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Time to pick up my final position rankings for the 2011 season. Before you start sending in your notes to the mailbag, please keep in mind that West Virginia will be included in all 2011 postseason rankings and evaluations because the Mountaineers were still part of the league.

Now where was I? Oh yes, offense. Let us move on to running back. I am using rushing yards by quarterbacks and receivers in this evaluation.

1. Cincinnati. Isaiah Pead won Big East Offensive Player of the Year, but that was not the only story behind the Bearcats rushing attack this past season. Cincinnati had more total yards rushing than any other team with 2,321 -- Pead had a little more than half that total (1,259). The quarterbacks definitely contributed because everybody who played the position is a dual threat. But also keep in mind Cincinnati averaged 4.6 yards a carry -- tied for tops in the league, and led the league with 28 rushing TDs. Preseason ranking: 1.

2. Pitt. Ray Graham was having an unbelievable season before he got hurt, and I truly think he could have had a case for Big East Offensive Player of the Year had he stayed healthy. Zach Brown proved to be a solid backup, and it was nice to see the development of true freshman Isaac Bennett. Despite teams keying on the run, Pitt still finished third in the league in rushing. Preseason ranking: 2.

3. USF. The Bulls actually led the Big East in rushing, though they had nobody go over 1,000 yards. Still, what you realize is that three players went over 500 yards on the ground. That includes quarterback B.J. Daniels, who has the capability of making plays with his legs as well. Darrell Scott had some highlight-worthy plays this season (hurdler, anyone?) and was tough to bring down at times. Preseason ranking: 6.

4. West Virginia. Dustin Garrison was having a fine debut season until a torn ACL sidelined him for the Orange Bowl. There is no question this was an area of inconsistency for the Mountaineers throughout the season. But having players like Tavon Austin run plays out of the backfield, plus a guy like Shawne Alston step up when Garrison was hurt showed there was some talent that could keep teams off-balance, when the Mountaineers wanted to. Preseason ranking: 3.

5. Syracuse. Antwon Bailey had a good season, going over 1,000 yards while earning a spot on the Big East first team. The problem is that there was virtually no depth behind him. The next-highest rusher was Jerome Smith, with 134 yards on the ground. So depth was a clear issue. Bailey is the big reason why the Orange rank here. Preseason ranking: 5.

6. UConn. Lyle McCombs saves the day for the Huskies in this category. Just like Syracuse, there was a critical lack of depth at running back once D.J. Shoemate went out. Quarterback Scott McCummings provided a nice change of pace out of the backfield, but the Huskies only averaged 3.1 yards a carry as a whole, with a total of 13 rushing touchdowns. Preseason ranking: 8.

7. Louisville. I didn't think there was anything spectacular about this group of running backs. Louisville did a nice job when it moved Dominique Brown from quarterback to running back, and that really gave this unit a boost. But the Cardinals struggled most of the year on the ground. Only one back went over 100 yards on the year -- Jeremy Wright. That ranks as the fewest in the Big East. Preseason ranking: 4.

8. Rutgers. Jawan Jamison definitely emerged, but I don't think anybody would tell you that Rutgers' rushing offense scared teams this past season. The Scarlet Knights were the worst Big East rushing team, and averaged a Big East-worst 2.8 yards a carry with an average of 97.8 yards per game on the ground. Just a hunch, but I think this area will be vastly improved in 2012. Preseason ranking: 7.

Now it is time to relive the top moments in the Big East for 2011 -- both the good, and the bad.

1. Eric LeGrand returns. Not only was this the top moment in the Big East, it was one of the top moments in all of sports in 2011. Seeing the injured LeGrand lead his Rutgers teammates onto the field in his wheelchair before the start of the West Virginia game Oct. 29 in middle of a snowstorm had to soften the hearts of even the most jaded. What LeGrand has been able to do is truly inspiring in the year since he was paralyzed making a hit against Army in 2010. He has gone further than anybody ever anticipated -- he has started rehab work on a treadmill and gotten twitches and sensations throughout his entire body. And he has begun to do radio and television work for Rutgers, as well.

2. Expansion. This is the storyline that eclipsed most everything else for the entire season. First it was Pitt and Syracuse leaving, seemingly catching commissioner John Marinatto off guard. Then TCU jumped ship. Then West Virginia. When everything was tidied up in December, the Big East had gone Big Country, adding Boise State, San Diego State, SMU, UCF and Houston. West Virginia's fate remains tied up in pending lawsuits. However that saga plays out, the Big East is prepared to launch Version 3.0 in 2013.

3. West Virginia goes BOOM! You could make the case that the way the Mountaineers dismantled Clemson in the Discover Orange Bowl should be ranked higher. In any other season, it would be No. 1. But when folks look back on the 2011 season, I think the first two stories are more likely to come to mind because of the way they transcended sports, and signaled the dawning of a new era. If we are going with purely on-the-field stories, then this one is the hands-down choice. West Virginia scored a bowl-record 70 points on the Tigers. For perspective, not even the worst teams in the nation -- New Mexico, FAU, Indiana and Akron -- had 70 scored on them this year. The ACC champ did. Unforgettable moment: Darwin Cook returning a fumble 99 yards to swing momentum, then taking down Obie the Orange Bowl mascot.

4. Down goes Collaros. One play changed the entire complexion of the Big East race. Too simple to say? Nope. Cincinnati had a two-game lead on everybody else on Nov. 12 when West Virginia came to town. In the second quarter, Bruce Irvin sacked Zach Collaros, who fumbled on the play. Julian Miller recovered in the end zone for a touchdown but the damage was done for the Bearcats. Collaros broke his ankle, and Cincinnati dropped two straight. West Virginia won out and finished in a three-way tie with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers clinched the BCS berth -- leading to the eventual walloping of Clemson -- because they finished as the highest-ranked team in the final BCS standings.

5. Todd Graham bolts. In one of the most stunning turns of events this season, Todd Graham decided he had enough of Pittsburgh after 11 months on the job and a 6-6 record. He bolted for Arizona State without saying good-bye to his players, gleefully spewing the same speech he gave to the Panthers when he was hired for his "dream job." His coaching move drew universal scorn, and outrage from his players, as well. They took to Twitter to lambaste their former coach for his lies and unseemly departure.

6. Four clutch plays. West Virginia faced a must-win against USF in the regular-season finale Dec. 1. With the game tied at 27 and 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Bulls embarked on a drive that took them down to the West Virginia 28. That's when clutch play No. 1 happened. Najee Goode forced B.J. Daniels to fumble and the Mountaineers recovered. Geno Smith took over with 3:02 left. Clutch play No. 2: Stedman Bailey makes an unbelievable catch on fourth-and-10 for 26 yards, down at the USF 16. Clutch play No. 3: Shawne Alston drags Bailey back to the line of scrimmage after the catch so the Mountaineers can get the snap off without a penalty. Clutch play No. 4: Tyler Bitancurt hits a 28-yard field goal to win the game 30-27 and a share of the Big East title.

7. Ray Graham gets hurt. Pitt running back Ray Graham ranked second nationally and led the Big East in rushing yards per game (134.1) headed into Week 9 against UConn. But early on against the Huskies, Graham crumpled to the ground while making a cut, clutching his right knee. He had torn his ACL, and his season was over. You could almost say the same for the Panthers, who struggled to do anything on offense without their best player.

8. Charlie Strong, surfer. You know how momentous Louisville's 38-35 victory over West Virginia was this season? So momentous it sent coach Charlie Strong bodysurfing over his players in a jubilant locker room afterward. He had Adrian Bushell and Andrew Johnson to thank. On the first play of the fourth quarter, West Virginia lined up for a 23-yard field goal to tie the game. Bushell blocked the kick; Johnson returned it 82 yards for a touchdown and the momentum went to the Cardinals. It was their first win in Morgantown since 1990, and third win ever in the series.

9. Syracuse does what? Surely Syracuse's win over West Virginia in Morgantown in 2010 was a fluke. Surely the Mountaineers would gain revenge in the Dome. Yeah. About that. The Orange schooled West Virginia and reintroduced the Mountaineers to the tight end, pulling the biggest upset of the season 49-23. Syracuse had not scored that many points in the series since 1960. The game also marked the triumphant return of Chandler Jones -- who had two sacks and six tackles in his first game back from a knee injury.

10. USF collapse. The Bulls began the year 4-0 with a national ranking and a victory at Notre Dame. Then Big East play happened. USF lost seven of its final eight games and missed a bowl for the first time as members of the Big East. The Bulls also posted their worst record in Big East play (1-6). A team pegged as a dark horse disappointed in every possible way, losing five games by six points or fewer.

MIAMI -- Hello, offense! We have been expecting you.

Clemson and West Virginia were locked in the expected fireworks show in the highest-scoring first quarter ever of the Discover Orange Bowl. Clemson running back Andre Ellington opened the scoreing on a 68-yard run right up the middle of the West Virginia defense. Linebacker Jared Barber could not get off a block, and Darwin Cook took a bad angle for a tackle -- and Ellington was off for the third-longest run in Orange Bowl history.

Then it was Shawne Alston with a 4-yard touchdown run to get West Virginia on the board. True freshman Andrew Buie had the highlight on the drive, when he rolled over the back of would-be tackler Rashard Hall without allowing his knee to touch the ground.

Sammy Watkins answered with a 27-yard touchdown reception of his own later in the quarter -- marking the first time this season the West Virginia defense has given up multiple scores of 20-plus yards in a game. The touchdown also was the Tigers' 56th of the season, a new school record.

Then it was time for Tavon Austin, who scored on a 5-yard run. Austin, who came to West Virginia as a running back, is being used plenty out of the backfield -- he already has three carries for 25 yards and a score -- with Dustin Garrison on the sideline.

The longest scoring drive of the four in the first quarter belongs to West Virginia: Two minutes, 39 seconds. Each team has a touchdown drive that lasted under 2 minutes. Yup, this one has the feel of the back-and-forth shootout we all expected.

MIAMI -- After a month of analyzing keys, players, depth charts and matchups it is time for West Virginia to show what it is made of in the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson.

This could be the Mountaineers' final game as members of the Big East, so you know they want to go out on top. And as always, a good performance in this one can be used as a springboard into 2012, especially with so many stars coming back on offense.

West Virginia announced several lineup changes before the game began: Tyler Rader will start at right guard in place of Quinton Spain; Pat Eger will start at right tackle in place of Curtis Feigt; Shawne Alston will start in place of Dustin Garrison; and Ryan Clarke will be the B-back as Alston takes over for Garrison.

The starting spur safety will be a game-time decision.

The stadium looks to be about half full, but a larger contingent of Clemson fans is on hand for this game.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- His season began on the bench, a lingering neck injury from a car accident refusing to go away.

He now ends the season as the starting running back in the Discover Orange Bowl.

How fortunes have changed for Shawne Alston in the span of a few short months. Because of an injury to Dustin Garrison, Alston will get the call Wednesday against Clemson.

"It feels good to know I didn't lose focus, my coaches and teammates kept believing in me," Alston said Monday during a media availability for West Virginia's offensive players. "I kept working hard to get back."

Even at the moments he was most discouraged, his teammates picked him up, telling him, "C'mon, man. We need you. You've got to get back."

He finally returned for the Maryland game, and has seen his carries steadily increase since then. But he still has to wear the neck roll because he is not quite 100 percent.

In addition to that, Alston also played through a leg injury late in the season, which forced him to wear a big, bulky bandage. He got hit in his leg a few times during the Louisville game, and trainers were worried he would get compartment syndrome, where pressure in the muscles build and blood flow can be constrained.

Alston was able to start the Cincinnati game the following week, but was limited to 6 yards on seven carries. The most he has carried it this season is 14 times, in a win over Rutgers. Still, he leads the team with 10 touchdown runs and though he is viewed more as a power back, Alston says he can shoulder the load.

But he isn't expected to do it alone. True freshman Andrew Buie, who also missed several games this season with various injuries, is expected to get some carries as well. Buie came into fall camp competing with Garrison and Vernard Roberts for the starting job, but Garrison pulled ahead and Buie only had 38 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown this season.

"Everything happens for a reason," he said. "I tried to stay as prepared as I can all season, just in case something did happen. Right now, I just have to step up and do the best I can."

Buie is much faster than Alston, and both are good at pass blocking. But where this team could be hurt most is in the passing game, where Garrison was a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield in the short passing game West Virginia likes to run.

Garrison is tied for fourth on the team with 24 receptions. Buie and Alston have combined for 11 catches this season. Though receiver Tavon Austin has experience in the backfield, he said Monday he didn't expect his role to change going into this game.

"We'll be doing what we've been doing previously," Austin said.

MIAMI, Fla. -- West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen confirmed Sunday afternoon that Shawne Alston would start at running back in place of Dustin Garrison in the Discover Orange Bowl.

In his first media session since Garrison hurt his knee during practice Friday, Holgorsen said it was a disappointment not to have his true freshman running back for the game.

"I'll tell you, if we would have gave him the ball more throughout the course of the year, he'd probably be better than what he is right now to the point that he probably was going to be a 1,000-yard rusher," Holgorsen said.

Garrison ran for 742 yards and six touchdowns this season, and emerged from a trio of true freshman running backs to win the starting job. Another true freshman, Andrew Buie, is expected to get carries with Alston on Wednesday against Clemson.

Alston was the second-leading rusher on the team with 354 yards, and led the team with 10 touchdown runs. Though he is more of a power back, Alston has shown the capability this season to get the tough yards and bust through tackles.

"Shawne Alston gives us a lot of maturity as he has all year and Andrew Buie's as healthy and looks as good as he has since probably camp," says Holgorsen.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers had another player get hurt. Redshirt freshman walk-on Connor Arlia broke his leg Saturday in a jet skiing accident during the team's beach party on Miami Beach. Arlia was a special teams contributor this season.

West Virginia starting running back Dustin Garrison sprained two ligaments in his knee during practice Friday and is out for the Orange Bowl against Clemson, the school announced late Friday night.

Garrison sprained the ACL and MCL in his left knee and is expected to be out six months, which would also keep him out of spring practice.

The news is a pretty big blow to the Mountaineers, who need a semblance of a threat in the run game to really take the heat off Geno Smith. Garrison excelled as a true freshman and had the ability to bust a big run every time he touched the football. With Vernard Roberts off the team, the rushing duties would presumably fall to Andrew Buie and Shawne Alston.

But Buie has been injured, and Alston has never really been an every-down back. Alston did lead the team with 10 rushing touchdowns this season, with career highs with 77 carries and 339 yards.

Coach Dana Holgorsen issued a statement Saturday morning on the injury.

"It's an unfortunate situation for Dustin, but it is one that we will have to deal with as a team," he said. "It is not something that we are unfamiliar with as we have had to deal with adversity all season long. This marks our third key player out for the bowl game with a knee injury (Brad Starks, Terence Garvin), but I expect our team to maintain its focus as we prepare for Clemson."

Is that Dave Wannstedt I hear?

• What's next for Cincinnati coach Butch Jones?
• UConn has made it a policy to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before home football and men's and women's basketball games.
• Louisville players aren't worried about Charlie Strong leaving for another job.
• As expected, Rich Rodriguez has hired the three Pitt assistants who left the team this weekend.
• Rutgers and Iowa State sport similarities.
• USF coach Skip Holtz discussed his team's problems late in games.
• The status of Syracuse cornerback Keon Lyn hasn't changed -- he remains suspended from the team.
• West Virginia fullback Shawne Alston saved the day for the Mountaineers against USF with a heads-up play. Flipper the Dolphin picked West Virginia to beat Clemson.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Julian Miller showed up for interviews barefoot, with his left ankle wrapped heavily in ice. You could understand why the West Virginia defensive end needed to give his feet a break.

Miller had the most dominating performance of his career, in the final home game of his career, on his birthday no less, keying a stifling defensive effort to help the Mountaineers beat Pitt 21-20 on Friday night. West Virginia kept its Big East title hopes alive with the victory, although the Mountaineers will need some help from Cincinnati to keep their BCS dream from dying.

All West Virginia can do to help itself is win. It appeared that might not happen for a good chunk of what could end up being the final Backyard Brawl between the two longtime rivals. West Virginia could not get out of its way for a good portion of the contest, gift-wrapping just about all the scoring opportunities the Panthers had. The Mountaineers had three turnovers -- including two muffed punts deep in their own territory.

But the defense came up with one gigantic stop after another in its best performance of the season.

Miller tied a single-game record with four sacks. West Virginia had 10 on the night, nine in the second half. That second half was absolutely huge for this defense, a unit that has struggled to stop its opponents this season. That it came against the worst offensive line in the Big East hardly was a surprise.

"We knew that was a weakness of theirs, and we wanted to go out there and take advantage of it," Miller said.

The Panthers now have given up 52 sacks on the season, approaching numbers put up by the Rutgers offensive line last season. When Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri needed to make a play on the final two possessions of the game, he reverted to form and took one sack after another. The final possession ended with three sacks in seven plays.

"I'm puzzled," Pitt coach Todd Graham said. "I don't understand it. You can't take sacks. We sat there and took one right after another. It is our job as coaches to get our guys to execute the system, and we absolutely did not. That was the difference."

Pitt was able to jump out to a 20-7 lead based mostly on West Virginia (8-3, 4-2) mistakes. A personal foul penalty on a missed Pitt field goal gave the Panthers new life, and they converted the opportunity into a touchdown. The two muffed punts deep in the Mountaineers' own territory were damaging, too.

But they would have been more so had the defense not held the Panthers (5-6, 4-3) to field goals in both instances. You never got the feeling the Panthers were in control of the game. They could hardly move the ball after the first half and were severely hampered when starting running back Zach Brown was unable to play in the second half because of a bruised sternum.

Where West Virginia might have hung its head at the deficit early in the season, the Mountaineers refused to get themselves down Friday night.

"I always tell the guys, 'How are we going to get back in it? What are we going to predict?'" linebacker Najee Goode said. "Me and Keith [Tandy] were like, 'We're going to get the ball and we're going to score and we're going get the ball back and we're going to score again and we're going to win 21-20.' I said, 'That sounds like a plan to me.'"

Indeed, after falling behind by 13 points, West Virginia put together a quick seven-play drive that ended when Shawne Alston ran in from 8 yards out. It took a while longer for the Mountaineers to get their game-winning drive together.

That came in the fourth quarter, and it happened thanks to a pretty gutsy play call. After a personal foul penalty on Aaron Donald gave West Virginia the ball at the Pitt 28, West Virginia spoiled a third-and-short when Geno Smith threw a pass that lost 5 yards. Coach Dana Holgorsen decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Pitt 24.

"We felt like we needed to roll the dice," Holgorsen said. "We were down there and felt like we should go for it. I'm glad we did."

Smith was perfectly happy with the call, too. He converted when he threw a 9-yard pass to Tavon Austin. Alston rumbled in from a yard out to give West Virginia a 21-20 lead. It was the first lead of the game for the Mountaineers. That was all they needed to close out the win.

West Virginia held Pitt to 80 total yards in the second half -- 30 yards rushing -- and just five first downs.

"We pretty much battled every kind of adversity you can think about," Smith said. "The defense did a great job keeping us in the game throughout. They played probably the best game of the season if you ask me. Those guys have been battling all year. They're coming along, they're getting better and they really kept us in this one, and we pulled it out late."

They need to pull another one out next week in the finale at South Florida to have any shot at winning a conference title. Pitt has been eliminated from contention and needs to win next week against Syracuse to become bowl eligible.

As for whether this is the final Backyard Brawl, none of the players want to see it end.

"It's pretty much a classic every time," Smith said.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Well, West Virginia certainly made what could be the final Backyard Brawl quite dramatic.

The Mountaineers erased a 13-point second-half deficit behind a stifling defense and some gutsy play calling, overcoming their own share of mistakes to beat Pitt 21-20 Friday night and stay alive for a possible Big East title and BCS berth.

Pitt took a 20-7 lead less than four minutes into the third quarter after getting a field goal off a second muffed punt on the night. But among the several keys to this game, one big one was the West Virginia defense holding the Panthers to field goals inside the 20 off those two miscues.

The Panthers played very well on defense for most of the night, but the game-winning drive was an absolute killer. Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald was flagged for a personal foul on a late hit that gave the ball to West Virginia at the Pitt 28. West Virginia decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Pitt 24, and Geno Smith made the decision to pay off when he got the first-down completion to Tavon Austin. Earlier in the half, coach Dana Holgorsen had decided to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the Pitt 30, but the Mountaineers failed to convert.

After the Mountaineers converted on fourth down, Shawne Alston got the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 6:10 to go. Alston had two touchdown runs in the game, and the Mountaineers were worlds better on the ground in the second half -- another huge reason they came back.

Pitt had several chances to get into field-goal range, but the same old story line haunted the Panthers -- Tino Sunseri simply could not connect with receivers — and was sacked numerous times because he just wouldn't get rid of the football. The game ended when Sunseri fumbled on a sack; Panthers offensive lineman Ryan Schlieper recovered and rumbled ahead before being tackled.

Sunseri was sacked three times in seven plays on the final drive.

Much of that is because the West Virginia defensive line exerted itself after Pitt dominated in the first half. The Panthers were also ineffective once starting running back Zach Brown went down with a bruised sternum. After gaining 123 yards in the first quarter alone, Pitt was essentially stifled.

West Virginia turned the ball over three times but still found a way to win. Special teams was an Achilles' heel, again. But a win is a win, especially in this rivalry game.

Now, the Mountaineers need Cincinnati to win out to have any shot at a BCS game. If the season ends in a three-way tie among West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers, the Cardinals get the BCS bid based on their 2-0 record against those schools.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia showed it can run the ball, but special teams hurt the Mountaineers once again in the third quarter against Pitt.

Tavon Austin muffed a punt deep in Pitt territory, and the Panthers converted that into a 27-yard field goal by Kevin Harper. It was the second muffed punt of the game for the Mountaineers. But perhaps lucky for them, the defense has been able to hold Pitt to field goals both times it was pinned deep.

Still, Pitt took a 20-7 lead on that field goal. West Virginia answered with a touchdown to close the gap to 20-14, on a powerful run by Shawne Alston. That seven-play, 60-yard touchdown drive had 44 yards of rushing. In fact, West Virginia ran for 75 yards in the third quarter after having minus-2 yards on the ground at the half.

The Mountaineers had a chance late in the third quarter to seize momentum, but failed to convert a fourth-and-4 from their 30. Somehow Pitt is holding on without doing much on offense in the third quarter. The Panthers also are without starting running back Zach Brown, out with a bruised sternum. Pitt has lost its top two backs to injury this season, after Ray Graham was lost for the season with a torn ACL earlier in the year.

CINCINNATI -- How about another Big East race that is all scrambled up?

West Virginia beat league leader Cincinnati 24-21 Saturday as the Bearcats took twin blows on the day. Not only did they lose their first Big East game of the season, they lost starting quarterback Zach Collaros, who went out with a right leg injury in the second quarter and never returned.

Backup Munchie Legaux gave a valiant effort, but the Bearcats were not able to post their third straight comeback win. Tony Miliano lined up for a game-tying 31-yard field goal with two seconds left in the game, but the snap was high and the kick was blocked by Eain Smith. It was Miliano's second miss on the day, after going a perfect 4-for-4 in a win over Pitt last week.

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith led what turned out to be the decisive drive of the game. After Legaux scored on a 7-yard run, Smith delivered when it counted, thanks to a big assist from Tavon Austin. His 23-yard completion to Austin was one of the big plays on the game-winning drive. West Virginia marched 74 yards on 12 plays, and Shawne Alston scored the game-winner on a 1-yard run with 8:52 to go to put his team up 24-21.

Cincinnati was able to get pressure on Smith, but it was unable to contain Austin, who had 125 yards receiving. The Mountaineers may not have been perfect on the day -- too many penalties, another blocked field goal, missed chances in the red zone -- But their much-maligned special teams came up with the big play when it mattered most.

Now, there are five teams with two losses in the league behind Cincinnati (3-1). Buckle up.

Boise is wonderful this time of year. So are the shakes and burgers at Big Jud's ...

• The UConn offense has been slow to get going.
• Was the 2009 game between Cincinnati and Pitt the best Bearcats game ever?
• Louisville linebacker Preston Brown is growing up.
• Pitt defensive lineman Aaron Donald is making a huge impact.
• An unlikely No. 2 receiver has emerged for Rutgers.
• Syracuse is focused on winning, not UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni.
• Could UCF and USF play as early as next year?
• Life in the Big 12 won't be so easy for West Virginia. Shawne Alston makes up for his lack of speed with a physical style.
• More info on Boise State and a possible move to the Big East.

Here are the Big East players of the week, as selected by the conference.

Offense: Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh. Sunseri went 29-of-42 for a career-high 419 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-20 win against Connecticut. The yardage total ranks fourth in school history, is the highest by a Pitt player in eight years, and is the highest by a collegiate quarterback in Heinz Field history.

Defense: Preston Brown, LB, Louisville. Brown had seven tackles and two sacks in a 27-10 win against Syracuse. Brown led a Cardinal defense that limited the Orange to season lows in points and yards (246).

Special teams: Chris Philpott, K, Louisville. Philpott scored nine points in a 27-10 win against Syracuse, making field goals from 44 and 32 yards and connecting on all three of his extra-point attempts.

Weekly Honor Roll

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville. Went 17-of-24 for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-10 win against Syracuse.

Darwin Cook, S, West Virginia. Had a game-high 11 tackles with two pass breakups, including a key breakup on a fake field goal, in a 41-31 win at Rutgers.

Jarred Holley, FS, Pittsburgh. Had nine tackles and a sack in a 35-20 win against Connecticut.

Marquis Spruill, LB, Syracuse. Had nine tackles with a sack and a forced fumble in a 27-10 loss at Louisville.

Shawne Alston, RB, West Virginia. Had 14 carries for a career-high 110 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-31 win at Rutgers.

How about a few helmet stickers for a job well done.

Shawne Alston, RB, West Virginia. Alston entered the game with a season-high of 49 rushing yards, but that changed in a 41-31 win over Rutgers. Alston notched his first ever 100-yard game, rushing for 110 yards on 14 carries and also had a career-long 52 yard touchdown run as the Mountaineers relied on him and their run game to win in the snow.

Preston Brown, LB, Louisville. Brown led the Cardinals with 1.5 sacks, and also had seven tackles in an impressive 27-10 win over Syracuse. Louisville had four total sacks on Ryan Nassib. Brown went into the game with no career sacks. He also has made six or more tackles in five straight games.

Tino Sunseri, QB, Pitt. Sunseri threw for two touchdowns and a career-high 419 yards in a 35-20 win over UConn on Wednesday night. The performance was much needed after two consecutive subpar efforts had many tossing criticism his way. But coach Todd Graham said before the game he was sticking with Sunseri as his starter, and that move paid off against the Huskies.