ESPN College Football

Time to continue our series looking at which players need to step up their games in order for their teams to have success in the postseason. We turn our attention now to the Syracuse Orange, who take on Kansas State in the Dec. 30 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The player who's on the spot is:

Strong safety Shamarko Thomas. Kansas State has a terrific running game led by Daniel Thomas, and that will likely require some safety help for the Orange. Syracuse's Thomas has played well this season, but he often split time with senior Max Suter. Suter will miss the bowl game because of an injured shoulder, so it's all on Thomas to deliver at Yankee Stadium. The way the Syracuse offense performed down the stretch, it will need its defense to dominate the action.

• Syracuse won't have safety Max Suter for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, and running back Averin Collier is gone from the program.

• To hardly anyone's surprise, Barry Brunetti is transferring from West Virginia. That means both quarterbacks the Mountaineers signed in February, Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson, have left the team. But West Virginia still has Geno Smith for two more years.

• UConn won't be getting any financial windfall from its first BCS appearance.
• The quarterback of Pitt's bowl opponent found some trouble with the law.

• A look at what joining the Big East means for TCU.

• Cincinnati handed out some team awards.

CINCINNATI -- Yes, it's Halloween weekend, and yes, Syracuse's mascot is an orange spheroid.

But, no, this is not the story of the Great Pumpkin.

These Orange can no longer be discounted as an October tall tale. They are, in fact, for real -- and pointing toward a big November.

Incontrovertible proof arrived Saturday at what used to be a haunted house for Big East visitors: Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium. Two years ago, Syracuse trudged out of here a 20-point loser in the last game of the Greg Robinson era as giddy Bearcats fans pelted the field with oranges.

Midway through the fourth quarter this time, orange was again the dominant color scheme, but only because the visiting fans dotted the otherwise empty stands. The longtime league basement dweller ushered in a new Big East world order with a 31-7 humbling of the two-time defending league champs.

"Yeah, I remember," senior safety Max Suter said when asked about the last trip here. "It was a terrible feeling. They knew they were going to win and everybody brought their oranges. I feel like people aren't going to do that anymore."

It's no longer even safe to schedule your homecoming around the Orange visit. Once mere parade dressing, Syracuse has spoiled three other teams' fall celebrations in a row (South Florida, West Virginia and Cincinnati) while winning its first three league road games for the first time since 2001. More importantly, the Orange improved to 6-2 overall to guarantee the school's first non-losing season since 2004.

"This is the most games I've ever won in college," senior linebacker Derrell Smith said. "We may be approaching the most games I've won throughout my college career. It feels great to go out with a bang."

The bang could get louder. The Orange have already navigated what looked like the most difficult portion of the schedule, and here is how the closing stretch shapes up: Home games against Louisville (4-4), Connecticut (4-4) and Boston College (3-5) with the lone road game at Rutgers (4-3). Who's to say that Syracuse can't win all of those?

"I don't want this dream to end," defensive tackle Bud Tribbey said.

Neither did the small but giddy Syracuse contingent who stuck around in their seats long after the game to cheer players and coaches exiting the locker room. When head coach Doug Marrone emerged to talk to the media, the fans shouted, "We love Doug!" Marrone quickly retreated back up the visitors' tunnel, seeming uncomfortable by the adulation.

The second-year head coach has worked wonders at his alma mater, but he's not embracing the success yet. He remained reserved in his postgame comments, allowing only that the sixth win was a "step in the right direction."

"We haven't accomplished anything," he said. "We have a long way to go and a lot of improvement to make, and we can make it. We're a 6-2 football team trying to fight and scratch and get another win."

Perhaps Marrone realizes how amazing this turnaround has been. The program is still so low in numbers and depth that the team hasn't practiced in full pads for the past several weeks, fearing injury.

Defense has carried them this far. The Orange limited the Big East's top scoring team to one score Saturday, a week after shutting out West Virginia for the final 46 minutes. They've held Big East road opponents an average of 10 points per game.

And after years of suffering, Syracuse seems to be catching some breaks.

Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros, whom Orange defensive coordinator Scott Shafer called his "favorite player in the league" sat out with a bruised knee, and replacement Chazz Anderson couldn't replicate his production. Balls are bouncing the Orange's way, too; they picked up two Cincinnati fumbles Saturday, and when fullback Adam Harris lost the ball on the goal line, center Ryan Bartholomew fell on it for a touchdown.

When the Bearcats drove down the field to start the second half and threatened to make the score 17-14, Anderson inexplicably threw the ball straight to Smith. He returned it 60 yards, setting up yet another short field for the offense -- four of the team's five scoring drives began in Cincinnati territory. Syracuse capitalized by scoring its most points this year against an FBS opponent.

Are the Orange for real? They're real enough for this year's Big East. Cincinnati has lost its edge, dropping to 3-5 and at severe risk of missing the postseason. West Virginia has lost two straight and is tied for last place. Only Pitt has outplayed Syracuse in Big East action, and the Panthers' 45-14 win in the Carrier Dome gives them a virtual two-game cushion in the league standings.

This is a team playing with passion, physicality and confidence, and the upperclassmen say Marrone has instilled a togetherness they've never before experienced.

"Words can't even explain it," Suter said. "It's awesome that this team came from what it was to what it is right now. It's awesome. Just awesome."

And it's a story you can now safely believe in.

• Changes to the Cincinnati line have helped the offense get moving.

• Max Suter is a speeding bullet for Syracuse.

• Ray Graham and Dion Lewis will continue to split carries.

• Tom Savage is preparing to be the backup quarterback for Rutgers.

• West Virginia has to do a better job of stopping B.J. Daniels. Then again, Daniels isn't the same player right now.

• Thursdays have not been kind to South Florida.

• It's time for Louisville fans to answer the challenge.

• UConn has a lot to prove in the second half of the season.

Syracuse

Schedule: Practice starts at 5 p.m. Monday. First day in pads is Friday afternoon.

What’s new: Head coach Doug Marrone is officially his own offensive coordinator, though he recently announced that quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett will call the plays on game days. Sophomore Ryan Nassib is the starting quarterback, succeeding Greg Paulus.

Sidelined: Leading rusher Delone Carter is suspended from school and must reapply to the university for the fall semester before he can return.

Key battle: The secondary is one area where the Orange are deep and experienced. Coming out of the spring, Shamarko Tomas and Max Suter were listed as co-starters at strong safety, while Phillip Thomas and Kevyn Scott were even at one of the cornerback spots.

New on the scene: Junior-college import Deon Goggins could have an immediate impact on the defensive line. Another juco, Michael Hay, is pushing for a starting job on the offensive line. Hofstra transfer Aaron Weaver could help a young receiving corps.

Breaking out: Someone needs to step up and become a major playmaker at receiver. Can sophomore Alec Lemon take that leap? Also keep an eye on defensive end Chandler Jones, who could be primed for a breakout year.

Don’t forget about: Punter Rob Long is an All-American candidate. His ability to reverse field position should not be overlooked.

All eyes on: The running back situation. With Carter out until at least the tail end of camp, and Averin Collier potentially ineligible, Antwon Bailey is the lone experienced back on the roster right now.

Quoting: "I know that there is a time clock on me from when I was hired. We have to get this team to a bowl game and back up to everyone’s expectations. There is a lot of pressure, yes, but it is something I chose and we all chose.” --Doug Marrone

It's time to get back to our post-spring rankings of each Big East position group. A lot of teams have question marks in their secondaries heading into this summer; let's look at how they stand in comparison to one another:

1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers play five defensive backs in their 3-3-5 alignment and should be well stocked for 2010. Safety Robert Sands should compete for league defensive player of the year honors if he continues his rapid development, while senior Sidney Glover is an experienced playmaker at one of the other safety spots. West Virginia needs Brandon Hogan to rediscover his form and for Keith Tandy to keep improving, and this could be one of the team's strongest units.

2. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights lost the best cornerback in the Big East when Devin McCourty took his skills to the NFL, but I still like the group that's returning. Joe Lefeged should step up and assume McCourty's leadership role as a senior safety, while Khaseem Greene looks ready to become a front-line safety. David Rowe is a solid corner, and either Brandon Bing or Logan Ryan should fill the other spot. The Scarlet Knights have a lot of talented young players here to provide quality depth, as well.

3. Syracuse: The Orange officially have five returning starters in the secondary because of injuries last year, and several players gained valuable experience during 2009. There's a good mixture of veteran leadership with guys like seniors Mike Holmes, Da'Mon Merkerson and Max Suter as well as rising stars like Shamarko Thomas and Phillip Thomas.

4. Pittsburgh: Antwuan Reed helped answer a big question with a strong spring at cornerback. The other corner spot will likely be filled by either junior college transfer Saheed Imoru or Buddy Jackson, with Ricky Gary around to add depth. The safety position should be in good shape when Dom DeCicco and Andrew Taglianetti return from their injuries, while Jarred Holley established himself as a dependable safety last year.

5. South Florida: The Bulls lost a pair of draft picks in Nate Allen and Jerome Murphy and have some young players moving into key roles this season. The good news is those youngsters have talent. The key will be whether Quenton Washington and Kayvon Webster can hold down the cornerback spots.

6. Cincinnati: There's healthy competition in the secondary for the Bearcats, who increasingly gave up big plays in the passing game as the 2009 season wore on. Dominique Battle, Camerron Cheatham, Chris Williams and Reuben Johnson all vied for playing time at corner this spring. Drew Frey is a steady safety. The group needs to make more plays than it did a year ago but should embrace a more aggressive scheme this year.

7. Connecticut: The Huskies ranked last in pass defense last season and lost two senior stalwarts from the secondary. The defensive backfield was in disarray at times this spring. The return of Blidi Wreh-Wilson from his shoulder injury this summer should help out the cornerback spot with Dwayne Gratz. Jerome Junior should be solid at one safety spot, while Kijuan Dabney is trying to win the other job after moving from linebacker. The Huskies are counting on a lot of young players to improve quickly before the season begins.

8. Louisville: The Cardinals had so much trouble finding playmakers in the secondary this spring that running back Darius Ashley moved to corner to help out. Johnny Patrick is one of the league's better cornerbacks but needs help in the defensive backfield. The healthy return of safety Terence Simien would provide a boost, but this remains a trouble spot heading into the fall.

This the second part of my interview with Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone. You can read the first part here.

Let's talk about the defense, starting up front. You lost a great player in the middle in Arthur Jones but you have both starting defensive ends back. How do you see that position this spring?

Doug Marrone: At the ends we have Mikhail Marinovich and Chandler Jones, and they have a lot of experience playing. Chandler Jones is a very talented player and Marinovich, he's a long kid with good speed, good leverage, a very quick kid. Torrey Ball came over from junior college last year and added some depth. Jarred Kimmel is not participating in the spring but he's played a lot and he'll come back in the fall. So those players have some experience.

On the inside, Andrew Lewis played a lot for us. Bud Tribbey stepped up and played well. It's hard to replace a player like Arthur Jones, though. Anthony Perkins played some and we have some junior college kids coming in and some freshmen who should add depth to the inside position. Ollie Haney played for us in short-yardage situations, and we'll see if he can play more in normal downs. So we have some players there and we have some coming in. But you don't want to be sitting here saying, we've got a kid coming in here, a kid coming in there and then you're banking on that. You go to that well too many times and it's hard to run a program that way.

At linebacker, you have two of your best playmakers back in Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue. You must feel pretty good about that spot.

DM: I do. Having Derrell Smith back in the middle and the year he had was very good for us. It's interesting because a year ago at this time when we started spring, he made the move from outside to inside and, really, he struggled early on in the spring. And really of all of sudden, for lack of a better term, the light goes off for him and he really excelled within the structure of the defense. He really had a solid year with some postseason honors, and we expect the same from him this year. Doug Hogue, he was the third or fourth team running back when we first got here. And he broke the tackles for loss in a game record held by Dwight Freeney, which is pretty darn good. And he's another big kid who can run.

So they've had a year in our system to develop, and that will help them. Ryan Gillum is at the other outside position, and we'll see what he can do. And we've got kids coming in and kids here now who'll come in and compete at those positions.

What about the secondary? You had a lot of young kids get experience there a year ago and now it seems like you have some pretty good depth there.

DM: Yeah, we do. Phillip Thomas as a freshman, he played quite a bit, and he can play safety or corner for us. Mike Holmes has been a solid player for us in the secondary along with Max Suter. Then, obviously, Shamarko Thomas had a great year for us back there. Da'Mon Merkerson played the other corner and Kevyn Scott is there at corner. So it's a good competition back there. I think the competition can really help them. We'll be able to have some versatility because there are about three or four players who can play the nickel position, too.

You talked earlier about the seven mid-year enrollees. How many do you think will have a chance to make an immediate impact

DM: The kids who came from high school, it's a little bit tougher for them. But they'll have the experience of going through spring and our six-week program as far as weight lifting and running. The junior college guys are physically ready; it's a matter of how they compete and how they handle it. Michael Hay can help us on the offensive line. Olando Fisher, whether its at linebacker, defensive back or on special teams, can help us right away. Then there are the two kids from Hofstra. I mentioned Aaron Weaver. Jose Cruz also came in and can help us at tight end.

Do you anticipate any position changes, like Mike Jones or Doug Hogue pulled off last year?

DM: Not right now. Right now, we're pretty much set as far as where guys are playing, whether it's the offensive line or the secondary or things like that. We just want to see them compete and then we're trying to play the best player. We might have three good corners and one is better than the starting safety, so you've got to make a decision to get the kid on the field somehow. It's no different than the offensive line. If your third or fourth best lineman is a backup right tackle, you've got to get him on the field somehow. We have to have some type of diversity to play those players, and that's what we'll look out when we start practice.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Hop in the DeLorean and rev it up to 88 mph. It's time to look back at Week 10 in the Big East:

Team of the week: Cincinnati. There was plenty not to like defensively, but the Bearcats put up a convenience store (711) in total yards and survived against UConn in a weekend when other Top 10 teams fell by the wayside.

Best game: Going to go out on a limb here and say the little ol', run-of-the-mill, 47-45 game at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.

Biggest play: Isaiah Pead's 14-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 with 1:52 left gave Cincinnati a 47-38 lead. Brian Kelly never hesitated about going for it, knowing the way UConn was shredding his defense. And the Huskies very nearly made the stop, as safety Robert Vaughn had Pead in his sights. But the sophomore running back juked past Vaughn and kept on running into the end zone. Funny enough, Kelly said the goal was for Pead to get the first down and fall down so Cincinnati could kneel out the clock. But the Bearcats happily settled for the touchdown.

Best call: I'm actually giving this to a player. At the end of the first half, Cincinnati was trying for a field goal when Zach Collaros bobbled the snap. The quarterback, who turned a similar play into a touchdown pass a week earlier at Syracuse, rose up and threw the ball away, taking an intentional grounding penalty. That actually turned out to be a terrific decision, because Cincinnati got another chance at the kick, and Jake Rogers nailed it. Those three points wound up making a huge difference.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): I never thought Tony Pike could get Wally Pipp-ed. Now I'm wondering how Kelly takes Collaros out of the lineup. The sophomore set a new Big East record with 555 yards of total offense against UConn, including 480 passing yards and three total touchdowns. And this was his third collegiate start.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia's Julian Miller had six tackles, three sacks and a pass break-up to help the Mountaineers hold off Louisville 17-9. Miller had two straight sacks of Will Stein when the Cardinals were threatening to tie the game.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): UConn's Robert McClain helped the Huskies get back in the game with an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Worst hangover: Syracuse. There's no shame in losing at Pitt, which is as hot as any team in the country right now. But the Orange have problems. They took just 55 scholarship players to Heinz Field, and left with safety Max Suter and tight end Cody Catalina suffering season-ending injuries. The passing game is a mess without Mike Williams. Syracuse was 3-4 after seven games and still in the hunt for postseason. If the Orange don't win at Louisville this week, they may not win another game this year..

Strangest moment: I know this actually happened because I witnessed it first hand, but I still have a hard time believing it.

On the first series of the fourth quarter, Cincinnati faced a third-and-8. Collaros tried to run for the first down on what appeared to be a quarterback draw. The play got blown up early, and he only gained three yards. Then came the absurdity: a large smattering of boos actually emanated from the home crowd. Yes, that's right. Bearcats fans were booing an offense that had generated 657 total yards at that point. Just goes to show how quickly a fan base can get spoiled. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody started a FireBrianKelly.com site after that play.

Now let's g0 back to the future and preview a very appetizing Week 11 (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):

No. 25 West Virginia (7-2, 3-1 Big East) at No. 5 Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0): Is this the Mountaineers' last stand? Without a win at Nippert Stadium, West Virginia will be officially eliminated from the Big East race. (8 p.m. Friday, ESPN2)

Notre Dame (6-3) at No. 12 Pittsburgh (8-1, 5-0): If Notre Dame hadn't spit the bit against Navy, this would have been a heavily-hyped game that maybe would have brought the "GameDay" gang to Heinz Field. Instead, Pitt is the big dog here and must dispatch a desperate Irish team. (8 p.m., TV TBA)

No. 24 South Florida (6-2, 2-2) at Rutgers (6-2, 1-2): The Bulls want to show that they are back on track. Rutgers wants to show that it has turned the corner this season. They'll have a Thursday night crowd watching. (7:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN)

Syracuse (3-6, 0-4) at Louisville (3-6, 0-4): The Big East's Basement Bowl. Feel the excitement?

Bye: Connecticut

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Like Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy, let's embark on a retreat to move forward. Rewind time ...

Team of the week: Cincinnati. For the second time in two weeks, the Bearcats take this honor. And who could argue after the Bearcats broke Oregon State's 13-year nonconference winning streak at home with a wildly impressive 28-18 victory in Corvallis.

Best game: Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34. It had all the requisite drama, big plays on both sides and a field goal to end it. Plus, it was the Orange's first win under Doug Marrone.

Biggest play: Max Suter's interception of Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka in the final minute not only prevented a potential winning Wildcats drive, but his return to the Northwestern 39 set up his team for the game-winning field goal.

Best call: Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike spotted an advantageous coverage and changed the play at the line of scrimmage on second and nine from the Oregon State 19 in the fourth quarter. The result: a touchdown pass to Mardy Gilyard. That stopped an Oregon State rally that had cut the score to 21-18.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Pike. With apologies to Mike Williams and Greg Paulus of Syracuse, Pike just had more to deal with, including the crowd noise at Reser Stadium and Oregon State's pressure package. He calmly directed the Cincinnati offense while passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns and even running for a score.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Dan Mason, LB, Pittsburgh. The true freshman stepped in at middle linebacker when Adam Gunn was a late injury scratch, and Mason collected a team-high 11 tackles and two sacks against Navy. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt raved about this kid in the preseason, and we found out why.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Ryan Lichtenstein, K, Syracuse.The true freshman was a walk-on until the final week of fall practice, when Marrone awarded him a scholarship. Lichtenstein earned his tuition money by making four field goals, including the 41-yard game winner with no time left, against Northwestern.

Worst Hangover: West Virginia (six turnovers in loss at Auburn) and South Florida (losing Matt Grothe) have bitter feelings this morning. But I'm going to go with Louisville, which had every chance in the world to end its losing streak to arch rival Kentucky but still found a way to come up short. Steve Kragthorpe let the frustration show in his postgame news conference, saying he was "freaking sick" about the loss, warning reporters not to blame Trent Guy for his muffed punt or he wouldn't talk to them and using a three-letter synonym for donkey several times. That's a coach and a program that badly needed a win.

Strangest moment: Navy punter Kyle Delahooke bobble a snap at his own 38-yard line, then for some reason tried to kick the ball while it was on the ground. That's a 15-yard penalty for illegal kicking. Pitt got the ball on the 15 and needed four more plays to score for a 21-7 lead.

OK, now let's do some forward-thinking. Some of these games don't look as interesting as they did in the preseason, but the Big East still has three dates against the ACC and has a chance to gain a little more respect. Games listed in descending order of interest and importance:

South Florida (3-0) at Florida State (2-1): It sure looked like the Bulls would have a chance to win this first-ever meeting just a week ago, before Grothe's injury and after the Seminoles struggled to escape against Jacksonville State. Then FSU blew the doors off BYU and now will face a first-time starting quarterback for USF.

Pitt (3-0) at NC State (2-1): The Wolfpack have beaten two FCS teams since their opening loss to South Carolina. NC State lost to both Rutgers and South Florida last year, and Pitt will look to keep that Big East winning streak going.

Rutgers (2-1) at Maryland (1-2): The Terrapins lost to Middle Tennessee State a week after needing overtime to get by James Madison. Rutgers hasn't put it all together yet, but this is one the Scarlet Knights should be able to win.

Fresno State (1-2) at Cincinnati (3-0): You have to wonder how much the Bulldogs have left in the tank after consecutive tough losses to Wisconsin and Boise State. Cincinnati won't show much mercy, but Ryan Matthews could give Fresno State a chance.

Louisville (1-1) at Utah (2-1): It's a very difficult assignment for the Cardinals, but the Utes haven't looked nearly as imposing in 2009 as they did in 2008. Still, they'll be hungry to break their first losing streak in over a year.

Maine (2-1) at Syracuse (1-2): The Orange gun for their first two-game winning streak since 2006. Wait, is that a typo? 2006?!

Rhode Island (1-1) at Connecticut (2-1): Rhode Island's starting quarterback is Rutgers transfer Chris Paul-Etienne. If that doesn't get you excited for this matchup, I don't know what will.

Bye: West Virginia (2-1)

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Congratulations to Syracuse, which just beat Northwestern on a last-second field goal by freshman Ryan Lichtenstein to win 37-34.

It's the first win under Doug Marrone for the Orange and a nice reward for a team that played hard in its first two games against Minnesota and Penn State. Northwestern was missing a lot of starters on defense, and Greg Paulus and Mike Williams took advantage.

The hero, though, might be safety Max Suter. He grabbed an interception and returned it to about the Northwestern 40 with 58 seconds left to set up the winning score.

Another good win for the Big East in what is turning out to be a banner day for the league. Can West Virginia top it off?

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Several individual career Big East records could be broken in 2009, many of them by the same guy. Here's a look at the career individual records that are in the most danger:

• Total yards: South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe needs 288 more yards to break Pat White's record.
• Total touchdowns responsible for: Grothe needs 34 to break White's mark.
• Pass completions: Grothe needs 61 completions to pass Ryan Hart.
• Passing yards: Grothe needs 1,800 yards to pass Brian Brohm,
• Interceptions: Grothe is 10 short of Hart's record.
• Punting yards: Syracuse's Rob Long needs 569 more yards to eclipse Mike Barr
• Kickoff returns: Syracuse's Max Suter will break Will Blackmon's record with 16 more returns.
• Kickoff return yards: Suter will break Blackmon's mark with 469 more yards
• Kickoffs returned for touchdowns: Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard can pass Kevin Johnson with three more touchdowns.
• Sacks: South Florida's George Selvie needs 11 more to break Cornell Brown's mark.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

This is the final installment of our pre-spring checkups on how each Big East team is feeling about its position groups. Teams will know a lot more starting next week, as Louisville hits the practice field Sunday and South Florida and Rutgers start spring ball on Tuesday.

On to the cornerback situations, where no team can be 100 percent confident right now but some are feeling better than others:

Feeling pretty good:

• Connecticut: Darius Butler is off the to NFL, but the Huskies played well when he was hurt late in the year. Jasper Howard has the talent to become a star cornerback in this league. Sophomore Jonathan Jean-Louis will have to replace Dahna Deleston at safety.

• Pittsburgh: The good news for Pitt is three of four starters are back. The bad news is they didn't play all that well collectively at times last year. Aaron Berry has the ability to be a lot better and more consistent at corner. Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields could man the safety spots with Eric Thatcher gone.

• West Virginia: Thursday's announcement that starting safety Quinton Andrews isn't coming back dealt a blow to this unit, which is already replacing Ellis Lankster at quarterback. On the plus side, there's a lot of talent on hand, including Brandon Hogan at corner and Robert Sands, who played free safety as a true freshman. And the incoming recruiting class included several defensive backs.

Some questions:

• Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights have to replace their best cornerback (Jason McCourty) and best safety (Courtney Greene) from last year's team. McCourty's twin brother, Devin, is back for his senior year, and Joe Lefeged and Zaire Kitchen can ably man the safety spots. This is a unit that needs to come up with more turnovers, however.

• Syracuse: The Orange need new starters at both safety spots, though junior Max Suter got some time there late in the year and performed well. Both corners are back in Mike Holmes and Kevyn Scott. As a whole, the position was mostly unremarkable in 2008.

Big questions:

• Cincinnati: Three of the best defensive backs in the league -- Mike Mickens, DeAngelo Smith and Brandon Underwood -- are all gone. Safety Aaron Webster is the only returning starter on the entire defense. The Bearcats will need youngsters like sophomore Dominique Battle to take charge in the spring and beyond.

• Louisville: Johnny Patrick is a solid corner with a nose for the ball, while Karldell Dunning is mostly untested at the other corner spot. The return of Richard Raglin from injury bolsters the safety position. But the Cardinals have almost no depth here, especially at corner, and we saw what happened when injuries ravaged their secondary last year for the Rutgers game.

• South Florida: The Bulls' defensive backfield had a disappointing season in 2008 and repeatedly got burned for big plays in conference games. The team's best corner, senior Jerome Murphy, is back, along with starting safety Nate Allen, and Quenton Washington contributed as a redshirt freshman last year. New defensive coordinator Joe Tresey will coach the secondary, too, and he had a lot of success at Cincinnati with his DB's. Perhaps he can get this group righted.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

In Greg Robinson's postgame news conference after last week's loss to Connecticut, the embattled Syracuse coach tried to paint an optimistic picture of the future. One of the players he singled out as a reason for hope was sophomore Max Suter.

Suter has been known for his special teams prowess. Last year, he set an NCAA single-season record for kickoff return yardage (partly a result of Syracuse's terrible defense) and averaged 25.5 yards per return.

But Suter proved he was more than just a kickoff specialist against UConn. Pressed into service at free safety after senior Bruce Williams got hurt, Suter had a career-best seven tackles, including two for loss and his first career sack.

"I've been waiting a long time to get in there and show what I can do," he said. "I just did what I'd been taught. It was pretty exciting."

Suter could be in line for his first career start at Notre Dame if Williams -- who was on crutches after the UConn loss -- can't go.

"Max is the type of guy in practice who's flying all over the place," senior linebacker Jake Flaherty said. "He practices at the same tempo he does in the game. He really plays the game with passion."

Suter also made another big special-teams play against UConn, blocking a punt that was recovered in the end zone for a Syracuse touchdown. He could be busy on special teams and on defense at Notre Dame, which will challenge the Orange secondary with Jimmy Clausen and Co.

"We've been waiting for this game for a while," Suter said. "The guys are pretty psyched up."

Robinson won't be back next year, but maybe Suter can be part of a brighter future for Syracuse.

"I can't want to come back here in two years and see how guys like him have developed," Flaherty said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

They're 2-8 and their head coach has been fired. But Syracuse's players say they're not ready to give up on the season yet.

About 24 hours after Greg Robinson was dismissed on Sunday afternoon, the Orange were back on the practice field, trying to put that out of their minds and get ready for this week's game at Notre Dame.

"To tell you the truth, I thought maybe it would be a distraction, but we might have had our best two practices of the year so far," safety Max Suter said on Wednesday.

Robinson will coach the team's final two games, and he has said he wants the focus to be on those contests and not him. He made sure his players knew that this week.

"He's approached practice like it was the first one of the year as far as enthusiasm goes," linebacker Jake Flaherty said. "He's coaching us really hard and is going to stay with us to the end."

The team would love nothing more than to give Robinson a proper send-off by pulling off the upset Saturday and/or at Cincinnati in two weeks.

"Definitely," Suter said. "There are a lot of guys here that really care about coach Robinson and who came here to play under him. It's unfortunate that he ran out of time. People here are looking to get this for him and for the other coaches."

Though there aren't many tangible goals to play for this week, motivation hasn't been too difficult. The Orange are going to play in South Bend on national TV. This is like their bowl game.

"Any bowl you might make, besides the BCS, it would be tough to get an environment that compares to Notre Dame's environment," Flaherty said. "So I think we are treating it like that."

The Orange will be heavy underdogs on the road, but the rest of the Big East will be rooting for them. If they can beat Notre Dame, that could knock the Irish out of contention for taking the conference's spot in the Gator Bowl. Notre Dame is 6-4 with a game remaining at Southern Cal, and the Gator Bowl might have a difficult time justifying a berth for a 6-6 Irish team that lost to two Big East squads. Pittsburgh won in South Bend earlier this season.

Not that Syracuse is too concerned about all that. The Orange just hope to gain something positive out of this season, both for their departing coach and for themselves.