ESPN College Football

The Big East doesn't usually grab a lot of the nation's elite players. There are currently four members of the ESPNU 150 who are committed to Big East schools, with three of those heading to Louisville.

So it's nice when those rare blue-chippers actually work out. ESPN's recruiting experts put together a list of how the 2007 ESPNU 150 players panned out, and here's a look at the four Big East players on that list:

Noel Devine, West Virginia (No. 6 overall): I'd say this was a fortuitous relationship. Devine might have had a disappointing, injury-plagued senior season, but he still ended his career as one of the top running backs in Big East history.

Anthony Davis, Rutgers (No. 113): Davis was a major recruiting coup for the Scarlet Knights. A three-year starter who anchored the left tackle spot his final two seasons, Davis was dominant at times and inconsistent at others. But he was the No. 11 overall pick in last year's NFL Draft after just three years in school.

Pat Bostick, Pittsburgh (No. 134): Always a little overrated as a prospect, Bostick was forced into a starting role his true freshman year as Pitt went 5-7. From there he settled into a backup's role, but he was under center for two of the Panthers' most memorable victories: at West Virginia at the end of '07, and at Notre Dame in 2008.

Manny Abreu, Rutgers (No. 144): Abreu has never quite lived up to his hype, but has been a solid contributor at linebacker for most of his career thus far and has a year left.

Why stop at 2007? Here's a look at how some other ESPNU 150 performers have panned out at Big East schools in recent years:

Brandon Heath, Louisville (No. 58 overall in 2006): Heath was hurt a lot earlier in his career but became a star linebacker as a senior this past season, finishing with 70 tackles and three sacks.

Nate Byham, Pittsburgh (No. 68 in 2006): Byham was the top blocking tight end in the league for most of his career at Pitt and went on to the NFL.

Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh (No. 74 in 2006): Dickerson underachieved for his first three years as the Panthers could never quite figure out what to do with him. Moved to tight end, he had a huge senior year and finally justified the hype.

Andrey Baskin, Syracuse (No. 86 in 2006): Never made it to the Orange.

Deantwan "Peanut" Whitehead, Louisville (No. 130 in 2006): Had a promising freshman year at defensive end, but a back injury prematurely ended his football career.

Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh (No. 25 in 2008): Baldwin had an excellent three-year career and is entering the NFL Draft.

Shayne Hale, Pittsburgh (No. 101 in 2008): Moved from linebacker to defensive end after his redshirt freshman year, but hasn't been able to crack the rotation.

Chris Burns, Pittsburgh (No. 110 in 2008): The running back was buried on the depth chart for two years and transferred to UMass after the season.

Lucas Nix, Pittsburgh (No. 124 in 2008): Started this season at right tackle before moving inside to guard and playing at an all-league level.

Darrell Givens, Rutgers (No. 61 in 2009): The cornerback has yet to make an impact for the Scarlet Knights.

Geno Smith, West Virginia (No. 97 in 2009): Starting quarterback for the Mountaineers was my choice this year for first team All-Big East at his position.

Tom Savage, Rutgers (No. 125 in 2009): Took over starting job early in true freshman year, but was replaced this year by freshman Chas Dodd. Has announced he will transfer this spring.

Antwan Lowery, Rutgers (No. 134 in 2009): Was moved to offensive line last season and contributed; expected to start in 2011.

Demar Dorsey, Louisville (No. 12 in 2010): Opting for Louisville after Michigan would not admit him, Dorsey has not been able to get eligible and has never enrolled with the Cardinals.

Ivan McCartney, West Virginia (No. 109 in 2010): Had one catch as a true freshman; could see his role expand in Dana Holgorsen's new offense.

Terrence Mitchell, South Florida (No. 144 in 2010): Signed as a defensive back, he had his biggest impact as an electric punt returner. Was switched to offense midway through the season and could stay on as a receiver.

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.

Offensive players had their turn at the all-important NFL combine over the weekend. Defensive players get started today in Indianapolis. Here's a look at how some of the Big East's offensive invitees performed:

Offensive line: The guy with the most eyeballs on him was Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis, who has been projected as potential top 5 pick. There was good and bad in Davis' performance. His 5.38 time in the 40-yard dash was disappointing, and his 21 reps on the 225-pound bench press was pedestrian. But he showed off a 33-foot vertical leap, fourth best among all offensive linemen, proving his athleticism.

Tight ends: Pitt's Dorin Dickerson turned in an eye-popping 4.40 in the 40. Of course, Big East fans are well aware of Dickerson's top-end speed and athleticism. The question for him remains whether he'll be big enough to be a blocking tight end.

Teammate Nate Byham served that role for the Panthers, and while he posted just a 5.09 time in the 40, his best trait is his physicality in the run game.

Quarterbacks: Some of the bigger-name quarterback prospects didn't throw this weekend, but Cincinnati's Tony Pike and West Virginia's Jarrett Brown did. Here is what Scouts Inc. analyst Todd McShay had to say about them:

"Pike is the third quarterback in the class to adjust his delivery and Pike showed a release that got the ball out of his hand more quickly. He was a little inconsistent with his accuracy, but there is surely an adjustment period after tweaking his delivery and the long-term benefits should outweigh the short-term inconsistency."

"[Brown's] 4.54 in the 40 was best among quarterbacks and he posted a 34.4 vertical jump, showing that he also has the athleticism to move to another position if necessary."

Here is ESPN.com's John Clayton's take:

"The highlight of the day was watching the 6-6 Pike go against the 6-3 [Zac] Robinson. Each has a tight overhand delivery in which the ball zips from the right of his ear and moves with velocity. Even though Pike will probably go ahead of Robinson, I thought Robinson won the day. His passes on comeback routes were crisp and he surprised many by throwing a better 35-yard post corner route than Pike. For whatever reason, I thought Pike's balls wobbled a little too much when he threw outside the numbers."

Receivers: UConn's Marcus Easley ran a 4.46 in the 40, seventh best among wideouts and tops among Big East receivers.

"Easley showed good explosiveness with a 10-3 broad jump and there is a lot to like about the way he tracks deep passes," McShay writes. "Easley is a former walk-on with limited game experience, but he clearly has the raw tools to warrant midround consideration as a developmental project."

Louisville's Scott Long ran a 4.46 and South Florida's Carlton Mitchell posted a 4.49. Both measured in at 6-foot-2 and helped themselves by showing a combination of size and speed. Long also had the best vertical jump among receivers at 41.5 inches and topped all wideouts in the 3-cone drill and 60-yard shuttle.

West Virginia's Alric Arnett finishing third in the receiving group with a 40-inch vertical. Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard registered a 39-inch leap.

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

---

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

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

---

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

Biggest busts

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

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

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

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

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

Hasn't met expectations ... yet

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

Met expectations

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

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

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

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

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

Exceeded expectations

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

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

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

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

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

Continuing the countdown of the best Big East games of 2009:

No. 6


Pittsburgh 24, Connecticut 21, Oct. 10 at Heinz Field

Why this one: Pitt looked doomed in this game. Late in the third quarter, Andre Dixon rumbled into the end zone for a 21-6 UConn lead. But then the Panthers turned things on, igniting their best comeback of the season. Bill Stull and Jonathan Baldwin hooked up for a touchdown pass just before the fourth quarter began, and Pitt limited the Huskies to just 6 total yards in the fourth quarter. It all came down to a field goal as time expired, and Dan Hutchins drilled the 18-yard chip shot.

What it meant: Pitt stayed alive in the Big East race, while UConn suffered one of its many heartbreaking losses in conference play.

Player of the game: Baldwin had eight catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and was the most dominating player on the field.

Play of the game: Stull hit tight end Nate Byham for a 7-yard gain on fourth-and-4 from the UConn 35 early in the fourth quarter, continuing a drive that ended with the tying touchdown.

Memorable quote: "I think all of our coaches are on the verge of having a heart attack," Stull said. "But it's encouraging when you see that we didn't play exactly how we wanted but we still won. It's going to be a little exciting and a little scary when we do put everything together."

Previously:

No. 7: Cincinnati 24, West Virginia 21
No. 8: West Virginia 19, Pitt 16
No. 9: South Florida 17, Florida State 7
No. 10: Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34

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

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

Cincinnati: WR Mardy Gilyard, QB Tony Pike

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

Louisville: WR Scott Long

Pittsburgh: TE Nate Byham, TE Dorin Dickerson

Rutgers: CB Devin McCourty

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

Syracuse: DT Arthur Jones

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

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

Senior Bowl

Nate Allen, S, South Florida

Jerome Murphy, CB, South Florida

George Selvie, DE, South Florida

East-West Shrine Game

Kevin Haslam, OL Rutgers

Andre Dixon, RB, UConn

Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn

Nate Byham, TE, Pitt

Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida

Alric Arnett, WR, West Virginia

Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia

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.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

The preliminary rosters for the East-West Shrine Game, a showcase for seniors that's played in Orlando, and three Big East players have been selected.

They are South Florida linebacker Kion Wilson, Syracuse defensive lineman Arthur Jones and Pittsburgh tight end Nate Byham. Jones may not be able to play because of a torn meniscus in his left knee that was discovered this week; he's out for the rest of the regular season.

More names will be added as the game gets closer.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Football seems like a natural path for a guy with the name Mike Shanahan.

	Jim O'Connor/US PRESSWIRE
	Redshirt freshman receiver Mike Shanahan has been an unexpected contributor this season for Pitt.

But Pitt's redshirt freshman receiver -- who is not related to the more famous former Denver Broncos coach -- wasn't sure which sport he would play in college. He was a standout basketball player who received scholarship offers from Akron, Air Force and others out of high school. His father and three uncles also played college basketball.

"I went back and forth for a while," said Shanahan, who was also recruited as a receiver by West Virginia and Stanford. "But I'm really happy that I stuck with football."

So are the Panthers. After a broken hand in training camp kept him out for the start of the season, Shanahan has developed into yet another playmaker in the Pitt passing game. He has seven catches for 88 yards in the past three games and made his first career start last time out against South Florida.

Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said he wasn't really counting on much from Shanahan this season, but the rookie has become a valuable possession receiver with his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame.

"I like getting first downs," Shanahan said. "And being physical in the blocking and running game is definitely something I try to do."

He has also shown some of the best hands on the team. He gives Bill Stull a second gigantic target, along with 6-foot-5 deep-play threat Jonathan Baldwin. Shanahan and Baldwin, by the way, played on the same AAU basketball team.

"Some guys just have a knack for going up, using their bodies and catching the ball at the high point, and some guys don't," Wannstedt said. "Mike and Jonathan can make those difficult catches and I think it's because they have great body control and they have great hand-eye coordination."

Shanahan's emergence only adds to the arsenal that Pitt has assembled in the passing game. Along with Baldwin, there's tight end/hybrid Dorin Dickerson, who's become a go-to guy with nine touchdown catches. Oderick Turner can split out wide opposite Baldwin, and Cedric McGee is another solid possession receiver, with freshman Cam Saddler a speed threat when healthy. And that's not even mentioning reigning All-Big East tight end Nate Byham.

"I think we're all unique in all of our respective areas," Shanahan said.

Shanahan might not have a unique football name -- "I get asked about that a lot," he said -- but he looks to have followed the right career path.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

I didn't come here to talk about the past.

Wait, scratch that. Let's review Week 8 in the Big East.

Team of the week: Connecticut. I never give this award to a losing team, but here is a special exemption for the Huskies. They gave everything they had after an unbelievably sad, trying week following the Jasper Howard homicide and came within a couple of minutes of beating West Virginia for the first time.

Team of the week, Part II: Cincinnati and Pittsburgh (tie). I had to create a second category to recognize the tremendous performances by the Bearcats and Panthers, who each scored 41 points in registering a blowout conference victory. Cincinnati did it despite not having Tony Pike. Pitt destroyed a team that was in the Top 25 earlier this month.

Best game: The UConn-West Virginia game was the only non-blowout of the weekend, and it had enough story lines to spare. From the pre-game tributes to Jarrett Brown's return to Kashif Moore catching a touchdown pass a week after holding a dying Howard in his arms to fourth quarter heroics, this 28-24 game had it all.

Biggest play: Noel Devine's 56-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left made the difference against UConn. It was classic Mountaineers football, with Devine taking a zone-read handoff from Jarrett Brown and zipping around the corner past defenders. His biggest challenge was staying in bounds as he tiptoed the sidelines on his way to pay dirt.

Best call: To Brian Kelly for not playing Pike. It had to be tempting for Kelly to go with his star quarterback in a conference game, especially since Pike had practiced during the week and proved last year he could play through a broken left arm. But there was no need to endanger Pike for the rest of the year with BCS title hopes attainable. And Zach Collaros made sure Pike wasn't missed against Louisville.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Pitt's offensive line. I'm breaking a lot of rules this week, including the bestowing of this award on an entire unit instead of one player. But the Panthers' offensive front was simply outstanding against a South Florida defensive line that had been terrorizing everybody. Offensive linemen don't get enough credit anyway. So, mad props to Jason Pinkston, Lucas Nix, Robb Houser, John Malecki and Joe Thomas, plus tight end Nate Byham and the running backs, for building a fortress around quarterback Bill Stull.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Syracuse's Derrell Smith had nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble as the Orange shot down Akron 28-14.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): West Virginia true freshman Tavon Austin returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against UConn. That proved to be a crucial play, as the Mountaineers won by just four points.

Worst hangover: South Florida. We need some fraud protection against this program. The Bulls have lost their last two games by a combined 41 points, killing any thought that this would be the year for a Big East breakthrough. At least the last two years the team had injuries to blame for its October free falls. This year's team appears to be relatively healthy. Physically, if not mentally.

Strangest moment: Louisville's leading passer against Cincinnati was walk-on Will Stein, who came in after both Adam Froman and Justin Burke got hurt and were ineffective. Stein, who's roster measurement of 5-foot-10 must have been taken in high heels, finished with 98 passing yards. Remember when the Cardinals were Quarterback U., with a long line of prolific passers including Brian Brohm, Stefan LeFors, Dave Ragone, Chris Redman, Jeff Brohm, Browning Nagle, etc? Now they can't even get a guy over 100 yards in a game.

Now let's change the channel to Futurama. Here's a quick preview of Week 9 (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):

No. 21 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) at South Florida (5-2, 1-2): The last time West Virginia came to Tampa on a Friday night, it limped home in defeat with an injured Pat White. South Florida is the one hobbling into this game. Still, this looks like the best game of a weak week.

No. 8 Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0) at Syracuse (3-4, 0-2): This the last road game until Dec. 5 for the Bearcats. Looking forward to seeing Brian Kelly's offense on the Carrier Dome turf. Last time there, Cincinnati scored 52 points.

Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) at Connecticut (4-3, 1-2): This is developing into a pretty decent Northeast rivalry. Both teams are fighting for a Big East bowl spot and need to win this swing game.

Arkansas State (2-4) at Louisville (2-5, 0-3): Let's just say that it's a good thing the expanded Papa John's Stadium isn't opening this week.

Bye: Pittsburgh

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

PITTSBURGH -- Given that it's their last year of college and they have a bye week for Halloween, roommates Bill Stull and Dorin Dickerson are planning their costumes for next week.

"We're big scary movie guys," Stull said. "We might get some Michael Myers and Jason outfits."

	Justin K. Aller/Icon SMI
	Pittsburgh quarterback Bill Stull led a frighteningly good Panthers team Saturday.

Simply by wearing their home football uniforms on Saturday, the Pittsburgh teammates helped scare the bejeezus out of the rest of the Big East.

The No. 20 Panthers have always been viewed as having perhaps the most talented roster in the league, but they also held themselves back with silly mistakes or sloppy execution. This week, Pitt put everything together in a 41-14 pounding of South Florida that wasn't even as close as that lopsided score indicates.

All things considered, it was the top overall performance of the Dave Wannstedt era. Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0 Big East) is off to its best start since Dan Marino's senior year in 1982, and if it can approach this week's performance, it might well finish as the Big East champion.

The Panthers only have three more league games left, and the next one is Syracuse at home after the bye. They close the season at West Virginia, whom they've beaten two years in a row, and at home against Cincinnati Dec. 5 in what is shaping up as a possible de facto league title game.

"Up to this point, it's probably all talk (about) are you a contender or a pretender," Wannstedt said. "I think our guys now should get a taste that we should be a contender."

Put this win in context of the calendar, because October is the time of year when South Florida always wilts. Still, the Bulls have rarely gotten steamrolled quite like this.

Pitt never punted, led 31-7 at halftime and rested all of its starters in the fourth quarter after building a 41-7 cushion. The defense, which had allowed too many passing yards and hadn't created enough turnovers most of the season, bullied the Bulls into three interceptions and just 212 total yards. South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels had as many picks (2) and sacks (2) as he did completions while going just 4-of-8 for 54 yards.

The other side of the ball proved even more impressive. The ballyhooed South Florida defensive line never got any leverage against the Panthers' offensive front. Stull had enough time to finish a Primanti Bros. sandwich before he threw and was never sacked. Did he even get hit?

"I got a little push one time," said Stull, who completed his first 11 passes and threw for 245 yards and two scores in the comfy pocket.

Pitt kept tight end Nate Byham in to block and left fullback Henry Hynoski in on third down for the first time all season to neutralize defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul. Tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix did the rest.

"(Offensive line coach Tony) Wise put the challenge on me and Lucas, just to get our hands on them right away," Pinkston said. "We let Bill get hit a couple of times at Rutgers last week, so we took it on ourselves this week."

The lack of pressure opened all sorts of options. Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti wisely force fed 6-foot-5 receiver Jonathan Baldwin, who had six catches for a career-best 144 yards. Freshman tailback Dion Lewis piled up 111 yards and two touchdowns while going over 1,000 yards for the season, and fellow freshman Ray Graham added 88 yards on the ground.

Apologies to Cincinnati and West Virginia, but Pittsburgh might have the most varied offensive weapons in the Big East.

"Shady (McCoy) was a great player, but he was our offense last year," Dickerson said. "That's what's difference about this team -- we've got a lot more playmakers."

"We've never had this type of balance," Wannstedt said.

Wannstedt said he heard an interview with Phil Simms on the radio while driving to Heinz Field, and Simms talked about how teams make mistakes to keep themselves average. He relayed that message to his players before the game, and Pitt played about as cleanly as possible, committing only two penalties and converting 11 of 16 third downs.

It looks like a team of horror-movie fans is developing a killer instinct.

"We definitely inflicted some pain today," Stull said.