ESPN College Football

There's a dinosaur knocking at my door.

• Cincinnati produces draft talent despite low recruiting rankings.
• UConn offensive tackle Mike Ryan talks about signing as a free agent with Cincinnati.
• A fan's take on Rutgers' spring game.
• Is Chandler Jones the next Jason Pierre-Paul?
• Several high school prospects in the Central Florida area have caught the eye of Big East schools. Another one, defensive end Devin Washington out of Orlando, lists USF as one of his top 10 schools.
• Here is an update on the top uncommitted defensive backs in the class of 2013, including Vernon Hargreaves III.

So where do Big East players project in the draft?

Scouts Inc. expert Todd McShay has put together his own draft board , similar to what NFL teams use when they determine when to draft specific players. The chart lists players by position, and assigned to the round that corresponds to his draft grade. Here are where the Big East players stand on offense:

Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse: first round

Kendall Reyes, DT, UConn: second round

Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati: third round

Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple: third round

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers: third round

Phillip Thomas, S, Syracuse: third round

Adrien Robinson, TE, Cincinnati: fourth round

Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati: fourth round

Brandon Lindsey, LB, Pitt: fifth round

Lucas Nix, OG, Pitt: fifth round

Chas Alecxih, DT, Pitt: sixth round

Justin Francis, DL, Rutgers: sixth round

Nick Provo, TE, Syracuse: sixth round

Desmond Wynn, OG, Rutgers: sixth round

Darrell Scott, RB, USF: seventh round

Evan Rodriguez, RB, Temple: seventh round

Mike Ryan, OT, UConn: seventh round

Alex Hoffman, OT, Cincinnati: seventh round

Antwuan Reed, DB, Pitt: seventh round

Tahir Whitehead, LB, Temple: seventh round

Spring practice is right around the corner. Let's look at some quick snapshots of each team.

CINCINNATI

Spring practice start date: March 1

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Replacing Pead. The biggest position battle looming might be at running back, where Isaiah Pead is gone, leaving a big hole in the offense. Pead won Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors and was the MVP of the Bearcats this past season. Pead and quarterback Zach Collaros combined for 64 percent of the carries and 64 percent of the rushing yards. Cincinnati might go with much more of a rotation this year. George Winn, Jameel Poteat, Ralph David Abernathy IV and a promising group of freshmen all figure to be in the mix.
• Quarterbacks. Collaros is gone, but at least Munchie Legaux and Jordan Luallen have game experience. Coach Butch Jones says the competition is wide-open in the spring, but you can bet that getting timing down with receivers has to be at the top of the agenda for all the quarterbacks. That was really lacking this past season.
• Man in the middle. Linebacker J.K. Schaffer has been the heart of this defense for the past three seasons, getting more than 100 tackles in each of those three campaigns. So who fills his shoes? That is one of the biggest position battles to watch for the Bearcats. Dwight Jackson, Greg Blair, Solomon Tentman and Kevin Hyland are all in the mix this spring.

UCONN

Spring practice start date: March 20

Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• Quarterbacks. We finally get to see how highly touted freshman Casey Cochran looks when he takes his first snaps under center for the Huskies. He is the man many are tabbing as the starter for 2012, so his development beginning in the spring will be huge for the team's prospects in the fall.
• Offensive line. The Huskies have to replace Moe Petrus, who started the past three seasons at center, and Mike Ryan, who's as solid as they come at tackle. Coach Paul Pasqualoni decided to shift coaching responsibilities for the line to offensive coordinator George DeLeone in order to boost this unit. DeLeone's background is primarily in coaching the offensive line, so this move could pay off nicely for the Huskies.
• Improving pass defense. Perhaps more than finding a replacement for Kendall Reyes, improving the pass defense has to be priority No. 1 this spring. The Huskies are losing starting safety Jerome Junior, but there are young players capable of taking over. Having Blidi Wreh-Wilson healthy is obviously huge, but I am guessing that technique, fundamentals and coverages will be emphasized this spring.

LOUISVILLE

Spring practice start date: March 21

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Growing up. Gaining maturity has been a big theme since the season ended. It is only spring practice, but I think coach Charlie Strong wants to get a good sense from his players about their focus. How committed are they to getting to a BCS bowl game? To starting the season as a preseason Top 25 team? To going undefeated? All coaches say championships are won starting in January.
• Young linebackers. Louisville has to find a replacement for Dexter Heyman and gain some depth at the position. So it will be intriguing to see how early-enrollee linebackers Keith Brown and James Burgess do during spring practice and whether they can emerge to be contributors in 2012.
• Kicker/punter. With Chris Philpott gone, there isn’t anyone on the roster with game experience at punter or kicker, so expect a wide-open competition in the spring. Redshirt freshman kicker John Wallace may have an edge, if only because he is on scholarship. Walk-ons Andrew Fletcher and Matthew Nakatani also will get long looks. Ryan Johnson is probably the leader at punter. Incoming freshman Joshua Appleby is talented and will compete when he arrives on campus.

PITT

Spring practice start date: March 15

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Quarterback. At some point, we all must put Tino Sunseri's 2011 season behind him. That has to begin in the spring, when coach Paul Chryst anticipates getting a good look at all his quarterbacks, including Mark Myers and Trey Anderson. This will be the third system in three seasons for Sunseri; can he turn the corner?
• New coaches. How will the Panthers adjust to their new coaches and new scheme? This is Chryst's first head-coaching job, and he's already had to deal with staff reshuffling because two guys he brought in changed their minds and moved on elsewhere. How equipped are he and his new coordinators to handle their roles, and how well do the players buy into their system?
• Offensive line. Bigger problem area -- quarterback or offensive line? The two go hand in hand, and this is one position that clearly has to be addressed. The good news is some young players got experience, and they will leave the spread hurry-up that was not so friendly to the line. The bad news -- still not much in the way of depth or options. We'll see whether the Chryst system that worked so well at Wisconsin works with a group that clearly underachieved in 2011.

RUTGERS

Spring practice start date: March 27

Spring game: April 28

What to watch:

• New staff. Just like Pitt, Rutgers goes into the spring with a new head coach and new offensive coordinator. But there should be much more familiarity for the Scarlet Knights. For one, they are going to continue running a pro-style set, even with a new coordinator. For another, assistant Robb Smith has been elevated to defensive coordinator and will employ the same aggressive 4-3 scheme that Greg Schiano used. Still, Kyle Flood is a first-time head coach and is going to need to get his bearings, to put his own stamp on this program.
• Quarterbacks: Chas Dodd and Gary Nova go into the spring in a competition to earn the starting job. Neither was spectacular last season, but there are those who believe Nova has more room for improvement because he has a stronger arm. He just needs to cut down on his mistakes.
• Receivers stepping up. Last spring might as well have been a coming-out party for receiver Brandon Coleman. But he was virtually silent during the season, as Mohamed Sanu got all the headlines and the catches. With Sanu gone, there remains talent in the receiving corps with guys like Coleman, Mark Harrison and Quron Pratt returning and a group of up-and-coming redshirt freshmen as well. Who is going to step up?

USF

Spring practice start date: March 21

Spring game: April 7 and 14

What to watch:

• Rebound. USF is always a team that looks good on paper and in the early season. But then the usual collapse ensues. What has coach Skip Holtz learned in his first two seasons on the job that will allow him to fix what has continually plagued this team, and how can that be worked on during the spring? Folks will pay attention more than ever because USF has one of the most talented and experienced teams returning.
• New DC. Chris Cosh takes over as defensive coordinator, and one of his first orders of business is making sure he molds his group into a much more passionate but disciplined unit. This group needs a beating heart, and DeDe Lattimore might be the perfect player to step into that role. The bigger question is how these players will adapt to their third coordinator in four years.
• Depth in secondary. The Bulls need to work on depth in the secondary, especially after losing starting safety Jerrell Young and starting cornerback Quenton Washington. That departure in particular means all eyes are going to be on early enrollee Chris Bivins, a four-star cornerback out of Gainesville, Fla. Spring will give him time to really work on bulking up -- he was listed at 166 pounds out of high school.

SYRACUSE

Spring practice start date: March 20

Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• Receivers. There is plenty of opportunity for this group to get better and have somebody emerge this spring. With Alec Lemon sidelined, plenty of young players should be getting reps and a chance to get some rhythm with Ryan Nassib. Watch for Keenan Hale, Kyle Foster and Jarrod West. Still no word on whether Marcus Sales will be reinstated in time for the spring.
• Quarterback. Not necessarily Nassib, but early enrollee Ashton Broyld, a dual-threat QB who played last season at Milford Academy. Coach Doug Marrone already has talked about potentially getting Broyld reps in games as a change-of-pace quarterback, and there are plenty of Orange fans who want to finally see what it is that Broyld can do.
• Defensive line. One area that has to improve is along the defensive front, where Syracuse struggled to get a consistent pass rush. Their best two players are gone in Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich, leaving guys like Micah Robinson and Brandon Sharpe as likely first-teamers in the spring. More help comes in this summer in the form of junior college transfers Zian Jones and Markus Pierce-Brewster.

National signing day is inching ever closer, so it is time to take a look at the biggest recruiting needs for every team in the Big East.

Cincinnati

Defensive line. Cincinnati loses a host of seniors from this position, including Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe, John Hughes, Monte Taylor, and Rob Trigg. Factor in the key contributors for 2012 will be seniors in Dan Giordano, Brandon Mills and Walter Stewart and it is time to reload at this position.

Receiver. There is some promising young talent on the roster, but several guys are going to be leaving in the next few years. The Bearcats really need a guy who can stretch the field and make some big plays to join Anthony McClung and Alex Chisum.

Secondary. The Bearcats are going to take a hit at this position after 2012, losing a ton of seniors-to-be, including Cam Cheatham, Drew Frey, Dominique Battle and Reuben Johnson. Senior safety Wesley Richardson is already gone. The lone four-star commitment the Bearcats have is from a safety, Marcus Foster.

UConn

Quarterback. This need has been addressed in this recruiting cycle, with junior college transfer Chandler Whitmer and Casey Cochran already enrolled in school.

Tight end. With the impending departure of Ryan Griffin and John Delahunt, the Huskies could use another young player to be groomed to take over. Tight end is a critical part of the UConn offense.

Offensive line. UConn is losing its two best linemen in Moe Petrus and Mike Ryan. Of the 16 linemen currently listed on the roster, seven are juniors or seniors. Linemen generally take a redshirt season, so it never hurts to sign more to be able to restock.

Louisville

Linebacker. The Cardinals are losing Dexter Heyman and have a lot of juniors and seniors on their roster at this position. It is no surprise, then, that three of the top players coming in are linebackers -- Keith Brown and James Burgess are already enrolled; four-star recruit Nick Dawson has given a commitment.

Offensive line. Louisville has young players here, but not much depth, as evidenced this season when several true freshmen were forced to play much earlier than anticipated. It never hurts to build depth here, and the Cardinals have gotten a huge commit from four-star guard Abraham Garcia out of Miami.

Running back. This was an area the Cardinals struggled in this season, having to move quarterback Dominique Brown to the position. Victor Anderson is gone, and this team could really used another back to carry the load.

Pitt

Quarterback. This one is pretty self explanatory if you watched Tino Sunseri play. Mark Myers and Trey Anderson are also on the roster, but the Panthers are in definite need here -- which is why so many fans are looking forward to commit Chad Voytik coming to town.

Linebacker. This has been an area of inconsistency for the Panthers, who lose their best player in Max Gruder. There are some young players with talent in Todd Thomas and Ejuan Price, but this position could definitely use an upgrade.

Receiver. The play of the offense was disappointing this season, and that includes the receivers. Pitt could use some players to stretch the field. Ronald Jones was a start this season. But when you consider that Cameron Saddler, Mike Shanahan and Devin Street will all be upperclassmen in 2012, this is a definite area of need.

Rutgers

Receiver. Mohamed Sanu is gone, and Mark Harrison is a senior to be. There is plenty of young talent, but there is a reason Rutgers has commitments from four athletes. This gives the Scarlet Knights the flexibility to try them at receiver or running back, another area of need.

Running back. Once Savon Huggins got hurt this year, Rutgers had Jawan Jamison and Jeremy Deering at running back and that was about it. Depth has to be developed here.

Offensive line. Strides have absolutely been made at this position, but coach Greg Schiano likes to reiterate that the Scarlet Knights aren't going to pull themselves out of the hole they were in overnight. They need another solid draft class at this position to keep building.

USF

Secondary. Injuries and inconsistent play this season showed the Bulls really lacked some depth and need some immediate help in this area, which is why they signed junior college cornerbacks Fidel Montgomery and Josh Brown. One of their top four-star commitments is cornerback Chris Bivins.

Quarterback. Beyond B.J. Daniels, a senior in 2012, the Bulls have Bobby Eveld and Matt Floyd as the two heirs to take over. Eveld has been less than impressive, and we don't know much about Floyd. The Bulls would be served to get another quarterback in as they prepare for the future.

Running back. Darrell Scott is gone, and the Bulls are really in need of a game breaker at this position. Demetris Murray is going to be a senior, and nobody else really has stepped up at the position. Depth has to be built here, because USF goes into spring practice with four running backs on the roster.

Syracuse

Defensive line. The Orange are losing Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich and could really used some difference-makers up front who can help get after the quarterback. Depth is an issue here. One of their big commitments so far has been defensive end Josh Manley out of Georgia.

Secondary. This was one of the weakest parts of the team and now the Orange lose Phillip Thomas and Kevyn Scott, and there was a lack of depth when injuries hit this position in 2011. Brooklyn prep safety Wayne Morgan would be a huge get to add to this unit.

Receiver. Alec Lemon is a senior, Van Chew is gone and who knows what happens with Marcus Sales. The bottom line is the Orange are in major need of a game-changer to turn 15-yard passes into 40-yard receptions.

West Virginia

Quarterback. Geno Smith is a rising senior and after him it is crickets in the form of one player behind him in Paul Millard. So consider this need majorly filled with Ford Childress, ranked No. 139 on the ESPNU 150.

Offensive line. The most inconsistent part of the team in 2011, West Virginia has a major need here. The Mountaineers struggled so badly here they started converted defensive lineman Curtis Feigt late in the season. Don Barclay is gone, and Joe Madsen, Jeff Braun and Josh Jenkins are all upperclassmen.

Defensive line. Julian Miller, Josh Taylor and Bruce Irvin are gone, and there are depth concerns here. West Virginia has four commitments from defensive linemen already.

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.

The pressure has been on UConn quarterback Johnny McEntee. Let's just say the Huskies haven't handled it particularly well.

McEntee has been sacked 12 times in the last two games, leaving quarterback protection one of the big priorities headed into their game against Pitt on Wednesday. UConn has seen more blitzes in those two games against West Virginia and USF because, simply put, it has an inexperienced quarterback.

"I think that's pretty typical," coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "South Florida came in with a couple of new pressures and once we saw them, we got them straightened out on the sideline and at halftime. After that we were fine. Sometimes you have to see those (blitzes) once or twice to figure it out."

UConn has given up an unusual number of sacks already this season. After giving up just 15 last year, the Huskies already have given up 24, second worst in the Big East. It's not as if the Huskies are passing more this season, either. The rush-pass attempts this season are nearly identical to 2010. The Huskies rush about 57 percent of the time this year; last year, it was 58 percent of the time.

There have been changes on the offensive line in regard to scheme, a season-ending injury to starting left tackle Jimmy Bennett, plus a shuffling of players. Four different starting lineups have been used on the offensive line this season. But the same group had started three straight games -- left tackle Mike Ryan, left guard Steve Greene, center Moe Petrus, right guard Adam Masters and right tackle Kevin Friend.

"I thought the offensive line played a pretty physical game against South Florida," he said. "I think they executed very well and there were some good things to see on the film. Hopefully, we are settling in with who we have there. I think [the lineup] is established now and we need to continue to build on the urgency that they played with against South Florida. We need to continue to build on the urgency and the detail and absolutely go out and finish every play."

Though McEntee has taken his share of hits, he slowly is getting better. He also has worked with all his teammates to try to avoid getting hit so much.

"USF did some things I don't think we were ready for," he said. "They had some packages we didn't expect. We need to be prepared to pick up the blitzes this week against Pitt, wherever they come from."

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!

Taking a look at practice around the league:

Cincinnati: Several freshmen have already impressed their teammates. One tradition during fall camp is for the young players to lose the stripes on their helmets when their "big brother" on the team feels they've earned it. On Monday, defensive back Trenier Orr had his stripe removed by Camerron Cheatham and receiver Shaq Washington had his stripe removed by Zach Collaros.

Connecticut: The Huskies have spent time shuffling around players on their offensive line to see who gives them the best fit. The only locks -- tackle Mike Ryan and center Moe Petrus. Everybody else has been shifted.

"We're moving people around, looking at our depth so that guys can play different positions," offensive line coach Mike Foley told the Hartford Courant. "A guy like Gary Bardzak can play both at guard and he can also play center so it gives you that flexibility so you can always get your five best on the field. A guy like Adam Masters who plays tackle but also is playing guard and that allows us, with (tackle) Kevin Friend, to get some work with that first group, move it around and see what our best combination of guys is and really take it from there."

Louisville: Freshman Lorenzo Mauldin has moved from defensive end to tight end. Mauldin was moved to give the Cardinals some bodies at that position because of injuries to Nate Nord and Stephon Ball. Both players are expected to return to practice in the next few days. In another position switch, tight end Jordan Tennyson has moved to defensive end. Receiver Michaelee Harris has been practicing with a soft cast on his thumb, but made a couple of great catches during team work Monday morning.

Pitt: The Panthers are going to go with Ryan Turnley at center and Chris Jacobson at guard, though the two are still competing at center. Coach Todd Graham said during the scrimmage Sunday there were four mishandled snaps, so Turnley has to keep working. Jacobson is getting reps at left guard with the starters and center with the second unit. Graham wants his starting five to play together this week. "We need to get to the point where five guys are repping together constantly as a unit," Graham said. Receiver Cameron Saddler and cornerback K'Waun Williams sat out practice Monday because they were "dinged up." Receiver Devin Street left practice early, but Graham didn't think the injury was serious.

Rutgers: Coach Greg Schiano still wants to see more out of his offensive line, even after an impressive rushing performance in the scrimmage Saturday. "We have to make sure we protect better, continue to protect better. We protected better than we have but not good enough for a game," Schiano said. Running back Jawan Jamison (hamstring) returned to practice but was limited. Meanwhile, receivers Brandon Coleman and Miles Shuler, defensive end Manny Abreu and running back Jeremy Deering all wore non-contact jerseys.

Syracuse: Some injured players have slowly started to make their return to the field for the Orange. Running back Prince-Tyson Gulley and Steve Rene were in full pads Monday. Both should be cleared for full contact soon. Safety Shamarko Thomas also is likely to be back on the field today, and cornerback Keon Lyn could return this weekend. Coach Doug Marrone was asked whether he was worried about any of his injured players being out for the opener Sept. 1. Offensive lineman Sean Hickey is out for the season, but Marrone also is worried about lineman Ian Allport because of the severity of his concussion.

USF: Quarterback B.J. Daniels participated fully in both practices Monday. Fullback Armando Sanchez has moved back to linebacker from fullback. Coach Skip Holtz said the decision to redshirt all the freshmen linebackers played into the decision. Holtz also singled out all the true freshmen he expects to play this season, including defensive tackle Elkino Watson and receivers Andre Davis and Ruben Gonzalez.

West Virginia: Coach Dana Holgorsen has had high praise for young running backs Vernard Roberts, Dustin Garrison, Trey Johnson and Andrew Buie. But the Mountaineers may not necessarily go with a running back by committee approach. Nor are they looking for somebody who is going to be an afterthought to the passing game. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie told the Times West Virginian: "We would like a guy we could strap the team on his back and go,” he said.

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

The team position rankings have wrapped up, so now it is time to tackle another bear of an assignment: player rankings. I am going to start with offensive line. I thought about breaking this off into centers, guards and tackles, but wanted to have 10 at each position. That would leave center lacking. So I am going with all offensive linemen.

1. Moe Petrus, center, Connecticut. The premier offensive lineman in the league has started every game he has played in headed into his senior season. That makes 39 for those scoring at home. Petrus is on three watch lists this preseason (Lombardi, Outland and Rimington) and he is the heart of a very solid Huskies offensive line.

2. Mike Ryan, tackle, Connecticut. The Huskies have a formidable duo with Petrus and Ryan returning. Ryan is the only player coming back this season who was a first-team All-Big East selection, and is on the watch list for the Lombardi Award. Ryan helped an offensive line that allowed just 15 sacks last season and averaged 175 yards on the ground.

3. Don Barclay, tackle, West Virginia. Another veteran player with plenty of starting experience, Barclay has started 27 games and was a second-team Big East selection last season. Barclay also is on two watch lists (Lomardi and Outland). Here is how valuable he is to the WVU starting line: He was on the field for more than 860 plays last season.

4. Joe Madsen, center, West Virginia. Madsen, Petrus and Mario Benavides make quite a trio of terrific centers in the Big East. Madsen has also started every game he has played in (25), and he only allowed one sack last season. He is so good, he won the team's offensive player of the game honors three times last season.

5. Justin Pugh, tackle, Syracuse. Pugh had quite the impressive debut season, starting all 13 games at left tackle as a redshirt freshman en route to second-team All Big East honors. He might not be huge (6-foot-5, 287 pounds), but he is athletic and should be among the best in the league.

6. Mario Benavides, center, Louisville. Listing three centers among the top six should show you how good the top players at the position are this season. Benavides has started 24 games in his career but could be even better this season after offseason knee surgery.

7. Lucas Nix, tackle, Pitt. Nix should be considered the rock of the Pitt offensive line as he returns for his third season as a starter. With Chris Jacobson moving to center, Nix provides some stability and should be key in helping the Panthers continue their strong ground attack.

8. Alex Hoffman, tackle, Cincinnati. Hoffman has started 25 games and was a second-team All-Big East pick in 2009. Last season, the Bearcats had their share of early struggles, but he did help them get their first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004. He also is on the Lombardi Award watch list.

9. Jeremiah Warren, guard, USF. Warren and Chaz Hine make up the best guard tandem in the Big East. In fact, guard is a position with plenty of question marks throughout the league. But that is not the case for the Bulls. Warren has started 26 games, and he and Hine will help anchor a line with three new starters.

10. Chaz Hine, guard, USF. Hine has a remarkable story, going from walk-on to starter to one of the best guards in the league. Now that he will be in the second year of Skip Holtz's system, he should be even better.

Now by popular demand, we begin ranking the positions across the Big East. I know I am a little late to the party on this one, but better late than never, right? I asked on Twitter for suggestions on which position to start with today. There was no consensus. But I did like one suggestion: to work our way up from the line.

So first up is the offensive line. To make these rankings, I considered returning starters, accolades for returning starters, position switches and depth. The truth is, this is not an area of strength for the league as a whole. Most teams have depth concerns and questions at one or more positions.

1. Syracuse. The Orange have four returning starters, including two seniors. You have Justin Pugh, who made second-team All-Big East last year as a freshman. You have a more mature and experienced unit than the one last year, which had to replace four starters. There also is depth to have a nice eight-man rotation. The concern is at center, where Macky MacPherson is undersized. Actually, when you look at the entire group, it is undersized. Andrew Tiller is the only one who tips the scales at more than 300 pounds.

2. West Virginia. The offensive line was an area of strength under Rich Rodriguez, but has struggled the past few years. It was hard to get a gauge on this unit in the spring, with both starting tackles Jeff Braun and Don Barclay out because of injuries. Starting guard Josh Jenkins also got hurt and is still not 100 percent. But the potential is there for this group to be significantly improved.

3. UConn. The strength of this unit is at tackle and center, where the Huskies return first-team All-Big East selection Mike Ryan (20 career starts) and Adam Masters (18 career starts). Moe Petrus, a second-team all-conference pick, has 39 career starts. Their experience should help along the guards -- nobody on the roster has started a game at the position. The good news is that Gary Bardzak does have starting experience, but it came at center.

4. Pittsburgh. The Panthers made so many position shifts during the spring that it is hard tell how this unit is going to shape up come fall. Chris Jacobson moving to center was one of the biggest moves, and Pittsburgh hopes it pays off with more stability there. Jacobson and starting tackles Jordan Gibbs and Lucas Nix have a combined 49 career starts, but Pitt has to make up for losing first-team Big East selection Jason Pinkston.

5. USF. The Bulls are going to be young on the offensive line this season after losing first-team All-Big East center Sampson Genus, along with tackles Jamar Bass and Jake Sims (second team All-Big East). Chaz Hine and Jeremiah Warren are a solid tandem at guard, and Mark Popek at left tackle and Kevin McCaskill at center do have playing experience. But at right tackle, USF plans to go with redshirt freshman Quinterrius Eatmon. He does have loads of potential, but there will be a learning curve. Depth also is an issue, and the Bulls could have true freshmen in the rotation.

6. Cincinnati. The Bearcats had their share of problems last season, ranking second-to-last in the Big East in sacks allowed (31). This year, they have to replace three starters on the offensive line with unproven players. Senior right tackle Alex Hoffman has taken on some leadership responsibility with the loss of Jason Kelce, but players like Austen Bujnoch, Andre Cureton, Sean Hooey and Evan Davis are going to have to step up. Depth could also be an issue here.

7. Louisville. The Cardinals return just one starter in center Mario Benavides, who has been hampered with a knee injury. Ryan Kessling and Alex Kupper have playing experience, but most everybody else is pretty unproven, and that makes for one of the biggest question areas on the team headed into the fall.

8. Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights own the bottom spot until the season starts and we can see how much this unit has improved. It is a well-known fact that they finished last in sacks allowed and were one of the worst rushing teams in the country last season for that reason. They suffered a blow when junior college transfer Dallas Hendrikson went down with a season-ending injury in the spring, but coach Greg Schiano said he saw plenty of improvement from this group. They certainly will have more experience, but how much better will they be?

We wrap up our look at Big East title chances for each team with Connecticut. The Huskies made it to a BCS game last season thanks to a solid defense, strong special teams and an offense that was inconsistent at times. Can they repeat the feat with a similar formula in 2011?

Why the Huskies will win the league title:

1. Defense. Nine starters return for UConn, including four of the best in the league in defensive tackle Kendall Reyes, defensive end Jesse Joseph, linebacker Sio Moore and cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Reyes and Joseph form one of the top defensive line duos in the entire league and no doubt will be the anchors of a unit that has the potential to be even better than last season. This team knows how to win with good defense.

2. DJ Shoemate. Plenty has been made about the loss of Jordan Todman, who ran for 1,695 yards last season. Losing Todman is no doubt huge, but Shoemate and Lyle McCombs are in line to try to help make up for the loss of such a key player on the team. Three starters on the offensive line return, including first-team left tackle Mike Ryan and second-team center Moe Petrus. So that should help the run game as well.

3. Special teams. It is hard to argue there is a better kicker in the league than Dave Teggart. Not only is he as solid as they come, he thrives in pressure situations. Add in kick returner Nick Williams and punt returner Taylor Mack and you have perhaps the best special-teams unit in the league.

Why the Huskies won't win the league title

1. Who's the quarterback? Huskies fans are probably getting tired of the same question over and over throughout the offseason, but this is the biggest one still remaining for the team. Coach Paul Pasqualoni knows it, and is eager to get this one resolved quickly so his team can begin moving forward with its new leader on offense. It still will be a four-man race between Michael Nebrich, Michael Box, Scott McCummings and Johnny McEntee. UConn survived last season without a solid quarterback, but you would like to have more dynamic play out of this position -- especially since you can bank on teams making whoever emerges beat them with his arm.

2. Receiver questions. In addition to quarterback and running back, the receiver spot also has questions. Leading returning receiver Michael Smith is academically ineligible, leaving UConn thin at this position. Kashif Moore and Isiah Moore return, but there is a definite need to get more depth here. The Huskies were already going to be banking on young players like Geremy Davis and Tebucky Jones Jr. to step up. That need is going to increase now.

3. Linebacker. The biggest question on defense is at linebacker, where the team lost leading tackler Lawrence Wilson and Scott Lutrus, two four-year starters. Moore is more than capable of leading this unit, but several others are going to have to step up to help. Jory Johnson, Jerome Wilson and Mike Osiecki are the main candidates. Let's not forget the possibility of seeing true freshmen Marquise Vann and Jefferson Ashiru here as well.

Previously featured:

• West Virginia
• USF
• Rutgers
• Syracuse
• Pittsburgh
• Cincinnati
• Louisville

2010 overall record: 8-5

2010 conference record: 5-2, T-1st in Big East

Returning starters:

Offense: 6, defense: 9, punter/kicker: 2

Top returners:

DE Jesse Joseph, DL Kendall Reyes, LB Sio Moore, CB Blidi-Wreh Wilson, C Moe Petrus, OT Mike Ryan, WR Kashif Moore

Key losses:

RB Jordan Todman, LB Lawrence Wilson, LB Scott Lutrus, QB Zach Frazer

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Jordan Todman (1,695 yards)
Passing: Zach Frazer (1,425 yards)
Receiving: Michael Smith* (615 yards)
Tackles: Lawrence Wilson (123 tackles)
Sacks: Jesse Joseph* (8.5 sacks)
Interceptions: Blidi Wreh-Wilson* and Jerome Junior* (4 interceptions)

Spring answers

1. Defensive line strength: You could make the argument that this will be the best defensive line the Huskies have ever had. Every key contributor is back, including Jesse Joseph and Kendall Reyes, who were playing as well as any defensive lineman down the stretch of last year's Fiesta Bowl season. Marcus Campbell should return from suspension and injury to add some more speed off the edge. UConn is deep, experienced and athletic in the trenches on defense, and that usually portends good things.

2. Solid across the back: Another position that returns every important piece is the secondary. Blidi Wreh-Wilson has developed into one of the premier cornerbacks in the Big East, and Jerome Junior has come on at safety. The group matured as last season went on and played very well this spring. Given its experience up front and in the back, there's no wonder this defense dominated the offense for large portions of the spring.

3. Special on special teams: No Big East team has fewer questions on special teams than the defending champs. UConn returns all-league kicker and end-of-season hero Dave Teggart as well as punter Chad Christen. Nick Williams led the country in kickoff return average a year ago. About the only issue is replacing long-snapper Derek Chard.

Fall questions

1. Who's under center: The four-man battle for the starting quarterback job didn't really clear itself up this spring. Each candidate had ugly numbers in the spring game and some of the scrimmages. Only Michael Box has ever started a game, and it was a forgettable 26-0 loss at Louisville last season. Scott McCummings and Michael Nebrich have talent, and Johnny McEntee showed off his accuracy in an offseason trick-shot viral video. New coach Paul Pasqualoni will keep the competition going this fall in hopes that someone grabs it by the horns.

2. Heir to Jordan: Will UConn keep its strong running back tradition alive? The position had little depth this spring after 2010 Big East Offensive Player of the Year Jordan Todman declared early for the NFL draft. USC transfer D.J. Shoemate got most of the first-string reps and had a decent spring, and freshman Lyle McCombs returned from suspension midway through the spring to show some potential. Neither appears to have all the tools that Todman or Donald Brown had, however, and the coaching staff will give some incoming freshmen a look at the spot this August. With a low-wattage passing game, UConn will need to be strong on the ground again.

3. Linebacker replacements: Connecticut lost a pair of four-year starters at linebacker in Lawrence Wilson and Scott Lutrus. Luckily, Sio Moore emerged as a force at the position last year with a 100-plus-tackle campaign, and he'll be the leader of the group. The other two spots are still undetermined. Jerome Williams, Mike Osiecki and Jory Johnson got heavy reps there this spring, and UConn played around with some different formations. The defense should be the overall strength of the team, but there are still big shoes to fill here.

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

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

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

Offense

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville: Junior college transfer.

Defense

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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