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We move on in our spring series called "shoes to fill," where I take a look at one of the most important positions that has to be replaced for each team around the league.

Up today: Pitt.

OUT: Max Gruder, LB. Gruder was quite the force on the Pitt defense last season, finishing second in the league with 116 tackles and making the Big East second team. Though the linebacker group as a whole had its struggles at times last season, Gruder really helped with the improvement in the second half of the season. He was no doubt a smart, savvy player who will not only be missed for his leadership, but his productivity. All those tackles allowed Gruder to become the first Pitt player to reach 100 stops in a season since Scott McKillop had 137 during his All-America year in 2008.

IN: Dan Mason or Ejuan Price. These three are in a heated competition to win the starting job Gruder leaves behind. Mason is an incredible story, having overcome a devastating knee injury to return to the field. He has been taking first-team reps this spring. Price played the hybrid linebacker/end position at times last season, but is now transitioning to middle linebacker. If Mason is able to return to the form he displayed when he was healthy, the Panthers are going to be in really good shape. He plays with a passion and intensity that is hard to match.

There are always tough decisions to be made when compiling a Top 25 list. I went around and around before settling on my final rankings, which wrapped up today.

So who just missed the cut? These are the five players I would have spotlighted from 25-30.

Brandon Lindsey, DL/LB, Pitt: As I said in an earlier entry, Lindsey did have a good season. I just did not think it was memorable enough to make the Top 25, in part because it seemed as if the defensive coaches for the Panthers did not know how to best utilize him. I thought Aaron Donald and Chas Alecxih were much more consistent. Donald made the Top 25 list; Alecxih is spotlighted here.

Chas Alecxih, DT, Pitt: Alecxih ranked No. 5 in the league in tackles for loss with 15.5, and had 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. He was a big force in the middle of the Panthers' defense.

Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville: Adding Bushell to the mix really helped a group that lacked in experience. The Cardinals were expected to have problems at cornerback, but Bushell held down the position well, and won first-team conference honors.

Sio Moore, LB, UConn: Moore had 86 tackles and 6.5 sacks on a defense that was strong against the run, but weak against the pass. Getting adjusted to a new coordinator led to some inconsistency.

DeDe Lattimore, LB, USF: Lattimore really put together a strong second half to the season, and finished with 94 tackles -- 13 for a loss and seven sacks. It was tough choosing between him and Ryne Giddins, who did make the Top 25.

And a few others I also considered:

Justin Francis, DT, Rutgers

Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse

John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati

Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse

Max Gruder, LB, Pitt

We continue with our final 2011 position rankings by moving to linebacker. There were plenty of exemplary individual performances in this group, as six teams were represented on the Big East first and second teams. But this evaluation is of the unit as a whole, so I am factoring in the performance of every starter, along with depth and stats.

1. Rutgers. Khaseem Greene's move to linebacker was the smartest position change of the year, pushing the Scarlet Knights into the top spot in this category. Greene led the league with 140 tackles en route to Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was essentially all over the field. Greene and Steve Beauharnais were the only linebacker tandem to finish in the top 10 in the Big East in tackles for loss. Add in the much-improved Jamal Merrell and it's easy to see why this group is No. 1. Preseason ranking: No. 4.

2. Cincinnati. J.K. Schaffer had yet another outstanding season for the Bearcats, racking up 100 tackles once again. But quietly, Maalik Bomar put together a nice year as well, and that helped make up for some serious question marks that surrounded this unit going into the season. True freshmen Dwight Jackson and Nick Temple made contributions, but on the whole it was the Schaffer show again and that was enough to boost this group. Preseason ranking: 8.

3. Louisville. Dexter Heyman and Preston Brown had career seasons for the Cardinals, elevating the position and helping Louisville post another outstanding season on defense. Heyman and Brown finished in the top 15 in the Big East in tackles, and Heyman ranked fourth in the league with 16 tackles for loss. His play earned him second-team honors, and he leaves a big hole to fill for 2012. Preseason ranking: 3.

4. UConn. The Huskies were one of two teams without a linebacker on the Big East first or second team. But I thought this position group was vastly underrated for most of the year. Sio Moore came up with some big plays, and Yawin Smallwood and Jory Johnson developed nicely throughout the season. To illustrate how active Moore was, he was the top linebacker in tackles for loss with 16. This unit should be even better in 2012. Preseason ranking: 2.

5. USF. The Bulls were the other team without a linebacker named to the Big East first or second team but that shouldn't diminish the season DeDe Lattimore had. He had seven sacks, 13 tackles for loss and led the team in tackles. In fact, all three linebackers led the team, in Mike Lanaris and Sam Barrington. But the group as a whole underachieved, as the Bulls struggled to get teams off the field and were often times out of position to make a play. Preseason ranking: 1.

6. West Virginia. Middle linebacker Najee Goode had a terrific season, earning first team Big East honors. But beyond him, there were few significant contributions. Injuries hurt and so did inexperience. Plus, the expected emergence of junior college transfer Josh Francis never materialized. Between Jared Barber, Jewone Snow and Doug Rigg, there was not much doing in this group. Preseason ranking: 5.

7. Pitt. The problem in evaluating Pitt is this -- Brandon Lindsey played both end and linebacker in the hybrid Panther role. Does he get evaluated with the line group or the linebacker group? He started eight games on the line, so I gave more weight to his contributions at end. However, I did take him into account for this unit, though it was not enough to life this group up much as a whole. Max Gruder was solid, but otherwise this was a lackluster bunch. Todd Thomas showed some spark but injuries slowed him down. Between Shane Gordon, Greg Williams and Tristan Roberts, there were problems all year. Preseason ranking: 6.

8. Syracuse. It was a struggle for the Orange on defense this season, and linebacker was no exception. Marquis Spruill had to make the transition to middle linebacker and struggled at times. Dyshawn Davis showed glimpses as a true freshman. Dan Vaughan actually was the leading linebacker in tackles. You generally want your linebackers to lead the team in that category, and that was not the case this season. But there is talent here. Another year of development for Spruill and Davis could yield big things in 2012. Preseason ranking: 7.

Several Big East players have been invited to participate in postseason all-star games. Here are the players who have agreed to participate in the Casino Del Sol All-Star Game and The East-West Shrine Game, the two contests that have released their full rosters.

The Senior Bowl is releasing its player roster daily, and there is no official word yet about players from Big East schools.

Casino Del Sol All-Star Game, Monday

Don Barclay, OT, West Virginia

Evan Davis, OG, Cincinnati

Dexter Heyman, LB, Louisville

Antwuan Reed, CB, Pitt

Manny Abreu, LB, Rutgers

Antwon Bailey, RB, Syracuse

Andrew Tiller, OL, Syracuse

East-West Shrine Game, Jan. 21

Moe Petrus, C, UConn

Max Gruder, LB, Pitt

Brandon Lindsey, LB, Pitt

Justin Francis, DL, Rutgers

Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers

Jeremiah Warren, OG, USF

Jerrell Young, S, USF

Najee Goode, LB, West Virginia

Julian Miller, DL, West Virginia

Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia

Last week, we took a look at the up-and-coming freshmen in the Big East. Now it is time to take a look at all of the departing senior talent. There is a ton across every team in this league. Sixteen of the 29 players honored on the All-Big East first team are seniors. There are still five bowl games left to be played, but it is worth taking a look at how many seniors are departing.

I will take a closer look at some of these "super seniors" in a future post.

Cincinnati

• Seniors: 21
• Starters: 12
• Key losses: Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Randy Martinez, D.J. Woods, Evan Davis, John Hughes, Wes Richardson, Alex Hoffman, JK Schaffer, Adrien Robinson, Tom DeTemple, Derek Wolfe.

UConn

• Seniors: 13
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Mike Ryan, Moe Petrus, Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore, Dave Teggart, Twyon Martin, Kendall Reyes.

Louisville

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Victor Anderson, Josh Bellamy, Josh Chichester, Ryan Kessling, Dexter Heyman, William Savoy, Greg Scruggs, Chris Philpott.

Pitt

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Lucas Nix, Greg Gaskins, Jordan Gibbs, Antwuan Reed, Max Gruder, Greg Williams, Brandon Lindsey, Chas Alecxih, Myles Caragein.

Rutgers

• Seniors: 16
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Desmond Wynn, Caleb Ruch, Art Forst, Joe Martinek, Justin Francis, Manny Abreu, David Rowe, San San Te.

USF

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 6
• Key losses: Jeremiah Warren, Chaz Hine, Quenton Washington, Jerrell Young, Patrick Hampton, Keith McCaskill.

Syracuse

• Seniors: 18
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Van Chew, Andrew Tiller, Michael Hay, Antwon Bailey, Kevyn Scott, Mikhail Marinovich, Nick Provo.

West Virginia

• Seniors: 22
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Don Barclay, Julian Miller, Bruce Irvin, Najee Goode, Keith Tandy, Eain Smith.

Cincinnati dominated the Big East individual awards announced Thursday, as running back Isaiah Pead was honored as Offensive Player of the Year, tackle Derek Wolfe was selected as Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Butch Jones won Coach of the Year.

Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene also took Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is the Newcomer of the Year and West Virginia all-purpose player Tavon Austin is the Special Teams Player of the Year.

Below you will find the first and second teams. All of these awards and teams are selected by the eight league coaches. Here are some of my thoughts on the winners:

• I have to say I am surprised to see Pead win Offensive Player of the Year. I thought West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith would be a slam dunk because he and the Mountaineers dominated on offense this season. That being said, Pead is deserving of this award because he was the most valuable player for the Bearcats this season and he put the team on his back when Zach Collaros went down with an ankle injury. Pead led the Big East in touchdowns (14) and ranks second in the league in all-purpose yards with 1,429. He is a very deserving winner.
• As for the defensive awards, I am not surprised to see a split. My choice was Greene, and I have been going back and forth for most of the season on who was most valuable for Cincinnati -- Wolfe or linebacker JK Schaffer. I thought both were terrific this season. But perhaps the coaches voted for Wolfe because he had a breakout season and was a big reason why Cincinnati led the nation in sacks. Wolfe led the Big East with 19.5 tackles for loss to rank No. 6 in the nation. The senior also had 9.5 sacks after notching 10 sacks combined coming into this season.
• Jones also was my choice for coach of the year because of the turnaround season he led: from 4-8 to 9-3 and a share of the Big East title.
• As for the first-team offense, I am surprised that Tavon Austin made it at receiver over teammate Stedman Bailey. Both are extremely solid, valuable players, but I thought Bailey was a notch more consistent this season as a wide receiver. Austin absolutely is the special teams player of the year. I also was surprised to see Antwon Bailey with first-team honors. My two backs would have been Ray Graham and Pead.
• On first-team defense, West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin made the list despite an inconsistent season. Coaches clearly realized what a force he is because he was double-teamed most of the year and still got 7.5 sacks. The coaches were torn at safety, where four players were honored on the first team. I thought Duron Harmon and Hakeem Smith were the top two this season.
• How about Rutgers getting Art Forst on the first team at guard and Desmond Wynn on the second team at guard. Hand clap for the big-time improvement on the Scarlet Knights offensive line.

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Record: 6-6, 4-3 Big East

The Panthers were anything but high octane this season. But Pitt is going back to a bowl game, and coach Todd Graham will take that in his first season -- even if his offense failed to live up to expectations. His pro-style players could not adjust to his hurry-up spread offense. Injuries also took their toll as several starters were lost for the season. That includes running back Ray Graham, the best player on the team who tore his ACL against UConn at the end of October.

Injuries on the offensive line also played a major role in Pitt ranking last in the nation in sacks allowed. So did quarterback Tino Sunseri, who struggled mightily to grasp the new offense and get rid of the football in a timely manner. The defense showed major improvements as the season wore on, after struggling in losses to Iowa and Notre Dame. Both teams rallied with fourth-quarter comebacks. Aaron Donald was a revelation at defensive end, leading the team with 10 sacks (No. 2 in the Big East).

But the story of the season was the struggles on offense, and Pitt's inability to fix them.

Offensive MVP: Graham. Yes, Graham missed the final four games of the season with a torn ACL, but that does not diminish his worth as the best player on the offense. He finished with 958 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, and was on pace for a 1,600-yard season when he went down. Hands down the MVP.

Defensive MVP: Donald. He was a menace to opposing quarterbacks this season. I mentioned the sacks earlier; he also had a team-high 11 quarterback hurries and 15 tackles for loss. Max Gruder had a good season with more than 100 tackles, and Brandon Lindsey came on strong late in the season to finish with 8.5 sacks. But Donald was the best.

Turning Point: Losing Graham. Pitt was unable to post consecutive wins this season and struggled to maintain leads late in the year without Graham. What a difference it would have made to have him chewing up clock against Cincinnati and West Virginia. Zach Brown and Isaac Bennett did the best they could to fill the gap, but they ended up getting banged up, too. There is no substitute for your best player.

What's next: Pitt became bowl eligible on the final day of the regular season, so the Panthers will head to the BBVA Compass Bowl to play SMU. After that, some hard decisions have to be made about the quarterback position. Will Sunseri return for another season of intense criticism and scrutiny? Will Ray Graham return? Will Chris Jacobson get a sixth year? Who comes in to replace Calvin Magee? Plenty of unknowns headed into the offseason.

Here are the top story lines to watch in the Big East headed into Week 13:

1. BCS berth on the line. It is conceivable for the Big East to find out its BCS representative after this weekend. Rutgers can clinch if it beats UConn, and Louisville and West Virginia lose; Louisville can clinch if it beats USF, and Pitt and Cincinnati lose. As has been widely discussed, five teams have hopes of getting into a BCS game. Four of them have a chance to win out -- West Virginia and Pitt play each other Friday night, and one will most likely be eliminated from contention. Unless, of course, everybody loses and there ends up being a six-way tie for first. Yes. That is possible.

2. Final Backyard Brawl? Much has been made about the potential for this to be the final Backyard Brawl. Pitt will be leaving the Big East for the ACC; West Virginia will be leaving for the Big 12. This is a series that began in 1895, and the two teams have played every year since 1943. This has developed into one of the most heated rivalries in the nation, and game that generally has major implications and plenty on the line. So let's hope the two schools and figure out a way to keep this game alive as a nonconference matchup every year.

3. Dana Holgorsen vs. Todd Graham. The two coaches exchanged all the necessary pleasantries this week when they were asked about their turbulent past, when Graham was at Tulsa and Holgorsen was at Houston and Oklahoma State. Both said everything is fine between them; they respect each other; they are great coaches. But the drama between them in the past certainly adds a juicy subplot to an already heated rivalry game. Hopefully nobody tries to pull the ol' Jim Harbaugh back slap when the game ends.

4. Will B.J. Daniels play? Daniels bruised his shoulder in a loss to Miami last week, and now a backup quarterback could determine what happens to the Big East. Coach Skip Holtz is preparing Bobby Eveld to start against Louisville on Friday morning. Remember, the Cardinals win a share of the Big East title if they beat the Bulls. You can bet the Cardinals would welcome facing the backup quarterback with their conference title hopes on the line.

5. Tampa voodoo. It's no secret that Louisville has had a difficult time winning in Tampa. Louisville is 0-4 in Tampa, and has lost by an average margin of 21 points. In fact, Raymond James Stadium is the only road venue in which the Cardinals are winless. Coach Charlie Strong has addressed this fact with his team, but he has to work doubly hard this week to keep his team focused on the Bulls and not a potential BCS berth.

6. Munchie redux. It's no secret that Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legaux struggled in his first start last week against Rutgers, as the Bearcats tallied their fewest yards since 2005. Coach Butch Jones said he was going into the game against Syracuse on Saturday with Legaux as his starter, but opened up the competition during the week in order to help push Legaux. Backup Jordan Luallen might see game action. This is the third straight season Cincinnati will face Syracuse with its backup quarterback.

7. Syracuse after the bye. The Orange have lost three straight, and are hoping their bye week has given them a chance to fix what has gone wrong. They have been unable to run. Ryan Nassib has not been nearly as accurate, and the offensive line has not blocked particularly well. Syracuse has not won a game since Oct. 21. Back then, Louisville was 3-4 and Syracuse was 5-2. My how fortunes have changed. The Orange are fighting for bowl eligibility; the Cardinals are fighting for a BCS berth.

8. Rutgers goes for first title. The Scarlet Knights have a shot at clinching a share of their first Big East title, and becoming the first team in league history to go from worst to first. The only other time Rutgers played its final regular-season game with Big East implications was in 2006. The Scarlet Knights ended the 2006 regular season with a 41-39 triple overtime loss at No. 15 West Virginia as they finished the season 5-2 in the league and tied for second.

9. UConn bowl hopes. The Huskies need to win out in order to become bowl eligible, a year removed from representing the conference in the BCS. The past three games against Rutgers have been close, and the Scarlet Knights have won them all. In fact, seven of the past nine meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. This is the final home game of the season for the Huskies, and the question is how are they going to slow down a suddenly powerful Jawan Jamison and super receiver Mohamed Sanu?

10. Next to 100 tackles? Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene is the only Big East defender with more than 100 tackles -- a total of 114 through 11 games. Max Gruder of Pitt has 90 and JK Schaffer of Cincinnati has 89 as the two try to reach the 100-tackle mark this weekend. If Schaffer gets 11 tackles, he would have 100 for the third straight season. That would make him the fourth player in Big East history to accomplish that feat.

Utah ended the first half with 10 unanswered points to close the gap to 14-13 against Pitt at the break. Here are a few observations.

• The Panthers continue to be dreadful on offense. Their two scores have come from special teams -- Buddy Jackson had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Antwuan Reed returned a blocked punt for six. Tino Sunseri is struggling once again, going 4-of-10 for 38 yards. He has been sacked three times. Trey Anderson came on for the final drive of the first half, but the results were no better. Pitt has eight first downs and 84 yards of total offense.
• Ray Graham -- the best player on offense -- has seven carries in the first half. SEVEN. Pitt should try to get him the ball just a bit more. He had a nice 21-yard run near the end of the half that proved that theory.
• Utah has held the ball for 18 minutes, and gone on two drives of 12-plus plays. The final touchdown was a bit fluky, as Jon Hays was being sacked by Max Gruder, but somehow got rid of the ball and Luke Matthews caught it off a deflection for a 33-yard score.

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Record: 3-3 (1-1, Big East)

New coach Todd Graham brought plenty of excitement with him when he took over at Pitt, promising an exciting, hurry-up offense sure to put plenty of points up on the board. But the best thing about the offense has been something completely familiar -- the running of Ray Graham. Quarterback Tino Sunseri has struggled in the new offensive system, holding on to the ball too long, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, and failing to perfect his precision on the deep ball. The offensive line has been a wreck, especially with its two best players out because of injuries (Lucas Nix, Chris Jacobson). That has proven to be a terrible combination. The Panthers have allowed an NCAA-worst 28 sacks and Todd Graham admitted this week that getting his offense going has been more difficult than he envisioned when he arrived. At least the Panthers have Graham, who leads the nation with 899 total rushing yards and ranks second with an average of 149.3 yards a game. Without him, who knows where the Panthers would be today. The defense, meanwhile, has given up way too many big plays as the players adjust to a new 3-4 scheme. Pitt has blown fourth-quarter leads twice, and the linebackers have been a particular weak spot. But if there was one word you could use to describe the season, it would have to be inconsistency. Look at the last two weeks. Pitt went from an impressive 44-17 win over USF on five days' rest to a 34-10 loss to Rutgers this past week that can best be described as a letdown. Pitt was picked to finish second in the league this season but at this point, there is no way to know which Panthers team will show up each week.

Offensive MVP: RB Ray Graham. The shifty back has run for over 100 yards in four games this season, including two games where he ran for over 200 yards. He needs just 101 yards to top 1,000 yards on the season. Not only that, Graham has been valuable out of the backfield -- he leads the team with 27 receptions.

Defensive MVP: LB Max Gruder. Pitt has not played particularly well on defense for long stretches this season, but Todd Graham has singled out Gruder as a player who has exceeded his expectations. Gruder leads the team and the Big East with 51 tackles.

Time for lots of flak to come my way over the Top 25 Big East player rankings. Thanks to everyone who submitted their comments and nominations.

This was not an easy assignment for me. In no way did "bias" enter into the picture. I never even tallied up the final player count by school until my post Monday. I tried my best to project the players I thought would be the best in the league at the end of the season, with some input from other players and coaches as well. Will I be wrong on some of them? There are always busts, and there are always surprise players. Who just missed the cut? My last five "cut" were:

Mike Ryan, OT, UConn
Sam Barrington, LB, USF
Scott Vallone, DT, Rutgers
Antwon Bailey, RB, Syracuse
Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse

Now let's hear from you. USF fans were by far the most upset with the list because I had B.J. Daniels ranked, and nobody on defense. Let me reiterate an important point: this is projecting who I think will be in the Top 25 at the end of the season. Daniels might not be the best USF player now, but I think he will be when the season ends. USF fans dismissing that leads me to believe they do not have much faith in him running this team.

Eric C. in Pittsburgh: How could you possibly leave off Max Gruder? I would even consider him putting in the top 10. He's had 175 tackles in the last 2 years and he is the clear cut leader of the Pitt defense. He may not be the most athletic or talented player, but he is as essential to this Pitt defense as Brandon Lindsey is, and he is primed to have a big year. What were you thinking, Andrea!

AA:At last glance on the depth chart, Gruder and Tristan Roberts were locked in a battle to start.

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Charlie in Louisville writes: Come on, Andrea. Where is Mario Benavides in the top 25?

AA: I have great respect for him. One of the best centers in the league. Just don't think he is a Top 25 player.

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cory_hartman: It is understandable that Antwon Bailey is not on your preseason list, but he will be on your postseason list. Ryan Nassib and several of the offensive linemen have a shot too, as also do the Thomases at safety. But Ross Krautman is a better placekicker than Dave Teggart this year, just like he was last year. He should be No. 25 right now.

AA: Teggart was pretty clutch with the game on the line last season.

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newarklax24: A placekicker in the top 25. That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

AA: Let me know how dumb it is when your team loses a game on a last-second kick.

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uconnhuskies1995: The league's best OT Mike Ryan should have been on this list.

AA: I thought long and hard about him.

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Calmteer: Biggest snub was DeDe Lattimore, USF linebacker. Everyone is talking about the USF defense and specifically their linebackers........so how do make a top 25 list and not include a USF linebacker??

AA: Was it DeDe Lattimore or Sam Barrington who got snubbed? Barrington is moving positions, last I saw. These guys are good, yes, but they did not make any watch lists and have a ways to go to live up to their potential.

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LeavittyJim: AA, you're an idiot. I'm not even going to waste my time dignifying this with a response. The only reason I came to the blog was because I still follow on Twitter for some reason.

AA: Well, I guess you wasted your time.

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tampbabe67: She has shown nothing but hate towards USF. She won't openly say it, but she lives in Orlando...pretty much sums up some of the things she says about USF. USF has one of the best collections of talent in the conference and we put ONE player on the list. She is an idiot.

AA: Yup, those stories on Ryne Giddins, Chaz Hine, Armando Sanchez, B.J. Daniels and Skip Holtz = pure hatred.

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Any in Atlanta: Really disappointed by your lack of knowledge on the Big East. To have BJ Daniels listed as the top USF player and the only player in the top 25 shows you don't take your job seriously. I come the this blog everyday and wont be for much longer.

AA: Not to compare with others, but I think Athlon Sports had ... wait for it ... ZERO USF players in its Top 25. I guess they don't take their job seriously, either.

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BearcatTuba: I see a lot of USF fans complaining about the number of players on this list. Remember, a good team is made of just that a team, and individual stars can only carry you so far in a sport like football. We (Cincy fans) thought the same thing when BB did his post season list in 2009. UC maybe had 3 guys in the top 25 and it seem odd since UC was a great team that year, and a lot of fans thought we got snubbed that year. But look at the team, besides (Tony) Pike, (Mardy) Gilyard, and (Armon) Binns (maybe) who on that team was a star? Take consolation that she has you ranked as a team at third and look at it like you have a great team that knows how to pull together in the game.

AA: Indeed.

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wvrobo304: Keith Tandy should be top 5 and and Joe Madsen should be somewhere in the teens as well. Stedman Bailey made some big plays last year but I want to see a little more. I can understand him getting overlooked. I think that USF not getting much love from AA is kind of unrealistic. They're always underrated.

AA: We'll see what happens at the end of the season!

Every league team will release its depth chart at some point this week with the season upon us. The Pitt two-deep came out this morning with few surprises.

• There is no decision yet on backup quarterback. Behind Tino Sunseri, Pitt lists Trey Anderson OR Mark Myers.
• There still is some uncertainty at linebacker. Max Gruder or Tristan Roberts will start on the weak side, while Todd Thomas or Andrew Taglianetti will start at strong side. Taglianetti also plays safety.
• Justin Hargrove could be in danger of losing his starting job at defensive end. The depth chart lists Hargrove OR Aaron Donald as the starter there. That is not much of a surprise. Donald had an excellent offseason and fall camp.
• Who is the backup behind Ray Graham? Zach Brown, Corey Davis and Malcolm Crockett are all listed as options at No. 2.
• K'Waun Phillips and Antwuan Reed are listed as the starting cornerbacks.
• Kevin Harper will be the place-kicker.
• The return jobs are still up in the air. At kick returner, it will be either Davis or Buddy Jackson. At punt returner, it will be either Ronald Jones or Cameron Saddler.
• Plenty of true freshmen will get opportunities. Ten true freshmen are listed on the two-deep: Jones, Anderson, Crockett, Davis, running back Isaac Bennett, safety Lafayette Pitts, safety Lloyd Carrington, linebacker LaQuentin Smith, linebacker Ejuan Price and nose tackle Khaynin Mosley-Smith.

Nearly every Big East team has broken fall camp. So what are the unanswered questions remaining with less than two weeks before the season begins? Next up in my team-by-team look is Pitt.

1. Offensive line shuffling. The Panthers had quite a bit of movement on their offensive line throughout fall camp as they try to replace center Alex Karabin and left tackle Jason Pinkston. Chris Jacobson had been practicing at center in the spring, but now it appears he is moving back to left guard and Ryan Turnley will be at center. Left tackle will be Juantez Hollins, a redshirt sophomore who has never played in a game. Jordan Gibbs has moved to right tackle and Lucas Nix to right guard. Tackle Greg Gaskins and guard Cory King will still be very much in the mix. But given how much this line was moved around during camp, there could be more tinkering ahead.

2. Inside linebacker up for grabs. Coach Todd Graham maintains that Shane Gordon, Tristan Roberts and Max Gruder are all starters. But only two will be in the lineup each week. It appears Gordon and Roberts may be interchangeable, depending on who the Panthers play. Redshirt freshman Todd Thomas will start at spur linebacker and has impressed the coaches with the way he practiced during fall camp.

3. Is Kevin Harper the real deal? Pitt has to replace Dan Hutchins, who was an All-Big East selection in 2009 before slipping a little in 2010. Harper was one of the top kicking prospects in the country in the class of 2008 -- he made a 61-yard field goal in high school to set a state record. He has handled kickoff duties for the Panthers but has been erratic with his field goal kicking. He had a nice fall camp, and now it is his turn to show that he can be the kicker everyone thought he could be when he signed with Pitt.

Here is your Big East preseason all-conference team:

Offense

QB Geno Smith, West Virginia
RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati
RB Ray Graham, Pitt
OG Jeremiah Warren, USF
OG Zack Chibane, Syracuse
C Moe Petrus, UConn
OT Mike Ryan, UConn
OT Don Barclay, West Virginia
TE Ryan Griffin, UConn
WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia
WR Mark Harrison, Rutgers

Defense

DE Brandon Lindsey, Pitt
DE Bruce Irvin, West Virginia
DT Kendall Reyes, UConn
DT Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati
LB JK Schaffer, Cincinnati
LB Sio Moore, UConn
LB Max Gruder, Pitt
CB Keith Tandy, West Virginia
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson, UConn
S Hakeem Smith, Louisville
S Jarred Holley, Pitt

Special teams

K Dave Teggart, UConn
P Pat O'Donnell, Cincinnati
RS Lindsey Lamar, USF

We move on to linebacker rankings in the Big East. Will these cause as much outrage over the defensive line rankings? Let me also add that I am surprised only Max Gruder was named to the Butkus Award watch list. Plenty of other good candidates in the league, though there are questions on nearly every team because some good linebackers are gone.

1. Sio Moore, Connecticut. With Lawrence Wilson gone, expect Moore to emerge as the leader of the linebacker group. He already had a great season in 2010, finishing second on the team with 110 tackles. He also had 11.5 tackles for loss and should be one of the best in the league.

2. J.K. Schaffer, Cincinnati. Schaffer was a second-team All Big East selection last season after finishing second in the league in tackles with 111. In fact, he has posted back-to-back 100 tackle seasons. He was one of the bright spots on the Bearcats defense and should be even better in 2011.

3.Max Gruder, Pitt. The only player from the Big East under consideration for the Butkus Award, Gruder has 175 combined tackles over the past two years. Pitt is moving to a 3-4 and he will be on the weakside this season. The Panthers need a good season out of him.

4. Najee Goode, West Virginia. The Mountaineers lost many of their best players at linebacker, but at least Goode returns to anchor the unit. As a senior and most experienced player, he is in line to have a breakout season and be a leader of this group.

5. Sam Barrington, USF. Barrington had his best season yet in 2010. He finished right behind DeDe Lattimore in tackles on the team with 65.

6. DeDe Lattimore, USF. The Lattimore-Barrington duo put USF atop the team linebacker rankings, so here they are in back-to-back positions here in the player rankings. Lattimore finished second on the team in tackles in a season that got him Freshman All-America honors in one publication.

7. Marquis Spruill, Syracuse. Spruill had a breakout freshman season last year, with 51 tackles, two tackles and seven tackles for loss in 13 starters. Just a true sophomore, he will be the veteran of the starting unit because of heavy losses the Orange took at this position.

8. Dexter Heyman, Louisville. Heyman was transformed when Charlie Strong took over as head coach. He moved to linebacker and had the best season of his career. He should be even better this year, especially when you consider he is one of the hardest workers on the team.

9. Steve Beauharnais, Rutgers. Beauharnais is the top returning tackler for the Scarlet Knights after finishing third on the team last season. But he has been moved from the middle to the strong side, where he will be able to contribute in the pass rush.

10. Khaseem Greene, Rutgers. Greene has moved from free safety to linebacker, and he should help shore up the entire linebacker group. But the big question is how well he does in the transition.

Previous rankings:

• Offensive linemen
• Wide receivers
• Running backs
• Tight ends
• Quarterbacks
• Defensive line