ESPN College Football

It's your favorite Big East blogger's birthday today, and cash always makes a nice gift. Of course, it's always better to give than receive, so I'll be giving out some answers to your e-mails now:

Charles from Tampa writes: With the injury to A..J. Love, USF has a lack of depth at quarterback and the wide receiver positions. I have attended every USF home game for the past two seasons and I have not been impressed with Dontavia Bogan at all, so I have no trust in him as our go-to wide receiver. Who could you see from the incoming recruiting class stepping up and playing a big role in the Bulls' passing game?

Brian Bennett: Bogan did have a big spring game, but with the way defenses are hamstrung in those glorified exhibitions it's hard to read too much into such performances. He has a lot of potential but hasn't really delivered. South Florida coaches were worried about depth at the position before Love got hurt, so it's a real concern.

As far as incoming recruits, that's always a guessing game before they arrive on campus, and there's no guarantee a true freshman will make an impact. South Florida only has two receivers coming in: Deonte Welch and Jamaal Montague. Of the two, Welch was more touted as a recruit. But I think it will be on guys like Sterling Griffin, Lindsey Lamar and Evan Landi -- none have much experience -- to raise their games along with Bogan.

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Dennis R. Philadelphia writes: I know I'm broaching this subject too soon, but it's kind of a downtime with college football so I think it's fun to think about. Is it possible for Pitt to produce four first-round picks next year in the draft? Assuming on-field performance stays level (not that unreasonable) and some early entries, Greg Romeus, Jon Baldwin, Dion Lewis and Jason Pinkston all are first-round caliber. Am I crazy for thinking this?

Brian Bennett: I'd be shocked if Baldwin does not go in the first round next year. He's that good. Romeus could improve his stock to that level with a big senior year. I don't think Pinkston is a first-round player; he's very solid but lacks the elite size of an NFL tackle.

Lewis is the most interesting case study. For those wondering, Pitt officials told me he is in fact eligible for the draft after this, his sophomore year because he spent an extra half-year at prep school. But would an NFL team want to spend a first-round pick on a running back who is about 5-foot-7, maybe 5-8? I doubt it, though Lewis could well deserve such status.

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Ryan J. from Madison, W. Va., writes: We all know that Bill Stewart thinks he has a shot at winning the national title in 2011. Why not this year? We have a ton of skill players on offense and the defense is loaded with returning starters. To me it seems we have a better shot this year than next with so much experience on both sides of the ball.

Brian Bennett: Stewart wasn't ruling out 2010. I think he was just suggesting that maybe next year will be even better because A) quarterback Geno Smith will be in his second year of starting; B) the offensive line will bring its core group back; and C) the Mountaineers get LSU at home instead of on the road. But you're right in that this year's team is loaded on defense and has Noel Devine and Jock Sanders for their senior years. Might as well capitalize on that too, if you can.

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Brandon from Storrs, Conn., writes: Any guesses on why Lindsey Witten and Andre Dixon still are without an NFL team to call their own. From what I read it seemed Witten was a guaranteed free agent at least?

Brian Bennett: Witten has reportedly signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Dixon will try out with the New York Giants. I thought both might fare a little better. But from an NFL perspective, both are somewhat undersized for what they do. Though, I wouldn't be surprised to see both latch on because we know they're both well coached.

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Tom C. from Greece writes: I can't get enough of this blog being isolated from college football in Greece, so I appreciate it a lot. I want to know what you think of Pitt's out-of-conference schedule and what it will say if they win all five games -- granted one is a FCS team and the other a low-tier FBS. Thanks and keep up the food work.

Brian Bennett: The blog's reach keeps expanding around the globe. Careful with the ouzo. As for Pitt's nonconference schedule, it's challenging to say the least. The Panthers open at Utah, go to Notre Dame and get Miami at home. And even their FCS opponent, New Hampshire, is no pushover. If Pitt can go 5-0 against that schedule, then it will have a chance to have a special season, and there will be no excuse for not winning the Big East.

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Sean O'Connor from Charleston, S.C., writes: Cincinnati: Best group of wideouts in the nation in 2010? Your thoughts?

Brian Bennett: The Bearcats definitely are loaded at wideout, with Armon Binns, D.J. Woods and Vidal Hazelton as starters, plus possible contributions from Kenbrell Thompkins and Marcus Barnett. They're the best group in the Big East, by far. Best in the nation? That's a bold claim. I want to see what Hazelton does after a year off and see if Binns can repeat his success as a junior. Right now, though, you'd be hard pressed to find too many receiving units that are better on paper.

The NFL's fortnight of drafting -- what, it was only three days? Really? -- came to an end this weekend. I already touched on the first-round results on Friday. Here's a look at where Big East players went the rest of the draft, with some quick comments on each pick:

Second round

No. 37: Nate Allen, S, South Florida, to Philadelphia: No surprise here, as Allen was mentioned as a possible first-rounder at various points.

Third round

No. 65: Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida to St. Louis: Here is proof that college production isn't always the most important thing to NFL scouts. Murphy struggled against some of the Big East's better receivers, but he has great physical tools and hopefully will find his niche in the pros.

Fourth round

No. 99: Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati, to St. Louis: If you watched any Bearcats games the past two years, you know that the Rams got an absolute steal. Think Sam Bradford will like having Gilyard around?

No. 101: Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse, to Tampa Bay: He was a first-round talent who was lucky to get picked this high given his off-the-field issues.

No. 107: Marcus Easley, WR, UConn, to Buffalo: Easley had great workouts, and though some thought he would go higher than this, it's still a great story for a guy who was a walk-on this time a year ago.

Fifth round

No. 157: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse, to Baltimore: Jones was talked about as a possible first-rounder earlier in his career. This is a great value pick for a player who will always give maximum effort.

Sixth round

No. 177: Carlton Mitchell, WR, South Florida, to Cleveland: Mitchell looked impressive in his workouts, but falling to the sixth round makes you question if he made the right choice in skipping his senior year.

No. 182: Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh, to San Francisco: The best blocking tight end in the Big East during his career.

No. 204: Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati, to Carolina: Pike has to be disappointed that he fell this low and that he was drafted by the same team that took Jimmy Clausen a couple rounds earlier.

Seventh round

No. 226: George Selvie, DE, South Florida, to St. Louis: How much would you have bet against the notion that Selvie would be a seventh-round pick at this time last year? Selvie's production dropped after his breakout sophomore year, and now he'll have to prove himself again.

No. 227: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh, to Houston: Surprised to see Dickerson go this low after his great Combine performance. He's a tweener who needs the right team to showcase his skills.

No. 231: Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia, to Washington: Capers has a lot of talent and potential.

No. 237: Ryan D'Imperio, LB/FB, Rutgers, to Minnesota: The Scarlet Knights' linebacker was drafted as a fullback although he never played it in college.

No. 238: Ricardo Mathews, DT, Cincinnati, to Indianapolis: Mathews didn't get as much attention on the Bearcats' defense as some other players but had a nice senior season.

No. 249: Robert McClain, CB, UConn, to Carolina: McClain had four interceptions last year and also served as the team's punt returner.

Here's a handy-dandy list of NFL Draft picks per Big East school:

South Florida: 5

Rutgers: 3

Cincinnati: 3

Connecticut: 2

Pitt: 2

Syracuse: 2

West Virginia: 1

Louisville: 0

And, finally, some notable players who weren't drafted (I'll have more later on those who signed free-agent contracts): Andre Dixon and Lindsey Witten from UConn; Aaron Webster and Alex Daniels from Cincinnati; Scott Long from Louisville; and Jarrett Brown from West Virginia.

Is UConn becoming an NFL factory?

The Huskies had four players selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft last year and had some players give impressive performances during their pro day on Wednesday.

Cornerback Robert McClain turned heads with a time of 4.43 in the 40 before tweaking a hamstring. He also posted a 38.5-inch vertical. Those numbers will get him some attention.

Defensive end Lindsey Witten was also impressive with a 4.65 time in the 40. Here's a full list of all the 40 times from the Hartford Courant.

Receiver Marcus Easley, who had a great showing at the NFL Combine, did not run the 40, but he showed off a 36.5-inch vertical. It looks more and more like he'll get drafted, which is amazing considering he was a walk on until last April.

Others, like offensive linemen Dan Ryan and Mike Hicks, are hoping to go the free-agent route. On thing teams know for sure is that players who learned under Randy Edsall will be fundamentally sound and prepared.

No lunchtime links today, because there aren't any. It's a slow time, though Rutgers is expected to name two new assistant coaches this afternoon. So instead, I thought I'd give you the full list of Big East players who have been invited to the NFL combine, which begins Feb. 24 in Indianapolis:

• Nate Allen, S, South Florida
• Alric Arnett, WR, West Virginia
• Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
• Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh
• Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia
• Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
• Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
• Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
• Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
• Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
• Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
• Scott Long, WR, Louisville
• Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
• Carlton Mitchell, WR, South Florida
• Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida
• Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
• Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
• George Selvie, DE, South Florida
• Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse
• Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
• Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut

We're just a day away from national signing day. (Sometimes I inadvertently transpose the first g and n in the word signing while typing that; wouldn't it be cool if there were a national singing day?). Anyway, there will be lots to talk about the next couple of days in the recruiting world. For now, let's address some other issues in the ol' mailbag:

Adam B. from Pittsburgh writes: I have been hearing fairly persistent rumors over the past four to five days that it is a done deal that Pitt will be going to the Big Ten. Have you heard this as well? How likely is this move? I would just like to have some light shed on this.

Brian Bennett: Adam is just one of about, oh, 300 people to ask me this question since Sunday. I can answer this one really quickly: the rumors have no merit. None. Somehow this thing got started on message boards and on the series of tubes and took off, but no one could claim a source and the timing never made any sense at all.

I've talked to people at Pitt, and my colleague Adam Rittenberg has spoken to Big Ten officials, and everybody says there have been no contact whatsoever between the two parties. Look, it's possible that Pittsburgh could eventually be invited to join the Big Ten. But that day is several months away at the earliest and is no guarantee. For now, there's simply nothing there.

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Andrew from California writes: In your questions with Big East head honcho John Marinatto you mentioned Villanova for possible expansion. My question is how come no one considers Georgetown for expansion? Philly already has Temple and the Eagles to compete for ticket sales, and Villanova only has about 9,000 students and very little money in the bank. Georgetown is bigger, has a lot more money and D.C. is a big tourist draw to help bring people in. They could easily bring their on-campus field to 35,000 seats with the available space and use RFK stadium for big games.

Brian Bennett: Sounds good on paper, but in reality Georgetown's program is really struggling at the FCS level. The Hoyas went 0-11 this past season and are just 5-38 since 2006. And my understanding is the school has had issues with its on-campus stadium. Georgetown just isn't in a position to move up to the FBS and compete anytime soon. Right now it needs to focus on trying to win at the lower level. Villanova, meanwhile is the reigning FCS champion.

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Brett from Austin, Texas, writes: I'm disappointed that you didn't ask Marinatto tougher questions regarding the possibility of the Big 10 possibly taking a Big East team. This is a serious crossroads for the Big East and you let him off the hook by alllowing him to deflect just about every question you question. The commissioner came off as out of touch with what is really going on in college football and I'm afraid that might be bad news for those us that are fans of Big East football.

Brian Bennett: Well, Brett, the bottom line is that right now this is a Big Ten issue more than a Big East one, so what's the commissioner supposed to say? At the end of the day, if the Big Ten offers a Big East school a chance to make a whole lot more money, there's not much the Big East can do to match the financial incentives, other than -- as Marinatto pointed out -- make the league as strong as possible right now. I assure you Marinatto is not out of touch; in fact, he's very plugged in, and many people credit him for being one of the strongest reasons the Big East survived after 2004. But it's clear that his style is not to talk much about these issues publicly, unlike some other leagues.

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Ken from Philly writes: Hey, BB, how can you have George Selvie and Jabaal Sheard ahead of Lindsey Witten [in your postseason Top 30 list]? Yes alot of his sacks came against lesser competition, but USF and Pitt had there share of cupcakes (especially USF). And Selvie and Sheard played opposite two players who will be in your top 10 whereas Witten played opposite true freshman all year.

Brian Bennett: It's close -- I had Witten 29th, Sheard 28th and Selvie at No. 26. The reason I ranked Witten behind those guys is because I felt like he disappeared during the middle of the year. And it seemed like he even worked his way into Randy Edsall's doghouse after a hot start. I felt like Selvie and Sheard, on the other hand, brought it every game even if their stats maybe aren't as good. And I thought Witten was a little weaker against the run, particularly compared to Sheard. Again, though, we're almost splitting hairs here.

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Dave from Charlotte, N.C., writes: The Big East has two big things going for it: 1) the perceived greatness of the basketball conference; and 2) the actual computer-ranking "goodness" of the football conference (at least for the past few years). Given that, in your opinion, is there any chance at all that the Big East could expand by raiding other BCS conferences? Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Penn State come to mind. I know it's a long shot, but it doesn't seem that crazy when you add it up. Of course, the major stumbling block in this is that the Big East management seems to act reactively instead of proactively.

Brian Bennett: For all the expansion talk about schools like Villanova and Central Florida, the best thing the Big East could do is grab an established program that's already in a BCS league. It's not going to be anyone from the Big Ten because that league makes too much money and going to the Big East would be a step down.

So the only real option on that front would be the ACC, which hasn't exactly tore it up in football since expanding to 12 teams. Maryland and Boston College would make the most sense, especially if they get fed up with what is perceived at times to be a bias toward the Carolina schools. I have no idea if either would be interested in bolting or what it would take, but those seem to make the likeliest targets if the Big East chose to go that way.

I think the Big East learned some painful but valuable lessons from the last raid and I believe the conference will be more prepared this time around. But the next year or so will present a major challenge that requires bold thinking and leadership.

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Jim from Fort Mitchell, Ky., writes: Cincinnati wins two Big East titles and has Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard being drafted and you focus on Pitt?

Brian Bennett: Since that's all you wrote, I don't really know what you're referring to, Jim. But given the timing of your e-mail, I'm going to assume you're talking about my post that looked back on the 2006 recruiting classes. And clearly, Pitt had a great haul that year with players like Nate Byham, Jason Pinkston, Dorin Dickerson and Greg Romeus. Neither Gilyard nor Pike were in the '06 class; they were both fifth-year seniors from the class of '05. While Cincinnati certainly had key contributors from its '06 class, notably Aaron Webster, Ben Guidugli and Ricardo Matthews, by my count more than half that class never did much. The players who formed the nucleus of the two-time Big East champs mostly hailed from other classes.

Earlier today, the Scouts Inc. guys took a look back at their 2006 prospect ratings to determine where they were off and where they hit the mark. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, as you may recall, so I thought this was a perfect excuse to do the same for the 2006 Big East recruiting classes.

Biggest busts

Andrey Baskin, WR, Syracuse: Baskin was the fourth-highest rated recruit to sign with a Big East school. But he failed to qualify and never made it to campus.

DeAntwan "Peanut" Whitehead, DE, Louisville: A major coup when the Cardinals landed him out of Alabama, Whitehead hurt his neck as a sophomore and never played again.

John Maddox, WR, West Virginia: A 6-foot-3 athlete who looked like a future contributor if not star, Maddox quit the team after a season.

Aundre Henderson, DT, Louisville: Henderson was a hometown star with a ton of ability. Unfortunately, he never really liked football and quit the sport.

Jamie Nixon, CB, Connecticut: Maybe this is why Randy Edsall doesn't like highly-rated recruits too much. Nixon was ranked as the 18th best cornerback in '06 but never panned out.

Hasn't met expectations ... yet

Brandon Heath, S/LB, Louisville: Heath was the highest-ranked player to sign with a Big East team in '06, checking in at No. 58 in the ESPNU 150. He hasn't lived up to that billing, thanks in large part to injuries. He moved to linebacker this past season and was productive. He has another year of eligibility.

Met expectations

Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh: Byham was No. 68 in the ESPNU 150 rankings and justified it as an All-Big East performer.

Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh: Dickerson would have been labeled a bust this time a year ago, but the Panthers finally figured out what to do with him as a senior. He's a legitimate pro prospect now.

Jason Pinkston, OL, Pittsburgh: The Panthers' batting average was surprisingly high in 2006, as several signees became major contributors.

Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers: Ranked as one of the Scarlet Knights' top recruits in '06, Brown had a terrific career in Piscataway.

Chris Neild, DL, West Virginia: Neild was ranked among the top tight ends out of high school but made the successful transition to All-Big East nose guard.

Exceeded expectations

Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers: Rated just a "40" prospect, which is as low as the grading scale goes, Britt was a first-round pick last year after a record-breaking three-year career.

Nate Allen, S, South Florida: The scouts had him listed as the No. 152 quarterback in the class. He should be one of the first safeties picked in the NFL Draft.

Scott Lutrus, Robert McClain, Lindsey Witten, Lawrence Wilson, Zach Hurd, Connecticut: All were unheralded. All turned into top-notch Big East players. Should we even be surprised at that anymore when it comes to the Huskies?

Greg Romeus, DE, Pitt: Another "40" rated player, he was Big East co-defensive player of the year this past season.

Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: After attracting little notice out of high school, Webster developed into a starter and key member of a two-time Big East championship defense.

A postseason ranking of the Big East's Top 30 players ...

No. 29

Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut, Sr.

Preseason rank: NR

Why him here: Witten led the Big East in sacks with 11.5, which tied him for ninth nationally. So why isn't he higher on this list? Well, most of Witten's work in that department came early in the season, as he registered seven of those sacks in the first two games. Big East offenses found ways to contain him, and UConn's defense as a whole struggled for the second half of the year.

Still, the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder causes lots of problems with his speed and athleticism, and he'll certainly get a long look from NFL scouts. Witten may not have the size and strength to stay at defensive end and might have to play outside linebacker. But he should be another UConn product who plays in the pros.

No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati

Several Big East players were part of the winning side in Saturday's East-West Shrine Game, a showcase event for NFL hopefuls.

South Florida linebacker Kion Wilson had the biggest day from the Big East contingent. He had six tackles and a forced fumble in the East's 13-10 win.

"He has the potential to be a very good special-teams player, which he'll have to do if he wants to make it on the next level," wrote ESPN's Scouts Inc. in a game-day blog. "He's undersized, but has shown excellent instincts throughout the week."

UConn's Andre Dixon led the East team in rushing, but had only 24 yards on seven carries.

"Dixon has surprisingly looked hesitant at times today," Scouts Inc. wrote. "He's a downhill runner on film and during practices this week, so we didn't expect to see the stutter steps at the line of scrimmage today. He has room to improve as a receiver with his hands away from his frame and running crisper routes, but he's athletic enough to do it. He's also a willing pass-blocker who will step up and take on blitzing linebackers. Despite today's struggles, he'll be a good value for someone in the middle rounds."

The Huskies' Lindsey Witten had one tackle, and it was behind the line of scrimmage.

West Virginia's Alric Arnett, who had a strong week of practice leading up to the game, made three catches for 54 yards.

Pitt's Aaron Berry recovered a fumble for the East team.

ESPN.com's Scouts Inc is breaking down all the East-West Shrine game practices this week. The all-star showcase for seniors will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

West Virginia receiver Alric Arnett was one of the early standouts this week in practice. Check out this evaluation from Day 1:

"Practice is about half-way through and West Virginia WR Alric Arnett is looking like the best receiver on the East team. We love the way he's catching the football, both in terms of focus and hands. He's snatching the ball out of the air and doing a good job of looking it in before heading up the field. He's the most impressive receiver on this team so far.

... Alric Arnett continues to impress today. He got behind South Carolina DB Darian Stewart, but QB John Skelton overthrew him. But the good thing about this is it showed Arnett has the ability to stretch the field."

Analyst Todd McShay named UConn's Lindsey Witten as one of the top five players to participate this week:

"Witten's senior season couldn't have gone much better, as he had his best year at UConn and finished tied for ninth in the nation with 11½ sacks. At 6-foot-4, 248 pounds, Witten is an undersized end and might be asked to move to linebacker in the NFL. He needs to prove this week that he's strong enough to hold his ground against the run and fluid enough to drop into underneath coverage. A strong showing in Orlando could land Witten a spot in the third round of April's draft."

And McShay said Rutgers tackle Kevin Haslam, a late invitee, was among those with the most to prove.

"Haslam is not nearly as physically gifted as teammate Anthony Davis, a LOT who could be a top-five pick in April, but he moves his feet well enough to develop into an effective right tackle. In addition, Haslam has experience lining up at guard and enough room on his frame to bulk up, which would give teams the option to kick him inside if he does not pan out as a tackle."

West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown was scheduled to participate in the East-West game but got a late invitation to the more prestigious Senior Bowl.

The official and final list of NFL scouting combine invitees isn't quite complete, but the Sporting News has put together an early list of who's going. This list does not include juniors who have declared or will declare for the draft, and some seniors will be added later.

The combine runs from Feb. 24 to March 2 in Indianapolis. Here are the Big East players who've been invited so far:

Cincinnati: WR Mardy Gilyard, QB Tony Pike

Connecticut: RB Andre Dixon, WR Marcus Easley, DE Lindsey Witten

Louisville: WR Scott Long

Pittsburgh: TE Nate Byham, TE Dorin Dickerson

Rutgers: CB Devin McCourty

South Florida: S Nate Allen, CB Jerome Murphy, DE George Selvie, LB Kion Wilson

Syracuse: DT Arthur Jones

West Virginia: WR Alric Arnett, QB Jarrett Brown, OT Selvish Capers

Which players had the best bowl performances from the Big East? Here's our all-bowl team:

Offense

QB Tom Savage, Rutgers
There weren't a lot of big numbers for Big East quarterbacks in the postseason. The Scarlet Knights' true freshman completed 14 of 27 for 294 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception, in a win over Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

RB Mike Ford, South Florida
Ford exploded for 207 yards on 20 carries -- almost all of them in the second half -- to help the Bulls beat Northern Illinois in the International Bowl.

RB Dion Lewis, Pitt
The sensational freshman had 159 yards on 28 carries and a score against North Carolina's tough run defense in the Meineke Car Care Bowl

RB Noel Devine, West Virginia
The Mountaineers' star ran for 168 yards on 16 carries in just three quarters against Florida State in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
Yet another freshman standout, Sanu had four catches for 97 yards and a score and also ran the ball 13 times for 41 yards and two more touchdowns.

WR Mike Shanahan, Pitt
Shanahan had five catches for 83 yards, many of them in traffic and in key spots, against North Carolina. And he's a freshman, too.

OT Anthony Davis, Rutgers
The future NFL first-rounder had his ups and downs this season. But he held off Central Florida's impressive pass rusher in a strong performance during his final college game.

OT Jason Pinkston, Pitt
North Carolina came into the Meineke game with the nation's No. 6 defense, but Pinkston helped the Pitt line move the chains and get the win.

C Moe Petrus, UConn
Petrus was part of a group that helped pave the way for 146 rushing yards against South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

OG John Malecki, Pitt

OG Zach Hurd, UConn

Defense

DE Lindsey Witten, UConn
The senior was part of a defensive line that overwhelmed the South Carolina offensive front.

DT Kendall Reyes, UConn
He had a one sack and put lots of pressure on Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia.

DT Mick Williams, Pitt
The Big East co-defensive player of the year registered a pair of sacks against North Carolina.

DE Alex Daniels, Cincinnati
One of the few Bearcats who had a good night in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Daniels had a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss against Florida.

LB Max Gruder, Pitt
Playing in his hometown, Gruder recorded 11 tackles and forced a fumble against North Carolina.

LB Scott Lutrus, UConn
The junior had nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery against South Carolina.

LB Steve Beauharnais, Rutgers
Another freshman, Beauharnais had seven tackles and a pair of sacks against Central Florida.

CB Billy Anderson, Rutgers
The little-known reserve returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first half in a key play.

CB Jerome Murphy, South Florida
He had an interception, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups in the International Bowl.

S Robert Sands, West Virginia
Sands was just about everywhere in the Gator Bowl, recording 13 tackles, two of them for loss.

S Robert Vaughn, UConn
Vaughn had an interception and two pass breakups in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Specialists

K Dan Hutchins, Pitt
Hutchins hit four field goals, including the game-winning 33-yarder, against North Carolina.

P Jake Rogers, Cincinnati
Rogers punted more than he has in a game all season, but he put half his six punts inside the Florida 20.

KR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
He sure had plenty of opportunities, but he piled up a Sugar Bowl-record 207 return yards on eight attempts.

The rosters for postseason all-star games are fluid and will continue filling up in the coming days. But here are the players from the Big East who we already know have been invited to one of the two big showcase games ...

Senior Bowl

Nate Allen, S, South Florida

Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida

George Selvie, DE, South Florida

East-West Shrine Game

Kevin Haslam, OL Rutgers

Andre Dixon, RB, UConn

Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn

Nate Byham, TE, Pitt

Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida

Alric Arnett, WR, West Virginia

Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

• West Virginia has a lot of problems to address in a short week, Jack Bogaczyk writes in the Charleston Daily Mail.
• CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd says Notre Dame should act fast on a possible new coaching hire, and it should already be talking to Brian Kelly to see if he's interested.
• Pitt has three tough games remaining, but all three opponents have vulnerabilities, Paul Zeise writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• South Florida likely will be without big-play receiver Carlton Mitchell on Thursday night against Rutgers, Gregg Becnel reports in the Tampa Tribune.
• Rutgers is focusing on making a fifth straight bowl game with the league title now out of its sights, Tom Luicci writes in The Star-Ledger.
• The sad reality for Syracuse is that it has fallen behind both Rutgers and Temple, Bud Poliquin says in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
• Lindsey Witten has great stats, but Randy Edsall says the defensive end hasn't played well enough in league action, Neill Ostrout notes in the Connecticut Post.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. Focus: That's the key word this week, as the top three contenders in the Big East all are heavy favorites at home. Showdowns between Cincinnati, Pitt and West Virginia loom on the calendar ahead. But for those to matter, they need to take care of business this week against the heavy underdogs and not start thinking ahead to the stretch run.

2. Cincinnati's receivers vs. the UConn secondary: The Huskies got burned by Tim Brown on an 81-yard pass play to lose this week, but they've been pretty good against the pass this year and have the league's two co-leaders in interceptions (Robert Vaughn and Robert McClain). They will face a major challenge this week against the Bearcats' Mardy Gilyard, Armon Binns and D.J. Woods. Syracuse had some small success slowing Cincinnati down last week by trying to keep everything in front of the defense. UConn might also want to make the Bearcats prove they can sustain long drives.

3. Attack of the backup Zachs: Cincinnati looks likely to go with Zach Collaros again at quarterback as Tony Pike continues to recover from his left forearm injury. Collaros has been outstanding the past two and a half games, though this will be the best team he's started against thus far. UConn's Zach Frazer is back at quarterback now that Cody Endres is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Frazer has been way too erratic this season, including three more interceptions last week at Rutgers, and can't afford those mistakes against the Bearcats.

4. Lindsey Witten vs. Jeff Linkenbach: Witten is tied for second in the nation in sacks with 10.5. Linkenbach has developed into the best left tackle in the Big East, in my opinion. If UConn can't get pressure on Collaros, it could be a long night at Nippert Stadium for the Huskies. Witten needs to bring the heat.

5. Dion Lewis: The Pitt freshman tailback was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award this week and floats on the periphery of the Heisman race. Syracuse has been surprisingly stout against the run this season, ranking first in the Big East with just 88.9 yards allowed per game on the ground. Another big game by Lewis against this defense should vault him into the lead for Big East player of the year and other award honors.

6. Paulus and the passing game: Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus was booed at home last week and then received a passionate defense by his head coach Doug Marrone. Paulus has struggled in Big East play, and he just lost his best and maybe only big-play receiver in Mike Williams, who quit the team on Monday. How do he and the Orange offense respond?

7. West Virginia's pass defense: The deep pass has hurt the Mountaineers the past few weeks and much of the season. Louisville has the worst scoring offense in the Big East but is capable of pulling off some big plays in the passing game with guys like Scott Long, Trent Guy and Doug Beaumont. If West Virginia can tighten that part of its defense up, it should have little trouble at home against the last-place Cardinals.

8. Louisville's quarterback derby: Three guys -- Justin Burke, Will Stein and Adam Froman -- have started, and it's anybody's guess who will get the call this week. Coach Steve Kragthorpe said earlier this week that Burke and Froman, who were both hurt at Cincinnati, should be available for practice. If they're all good to go, Froman likely gets the nod. But West Virginia has to prepare for all three just in case.

9. Speed on the edge: The main difference between West Virginia and Louisville the past two years was that the Cardinals didn't have the defensive speed on the perimeter to contain the Mountaineers' playmakers unlike, say, South Florida. Pat White got outside with ease in last year's game in Louisville, and the Cardinals' quickness hasn't gotten significantly better. Expect at least one huge run, if not several, from Noel Devine and maybe even Jarrett Brown or Jock Sanders.

10. Cincinnati's competition: We're not talking about UConn, but the other contenders for the national title. Keep an eye this weekend on Alabama against LSU, Iowa against Northwestern, Boise State at Louisiana Tech and TCU against San Diego State. Any of them faltering would help the Bearcats' national title chances.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Stock it to me.

Stock up


1. Tim Brown: You had to wonder if a guy as small as Brown could become a true No. 1 receiver. He's answered that question resoundingly with a terrific season, catching 37 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns for Rutgers. He had two scores, including the last-minute, 81-yard game-winner against UConn last week. Imagine his numbers if he had a more experienced quarterback all year.

2. Eric Schwartz: There's no other way to say it: South Florida's kicking was flat-out brutal during the middle of the year. But ever since he drilled a wholly unexpected 50-yarder to end the half against Cincinnati, Schwartz has been money in the bank. The junior walk-on has made six straight, including all three against West Virginia.

3. Cincinnati's hands: The Bearcats are the only team in the country that has not lost a fumble this year, amazingly. They have committed only four turnovers the entire season.

4. Mo Plancher: South Florida's running game aside from B.J. Daniels had stalled in recent weeks. Plancher helped fix that with 86 yards on 18 carries against West Virginia, creating many yards after first contact and setting a tone for that game.

5. Gallows humor: We criticized Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe's weird postgame comments about wanting to play against Tony Pike last week. This week, we credit the coach for his surprisingly funny press conference opening line about talking to Jon Gruden. Here's hoping that if this is indeed the final month of the Kragthorpe tenure, we get to see more of the guy's personality in the final days.

Stock down

1. Syracuse and Louisville crowds: The Orange drew only an announced 33,802 fans to Saturday's game against Cincinnati, a number that was probably inflated. Louisville had a stadium-record low 21,497 turn out for Arkansas State. Pathetic all around. Cardinals fans at least had somewhat of an excuse with the bad opponent, apathy for Kragthorpe's team and a game that spilled into Halloween trick-or-treating time. The Orange were playing the No. 5 team in the country at noon and offered free tickets to students. What's the deal with that?

2. Mike Williams: For quitting on his team. Don't be surprised if he comes back before the season is over, but that wouldn't make his decision-making any less boneheaded.

3. West Virginia's pass defense: Cornerback Keith Tandy got burned a lot against South Florida, but he wasn't the only culprit. The Mountaineers rank seventh in the league against the pass and have allowed big days through the air to Connecticut, Colorado and Auburn. That needs to get fixed before the Mountaineers take on Cincinnati and Pitt.

4. Overtime: The very first game of the year, Syracuse's loss to Minnesota, went to an extra period. Since then, the Big East hasn't given us an free football. Come on guys, put in a few overtime hours.

5. Instant replay: Maybe it's just me, but it seems like a lot of the Big East games I've seen this year have been bogged down by endless replay reviews that take far too long to resolve. I'm all for getting the call right, but the countless breaks in the action kill any kind of flow to the game.

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