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If Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay are on the mark, it could be a slow start to the draft for Big East prospects.

Both Kiper and McShay have unveiled their new three-round mock drafts, and it takes some serious scanning to find Big East players involved.

Kiper's top Big East pick at this point is Pitt's Jabaal Sheard, the reigning defensive player of the year whom he has going in the second round, at No. 37 overall. Then there's a wait until the 74th pick, when Kiper has Sheard's former teammate, receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Kiper has South Florida defensive tackle Terrell McClain also in the third round, at No. 83. And that's it.

McShay has a few more league players in his mock draft. He picks Baldwin as his top Big East player off the board, but not until pick No. 61. He also has Louisville cornerback Johnny Patrick in the second round, two picks behind Baldwin. He has West Virginia cornerback Brandon Hogan in the third round at 71st overall and Sheard 74th. Then Pitt running back Dion Lewis is 79th, followed by McClain at No. 83 and Rutgers safety Joe Lefeged at No. 88.

Most mock drafters agree at this point that the Big East won't have a first-round pick 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.

Not much in the way of links today. It's almost as if there's some giant nonfootball sporting event starting with a heavy Big East presence in it.

• UConn has moved on from Randy Edsall's departure. D.J. Shoemate is focusing on ball security.
• Louisville's Johnny Patrick had a summer misdemeanor charge dismissed.
• A look at Rutgers recruits who never made it to campus.
• Breaking down the four Pitt quarterbacks.

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

The first week of our countdown of the Top 25 Big East players (based on 2010 production) comes to a close now with the revelation of our blackjack player, No. 21.

No. 21

Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville, Sr.

Preseason rank: NR

2010 numbers: Had 49 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, with five interceptions and a Big East-leading 12 passes broken up.

Making the case for Patrick: No Louisville players made my 2010 preseason list, but the one Cardinal who came closest to cracking that group was Patrick. Always a talented guy, Patrick made the most of his potential as a senior and developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the Big East.

Louisville's secondary was shaky at times and lacked depth or experience, but Patrick was the one guy the coaches could always count on to lead the charge. After getting burned early in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, he showed his value by making plays all over the field the rest of the way and being a huge reason why the Cardinals beat Southern Miss.

Patrick has an excellent chance of being drafted, and the first-team All-Big East performer deservedly gets his school back on this list.

Previously

No. 25: Zach Hurd, OG, Connecticut
No. 24: Dave Teggart, K, Connecticut
No. 23: Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse
No. 22: J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia

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

National signing day is Wednesday, and every fan base will be excited about the guys their schools bring in.

But how much do star rankings and hype really correlate to future success? One way to find out is by working backwards. Let's take a look at this year's official All-Big East team and see where each player was ranked as a recruit coming into his program.

All information is based on ESPN.com's recruiting rankings.

Offense

QB: Zach Collaros, Cincinnati: Unranked as a recruit.

RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut: Two-star recruit, ranked No. 118 among running backs in the Class of 2008.

RB: Bilal Powell, Louisville: Unranked as a recruit.

WR: Armon Binns, Cincinnati: Unranked as a recruit.

WR: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh: Four-star prospect, ESPNU150 performer, No. 8 among wide receivers in the Class of 2008.

OT: Mike Ryan, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.

OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh: Four-star prospect and No. 13 defensive tackle in the Class of '06.

OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.

OG: Mark Wetterer, Louisville: Two-star prospect and No. 70 offensive tackle in Class of '07.

C: Sampson Genus, South Florida: Three-star prospect and No. 12 center in the Class of '07.

TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville: Junior college transfer.

Defense

DL: Kendall Reyes, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.

DL: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh: Two-star prospect and No. 83 defensive end in the Class of '07.

DL: Terrell McClain, South Florida: Three-star prospect and No. 29 defensive tackle in Class of '07.

DL: Chris Neild, West Virginia: Three-star prospect and No. 17 tight end in Class of '06.

LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut: Unranked as a recruit.

LB: Doug Hogue, Syracuse: Three-star prospect and No. 84 running back in Class of '07.

LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia: Unranked as a recruit.

CB: Johnny Patrick, Louisville: Unranked as a recruit.

CB: Keith Tandy, West Virginia: One-star prospect and No. 207 quarterback in Class of '07.

S: Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh: Two-star prospect and No. 126 wide receiver in Class of '07.

S: Robert Sands, West Virginia: Unranked as a recruit.

As you can see, it was almost as likely that a player without any stars attached to his name would develop into an All-Big East performer as those more highly regarded. There were some on-the-mark evaluations, such as Baldwin and McClain, Pinkston and Genus. And there were guys who flew way under the radar, like Binns and Powell, Ryan and Wilson.

It still, like always, comes down to proper evaluation by a staff, then to player development and an individual's own desire to be great. Something to keep in mind on signing day.

The Big East won't have a heavy presence at next week's Under Armour Senior Bowl, but some of the top seniors from the league in 2010 will be participating.

The game announced the invitees from the league Thursday afternoon, adding six alongside the previously announced inclusion of Noel Devine. Here is the list of invitees:

Connecticut: Lawrence Wilson, LB

Louisville: Johnny Patrick, DB; Bilal Powell, RB

Pittsburgh: Jason Pinkston, OL

Rutgers: Joe Lefeged, DB

West Virginia: Noel Devine, RB; Chris Neild, DL

Also, Rutgers announced on Thursday that defensive end Jonathan Freeny and linebacker Antonio Lowery will play in the inaugural Eastham Energy College All-Star Game this Sunday. West Virginia safety Sidney Glover, South Florida receiver Dontavia Bogan and center Sampson Genus, and Louisville defensive end Rodney Gnat are also listed on the rosters for that game. It will be held at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

Let's put a final bow on bowl season with the Big East's All-Bowl team:

Offense

Quarterback: Ryan Nassib, Syracuse

Nassib, who struggled down the stretch of the regular season, took advantage of Kansas State's shaky defense to complete 13-of-21 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

Running backs: Delone Carter, Syracuse, and Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh

Carter ran 27 times for 198 yards and two scores in the Pinstripe Bowl. Lewis rumbled for 105 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in the BBVA Compass Bowl before declaring for the NFL Draft.

Wide receiver: Marcus Sales, Syracuse

Sales came almost out of nowhere to record five catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas State. No other Big East receiver had even a fraction of his stats in the postseason.

Tight end: Cameron Graham, Louisville

The league's best tight in the regular season kept it up in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, catching three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Offensive line: Jacob Sims and Sampson Genus, South Florida; Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh; Mark Wetterer, Louisville; Justin Pugh, Syracuse.


Sims and Genus were part of a USF line that pushed back Clemson's talented defensive front in the Meineke Car Care Bowl; Sims in particular helped keep Da'Quan Bowers quiet, which is not an easy thing to do. Pinkston showed some fire in protecting his quarterback after Tino Sunseri was hit late, and the Panthers ran for 261 yards while surrendering zero sacks against Kentucky. Wetterer and Pugh helped open holes for their high-scoring postseason offenses.

Defense

Defensive line: Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh; Terrell McClain, South Florida; Bruce Irvin, West Virginia.


Lindsey stepped up his game in the regular season when Greg Romeus was hurt and did so again in the bowl with Jabaal Sheard out. McClain didn't record many stats but was his usual dominant self in the middle against Clemson. Irvin had two sacks and a forced fumble against NC State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Linebackers: Derrell Smith, Syracuse; J.T. Thomas, West Virginia; Brandon Heath, Louisville; DeDe Lattimore, South Florida.


I went with a 3-4 look on defense to recognize the many strong performances by linebackers during bowl. Just about all of these guys had double-digit tackles and/or a couple TFLs.

Cornerbacks: Johnny Patrick, Louisville; Quenton Washington, South Florida

After getting burned on a play early, Patrick was all over the field. He forced a fumble and blocked a punt. Washington also blocked a punt and had a 45-yard interception return.

Safeties: Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh, and Robert Sands, West Virginia

DeCicco had nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Sands had eight tackles and a sack.

Specialists

Punter: Cole Wagner, Connecticut

Wagner punted seven times for an average of 46.9 yards -- with a long of 52 yards -- against Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Placekicker: Chris Philpott, Louisville

Philpott only got the call once, but he made the game-winning 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Kick returners: Jeremy Wright, Louisville, and Robbie Frey, Connecticut

Both Wright and Frey returned kickoffs for touchdowns in their bowl games. Wright's was especially crucial, as it tied the score in the fourth quarter.

Punt returner: Terrence Mitchell, South Florida

Mitchell had a 34-yard punt return against Clemson.

Instant analysis of the Beef 'O'Brady's Bowl, which Louisville won 31-28 over Southern Miss:

How the game was won: The Cardinals came out flat early and nearly got knocked out by Southern Miss while falling behind 14-0. But in its first bowl game since the 2007 Orange Bowl, Louisville wouldn't quit. Despite getting outgained in total yardage, Charlie Strong's team kept chipping away until taking its first lead with 4:24 left on a Chris Philpott field goal. Special teams were big, as Louisville blocked a field goal and returned a kick for a touchdown.

Turning point: Southern Miss took a 28-21 lead on the first snap of the fourth quarter, and the Cardinals hadn't even managed a first down in the second half to that point. But redshirt freshman Jeremy Wright returned the kickoff 95 yards for a score, and the momentum shifted in a big way.

Stat of the game: Louisville outgained the Golden Eagles 103 yards to 10 in the fourth quarter until Southern Miss' final desperation play from its own 2.

Player of the game: Louisville cornerback Johnny Patrick. The senior got burned for a touchdown early on, but after that he played an outstanding game. He blocked the Southern Miss field goal try, forced a fumble and had several pass breakups.

Best call: Strong gambled and went for it on fourth down and inches in overtime against South Florida late in the season, and the Cardinals lost that game. He resisted the urge on fourth and 1 from the Southern Miss 18, instead opting for the field goal that won the game.

What it means: Louisville finishes with a winning record in Strong's first year by improving to 7-6. Not many people would have predicted that outcome. It should be the start of something big for the Cardinals, who already secured a major recruiting coup while in Florida. Mostly, it was a reward for the 26 seniors who toughed it out through the Steve Kragthorpe era and found some success at the end of their careers.

Earlier today, I presented you with my picks for the All-Big East team, which you can find here. Not long after, the official league awards and first and second teams came out, which you can find here.

The Big East official teams are voted on by the league's eight head coaches, who know a heck of a lot more about football than me. But that doesn't mean they always make the right choices. Let's take a look at each position and go over some of the reasoning behind the picks, starting with what seems to me like the most egregious error.

Quarterback

The league coaches chose Cincinnati's Zach Collaros as the unanimous pick, which is just shocking to me. Don't get me wrong, Collaros is a fantastic player who can put up crazy numbers. But I don't see how Collaros was chosen over West Virginia's Geno Smith. Smith led the Big East in passing efficiency and had a 23-6 touchdown to interception ratio. He had one bad game against Syracuse and was terrific just about every other game. Collaros threw 26 touchdowns but with a whopping 14 interceptions. His completion percentage was 58.7 compared to Smith's to 65.8.

In conference play, Collaros had 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Smith had 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in league play, not to mention that the Mountaineers were co-champions while Cincinnati finished 4-8.

The coaches, frankly, blew this one.

Running back

Jordan Todman and Bilal Powell were the easy calls here. What's amazing is that neither Noel Devine nor Dion Lewis made the first or second team. No one saw that coming before the year.

Wide receiver and tight end

Armon Binns and Jon Baldwin were the obvious calls at receiver. Louisville's Cameron Graham was the most productive tight end in the league.

Offensive line

Here's where the coaches' expertise should come into play. It's really hard just watching from TV or even from a press box to tell who's playing well on the interior of an offensive line, especially if you don't know what the blocking assignments are supposed to be. I made sure to get some input from coaches on this one and was pleased to see my choices of Sampson Genus at center and Zach Hurd and Mark Wetterer at guard were echoed by the coaches. We also agreed on Jason Pinkston at tackle, though the coaches had UConn's Mike Ryan at the other tackle, while I had Louisville's Byron Stingily. Both are fine choices, since Louisville and UConn had the best offensive lines in the league.

Defensive line

Very little question here with Jabaal Sheard, Terrell McClain and Chris Neild up front. The second defensive end spot was a tricky one for me. The coaches chose Kendall Reyes, who had an excellent year. I picked West Virginia's Julian Miller, who was a beast in conference play and part of the Mountaineers' unbelievable defense. When in doubt at one of these defensive positions, I went with a West Virgina player. I also strongly considered Chandler Jones, Brandon Lindsey and Jesse Joseph for that spot.

Linebacker

Linebacker is one of the deepest positions in the Big East this year. Lawrence Wilson was a definite, and the coaches and I agreed on J.T. Thomas. They chose Doug Hogue while I went with his Syracuse teammate, Derrell Smith. Can't argue too much either way and I would have put all four of them on there if there were enough spots.

Defensive back

Here's another place where I sharply disagree with the coaches' pick. They had West Virginia's Keith Tandy and not Brandon Hogan. I'm not sure even Tandy would agree with that. Tandy had the better interception and tackle numbers, but as he told me in a late-season interview, most of that was because teams wouldn't throw Hogan's way. The coaches I talked to all said Hogan was easily the best cornerback in the Big East. I had him and Johnny Patrick, who was also an official pick, though I heard some support for and strongly considered South Florida's Mistral Raymond.

At safety, Robert Sands was a no-brainer. The other safety spot was my most difficult choice on the entire list. Safety was not a strong position for the Big East this year. The coaches picked Dom DeCicco, who had a solid year. But I felt like he played some his best while working at linebacker for Pitt this year. I went instead with West Virginia's Sidney Glover, a rock-solid senior who fit my "when in doubt pick a Mountaineer" strategy. I liked Rutgers' Joe Lefeged earlier in the year but thought he faded along with his whole team. One coach who played Rutgers late in the season said they picked on Lefeged in the passing game.

So there you have it. How do you feel about the all-conference picks? Do you think, like I do, that Smith and Hogan were the biggest snubs?

Welcome to the ESPN.com 2010 All-Big East team. Unlike the official league team, we don't do ties here. One man, one spot.

I compiled the following list after watching each team the entire season and through consultation this week with some coaches throughout the league. Later on today, I'll offer up some thoughts on the selections, explaining my picks and the toughest omissions.

Here is the team:

Offense

QB: Geno Smith, West Virginia
RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut
RB: Bilal Powell, Louisville
WR: Armon Binns, Cincinnati
WR: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh
TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville
OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut
C: Sampson Genus, South Florida
OG: Mark Wetterer, Louisville
OT: Byron Stingily, Louisville

Defense

DE: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh
DT: Chris Neild, West Virginia
DT: Terrell McClain, South Florida
DE: Julian Miller, West Virginia
LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut
LB: Derrell Smith, Syracuse
LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia
CB: Brandon Hogan, West Virginia
CB: Johnny Patrick, Louisville
S: Robert Sands, West Virginia
S: Sidney Glover, West Virginia

Specialists

K: Dave Teggart, Connecticut
P: Dan Hutchins, Pittsburgh
KR: Lindsey Lamar, South Florida
PR: Doug Beaumont, Louisville

After three years of suffering through the Steve Kragthorpe years, Louisville fans would have been happy just to see their team look organized and fighting hard in every Big East game this season under new coach Charlie Strong.

So a 6-6 record and a Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl bid feels like a major achievement. Strong could have started fresh and ushered in new players and first-year guys that he recruited for a full-scale rebuilding project. Instead, he put the burden on previously undecorated seniors to get their program back to respectability. It paid off.

The Cardinals had the best offensive line in the league, anchored by four senior starters. They had one of the top running backs in the country in Bilal Powell, who more than tripled his previous best year as a senior. They had a senior quarterback in Adam Froman who efficiently ran the offense, and when he got hurt, another senior (Justin Burke) came in and kept things going. They had the league's best tight end in Cameron Graham, another senior.

On defense, Strong and Vance Bedford took a group lacking bulk or any surefire NFL prospects and turned it into one of the Big East's best. By the last month of the season, the same defense that looked so ragged in the preseason was stonewalling league opponents. Connecticut is going to a BCS game yet lost 26-0 to Louisville in October.

Strong used this year to establish toughness, winning attitudes and ultra-aggressiveness -- the latter of which backfired on him in overtime of the South Florida loss. Once he gets his kinds of players in the program, Louisville fans will be very happy.

Offensive MVP: Bilal Powell

Strong called his running back the face of the program before the season, and Powell validated that confidence by running for 1,330 and 10 touchdowns despite being slowed a few games with a knee injury. His blend of size and breakaway speed made Powell one of the most dangerous players in the conference and the country.

Defensive MVP: Johnny Patrick

The senior cornerback was the lockdown defender the Cardinals needed on the outside so they could bring pressure on quarterbacks. Patrick had five interceptions and led the league in pass breakups this season with 11.

Turning point: Oddly, Louisville never won back-to-back games against FBS opponents, though it was in every game. A 35-28 loss at Oregon State in Week 3 might have been the most important moment of the season. The players saw in that game that they could compete against a difficult opponent on the road and that Strong's system worked. Even in defeat, they won by starting to believe.

What's next: Louisville has the best bowl draw of any Big East team, facing Southern Miss in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. The extra bowl practices are critical for developing younger players, because the Cardinals lose the vast majority of their offensive starters and several defensive stalwarts. Strong and his staff are recruiting like gangbusters, however. Job No. 1 this offseason is to determine a starting quarterback for 2011 with Froman and Burke graduating.

Not too many changes in the player races after just two games last week.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: Powell didn't play last week because of injury after a subpar performance at Pitt. But no one did anything to overtake him, either.

2. Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: Todman should go over 1,000 yards for the season Thursday night against Pitt. A big game -- and a UConn win -- could push him back to the top of this race.

3. Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: Collaros should be back this week at West Virginia after missing the Syracuse game. He'll be facing the league's best defense in Morgantown.

4. Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh: Sunseri will take his excellent conference-only stats into a big showdown Thursday night in East Hartford.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh: Sheard is tied for third nationally in sacks and 13th in tackles for loss.

2. Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville: Leads league in passes defended and is fourth in interceptions. The senior has anchored the Cardinals' secondary.

3. Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: Smith still leads Syracuse in tackles, but Orange 'D' took a hit against Louisville over the weekend.

4. Dom DeCicco, LB/S, Pittsburgh: Has 50 tackles and three interceptions.

Coach of the year race

1. Charlie Strong, Louisville: I was ready to call this for Doug Marrone last week, but Strong led his team to victory at the Carrier Dome and has delivered more than anyone could have asked for.

2. Doug Marrone, Syracuse

3. Skip Holtz, South Florida

Rookie of the year

1. Chas Dodd, QB, Rutgers Will likely start his fifth straight game this week, though he'll need to pick up some wins soon to keep the job.

2. Hakeem Smith, S, Louisville: Redshirt freshman leads team with 60 tackles.

3. Jeremy Deering, WR, Rutgers: My preseason pick has rushed for 213 yards and caught 12 passes for 149 yards.

4. Josh Bellamy, WR, Louisville: Junior-college import has 20 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns.

5. DeDe Lattimore, LB, South Florida: Has 40 tackles as a starter for the Bulls.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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