East offenses this spring. Some interesting numbers from ESPN Stats & Info highlight this point.

Those tireless statisticians broke down who came up with the most big plays (20 yards or more) from the 2010 season. Here is how the Big East teams ranked nationally in that category:

T-21: Cincinnati (66 plays of 20 yards or longer)
T-49: Louisville (57 plays)
T-59: Pittsburgh (55 plays)
T-69: West Virginia (52 plays)
T-72: Rutgers (51 plays)
T-88: Syracuse (45 plays)
T-99: Connecticut (42 plays)
T-101: South Florida (41 plays)

The Big East had only two teams in the Top 50 of this stat, whereas it placed six of its eight teams in the same category for 2009. It's no real surprise that Cincinnati led the way with its explosive offense, but I was a little surprised to see Louisville second among Big East teams. The Cardinals lacked big-time playmakers at receiver and didn't have cannon-armed quarterbacks but were still able to get it done. Thanks in large part to Bilal Powell, they had 22 rushing plays of more than 20 yards, tied for 22nd nationally with Pittsburgh.

There's very little excuse for West Virginia to rank that low with guys like Tavon Austin, Jock Sanders and Noel Devine on the roster. Hello, Dana Holgerson. Syracuse coach Doug Marrone complained about a lack of big plays from his offense in the second half of the year, and no doubt the Orange would have been much lower if not for the Pinstripe Bowl performance. We all know UConn and USF didn't have explosive offenses; it's amazing that the two combined to win 17 games. The Huskies had only 23 passing plays over 20 yards all season, tied for 110th out of 120 FBS teams. Yet they went to the BCS.

Now how about the flip side? We know Big East defenses were strong statistically in 2010, no doubt helped largely by the shoddy offenses they faced. Here is how league defenses fared in preventing plays of 20 or more yards:

1: Pittsburgh (30 plays of more than 20-plus yards allowed)
T-4: West Virginia (33 plays)
T-14: Syracuse (39 plays)
T-22: South Florida (42 plays)
T-25: Louisville (43 plays)
T-31: Cincinnati (45 plays)
T-52: Connecticut (50 plays)
T-107: Rutgers (67 plays)

Wow, I never would have guessed Pitt led the nation in containing explosive plays. It sure seemed like the Panthers gave up a lot in the passing game, didn't it? And yet they allowed fewer 20-plus yard passing plays than anyone in the FBS (while ranking 25th against the rush). Excellent defensive numbers for many Big East teams here, including a surprising appearance by Cincinnati. UConn was mediocre at stopping big plays and terrible at making them; numbers simply don't explain the Huskies' success in 2011. Greg Schiano must be cringing at that 107th ranking for his normally sound defense; the Scarlet Knights seemingly gave up all those plays in the rout at Cincinnati.

You could make the argument that Big East defenses were so good that the offenses couldn't make those explosive plays. I'd strongly disagree with you, but you could make the case. Regardless, these stats show again that 2010 was an offensive slog in the conference.

Detailed information about last week's NFLPA All-Star game was a little hard to come by, but colleague Adam Rittenberg did some good sleuthing to dig up the stats.

The game, formerly known as the Texas vs. The Nation game, featured a few Big East players. Most did not make a major statistical impact.

West Virginia receiver Jock Sanders had four catches for 57 yards and one run for a loss of 4 yards. Louisville tight end Cameron Graham had one reception that went for a loss. South Florida defensive end Craig Marshall recorded one tackle.

Cincinnati kicker Jake Rogers and Pittsburgh safety Dom DeCicco were also on the rosters, as was West Virginia's J.T. Thomas. The linebacker practiced in the week before the game but did not play. ESPN.com draft analyst Kevin Weidl listed Thomas as one of his "stock up" players after an early practice.

Thomas is an easy mover with lots of range and lateral quickness and he closed on the ball well. He showed the instincts to find the ball and diagnosed plays quickly.

He will get engulfed at the point of attack at times but Thomas is very good at slipping blocks and getting involved in the play, and he also showed good awareness in underneath zone coverage and matched up well in man coverage. He looks like a good fit as a weakside linebacker in the NFL where he can be covered up and allowed to run to the ball.

Chad Reuter of NFLDraftScout.com projected DeCicco and Graham as sixth-rounders in this year's NFL draft based on their performance in practice leading up to the game. Here's what he wrote on each:

DeCicco: A 6-3, 232-pound safety with enough athleticism to be a Will Herring-type reserve safety/linebacker prospect.

Graham: Not special in any one category, but has good hands and presents a nice target in the red zone.

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

The Big East player who probably helped himself the most last week at the Senior Bowl was Louisville running back Bilal Powell.

Powell drew positive reviews all week for his running style and vision during practice, and he led all rushers in Saturday's game with 51 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He may have worked himself up into being one of the top running backs taken.

Another star tailback from the league didn't have as good of a week. Noel Devine measured only 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, and while he had a touchdown for the victorious South team, he finished with just eight yards on seven carries. He did have a 12-yard catch, though.

Former West Virginia teammate Jock Sanders had a catch for seven yards.

Connecticut's Lawrence Wilson collected six tackles for the North team, while Rutgers safety Joe Lefeged made four stops and returned a kickoff 25 yards. (But analyst Todd McShay said Lefeged was among those who didn't improve his draft stock last week). West Virginia nose tackle Chris Neild was credited with two tackles.

Other than Powell, none of the Big East players really attracted much of a buzz during the Senior Bowl festivities. Right now, McShay isn't projecting a single Big East player in the first round of the draft.

Noel Devine measured in at just 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds at the Senior Bowl, and his NFL stock is dropping according to analyst Todd McShay.

Here's what McShay wrote about Devine:

On the plus side, Devine is the quickest back here. He's starting from a standstill and he reaches top speed so quickly and gets through the hole. He also caught the ball well.

But the biggest thing working against him is his size. ... On one play, Alabama QB Greg McElroy looked for him in the flat and couldn't see Devine because he's so short. Sometimes small backs get away with their lack of height because they have great balance, but that was one of the most concerning things about Devine's performance. His lack of balance showed during drills whenever a linebacker or safety would come to wrap up, he'd try to make a move and fall to the ground. At one point, he was one-on-one with OLB Von Miller in space and tried to shake him but lost his balance.

McShay concludes that Devine looks like a fourth- or fifth-round pick. He'll need to land with a team that's creative enough to find ways to use him, because Devine is still a big-time playmaker when he's healthy.

In other all-star news, several Big East players will participate in the NFL Players Association Game. The game, formerly known as the Texas vs. the Nation Game, will be held Feb. 5 in San Antonio, Texas.

Here's a list of which Big East players have been invited:

• Craig Marshall, DE, South Florida
• J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia
• Jake Rogers, K, Cincinnati
• Jock Sanders, WR/KR, West Virginia
• Dom DeCicco, S, Pittsburgh
• Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville

Instant analysis of the Champs Sports Bowl, where NC State beat No. 22 West Virginia 23-7:

How the game was won: Did the coaching chaos of the past few weeks distract West Virginia? Possibly. Were the Mountaineers hurt by the loss of top cornerback Brandon Hogan (injury) and starting center Joe Madsen (academics)? Definitely. West Virginia was out of sync all night on offense and special teams (two missed field goals), while Russell Wilson did a magnificent job of spreading the ball around to lead NC State to the most points scored against the Mountaineers' defense all season.

Player of the game: Wilson. The Wolfpack quarterback completed 28 of 45 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns as NC State looked to pass a lot on first and second down to loosen up Jeff Casteel's defense. Wilson, as expected, extended plays with his mobility, especially on his final touchdown throw after he eluded Bruce Irvin and J.T. Thomas to find a receiver in the back of the end zone.

Turning point: You could say it was when Madsen failed to make his grades. The West Virginia offensive line certainly suffered, with guard Eric Jobe forced to move to center. NC State got in Geno Smith's quarterback face all night, and outgoing Mountaineers' offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen had few options as a result.

Stat of the game: 5-0. That was the turnover margin, in NC State's favor. The Mountaineers were plagued all year by turnovers, a major reason why they lost to Syracuse and Connecticut in Big East play. They lost four fumbles, and Smith threw an interception. Speaking of which ...

Play of the game: NC State's Brandan Bishop made a spectacular diving interception at the West Virginia 10 in the fourth quarter as Smith tried to hook up with Jock Sanders. Had the pass worked, the Mountaineers could have cut the lead to 16-14 with plenty of time left. But Bishop wasn't having that.

What it means: Paging Dana Holgorsen ... The Champs Sports Bowl illustrated every reason why Oliver Luck decided to change directions with this program. The Mountaineers looked ill-prepared and unable to sustain anything on offense. West Virginia's goal this year was to reach the 10-win mark, but instead the team finished 9-4 for the third straight time under Bill Stewart. One has to wonder how much better things will be next year with the coaching transition and with all the important seniors the Mountaineers lose. This was the highest-ranked team in the Big East (or the only ranked one, depending on which poll you use), and West Virginia laid a big egg for the conference.

• Some of the Syracuse contingent may not make it to New York City by Monday because of the weather conditions, and some New Era Pinstripe Bowl festivities have been canceled. The Orange special-teams unit is depleted and will be challenged versus Kansas State. The Wall Street Journal profiles the Syracuse recovery.

• Bill Stewart says West Virginia will be focused and ready to go Tuesday against NC State. Jock Sanders has matured on and off the field.

• UConn arrived to great fanfare at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Will the Huskies' fans follow? Oklahoma is switching things up.

• Cincinnati eyes a 2011 turnaround.

• Should the BCS set minimum standards?

Most programs would sign up for a 9-3 record, Top 25 final ranking and a Florida bowl game. But with West Virginia, so much more seemed possible.

This was the deepest, most experienced team Bill Stewart has had in his three years as head coach, especially on defense. Much was expected on that side of the ball, and the defense exceeded its own lofty aspirations by finishing No. 2 nationally in points allowed and No. 3 in yards allowed this season. Stewart's vision of a fast, heady group that could disguise looks and handle all situations became a reality.

Wide receiver Jock Sanders boldly predicted in early October that the Mountaineers offense just needed to score 21 points and they would never lose. He was right, but the offense wasn't always up to the task as it struggled to find an identity and protect the ball at key times. The team committed seven turnovers and scored just 27 total points in its back-to-back losses to Syracuse and Connecticut in October, two defeats that ultimately kept it out of the BCS.

But give the Mountaineers credit for bouncing back from those setbacks and winning their final four games in convincing fashion. They have a gem in sophomore quarterback Geno Smith, and younger players like Tavon Austin, Shawne Alston and Ryan Clarke picked up the slack for Noel Devine, who hasn't been his usual stellar self since injuring his foot against LSU.

West Virgina set its goals as winning 10 games and a Big East title this year. A Champs Sports Bowl victory will check both those off the list, though it won't erase the feeling that even more was possible.

Offensive MVP: Geno Smith

With Devine limited, West Virginia had to rely more on its passing game this year. Outside of the Syracuse game, Smith was brilliant. He completed 65.8 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions. The Mountaineers have a terrific leader in place for the next two years.

Defensive MVP: Chris Neild

This really should be a team award, as every member of the defense played lights-out and contributed to the sensational year on that side of the ball. But if forced to choose one, I'll go with the senior nose tackle who gets things started by disrupting the middle of the opposing offensive line on every play. He's the very definition of a guy whose stats don't tell the full story.

Turning point: That two-game losing streak to Syracuse and Connecticut caused a near panic in Morgantown as the team fell into last place in the Big East. Those two games killed the BCS hopes, but West Virginia responded the right way to make this a very respectable season.

What's next: The Mountaineers will try to reach the 10-win plateau for the first time under Stewart against NC State in the Champs Sports Bowl. Rumors continue to swirl about the immediate future for Stewart, who is not embraced by much of the fan base despite winning 27 games over the past three years. At the very least, changes could be coming to the staff this offseason. As for next year, the team must replace six senior starters on defense, and junior safety Robert Sands might enter the NFL draft. The offense loses Devine and Sanders but has a nice nucleus with Smith, Austin, Alston and four returning starting offensive linemen.

The only way West Virginia was going to lose to Rutgers is if the Mountaineers were concentrating on the Connecticut outcome and came out flat.

But even with two seemingly costly turnovers, the Mountaineers are having no problems early on.

They lead 14-0 after one quarter despite continued fumbling problems. Ryan Clarke, who coughed it up at terrible times earlier this year at LSU and UConn, lost the ball inside the Rutgers 10. Later, Jock Sanders fumbled at the Rutgers 13.

But the Scarlet Knights can't capitalize because their offense is no match for the scary-good Mountaineers D. The nation's worst offensive line has already allowed two sacks, and now that they're playing from behind, it could get ugly.

Geno Smith is slicing up the Rutgers defense, even when the Scarlet Knights only rush three. This is a total mismatch, and as long as West Virginia takes care of the ball to a slightly competent degree, it will clinch a share of the Big East title.

PITTSBURGH -- Sorry, Connecticut fans. It's nothing personal. But in the best interests of the Big East, the Huskies need to lose a game.

This has been a historically bad year for the conference, maybe the worst ever. The only way the league gains any redemption is if its champion wins a BCS game. And the only team with a realistic shot at doing that is West Virginia.

The Mountaineers showed why Friday in hammering former front-runner Pittsburgh 35-10 at Heinz Field. Their most dominating performance of the year pushed them into a first-place tie atop the standings. Jock Sanders, the brash wide receiver who openly dissed Pitt at Big East media day in August, knows the true pecking order.

"Hands down," he said when asked if his team was the Big East's best. "We had a couple of stumbles and falls, but we're on a roll right now. We're playing unbelievable on offense and defense."

West Virginia does not control its own destiny, however. Because of its 16-13 overtime win Oct. 29, UConn will claim the BCS bid by beating Cincinnati on Saturday and South Florida next week. Ironically, the Mountaineers must root for the team that knocked them out of the title race the past two years (the Bearcats) and/or their recent league nemesis (South Florida).

The Huskies are a nice story. West Virginia is a better overall team.

"We dropped the ball twice, but everybody knows that's not us," linebacker J.T. Thomas said. "We do think we're the best team in the Big East, but the standings don't show it right now."

This discussion would be moot had West Virginia not lost four fumbles in that UConn loss, or if Geno Smith had not thrown three interceptions in a home upset to Syracuse a week earlier. Since then, however, the offense has cut way back on its mistakes; on Friday, West Virginia didn't turn the ball over at all and Pitt lost it four times. Coaches have harped on ball security ever since the bye week after the UConn game.

"We do the turnover circuit and our scout team always tries to strip the ball," receiver Tavon Austin said. "We had been doing that before practice, but now we're doing it after practice and all through [drills]."

Defense will keep West Virginia close in any BCS matchup. That unit came into Friday allowing just 12.9 points per game and remarkably managed to lower that number against Pitt. Yet head coach Bill Stewart took the rare step of yelling at his defensive players at halftime. He thought they looked out of sync and a step slow, confused by the Panthers' heavy use of quarterback bootlegs and rollouts.

Here's the thing, though: Despite dominating almost every offensive statistic, Pitt still trailed 14-7 at intermission. That's because West Virginia created three turnovers in the first half, one of the few things it hadn't done a great job of this season. Stewart challenged the defense earlier in the week to score its first touchdown; cornerback Brandon Hogan nearly rectified that with a 53-yard interception return to the Pitt 2 on the game's first drive.

"We feel like if the offense scores any points, we can win," Hogan said.

The offense had only scored one second-half touchdown in Big East play this season. But on the third play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Smith fired a 71-yard touchdown pass to Austin. When the third quarter ended, the Mountaineers had 28 points on 32 offensive plays.

They flashed that quick-strike ability without much from Noel Devine. The star tailback still isn't all the way back from the bone bruise on his foot from the LSU game, and a sprained ankle suffered at Louisville last week limited him to just five touches Friday (though he averaged a tidy 18.8 yards per play).

"He still can run fast for most people," Stewart said. "But I don't think he has the jump-cutting ability that he once had."

Give West Virginia a month off to get ready for the Fiesta Bowl, though, and Devine could get close to 100 percent. The Mountaineers could finish the regular season 9-3 and give the Big East its first Top 25 team since late October. The program has a history of success in the BCS, winning the 2006 Sugar and 2008 Fiesta bowls, and it hung tough in a 19-14 loss at No. 5 LSU in September.

Connecticut, on the other hand, got blown out at Michigan, lost to Temple and was shut out by Louisville this season while winning only one game away from home. The Huskies are no safe bet to perform well on the BCS stage for the first time.

At least the Big East dodged a bullet by having Pitt bow out ungracefully. The Panthers have blown every big-game opportunity this year, and the overwhelming preseason favorite now stands 6-5. They must win at Cincinnati next week just to have a winning season. Dave Wannstedt's support is eroding in the Steel City.

West Virginia fans were ready to fire Stewart just a couple of weeks ago, and now he has them in position for at least a share of the Big East title. Before the Louisville game, Stewart urged his team to "match the mountains," a phrase he reiterated before Friday's game. He says that means his players should represent the majesty and high reach of the mountains that run through their state.

There's only one team that can climb the BCS mountain and plant a flag for the Big East this year. It's nothing personal, Connecticut, but the league has fallen down too much this year. It needs West Virginia on that hill.

West Virginia's Jock Sanders openly questioned why Pittsburgh was picked as the preseason favorite during Big East media day in August. The Panthers saw that but never publicly responded.

"They can say that all they want," Pitt's Dom DeCicco said Monday. "They have a chance to prove it Friday. If they didn't think we are the number one team, they have a chance to prove it."

The Panthers have lived up to preseason billing as Big East favorites so far. They still are the only team left that controls its own destiny.

They've been the targets for everybody since the summer and especially after racing out to a 3-0 start in conference play. They have had to try to stay focused each week instead of staring at the standings and thinking about a BCS game.

"One game and it can be all over," fullback Henry Hynoski said. "As far as we're concerned, we're tied with everybody in the conference. We've got to play like we're down in the conference to keep our edge."

Keeping that edge shouldn't be a problem this week. In last year's Backyard Brawl, Pitt knew the outcome really didn't matter as far as the Big East race. The title was going to be decided the following week against Cincinnati regardless. Not to say the Panthers weren't fired up against West Virginia, because they always are, but they also weren't terribly upset about losing in Morgantown.

“It was definitely different last year knowing that a week later was the more meaningful game," Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said. "We were coming off of a big win against Notre Dame at home and West Virginia was really sandwiched in between there. You would really like this to be the last game of the year. But the way the scheduling falls, that’s not possible."

Pitt has another game after this one -- a grudge match at Cincinnati -- but this feels like it's for all the marbles. Which is the way it should be with this rivalry.

"Everyone is just thrilled right now," Hynoski said. "This is why you play college football, for rivalries like this. It's something you think about every day at all hours. I was in class [Monday] thinking about the game. You can't avoid it."

Despite standing in first place since Big East play began, the Panthers haven't had a truly overwhelming performance since their league opener at Syracuse. They sputtered in the first half against Rutgers, slogged through a win over Louisville, flopped at Connecticut and eked past South Florida last week. They are not playing with the crispness you'd expect from a conference champion.

"I don't think we've played our best football as a team yet," DeCicco said. " This would be the week for us to pull it out. But if we don't, then that's OK if it's like last week. As long as we win, it doesn't matter how ugly it is."

As long as they win, they'll still be in first place. And West Virginia won't have anything left to say.

Happy Turkey Eve:

• South Florida's window of opportunity to beat Miami is closing, as the Hurricanes don't want to continue the series against the Bulls beyond 2013.

• Cincinnati's secondary has been a hot mess.

• Syracuse's Derrell Smith has worn a lot of hats in his career, and he'll be wearing a chef's hat on Thanksgiving.

• The better defense will win Friday's Backyard Brawl. Pitt's seniors look for their first Big East title.

• Jock Sanders doesn't regret needling the Panthers before the season. Pitt and West Virginia are the Big East's last, best shot.

• UConn will be singing "Country Roads" on Friday.

• Rutgers' defense has to get back to the basics. It won't pose nearly as tough a challenge for Louisville as West Virginia did last week.