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The Mike Williams saga at Syracuse was one of the strangest stories in the Big East last season.

Williams, as you'll recall, was having a great comeback season before he got in trouble and quit the team, according to coach Doug Marrone. Well, the Daily Orange sheds some light on what happened in a story published today.

What we knew was that Williams and three other players were involved in a car accident coming back from Turning Stone casino early in the morning after a Halloween night out. That constituted a curfew violation, and Williams -- who had been suspended for a game earlier in the season and missed all of 2008 because of academics -- was already on very thin ice.

From the Daily Orange story:

Later that day, [Marrone] held a team vote to decide whether or not Williams should stay on the team. It wasn’t even close. Multiple players said that the black players generally voted “yes” and the white players generally voted “no.”

[Receiver Donte] Davis said more than 80 percent of the team voted Williams to stay.

After the vote, Marrone tried to call Williams. But Williams' cell phone had been lost in the accident, and he wasn't staying in his room because his roommate had the flu. Marrone couldn't reach Williams and assumed he didn't want to play for the Orange any more. The next day, he announced Williams had quit.

Williams, though, tried to get back on the team, according to the story.

A couple days later, he drove back to Syracuse from Buffalo with his mother and mentor. First, the trio met with SU Athletics Director Daryl Gross.

“Daryl Gross said, ‘We can’t lose you,’” Williams recalls. “He was saying that I should be back on the team.”

Then, the group met with the head coach. Marrone wouldn’t budge.

“He told me he’d see me next year,” Williams said. “He said, ‘See me next year.’”

It sounds like there was bad communication all around. However, it's hard to deny that Williams had a history of problems and had no business missing curfew by going to a casino.

Williams has a chance to rebuild his reputation now after getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month. Here's hoping he doesn't blow that chance.

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

Second round

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

Third round

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

Fourth round

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

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

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

Fifth round

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

Sixth round

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

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

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

Seventh round

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

South Florida: 5

Rutgers: 3

Cincinnati: 3

Connecticut: 2

Pitt: 2

Syracuse: 2

West Virginia: 1

Louisville: 0

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

Former Syracuse receiver Mike Williams has to be one of the more perplexing Big East players to come along in recent memory.

While on the field, he was one of the best receivers in the league. And whenever I talked to him, he seemed like a bright, self-aware guy. But he kept making mistakes, causing him to miss all of 2008 and leading to his eventual departure from the team right in the middle of the 2009 season.

Williams is now trying to make it as a pro, and he told media members this about his Syracuse exit: "I don't want to make it a big media thing going back and forth, but I didn't quit so I just want everybody to know I didn't quit."

Um, OK. That story apparently isn't going over well with NFL people, as Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reports.

"He was horrible in interviews blaming everyone but himself for his problems at Syracuse," an NFL source told Florio. "He is a great talent but a train wreck as a person."

The source also said Williams was much slower than expected at the combine, though he did show great hands.

Here's hoping Williams figures things out and gets his life on the right track.

• Jim Leavitt, South Florida and a bunch of lawyers met for nearly six hours for mediation over the weekend without a resolution being reached, Greg Auman reports in the St. Petersburg Times.
• Former Syracuse receiver Mike Williams needs a big showing at the NFL combine, Russ Lande says in the Sporting News.
• UConn's Andre Dixon is holed up in preparation for the draft workouts, Desmond Conner writes in the Hartford Courant.
• Anthony Davis, Jason Pierre-Paul and Arthur Jones are listed among the Top 45 prospects heading to the combine by SI.com.
• Cincinnati hosted several top junior prospects over the weekend, Tim Adams reports for Bearcatlair.com and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• The Home News Tribune's Keith Sargeant interviews former Rutgers star Shaun O'Hara, who just endowed a scholarship at his alma mater.

We're approaching the top five in the Big East postseason player rankings, and you can probably figure out which five players those are without much trouble, if not the exact order.

So what about those who just missed the cut? Making a list of just 30 players across an eight-team league means some really good players have to be left off. Let's start with a look at those on my preseason list who failed to duplicate the honor in the postseason:

No. 3: Matt Grothe: A terrific career, obviously, but the South Florida quarterback's season was cut down by a knee injury before it ever really got going, and his pro potential is questionable at best.

No. 7: Victor Anderson: Another guy who's season was hampered by injury. Anderson posted only 473 rushing yards for Louisville, though he remains capable of big things in the next two years.

No. 10: Reed Williams: The West Virginia linebacker could have easily made this list, as he's not only an excellent player but a terrific leader. Just missed because he, too, was limited at times because of injuries.

No. 11: Ryan D'Imperio: The Rutgers linebacker wasn't nearly as productive as he had been, with his tackles dipping down to 76. But he wasn't fully healthy either.

No. 12: Scott Lutrus: Starting to sound like a broken record here. The Huskies linebacker missed huge chunks of time with various injuries and was surpassed on this list by teammate Lawrence Wilson. But he'll be a prominent preseason candidate for top 30 designation.

No. 15: Aaron Berry: The Pitt corner had a solid but not spectacular season.

No. 16: Robert Vaughn: The UConn safety dropped because of a poor overall performance by the Huskies' secondary.

No. 17: Scooter Berry: The West Virginia tackle missed significant time with injuries and a suspension.

No 19: Scott Long: My most controversial preseason pick had the misfortune of playing for a bad offense. But the Louisville receiver did get an NFL combine invite.

No. 21: Jessie Hester: The South Florida wideout struggled with injuries for much of 2009 and never regained his '08 form.

No. 22: Ryan Blaszczyk: The Rutgers offensive line disappointed, dragging its center's ranking down with it.

No. 24: Brandon Hogan: Improved as season went on; could easily make the preseason list this summer.

No. 25: Mike Williams: Was arguably the league's top receiver for half the year. But you don't quit your team midseason and expect to make a list of the league's best.

No. 27: Jock Sanders: A tough, tough omission from the list, especially considering he had 72 catches for West Virginia. What decided it for me was that he averaged fewer than 10 yards per catch and had only three touchdowns, and his production took a nosedive late in the season.

No. 28: Nate Byham: Still a terrific blocking tight end, but his pass-catching opportunities instead went to Dorin Dickerson, and I didn't want to put two Pitt tight ends on the list.

No. 29: Jon Dempsey: Had a fine year (107 tackles), but it was hard to tell by the end of the season whether he or Chris Campa was Louisville's best linebacker. No Cardinals made the postseason top 30, which gives you an idea of the challenge facing Charlie Strong.

No. 30: Moe Petrus: The UConn center was part of a terrific line, but Chris Jurek and Sampson Genus edged him out for the first- and second-team All-Big East center positions as voted by the coaches.

OK, now that we've exposed how far off my preseason list was, here are a few other players who barely missed the postseason cut:

Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: An interesting decision here. He was outstanding in less than half a season's worth of work, including a record-breaking performance against UConn. And his potential is off the charts. Probably should have included him, but I just felt he didn't play enough in 2009. He'll definitely be on the preseason list, and probably awfully high.

Zach Hurd, UConn, and John Malecki, Pitt: Two of the best guards in the league, a position which sadly wasn't represented on this list. Guards are like the Rodney Dangerfield of football.

J.T. Thomas, West Virginia, and Adam Gunn, Pitt: Excellent linebackers in a league that's stacked at that position.

Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: He was at times the Bearcats' best weapon when defenses concentrated on Mardy Gilyard. You wonder how much the system inflates the stats of receivers. Binns, though, will surely appear on the summer list.

Chris Neild, NT, West Virginia: I thought he was one of the top two or three interior linemen in the league. Just missed.

I'm sure I'm failing to mention other worthy candidates, but I've already gone on and on long enough. Sound off on other players you think should have made it, or why I'm crazy for not including some of these on the list.

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

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

There is one more game left in the college football season. But other than tonight's BCS title game, it's going to be a long, cold winter.

So I thought I'd start taking a look back at the best games of 2009 in the Big East so we can relive the top moments of this football season. The rankings are based on entertainment value, drama, level of play and impact. I'd also like to hear your memories of each game. So let's get started.

No. 10

Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34, Sept. 19, at the Carrier Dome.

Why this one: This game had a little bit of everything. Syracuse jumped out to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, only to watch Northwestern score 21 straight points.

The teams combined for 937 total yards -- most of them through the air -- and five turnovers. Northwestern missed a key extra point in the fourth quarter, and Syracuse tied it up on a Greg Paulus pass to Mike Williams with six minutes to go. Then, after a Mike Kafka interception, the Orange won the game on a Ryan Lichtenstein field goal as time expired.

What it meant: It was Doug Marrone's first win as Syracuse coach after the Orange had played well but lost to Minnesota and Penn State. This win showed that this wouldn't be the same old losing program it was under Greg Robinson, and that Paulus could be a competent quarterback.

Player of the game: Paulus threw for 346 yards, but the best player on the field was Williams, who hauled in 11 catches for 209 yards and two scores.

Play of the game: Max Suter's interception of Kafka and return to the Northwestern 39 to set up the winning field goal. The Wildcats were driving for their own possible winning score before that pick.

Memorable quote: "It was a completely mind-numbing experience," kicker Ryan Lichtenstein, a true freshman walk-on, told the Syracuse Post-Standard. "I don't have much recollection of what went on. It was completely unbelievable."

Looking back on our preseason Best case/Worst case scenarios for each team. It's Syracuse's turn.

Original post is here.

Best case in a nutshell: 6-6 and International Bowl

Worst case in a nutshell: 2-10.

Reality: 4-8.

That's just crazy talk: "The defense lacks answers at defensive end, linebacker and defensive back and is as porous as it was in the lowest point of the Greg Robinson era."

Not too far off: "The lack of depth on the roster -- 18 scholarship players have left the program since Marrone took over -- begins to exact a heavy toll as injuries mount."

What really happened: The Orange got off to a solid start, upsetting Northwestern and sitting at 2-2 after four games. The came a long losing spiral, the low point of which was a 10-9 loss at Louisville. Greg Paulus had his ups and downs at quarterback, struggling with turnovers, and receiver Mike Williams quit the team in October. A string of injuries and departures left the roster painfully thin. But the defense was solid all year, and Syracuse bounced back with a late-season upset of Rutgers to end the year with a little bit of positive vibrations in Doug Marrone's first season at the helm.

I meant to get to this last week but never did because there was so much news going on. But with the regular season over and bowls approaching, it's time to look back at some of the preseason predictions I made for the Big East and laugh at how dumb I was. (I'll also be revisiting my best case/worst case scenarios for each team starting later today).

Yes, I picked Rutgers to win the league, which should subject me to ridicule in the public square. Here are some other wonderfully naive preseason prognostications from yours truly:

Offensive player of the year: Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike. "... I just get the sense that Pike is dialed in and ready for a monster year."

Well, Pike almost certainly would have won this award had he stayed healthy. And he did have a huge year when healthy. Nothing wrong with this pick.

Defensive player of the year: South Florida defensive end George Selvie. "This year, the Bulls have a deeper, more talented defensive line that should take some pressure off their senior pass-rusher ..."

Well, that sentence was true, as Jason Pierre-Paul added a lot to the defensive line. But Selvie was never able to really put up monster numbers even with that help. I went with the safe pick and got burned.

Newcomer of the year: Cincinnati receiver Jamar Howard. " ... This 6-foot-4 junior-college transfer has the size and speed to provide a compelling target for Pike."

Oy, vey. Howard had three catches on the year. My reasoning was that somebody would step in for Dominick Goodman and provide big stats. I was right about that. It's just that Armon Binns was the tall guy who did it, not Howard.

Comeback player of the year: Syracuse receiver Mike Williams. "After missing all of last year because of academic problems, the Orange's top playmaker from 2007 returns and will be the go-to guy in the passing game."

Can't blame me for this one. Until mid-October, Williams was clearly fulfilling every possible expectation. Until he went and, you know, quit the team. I guess that makes him the Go-away player of the year.

Freshman of the year: Pittsburgh running back Ray Graham. "Clearly, a freshman is going to have a huge opportunity to run behind the Panthers' offensive line, as true frosh Dion Lewis is battling Graham for the top spot on the depth chart right now."

This is the classic case of out-thinking yourself. I saw in person in the spring how good Lewis was, but I had heard reports of Graham's big-play ability coming out of fall camp. I projected Graham would take over instead of going with the safer pick in Lewis. So close.

Breakout player of the year: West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown. "Mountaineers fans already know what Brown is capable of doing, but the rest of the league and the country will finally see ... "

Brown had a few ups and downs, but he was pretty solid for the most part. With a do-over, I'd probably award this to Dorin Dickerson.

Most exciting player: Noel Devine. "The West Virginia running back can seemingly turn any play into a home run and is a threat to reverse field and run by 11 defenders at any time."

Arguments could be made for Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, Mardy Gilyard and others. But nothing wrong with this pick.

Coach of the year: Greg Schiano. "If Cincinnati's [Brian] Kelly wins this award a third straight time, they should just rename it after him."

And they should.

Game of the year: West Virginia at Rutgers, Dec. 5. "This could turn into the de facto Big East championship game that league officials try to set up every year."

Well, at least I had the date right. Sigh.

Surprise team of the year: Connecticut. "Simply because no one is talking about the Huskies, and Randy Edsall always fields a solid team."

I count this one as a win.

Team that will disappoint: South Florida. "This is a program that, while loaded with athletes, still has to prove it can compete beyond September."

At least I can correctly peg disappointments. Like my own predictions.

We've got two weeks left in the season, though two Big East teams -- Louisville and Syracuse -- wrap up their 2009 this weekend.

The end of the season also means it's time to start thinking about who will make the All-Big East team. Here's an early look at who I think should and should not make the team at each position:

Quarterback

Raise your hand if you thought Pitt's Bill Stull would be the Big East's first-team quarterback this year. Heck, most people thought he'd lose his job. But he's leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency -- all by a large margin. Had Tony Pike stayed healthy or Zach Collaros played a full year, we might be talking about them here. But they didn't, so it's an easy choice.

Running back

Dion Lewis is a shoo-in. The second running back spot on the team will likely belong to Noel Devine. But he's been slowed lately, mostly due to injuries. If that continues, there's a chance that UConn's Jordan Todman or Andre Dixon could slip onto the first team. Combine the two Huskies, and they've produced exactly 1,800 rushing yards.

Receiver

Mardy Gilyard and Tim Brown are the choices here for now, though you could make a strong argument for Jonathan Baldwin. If Baldwin has a big two final games, perhaps he'll earn a spot on the first team. Jock Sanders has had a great year as well. Mike Williams looked like a lock before he quit Syracuse.

Tight end

No doubt about it, Pitt's Dorin Dickerson -- a Mackey Award finalist -- gets the nod. His teammate, Nate Byham, might be the second-team tight end.

Offensive line

This is always the most difficult position to single out players, because offensive line play is not easy to evaluate from the outside. My two tackles at this point would be Cincinnati's Jeff Linkenbach and Pitt's Jason Pinkston. Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis is the best pro prospect, but he's been far too inconsistent. Pitt's John Malecki is another lock at guard. The other two spots are less obvious. Perhaps Zach Hurd from UConn at guard and Chris Jurek from Cincinnati or UConn's Moe Petrus at center. This is one where I'll have to pick some coaches' brains to decipher.

Defensive line

You might be shocked at the one guy who's not on my list here: South Florida's George Selvie. I think his opposite end, Jason Pierre-Paul, has had the better year. I'd put Greg Romeus at the other end, along with his Pitt teammate Mick Williams at one defensive tackle. The other defensive tackle is up for grabs; I think I'd vote for West Virginia's Chris Neild in a tight one over Syracuse's Arthur Jones.

Linebacker

A lot of players have strong cases here. My three, at this point, would have to be USF's Kion Wilson, UConn's Lawrence Wilson and Louisville's Jon Dempsey. That's leaving off a lot of really good players, including Pitt's Adam Gunn and Syracuse's Derrell Smith.

Secondary

Cincinnati's Aaron Webster and USF's Nate Allen are my safeties, hands down. Devin McCourty is clearly a first-team cornerback. The other cornerback spot is debatable; right now, I'd probably pick Pitt's Aaron Berry, who's coming on strong at the end of the year.

Specialists

The clubhouse leaders are Pitt's Dan Hutchins at place-kicker, West Virginia's Scott Kozlowski at punter, Gilyard as punt returner and Louisville's Trent Guy as kick returner.

This early ballot leaves off several players I had ticketed for first-team honors in the preseason, including Selvie, Jones, West Virginia's Reed Williams, Rutgers' Ryan D'Imperio and others. But there's still time for performances to sway my picks, and I plan on getting a lot of input on my choices before picking a final team.

Now I want your input. Agree or disagree with these selections? Let's hear it.

It's becoming a surprise anymore whenever I miss a pick.

I went 4-0 last week. Ho. Hum. That's six of the past seven weeks where I've gone undefeated. Only three games this week? Come on, I need a challenge.

Notre Dame 28, Connecticut 24: Both teams have been reeling -- the Irish have lost two straight to put their coach's job in jeopardy, while UConn has lost three nail-biters in a row since the death of Jasper Howard. The Huskies had an extra week to prepare and have an offensive line and running game to give the Irish plenty of trouble. I just don't trust the UConn defense, especially in the secondary, against Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Notre Dame wins one for Charlie Weis and its seniors.

Rutgers 27, Syracuse 7: The Orange have totaled 19 points in their last two games since Mike Williams quit. Now they're going up against a defense that has hit its stride and is adept at creating turnovers. That's not a good matchup for interception machine Greg Paulus. Rutgers wins easily to continue its late-season run.

South Florida 31, Louisville 13: The last two times the Cardinals went to Tampa, they lost by a combined 69 points. And those were good, high-scoring Louisville teams. The Bulls were brutally bad against Rutgers last week, but they'll have far too much speed and firepower for the Cards to handle.

Last week: 4-0

Season: 49-8 (86 percent)

Ivan Maisel has an interesting piece up today about how the college football season has thus far been a disappointment. Bruce Feldman chimed in with his 10 biggest disappointments in the game this year. So I thought I'd join the fray with some of my disappointing players, teams or developments in the Big East this year (in no particular order):

Matt Grothe's injury: Shortly after breaking the Big East's career total yardage record, the South Florida quarterback was lost for the season with a knee injury. While Grothe's absence has allowed B.J. Daniels to become a promising young star, it still would have been nice to see Grothe get a chance to lead his team through the Big East in his senior year. Instead, all we got from Grothe in 2009 were some meaningless games against FCS competition and Western Kentucky.

Victor Anderson: Last year's Big East newcomer of the year rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman and seemed poised for even bigger things this season. Instead, he has only 473 yards and five touchdowns. I must stress that it's not Anderson's fault; he's been plagued by an assortment of injuries and hasn't really been fully healthy all year. Hopefully he'll be back in full force in 2010.

Wes Lyons: The 6-foot-8 West Virginia receiver had a great spring and was touted as a breakout player this season. Instead, the senior has once again faded to the background of the Mountaineers' offense, with just 16 catches in nine games. And for that matter ...

The West Virginia offense: Things started out so promisingly, with the Mountaineers piling up over 30 points in each of their first five games. The offense looked unstoppable with Jarrett Brown's big arm and Noel Devine's swift feet. Since that hot start, however, West Virginia has averaged a pedestrian 21.8 points in its last five games.

Mike Williams' decision: For half the season, Williams was one of the year's best stories. Then he quickly became one of the worst. Williams ranked among the top receivers in the nation after missing all of 2008 because of academic problems. But he got embroiled in some off-the-field issues and quit the team before the Pitt game, rendering all his previous good work moot.

Pitt's loss at NC State: The Wolfpack are 4-6 and have beaten only two FBS teams. One was putrid Maryland. The other was Top 10 Pittsburgh. It was a disappointing loss at the time but even more painful in retrospect, because the Panthers would be in BCS title contention if not for blowing a 31-17 lead with 19 minutes left to play.

George Selvie's sack total: I understand that Selvie was double- and triple-teamed most of his junior season. But this year, with Jason Pierre-Paul arriving as a menace at the opposite end slot, you would think Selvie would be freed up a lot more. But Selvie has only three sacks in nine games, making his hot start to his sophomore year look like more and more of a distant memory.

Tony Pike's left arm injury: Sure, Zach Collaros has performed at an incredibly high level since Pike got hurt at South Florida, and the Bearcats are 10-0. But given the way Pike was playing and the dearth of other no-doubt candidates, Pike could have been right in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race had he stayed healthy and productive this season.

What players, teams or developments in the Big East have disappointed you this season?

Take it from Gordon Gecko. Don't get emotional about stock.

Stock up


1. Devin McCourty: You'll notice Rutgers' McCourty appearing in the defensive player of the year race Top 5 today. He's probably the best cornerback in the league and also might be the Big East special teams player of the year. I should have had him in the race earlier, but it was hard to tell how strong his season was against such low-caliber competition. Not anymore.

"I don’t know if there is a defense or special teams player playing better than him in the entire country,” Greg Schiano said Monday.

2. Isaiah Pead: The Cincinnati back has been a big part of the offense all season, but he became a featured runner for the first time against West Virginia and responded with career bests of 18 carries and 175 yards. And Brian Kelly says the Bearcats need to run the ball more in the final two weeks.

3. Chris Campa: The hard-hitting Louisville linebacker was named Big East defensive player of the week after recording 15 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble against Syracuse.

4. Ryan Clarke: Not since Owen Schmitt has West Virginia had a big, bruising back like Clarke. He rumbled for 60 yards against Cincinnati, including a 37-yard touchdown.

5. Dave Wannstedt: Five years after it looked like Charlie Weis would coach circles around him, Wannstedt has a Top 10 team that has beaten Notre Dame two straight years, while Weis is perhaps on his last legs. Credit Wannstedt for adjusting his style to the college game, something Weis has yet to master.

Stock down

1. B.J. Daniels on the Big East road: One reason for South Florida's struggles has been the play of Daniels lately on the road. In the Pitt and Rutgers games, he was a combined 11-of-25 passing for 183 yards, four interceptions and no touchdowns.

2. Syracuse's receivers: How badly do the Orange miss Mike Williams? In the two games since he selfishly quit the team, Syracuse wideouts have a total of 15 catches. Only three of those receptions have gone for 10 yards or more.

3. Bill Stewart's fourth-down play-calling: Against Cincinnati, Stewart opted to go for it on fourth-and-8 from the Bearcats' 24. Incomplete pass. West Virginia lost by three points. At South Florida, trailing by a score in the third quarter, Stewart elected to punt on fourth-and-8 from the Bulls' 33. The punt netted only 13 yards as it went in for a touchback. South Florida then drove for a field goal.

Welcome to the world of coaching, where if a call works you're a genius, and if it doesn't you're an idiot. Ask Bill Belichick.

4. The campus experience for home games: Cincinnati just moved its 2012 "home" game with Virginia Tech to FedEx Field in Washington, D.C., which will be quite a walk from the dorms for students. Rutgers will play a home game in Giants Stadium. Syracuse and UConn have been in talks to play Notre Dame at neutral pro stadiums. South Florida and Pitt already play in NFL buildings, while UConn plays several miles the actual university.

It's just reality in the Big East, but something is lost when games are not on campus.

5. Replay officials: For obvious reasons.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading rusher with 1,291 yards on 224 attempts (5.8 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns.

2. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: The Big East's leader in total receiving yards, with 68 catches for 930 yards and eight touchdowns.

3. Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading passer, he has completed 66.3 percent of his attempts for 2,115 yards and 18 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

4. Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers: Brown leads the league in receiving yards per game with 860 yards on 40 catches. He has six touchdowns and is averaging 21.5 yards per reception.

5. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Has been slowed of late with injuries, but he has rushed for 1,098 yards on 192 attempts this season with 10 touchdowns.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: Leads the league with 13 tackles for loss and was part of a wrecking-crew defensive line against Notre Dame.

2. Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: See above.

3. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: Has 7.5 sacks, an interception and forced key fumble against Notre Dame.

4. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: The Bulls may have fallen off a bit, but Pierre-Paul remains a force with 12 tackles for loss and four sacks.

5. Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: Holding on here as the Bearcats' defensive leader, but Cincinnati has shown a few cracks on that side of the ball.

Coach of the year race

1. Brian Kelly, Cincinnati: For leading the Bearcats to a 10-0 start.

2. Dave Wannstedt, Pitt: For guiding the Panthers to a 9-1 start and Top 10 ranking.

3. Greg Schiano, Rutgers: For overcoming early problems, throwing young players into the fire and still being 7-2.

4. Randy Edsall, Connecticut: For his leadership through the Jasper Howard tragedy and keeping UConn very competitive.

Louisville is expected to start Adam Froman at quarterback against Syracuse, as long as Froman makes it through warm-ups without a problem. He's been dealing with a strain in his side since the Cincinnati game. Walk-on Will Stein has started the past two games.

Syracuse has brought 58 players to Louisville. That's three more than the Orange had at Pitt, but they're still perilously thin. They've lost their best offensive player (Mike Williams) and best defensive player (Arthur Jones) in the last two weeks.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

How much more can go wrong for Syracuse?

	Marc Squire/Getty Images
	Nose tackle Arthur Jones has played his last down with the Orange.

The Orange lost its best offensive weapon when receiver Mike Williams abruptly quit the team last week. And now they will be without their best defensive player, nose tackle Arthur Jones, for the rest of the season. Jones, along with starting offensive lineman Jonathan Meldrum, suffered a torn mensicus in his left knee against Pitt last week.

Though constant double teams limited his production this year, Jones was arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the Big East. He memorably wreaked havoc on Notre Dame last year in an upset victory at South Bend.

Jones could have turned pro at the end of last season, and no one would have blamed him after three years of losing. Some analysts had even projected him as a first- or second-round pick. Instead, he came back to help the rebuilding project with Doug Marrone and to play alongside his brother, freshman defensive end Chandler Jones. His senior year got off to a bad start when he tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights in the winter, which forced him to miss all of the spring. But he hurried back and made it for the start of the year.

Jones -- who's a bright, engaging guy -- was the subject of my Friday Q&A last week and spoke about how he had no regrets on his decision to return to school. You just have to hope now that his injury doesn't knock down his NFL draft stock.

Losing two more starters -- Meldrum had started at right tackle all year -- was the last thing Syracuse needed. The Orange took only 55 scholarship players to Pitt because of injuries, dismissals and player defections. Roster turnover usually happens during a coaching change, but Doug Marrone has been hit hard by upheaval.

"Here we are we're trying to create a foundation for this program that's going to last a long time," Marrone said. "I feel very comfortable with the direction we're going in. People need to step up. Granted, there may not be the same production right now because of our numbers. That's a problem this year, but it won't be a problem in the future."