Big East: Jon Dempsey
So what about those who just missed the cut? Making a list of just 30 players across an eight-team league means some really good players have to be left off. Let's start with a look at those on my preseason list who failed to duplicate the honor in the postseason:
No. 3: Matt Grothe: A terrific career, obviously, but the South Florida quarterback's season was cut down by a knee injury before it ever really got going, and his pro potential is questionable at best.
No. 7: Victor Anderson: Another guy who's season was hampered by injury. Anderson posted only 473 rushing yards for Louisville, though he remains capable of big things in the next two years.
No. 10: Reed Williams: The West Virginia linebacker could have easily made this list, as he's not only an excellent player but a terrific leader. Just missed because he, too, was limited at times because of injuries.
No. 11: Ryan D'Imperio: The Rutgers linebacker wasn't nearly as productive as he had been, with his tackles dipping down to 76. But he wasn't fully healthy either.
No. 12: Scott Lutrus: Starting to sound like a broken record here. The Huskies linebacker missed huge chunks of time with various injuries and was surpassed on this list by teammate Lawrence Wilson. But he'll be a prominent preseason candidate for top 30 designation.
No. 15: Aaron Berry: The Pitt corner had a solid but not spectacular season.
No. 16: Robert Vaughn: The UConn safety dropped because of a poor overall performance by the Huskies' secondary.
No. 17: Scooter Berry: The West Virginia tackle missed significant time with injuries and a suspension.
No 19: Scott Long: My most controversial preseason pick had the misfortune of playing for a bad offense. But the Louisville receiver did get an NFL combine invite.
No. 21: Jessie Hester: The South Florida wideout struggled with injuries for much of 2009 and never regained his '08 form.
No. 22: Ryan Blaszczyk: The Rutgers offensive line disappointed, dragging its center's ranking down with it.
No. 24: Brandon Hogan: Improved as season went on; could easily make the preseason list this summer.
No. 25: Mike Williams: Was arguably the league's top receiver for half the year. But you don't quit your team midseason and expect to make a list of the league's best.
No. 27: Jock Sanders: A tough, tough omission from the list, especially considering he had 72 catches for West Virginia. What decided it for me was that he averaged fewer than 10 yards per catch and had only three touchdowns, and his production took a nosedive late in the season.
No. 28: Nate Byham: Still a terrific blocking tight end, but his pass-catching opportunities instead went to Dorin Dickerson, and I didn't want to put two Pitt tight ends on the list.
No. 29: Jon Dempsey: Had a fine year (107 tackles), but it was hard to tell by the end of the season whether he or Chris Campa was Louisville's best linebacker. No Cardinals made the postseason top 30, which gives you an idea of the challenge facing Charlie Strong.
No. 30: Moe Petrus: The UConn center was part of a terrific line, but Chris Jurek and Sampson Genus edged him out for the first- and second-team All-Big East center positions as voted by the coaches.
OK, now that we've exposed how far off my preseason list was, here are a few other players who barely missed the postseason cut:
Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: An interesting decision here. He was outstanding in less than half a season's worth of work, including a record-breaking performance against UConn. And his potential is off the charts. Probably should have included him, but I just felt he didn't play enough in 2009. He'll definitely be on the preseason list, and probably awfully high.
Zach Hurd, UConn, and John Malecki, Pitt: Two of the best guards in the league, a position which sadly wasn't represented on this list. Guards are like the Rodney Dangerfield of football.
J.T. Thomas, West Virginia, and Adam Gunn, Pitt: Excellent linebackers in a league that's stacked at that position.
Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: He was at times the Bearcats' best weapon when defenses concentrated on Mardy Gilyard. You wonder how much the system inflates the stats of receivers. Binns, though, will surely appear on the summer list.
Chris Neild, NT, West Virginia: I thought he was one of the top two or three interior linemen in the league. Just missed.
I'm sure I'm failing to mention other worthy candidates, but I've already gone on and on long enough. Sound off on other players you think should have made it, or why I'm crazy for not including some of these on the list.
The Scarlet Knights are up 14-0 early in the second quarter and have been clearly superior on both sides of the ball. The Rutgers offensive line is pushing the Cardinals around, and Louisville has only 33 yards of offense to this point. If this continues, Steve Kragthorpe's final game as Louisville coach will be an ugly one.
Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage is 6-for-6 and has rushed for a touchdown, and Tim Brown -- playing through a foot injury -- has made four catches already. Mohamed Sanu is also getting a lot of work from the Wildcat formation.
It's a complete turnaround from last week for the Scarlet Knights, who fell behind early at Syracuse and never caught up.
Tough loss for Louisville, as leading tackler Jon Dempsey went out with a knee injury on the team's first defensive series. Dempsey is done for the game and for his career since he is a senior.
An early look at All-Big East team candidates
The end of the season also means it's time to start thinking about who will make the All-Big East team. Here's an early look at who I think should and should not make the team at each position:
Quarterback
Raise your hand if you thought Pitt's Bill Stull would be the Big East's first-team quarterback this year. Heck, most people thought he'd lose his job. But he's leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency -- all by a large margin. Had Tony Pike stayed healthy or Zach Collaros played a full year, we might be talking about them here. But they didn't, so it's an easy choice.
Running back
Dion Lewis is a shoo-in. The second running back spot on the team will likely belong to Noel Devine. But he's been slowed lately, mostly due to injuries. If that continues, there's a chance that UConn's Jordan Todman or Andre Dixon could slip onto the first team. Combine the two Huskies, and they've produced exactly 1,800 rushing yards.
Receiver
Mardy Gilyard and Tim Brown are the choices here for now, though you could make a strong argument for Jonathan Baldwin. If Baldwin has a big two final games, perhaps he'll earn a spot on the first team. Jock Sanders has had a great year as well. Mike Williams looked like a lock before he quit Syracuse.
Tight end
No doubt about it, Pitt's Dorin Dickerson -- a Mackey Award finalist -- gets the nod. His teammate, Nate Byham, might be the second-team tight end.
Offensive line
This is always the most difficult position to single out players, because offensive line play is not easy to evaluate from the outside. My two tackles at this point would be Cincinnati's Jeff Linkenbach and Pitt's Jason Pinkston. Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis is the best pro prospect, but he's been far too inconsistent. Pitt's John Malecki is another lock at guard. The other two spots are less obvious. Perhaps Zach Hurd from UConn at guard and Chris Jurek from Cincinnati or UConn's Moe Petrus at center. This is one where I'll have to pick some coaches' brains to decipher.
Defensive line
You might be shocked at the one guy who's not on my list here: South Florida's George Selvie. I think his opposite end, Jason Pierre-Paul, has had the better year. I'd put Greg Romeus at the other end, along with his Pitt teammate Mick Williams at one defensive tackle. The other defensive tackle is up for grabs; I think I'd vote for West Virginia's Chris Neild in a tight one over Syracuse's Arthur Jones.
Linebacker
A lot of players have strong cases here. My three, at this point, would have to be USF's Kion Wilson, UConn's Lawrence Wilson and Louisville's Jon Dempsey. That's leaving off a lot of really good players, including Pitt's Adam Gunn and Syracuse's Derrell Smith.
Secondary
Cincinnati's Aaron Webster and USF's Nate Allen are my safeties, hands down. Devin McCourty is clearly a first-team cornerback. The other cornerback spot is debatable; right now, I'd probably pick Pitt's Aaron Berry, who's coming on strong at the end of the year.
Specialists
The clubhouse leaders are Pitt's Dan Hutchins at place-kicker, West Virginia's Scott Kozlowski at punter, Gilyard as punt returner and Louisville's Trent Guy as kick returner.
This early ballot leaves off several players I had ticketed for first-team honors in the preseason, including Selvie, Jones, West Virginia's Reed Williams, Rutgers' Ryan D'Imperio and others. But there's still time for performances to sway my picks, and I plan on getting a lot of input on my choices before picking a final team.
Now I want your input. Agree or disagree with these selections? Let's hear it.
Is it possible that Louisville is better than its 2-4 record?
After all, the Cardinals nearly won at Kentucky, were in the game late at Utah and moved the ball very effectively last week at Connecticut.
Then again, the team hasn't been good enough to take advantage of opportunities. It ranks last or next-to-last in the Big East in several key categories, including scoring, rushing defense, sacks and red zone offense. So Louisville is probably right where it should be record-wise, and with some tough games remaining (Cincinnati, South Florida and West Virginia), the heat will only increase on Steve Kragthorpe.
Offensive MVP: Scott Long. The senior receiver gives the Cardinals the big-play threat they lacked last year when he was hurt. Long is averaging 16.7 yards per catch and has 468 receiving yards and a touchdown this season.
Defensive MVP: Jon Dempsey. The senior linebacker is second in the Big East in tackles and had 16 stops last weekend against UConn.
- Cincinnati has a huge upper hand in the rivalry with Miami, but that wasn't always the case, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- The Syracuse Post-Standard's Bud Poliquin is not a big fan of the Yankee Bowl.
- Pitt is having problems on third down, both offensive and defensively, Ray Fittipaldo says in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Colorado's Dan Hawkins and West Virginia's Bill Stewart each speak highly of the other's quarterback, Dave Hickman writes in the Charleston Gazette.
- South Florida linebacker Kion Wilson came back into the Florida State game despite needing 25 stitches in his hand, Greg Auman writes in the St. Petersburg Times.
- Louisville's Jon Dempsey is a sharp-dressed man -- and a pretty darn good linebacker as well, C.L. Brown writes in The Courier-Journal.
- Rutgers quarterback Dom Natale is deaf in his right ear, Brendan Prunty writes in The Star-Ledger.
Big East preseason position rankings: Linebacker
You know them, you love them, you can't live without them. They're are Big East preseason position rankings, and today we look at the linebackers.
1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers might have the best 1-2 punch in the league at linebacker, with senior Reed Williams back after taking a redshirt last year and J.T. Thomas looking ready to cause some serious damage. Pat Lazear has had a good camp and fills out a terrific trio of tacklers.
2. Connecticut: Scott Lutrus is one of the top defensive players in the league, and position mates Lawrence Wilson and Greg Lloyd are going into their third year of starting alongside him. The depth behind them, though, is untested.
T-3. Pittsburgh: It's a testament to Pitt's depth that the Panthers could lose 2008 defensive player of the year Scott McKillop and underrated outside linebacker Austin Ransom and still rank this high. They bring back starter Greg Williams, who really progressed in his first year of playing, as well as fifth-year guys Shane Murray and Adam Gunn. Throw in promising freshman Dan Mason, Max Gruder and senior Steve Dell, and this is maybe the deepest corps in the league.
T-3. Rutgers: Don't be surprised if Ryan D'Imperio wins this year's defensive player of the year award. He is by no means a one-man gang, though, as senior Damaso Munoz and either Antonio Lowery or Manny Abreu will start next to him on the outside.
5. South Florida: Kion Wilson is an all-league anchor in the middle who could very well rack up a 100-tackle season. Veterans Chris Robinson and Sabbath Joseph are trying to establish themselves as bona fide starters, If not, then skilled newcomers Jacquian Williams and Sam Barrington should be ready to step in.
T-6. Louisville: Senior middle linebacker Jon Dempsey was a second-team All-Big East selection last season and should gain from his first year of Division I experience. A big key for this unit is how Brandon Heath will fare as the rover. Heath has always had talent but has yet to fully harness it.
T-6. Cincinnati: Hard to know exactly where to rank the Bearcats, who are breaking in all new starters and will need a lot from their linebackers in a 3-4 scheme. Andre Revels has played a lot and should be a leader in the middle. Former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones will try to make a successful transition to defense. Linebacker wasn't the biggest strength of the Cincinnati defense the past two years, but the position has been solid under Brian Kelly.
8. Syracuse: Hate to rank the Orange last yet again, but it's hard not to given how many guys at this position have left the team since the spring. Derrell Smith, who has played a little of everywhere, should be good as a junior, and Doug Hogue is trying to make the move from tailback. Everything else is a question mark.
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
I faced many difficult choices for my All-Big East team. In fact, I kept waffling between Tim Brown and Jonathan Baldwin for one of the receiver spots, and in cutting and pasting I accidentally listed Baldwin as playing for Rutgers when I first posted the list. D'oh! Thank God it's Friday, right?
Anyway, here's some guys I thought deserved recognition on my second team:
Offense
QB: Matt Grothe, South Florida
RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut
WR: Tim Brown, Rutgers
WR: Alric Arnett, West Virginia
WR: Scott Long, Louisville
OT: Jeff Linkenbach, Cincinnati
OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut
C: Moe Petrus, Connecticut
OG: Josh Jenkins, West Virginia
OT: Jamar Bass, South Florida
TE: Mike Owen, Syracuse
Defense
DE: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh
DT: Mick Williams, Pittsburgh
DT: Chris Neild, West Virginia
DE: Lindsey Witten, Connecticut
LB: Jon Dempsey, Louisville
LB: Kion Wilson, South Florida
LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia
CB: Jerome Murphy, South Florida
CB: Jasper Howard, Connecticut
S: Aaron Webster, Cincinnati
S: Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- I stopped by Louisville practice today to get my first summer glimpse of the Cardinals. They were in full pads for the morning session and have another workout scheduled for this evening, marking their first two-a-day of camp.
Here are some quick impressions based on what I saw:
• Let's start with the most pressing issue: quarterbacks. Justin Burke got the snaps with the first team as coach Steve Kragthorpe continues to rotate him and Adam Froman at No. 1. I thought Burke played a little better in the spring, but I've been hearing that Froman has maybe inched ahead so far in camp.
Well, it wasn't a great morning for either quarterback, as there weren't a whole lot of completed passes. Neither one has a great arm, which can be overcome by accuracy and timing. Still, the deep ball just wasn't there today. Receivers had to wait or even come back on those long throws, and wind was not a factor. Third-stringer Zack Stoudt, who has the best arm of the three, didn't get many reps today.
• The biggest depth-chart development is on the offensive line. Junior Byron Stingily is now the starting left tackle, while Greg Tomczyk has shifted over to right tackle. Jeff Adams has been bumped down to second string. The 6-foot-5, 293-pound Stingily was a junior college transfer last year who redshirted for the 2008 season.
Kragthorpe said Stingily has really improved in his understanding of the game and position and has quick feet. But he said that "we're still moving guys around" on the offensive line. The Cardinals had hoped to work huge (6-6, 330) juco import Joe Evinger into the mix on the line, but he's yet to practice because of some academic administrative issues.
• Receiver Scott Long did not wear pads or participate in any contact work. Louisville is trying to bring him along slowly after his offseason knee injury. Long, who was wearing an ice pack on his right knee toward the end of practice, was supposed to practice tonight. The Cardinals are a far, far better team when he is healthy.
• Fellow receiver Josh Chichester also was held out of contact work. First-string fullback Joe Tronzo was in a walking boot.
• The first-string defense had William Savoy and Greg Scruggs at defensive ends, L.D. Scott and L.T. Walker at the tackle spots, Jon Dempsey, Antwon Canady and Brandon Heath at linebacker, Karldell Dunning and Johnny Patrick at corner and Daniel Covington and Chaz Thompson at safety. The defense as a whole looked better than it did at times in the spring, but again the offense struggled.
• Speaking of struggling, the Cardinals' goal-line drill did not go well. The first play was a botched quarterback-center exchange. Then there were a couple of offside penalties. Froman threw a pass to Troy Pascley that was about 5 yards out of the end zone, prompting Kragthorpe to yell, "We're not in Canada!"
• It's hard not to notice newcomer Tim High, a 6-foot-2, 310-pound mountain of a defensive tackle. The junior college transfer played with the second team and looked like he could use some conditioning work.
• Mike Fennerty and Cameron Graham were running with the first team at tight end, a position Kragthorpe would like to use. Graham had a tough day catching the ball.
• Kamran Joyer, the former South Florida signee who was released from his scholarship over grade concerns, saw some time on the third team offense. The one time I noticed him, he got yelled at for missing an assignment. That will happen with true freshmen.
I'll have more from Louisville practice a little later on.
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Here's a look at what players will be attending the Big East's media days on Aug. 3-4 in Newport, R.I.:
• Cincinnati: Tony Pike and Aaron Webster
• Connecticut: Desi Cullen, Scott Lutrus, Robert McClain and Anthony Sherman
• Louisville: Jon Dempsey and Scott Long
Quick study Dempsey hopes for strong finish at Louisville
It's not supposed to be as easy as Jon Dempsey made it look last year.
Dempsey arrived on Louisville's campus last year on July 6, fresh from the College of the Sequoias. Like most junior college transfers, he figured to need some time to adjust to the Division I game, like maybe half a season or so.
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| Jim Owens/Icon SMI | |
| Jon Dempsey didn't let being a juco transfer slow him down last season, collecting a team-high 80 tackles. |
Instead, Dempsey started at middle linebacker from the first game on and rarely seemed lost. He led the Cardinals in tackles with 80 and was named a second-team All-Big East performer.
What happened to that adjustment period?
"To me, football is football," Dempsey said. "If a guy runs fast, I try to run just as fast and make the tackle."
Sounds simple, but there was a whole lot more to it than that. Louisville had no returning starters at linebacker last year and almost no one at the position with any major-college experience. The Cardinals used a platoon of junior college transfers and newcomers, and Dempsey had to lead the way from the middle spot.
"Most of us were jucos," he said. "Since we were all sort of from the same background, we tried to help each other out."
Dempsey said whenever he felt confused, he consulted with the coaching staff and former players. He admitted some initial nervousness when he started the opener against Kentucky in front of a sold-out crowd. Still, he led the way with nine tackles that game.
That was the start of a big year, which also included nine stops against South Florida and a forced fumble and recovery versus Cincinnati. He finished second on the team with eight tackles for loss.
Dempsey was a four-year starter at Collingswood High School in New Jersey and was recruited by Rutgers and Syracuse, among others. But his grades forced him to go the junior-college route. He led the College of Sequoias in tackles both his years there, too, then chose Louisville over Michigan State.
Teammates and coaches describe Dempsey as a very serious guy, and he doesn't waste a lot of time with small talk or joking around. He's focused on getting where he wants to go.
"This is a big year for me," the 6-foot, 241-pound senior said. "I know if I perform well, if I do a little bit better than I did last year, then hopefully I'll have the opportunity to play at the next level."
But first, Dempsey wants to help Louisville get back to a bowl game for the first time in three years. He still has a bitter taste in his mouth about the way last season ended, when the Cardinals got hammered 63-14 at Rutgers in his home state to finish 5-7.
While the team has many question marks in 2009, the linebackers look to be a strength. Every major contributor at the position last season returns.
"I think we'll all split time together, because that's how good our linebacking corps is," Dempsey said. "It should be a little easier for all of us this year."
And here we thought Dempsey couldn't make things look any easier.
Who are the Big East's most indispensable players?
While everybody is busy making preseason predictions this summer, the one thing nobody can account for is injuries.
Losing a key player for a long stretch can significantly alter a team's fortunes, of course, and change the entire league race. With that in mind, I thought I'd take a look at which player is most indispensable to each Big East team this season. Who's the one guy that would be hardest to replace if he were injured?
This would have been easier to do last year when so many teams had superstars. UConn would have been lost without Donald Brown, Pitt badly needed LeSean McCoy, West Virginia couldn't afford to lose Pat White, etc. This year, it's not as clear-cut.
(Hopefully there's no blog jinx situation going on here, because we don't want to see any of these players miss time.)
Cincinnati: Mardy Gilyard
You might have thought I was going to pick quarterback Tony Pike, and there's no doubt that he's vital to the Bearcats. But Cincinnati proved last year that it can plug in new quarterbacks and not miss too much of a beat, though that's certainly not a pattern Brian Kelly would like to repeat. Gilyard is the team's lone proven big-time playmaker at wide receiver after Dominick Goodman's graduation and with USC transfer Vidal Hazelton not gaining eligibility. Gilyard is also a dynamic kick return threat on special teams. There's not a ready-made in-house fill-in should he become unavailable.
Connecticut: Scott Lutrus
The Huskies have a lot of depth and are so team-oriented that the loss of any one one player probably wouldn't sink their season. But Lutrus is such an important part of the defense at linebacker and such a good team leader that any prolonged absence from him would be damaging.
Louisville: Victor Anderson
The only other real candidate here is middle linebacker Jon Dempsey. But the offense will be heavily reliant on Anderson's all-around skills at running back, especially as it tries to break in an inexperienced quarterback and a new offensive line.
Pittsburgh: Jason Pinkston
Tough call on the Panthers, who have a lot of depth but no real established stars at positions like quarterback and running back. We saw what happened when they missed their left tackle in the Sun Bowl; an offense that could never get going in a 3-0 loss to Oregon State. Some of that stemmed from Pinkston's status being up in the air during bowl preparations, which didn't allow Pitt a lot of time to prepare a backup. But left tackles are so crucial in pro-style offenses (more on that in a second). My other thought here was Mick Williams, Pitt's returning senior starter at defensive tackles. Experienced, talented players at that spot are hard to find.
Rutgers: Anthony Davis
Just like I was saying about Pitt, Rutgers needs its star left tackle to achieve its goals. Davis becomes even more important with the Scarlet Knights turning to a new starter at quarterback and wanting to maintain its drop-back passing and power running game. Rutgers could probably slide a player like Kevin Haslam over to left tackle to replace Davis, but that would change the chemistry of the entire unit, which returns intact from last season and promises to be one of the team's main strengths.
South Florida: Matt Grothe
George Selvie and Kion Wilson may be just as viable on the defensive side. But Grothe creates so much on offense with his passing, running and scrambling and is so experienced that this becomes a pretty easy pick.
Syracuse: Arthur Jones
Hopefully, the Orange won't have to find out what it's like to play without their star defensive lineman. They got a taste of that in the spring, when Jones was out with a torn pectoral muscle. He is reportedly on schedule to return this fall, and Syracuse will be a much better team with him on the field and not in the trainer's room.
West Virginia: Jarrett Brown
Brown probably isn't the Mountaineers' most valuable player. That honor might fall to Reed Williams or Noel Devine or somebody else. But West Virginia is frightfully young and inexperienced at quarterback behind the fifth-year senior; options include redshirt freshman Coley White, true freshman Gino Smith and receiver Bradley Starks. Bill Stewart does not want to have to thrust one of those guys into the heat of Big East play before they're ready.
Louisville adds pair of juco defensive backs
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Louisville has gone the junior college route again in an effort to bulk up its roster.
The Cardinals have gotten commitments from a pair of defensive backs from Oroville (Calif.) Butte Community College -- Bobby Burns and Anthony Conner. Both will enroll in school this summer and be immediately eligible to play this fall. They are the second and third defensive backs from Butte on the roster, along with Preston Pace.
They will bolster a cornerback position which lacks depth. Louisville has returning starter Johnny Patrick, sophomore Karldell Dunning and not much else in the way of experience. Receiver Jacques Caldwell was moved to cornerback late in spring practice.
The addition of Burns and Conner means that the Cardinals have seven junior college players in this year's incoming class. They are also awaiting word from a junior college safety who could play right away.
Last year, Louisville signed 11 junior college players, though only 10 made it to campus.
Of course, bringing in this many two-year transfers is not the ideal way to build a program, but Steve Kragthorpe and his staff have been dealing with major depth issues for a variety of reasons the past two years. Junior college players can be hit and miss, and even the best ones often need a half season or more to adjust to Division I.
Kragthorpe can only hope that more turn out like linebacker Jon Dempsey, who came in last year from a two-year school and was a second-team All-Big East performer.
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
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The Big East's best: Jon Dempsey, No. 29
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Ranking the Big East's top 30 players ...
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No. 29
Jon Dempsey, LB, Louisville
Why him here: Dempsey was a godsend for the Louisville defense last year. Even though he didn't arrive on campus until the summer from junior college, he quickly established himself as the Cardinals' best linebacker on a unit that lacked almost any major-college experience.
He led the team in tackles (80) and made the All-Big East second team. The 6-foot, 241-pound senior will need to do even more this year as one of the team's few proven veterans on defense. His pass coverage skills could stand to improve, but he's a sure tackler and an instinctive player.
The countdown
No. 30: Moe Petrus, OL, UConn
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
You've got questions. I've got answers.
Jay from Parkersburg, W. Va., writes: I'll assert that WVU (on paper since this is the spring) has to be the lead dog to win the conference in 2009. They've got by far the best defense in the conference and legitimate threats at WR, RB and QB. The only question mark is the OL, which has four veterans coming back at LT, LG, C and RT. The other teams in the league have question marks that are clearly bigger than WVU, thus, the 'eers are my choice to win the conference. Now, tell me I'm wrong.
Brian Bennett: I'm just glad somebody has a favorite. I talked to a lot of different people as I traveled around to spring practices earlier this month, and nobody had any idea who would win the Big East in 2009. In my pre-spring power rankings, I did put West Virginia on top, for most of the reasons you mentioned. However, I do have serious questions about that offensive line, which is very inexperienced and needs a lot of work. The offense was wildly inconsistent last season, and though I like Jarrett Brown, you have to wonder how it's going to be better without Pat White. The defense should be strong, especially up front. The kicking game is another area that raises concerns. But every other team in the league has similar worries. West Virginia has to be considered one of the top preseason choices to win the league, but I don't think there's a favorite at this point.
Dave DeBlasio from Houston writes: How long can the Big East chug along with no marquee programs and barely any top 25 teams? Last year an 8-4 Virginia Tech beat Cincinnati. Although the BE bowl record has been solid, few games are staged against the SEC & Big 12. For example, would an undefeated Big East team beat out a 10-1 Florida for the championship game? I don't think so.
Brian Bennett: It was just three years ago that three Big East teams -- West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers -- were in the top 10. It was just two years ago that West Virginia was in line to play in the BCS title game before its season-ending upset against Pittsburgh. I find it interesting that you brought up Virginia Tech, because before last year the ACC had gone 1-9 in BCS games in the last decade. This is in all likelihood going to be a down year for the Big East, but I see better things on the horizon for many league teams.
Ross from Bowling Green writes: Hey, Brian, as a Louisville fan, can you give me some kind of hope or anything to be optimistic about?
Brian Bennett: I'm normally a pretty optimistic person, Ross, but that's a tough task. I'll give it my best shot. The Big East is down, as has been well established by now. If Scott Long is healthy and the Cardinals find a competent quarterback, the offense has a chance to be at least interesting with a decent receiving corps and Victor Anderson. Maybe some of the junior-college players come in and have a big impact like Jon Dempsey did last year at linebacker. And Steve Kragthorpe's due for some breaks after several tough losses the past two years. OK, I'm stretching here, but you asked for hope and it's still spring.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
