ESPN College Football

Every team has plenty to do in the offseason. Today, I present to you my top priorities for each Big East program headed into the 2012 season.

Cincinnati

• Settle on a quarterback. If 2011 was any indication, then Munchie Legaux seems a sure bet to start next season. He showed flashes, but he needs to spend the bulk of his offseason developing a nice rhythm and chemistry with his receivers. That was one of the biggest roadblocks for him when he took over for Zach Collaros. Cincinnati has some good talent at receiver -- with Anthony McClung, Kenbrell Thompkins and Alex Chisum coming back -- so this must be a top priority.
• Develop senior leadership. The Bearcats are losing the best senior class in school history, filled with leaders left and right. With guys such as Collaros, Isaiah Pead and JK Schaffer gone, who is going to take the responsibility of leading this team? That is something that must be worked on throughout the offseason.

UConn

• Find a quarterback. Sounds the same as last season, right? The Huskies never really found one in 2011 and that is a big reason why they struggled. Spring practice has the potential to have five different quarterbacks taking reps in Johnny McEntee, Scott McCummings, Michael Nebrich, Chandler Whitmer and Casey Cochran. Somebody has to emerge to take a hold of this offense.
• Work on improving the secondary. The weakest part of this team last season ranked No. 113 in the nation, so this is a clear area that has to get better. The Huskies were hurt when starting cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson missed a good chunk of the season with a knee injury, and they also had to rely on freshmen in Byron Jones and Ty-Meer Brown. This group will be much more experienced, so you have to hope they will be much better, too.

Louisville

• Mature. The Cardinals were one of the youngest teams in the nation last season, and their immaturity showed at times. But now they enter the offseason with exceedingly high expectations. Many preseason lists have them ranked in the Top 25 and challenging for the Big East title. This team will still be young in 2012, so it will be imperative for coach Charlie Strong to help get this group to mature quickly and stay focused.
• Work on the run game. Strong wants the run game to be the bread-and-butter of the offense, and this was an area that took a step back in 2011 with Bilal Powell gone. Louisville went from being ranked No. 1 in the Big East to No. 5 in the Big East, averaging 121.5 yards per game. That is down over 50 yards per game. Dominique Brown and Jeremy Wright are back, but they have to be consistent and the Cardinals probably need somebody else to emerge.

Pitt

• New identity. A new coach means a new identity, so it will be interesting to see how the Panthers look under Paul Chryst and his new staff. We will find out when spring practice opens in March. There is plenty of talent on the roster, but the big question is how will the talent be utilized?
• Is Tino the man? This is starting to sound like a trend, right? The Panthers have quarterback issues as well after Tino Sunseri had a season to forget. Much of his performance can probably be laid at the feet of former coach Todd Graham, who stubbornly tried to run an offensive system that was not suited for the players he had. You can be sure Chryst will open up the quarterback competition to see who emerges.

Rutgers

• Handle expectations. The Scarlet Knights have not been so good in the past when the pressure is on. All you have to do is look back at what happened this season, with a shot to win a share of the Big East title. Now they are getting some preseason love and probably have their best team since 2006. So coach Greg Schiano is going to have to do a good job of managing preparation and focus because expectations were raised off a successful 2011 campaign.
• Quarterback derby. Yet another Big East team with a quarterback question mark. Chas Dodd and Gary Nova ended up splitting the starts this past season. Now there is the possibility that former quarterback Tom Savage transfers back in. I don't know if Schiano can afford to keep playing musical chairs with his quarterbacks every season.

USF

• Re-focus. The Bulls have to put 2011 behind them and focus on the future. This is still a team that has the talent to win. Coach Skip Holtz has to find a way to get that done. This is going to be a veteran team that has been through good times and bad. He needs leaders who will their teammates to victory, who know how to win close games and are determined to get this team back on top. Who are they?
• New defense. USF brings in new defensive coordinator Chris Cosh from Kansas State, its third different coordinator in the past four years. Getting the players adapted to his scheme as soon as possible has to be a point of emphasis in the spring and throughout the offseason.

Syracuse

• More offensive consistency. To be sure, Ryan Nassib and Alec Lemon both had career years and made strides for the Orange. But a lot of that was because the run game was inconsistent, and Syracuse found itself trailing late in several games. This team has to find a way to sustain drives and score -- Syracuse was No. 7 in the Big East in scoring offense (24.2 ppg).
• Shore up the defense. The Orange lose some of their best players on the defensive line, and have to get better in the secondary, which was a major problem for most of the year. Syracuse ranked No. 98 in the nation in pass defense, and they lose some key contributors. Shamarko Thomas is really going to have to step up and take control of this group.

West Virginia

• Big 12 or Big East? The Mountaineers are bent on leaving for the Big 12, regardless of any court outcomes. On-field issues have nothing on trying to figure out where you are going to be playing. And who you are going to be playing.
• Defense. Coach Dana Holgorsen has hired a few defensive assistants, but still no word yet on who is going to run the show. That, of course, will determine the future course of this defense. It appears an inevitability that they will no longer use the 3-3-5 that former coordinator Jeff Casteel ran. Plus, players such as Keith Tandy, Najee Goode, Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller are gone. Shoring up this unit has to be tops on Holgorsen's list.

John Michael in Jackson, Tenn., is back!

He writes: Look at what kind of offenses UC has played against. Also, I'm not saying what Vandy should have done. But, ever since Jordan Rodgers has come in, it has been a different team. Here's a stat for you: UC has the No. 152 SOS in the country. For your info, I did watch Cincinnati. They were stomped by a UT team with Zach Collaros.

Andrea Adelson: You are right, Cincinnati got stomped in Week 2. But just as Vanderbilt got better as the season went on, so did Cincinnati. This is a team that still won a share of the Big East championship without its starting quarterback. How many other teams would have been able to do that? We each have our set of stats and arguments to make, and I appreciate having this debate. We'll see which team wins on Saturday.

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Rich in Brooklyn, N.Y., writes: Hey Andrea. Hope you had a great holiday! Maybe I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, but it never seemed to me as if Tom Savage ever really wanted to leave Rutgers. Even throughout the season, he constantly updated his Twitter with replies to current players, rooted for them to win the conference, and even defended Mark Harrison when he was having issues with drops. Could it be that he simply got some bad advice from his parents/other influences? If so, I'd personally welcome him back in a heartbeat. What are your thoughts?

Adelson: I cannot speak for Savage and why he came to the decision he made, or who helped him arrive at that decision. But I am not sure his communication via Twitter with and about his teammates means he never wanted to leave. To me, it seems as if the situation forced his hand. He lost his starting job, and even though Frank Cignetti was coming in with a style more suited for Savage, there are no guarantees Savage would have won the starting job. Had he stayed, would it have been Dodd and Savage being pulled for one another instead of Dodd and Gary Nova? Greg Schiano has not been the best at managing his quarterbacks, so clearly Savage thought leaving was in his best interest. But he always maintained he loved Schiano, and his teammates. I am a little surprised to see he might want to come back, if only because he will be in a similar situation to the one he left last year. I realize neither Dodd nor Nova has done much to generate a prolific offense, but you know Savage would just be a part of another quarterback derby. He is reportedly seeking a hardship waiver to be eligible in 2012, but nobody knows whether that will be granted. But let's just say best case, Savage transfers and can play immediately. He wins the starting job. He has a bad game, and Schiano goes to the bench again. Is he prepared to go through all that one more time?

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Dave in Charlotte, N.C., writes: I don't have a question, but I want to point out one thing missing in the Todd Graham circus. In his six years of coaching, he has had three 10-win seasons, and three .500 seasons. Reporters and fans keep focusing on the loyalty issue with Graham. But I think they should be asking why ASU chose a guy who hasn't lived up to his own hype.

Adelson: Actually one of those seasons you refer to was under .500 (Tulsa went 5-7 in 2009). I think it is obvious why Arizona State chose him -- the Sun Devils struck out on their top three candidates, and decided they were buying into the high-octane message he was selling.

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Patrick Reinert in Atlanta writes: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you Andrea! I have a few questions for ya but firstly just want to thank you for your Big East blog and all of your analysis this year. I know we were pretty rough on you to start the season (I'm guilty of it too, I guess because of the transition out of a Brian Bennett comfort zone) but you really stuck through it and proved that you definitely know your stuff and are not afraid to be unbiased despite the outrage from a lot of fans. So once again, thanks! My questions are A) Whether or not you think that Louisville to the Big 12 is a virtual lock at some point in the near future (plus Cincy I hope, if a move to the Big 12 realizes)?? And B) Do you see Louisville being a comfortable top 10-top 15 football team again within the next 3 to 4 years?

Adelson: Happy holidays to you and all the readers out there, and thanks for your kind words, Patrick. I can only hope I am not the Jay Fiedler to Brian Bennett's Dan Marino. As for your questions: A) I don't think anything is a virtual lock when it comes to realignment. A year ago would you have said it was a virtual lock for TCU and West Virginia to be in the Big 12? There is so much uncertainty and really the schools are at the mercy of the conferences. We have no idea whether the Big 12 will want to move beyond 10 teams. If that does happen, I do think Louisville is at the top of the list. Not sure on Cincinnati. B) I think everything is in place for Louisville to become a Top 15 program BUT I have a few questions that need to be answered. How does this team grow and mature? How does this team handle being a favorite and not an underdog? How many more strides can this team make in recruiting? Is Charlie Strong a Louisville lifer? Plenty of unknowns for the Cardinals moving forward.

• Cincinnati is wary of Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers' bloodlines.
• Louisville defensive coordinator Vance Bedford learned from his father.
• What can Pitt fans expect out of new coach Paul Chryst?
• Tom Savage might be headed back to Rutgers.
• Former Syracuse punter Rob Long has left cancer behind; now he hopes for his NFL shot.
• West Virginia is singularly focused on Clemson.

Now that we're down to the final players on the Big East postseason Top 25 list -- it shouldn't take too much sleuthing on your part to figure out the remaining names -- let's take a look at who missed the cut.

First, let's examine the players from the preseason list who failed to make the postseason order:

Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia. (Preseason No. 2): Devine is the most shocking absence on this list, based on what we thought this summer. Can't blame him entirely, as he never quite recovered from a toe injury he suffered at LSU, or the exacerbating ankle sprain he had against Louisville later in the season. Devine finished with just 936 rushing yards, only seventh in the Big East, and only topped 85 yards once from the LSU game on.

Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh (Preseason No. 4): Another guy who seemed like a lock, the 2009 league co-defensive player of the year injured his back in the preseason and then tore his ACL when he tried to come back against UConn. But his loss was Brandon Lindsey's gain.

B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida (Preseason No. 6) and Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers (Preseason No. 7): Remember the Daniels vs. Savage debate? That became null once Savage struggled, got hurt, was benched and eventually transferred. Daniels needed most of the season to find any sort of rhythm as well.

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers (Preseason No. 12): Sanu remains one of the most physically-gifted guys in the league. But he suffered like every other offensive player on the Scarlet Knights, and his overuse in the Wildcat wore him down. He's as versatile as anyone, but his production was down.

Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia (Preseason No. 13): Sanders did have the second-most receptions in the league with 69. But I thought Tavon Austin was the more valuable West Virginia receiver. And Sanders remained more of a possession guy, averaging only 10.6 yards per catch and recording just four receiving touchdowns.

Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut (Preseason No. 18): Once again, injuries cut short Lutrus' season, though he was valuable when healthy.

Vidal Hazelton, WR, Cincinnati (Preseason No. 20): We'll never know how good Hazelton could have been for Butch Jones, as his one and only season with the Bearcats ended after just one half with a knee injury in the opener.

Steve Beauharnais, LB, Rutgers (Preseason No. 21): I thought Beauharnais would establish himself as a star after a promising rookie campaign. Didn't happen.

Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh (Preseason No. 23): I was wrong in the Tino vs. Geno debate, but Sunseri didn't have a bad season. He completed 64.5 percent of his passes as a first-year starter. But the consistency wasn't there, and he had some bad games.

Now let's take a look at some of the guys who almost made my Top 25 postseason list but just missed the cut, in alphabetical order by school:

JK Schaffer, LB, Cincinnati: Finished second in the Big East in tackles with 111, but I couldn't justify taking any Cincinnati defenders on the list.

D.J. Woods, WR, Cincinnati: Finished third in receptions, second in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns among Big East players. But he had so many turnovers that hurt the team, he had to miss the cut.

Sio Moore, LB, Connecticut: Announced himself with 110 tackles and a humongous game against West Virginia. But Randy Edsall continually downplayed Moore's overall game, perhaps just to make sure he didn't get ahead of himself.

Jesse Joseph, DE, Connecticut: Had better stats than Kendall Reyes, who did make the list. I thought Reyes had a little more impact in big games. Joseph was very deserving as well.

Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville: He was easily the best tight end in the Big East in 2010. But it was a bad year for tight ends overall.

Ray Graham, RB, Pittsburgh: This was a tough call. Graham is clearly one of the most exciting players in the league, and he averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Here's the thing, though: more than 40 percent of his rushing yards this year came against New Hampshire and Florida International, he never had more than 75 rushing yards in a league game and he had some costly fumbles. I thought Dion Lewis was more valuable in Big East play. With Lewis gone, Graham will be on the preseason 2011 list, for sure.

Mark Harrison, WR, Rutgers: The only Scarlet Knights player I seriously considered for this list after a miserable season in Piscataway. Harrison had 829 yards, nine touchdowns and a league-best 18.8 yards per catch. So why'd he miss? Almost a third of his yards and four of his scores came in the blowout loss at Cincinnati. He was invisible the first four games before a big performance against UConn. He basically had two great games. Harrison is extremely talented and improved immensely. His time on the Top 25 list is coming.

Dontavia Bogan, WR, South Florida: Where would the Bulls have been without Bogan? He was clearly their best receiver and stepped his game up as a senior. But 685 receiving yards was a little underwhelming for this list.

Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia: I get that Irvin is a fan favorite. I also get that he had 14 sacks. But Irvin really only played on third downs and in obvious pass-rushing situations. He was a specialist, albeit a very special one.

Julian Miller, DE, West Virginia: Miller is more of a complete defensive end, and I would have put him on the list ahead of Irvin.

Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia: Tandy led the Big East with six interceptions. Loved his improvement. But even he admitted that Brandon Hogan was the best cornerback on his team and in the league. Tandy was in the right place at the right time for a lot of those picks.

There's no spoiling my mood on this day, not when Radiohead has released its new album. So let's hit the mailbag, my little lotus flowers.

Bob from CT writes: Brian, when you came up with your way-too-early preseason Big East picks, you basically left UConn out. Now that they have a coach, staff and kept all their recruits, where do you think they end up on your list?

Brian Bennett: It's an interesting question. At the time we were asked to do those rankings, UConn didn't even have a coach, so I placed them sixth by default. Now the Huskies have Paul Pasqualoni, who hasn't coached in college since 2004. There are also major questions at quarterback and running back. So it's still really hard to get a read on the Huskies, who I think will have a solid defense and good offensive line, not to mention a very easy nonconference schedule. I'd probably put them anywhere from No. 4 to No. 6 right now, but thankfully I don't think I'll be doing rankings again until after spring practice sheds some more light.

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Austin K. from Orlando writes: When John Marinatto said that the Big East was not waiting on Villanova, was there any mention of a possible date when the Big East would announce the next football team to join the conference, whoever that team might be?

Brian Bennett: The Big East is being very secretive with its expansion process. I believe that when Marinatto told me the league was not waiting on Villanova, what he meant was the league would be ready to pounce on another team if the Wildcats decided not to make the move. Because I still firmly believe that Villanova is the first choice and nothing will happen until the school makes its decision by April. And Marinatto might have been sending a subtle message to Villanova officials with that statement as well.

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Dennis C. from Bradford, Vt., writes: Do you think Tom Savage will ever see full-time status as the Arizona QB?

Brian Bennett: I admit to not knowing Arizona's depth chart all that well since my focus is elsewhere. But after Nick Foles graduates, the position seems to be pretty wide open, and Savage will bring more playing experience than any other candidate. I still think he's a talented guy who could thrive behind an offensive line that actually blocks for him.

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Jay from Pittsburgh writes: Everyone outside of the Big East always tries to tear down the Big East. You do a great job of taking up for the Big East. Can you talk about how 5 out of our 8 teams finished in the top 25 for team defense? WVU, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, & South Florida.

Brian Bennett: Sure. Let's just agree to not talk about the offenses those defenses faced in conference play.

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Charles from Washington, Pa., writes: I just saw ESPN's "Draft Lab" with Todd McShay and Mel Kiper. Todd picked Jon Baldwin as his "Biggest Risk" receiver in this years class. (Although he did put him as his No. 3 receiver) His reasons were not because of his production, speed, or size, but for his work ethic. From when Baldwin said he wasn't getting the ball enough towards the end of the season and Pitt was hurting his draft status. Just wanted to know your input on those Comments from McShay. Thanks.

Brian Bennett: I included a good article on this topic in today's lunchtime links from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on this very topic. Clearly, Baldwin was hurt by the comments he made to a website about the way he was used this season. I think people need to remember the context of those quotes, and that they came immediately after the firing of Dave Wannstedt when many of the Pitt players were very emotional. Baldwin also suffers from a perception, fair or not, that he gave up on some balls and didn't run precise routes. I don't think he's a bad guy by any means, though he could use some maturing. If he performs like I think he will at the NFL combine and in workouts, many of those concerns will slide away. The guy is just too talented to pass up.

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Adam M. from East Lansing writes: Greetings from Big Ten country! Recently got marked down on an exam question regarding the Big East and I was wondering what you believed, seeing as you are a Big East expert, would be the more suitable answer. Basically the question is what do you think has been more important over the last 20 years to the Big East. Do you think it is A) The Big East gaining Notre Dame in 1995 (factors for this might be national perception and fan base Notre Dame brings) or B) adding Conference USA teams in 2001 (factors for this may be football revenue, and keeping the Big East in football and in the BCS). Not going to tell you what I picked on the exam but if YOU had to answer the question with only one of these what would you go with. Would really like to prove my professor wrong on this one! Thanks!

Brian Bennett: I'd just like to know how I can sign up for that class. I hope your professor meant 2005 when talking about the addition of Cincinnati, South Florida and Louisville (plus Marquette and DePaul on the basketball side), or he gets an F from me. Anyway, that's clearly the right answer, because without those teams coming in and having success, Big East football wouldn't exist. Notre Dame has added some prestige but has had only a marginal impact on football (mostly on bowl game tie-ins), and we all know football drives the train in college sports. Actually, it is the train and everything else is a penny on the track.

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Ryan S. from Tampa writes: All respect in the world to our former coach, Jim Leavitt, but he was not always the most loquacious of coaches. How nice is it, as a journalist, to have a head coach who will not only sit down and talk with you, but do it with a smile on his face? I know as a fan, it makes all the difference. Reading the one-on-one with Skip Holtz really helps to inspire confidence in what he is teaching to our student athletes at USF; I'm glad to have him.

Brian Bennett: It's impossible not to enjoy talking with Skip Holtz. He has a great future in TV if he ever chooses to go that route (and I'm sure Bulls fans hope that is a long way down the road). As an aside, Leavitt could be funny and charming in different settings -- I enjoyed listening to his stories during a round of golf once at Big East media day --- but he chose not to show that most of the time in his official dealings with the media.

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John from Syracuse writes: You continually ignore my questions about Syracuse on your hour long Q-and-A. I love your blog and am there every week at 4 and watch all your videos. How bout some love back? Do you just not like Syracuse or do you think my questions are stupid?

Mike from Tampa writes: Since we're in the spirit of Valentine's week: My heart is broken. I write you all the time, and you never return any of my messages. I haven't stopped caring, but I can't help but feel neglected. I may as well just open up by own blog full of all my unanswered questions, and send you the link every week so maybe you'll help clear up the confusion in my mind. Obviously, I understand that you're seeing other people. I have been, too. But there's no reason to ignore each other. I don't want to sound too obsessive, but I need attention. Regards, Your not-so-secret admirer.

Brian Bennett: Wow, you guys are needy this week. Well, I get hundreds of questions on those chats and can't answer them all, plus I like to spread around the topics. Same goes with the mailbags. Keep trying, because I do read them all. In the meantime, take a deep breath, mellow out and maybe put on the new Radiohead album.

Happy Radiohead release day!

• Syracuse looks very solid at safety heading into the spring.
• Season-ticket prices have gone up slightly for Pitt, which has eight home games in 2011. Jon Baldwin is trying to dispel notions that he has a bad attitude.
• Paul Pasqualoni says keeping the majority of Randy Edsall's staff was a priority for him after the way they worked. More here from Pasqualoni, including his thoughts on the now-thin running back position.
• Greg Schiano endorsed Tom Savage to the Arizona coaching staff.

The worry that Tom Savage would transfer from Rutgers and somehow hurt the Scarlet Knights by damaging their recruiting can be officially put to rest.

Savage committed to Arizona on Thursday after making his first official visit, the Tucson Citizen reports. That's about as far away from Rutgers -- and Greg Schiano's recruiting turf -- as Savage could have gotten. There's almost no danger of the Scarlet Knights and Wildcats playing during Savage's remaining two years of eligibility (in 2012 and 2013), since the Big East and Pac-12 do not share any bowl ties.

Arizona has Nick Foles back for his senior year, and then the job would be up for grabs. Another senior, Matt Scott, is planning on redshirting this year, and the Wildcats have two inexperienced signal callers in Cam Allerheiligen and Daxx Garman.

Here's hoping Savage gets his career back on track in the desert.

Valentine's Day can be great. Unless you've had your heart broken recently.

The Big East knows all about heartache. Here are the five biggest heartbreakers for the league:

Landry Jones: The Oklahoma quarterback helped the Sooners get by Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium last September and then led his team to a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl romp over Connecticut in January. Jones threw for 799 yards and five touchdowns in the two wins.

Russell Wilson: The NC State quarterback engineered a win over Cincinnati early in the year before beating West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl. Wilson threw for 675 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions while running for another 74 yards in the two victories. The Big East is anxious to see Wilson concentrate on baseball.

Randy Edsall, Brian Kelly, Bobby Petrino and Rich Rodriguez: These four coaches have combined to claim the last six BCS bids in the Big East. Each one left his school for a supposedly better gig. Edsall became the latest, ditching his team right after the Fiesta Bowl for Maryland and not even bothering to tell the players in person first.

Mike Haywood: He was Pittsburgh coach for all of about two weeks before his brush with the law in South Bend made the Panthers and athletic director Steve Pederson a national punching bag. The Pitt players, though, weren't too heartbroken to see Haywood leave after he lectured them about discipline in their lone meeting.

Dave Teggart: Teggart is a hero in Connecticut, but he broke other Big East teams' hearts along the way. He kicked the game-winning field goals against West Virginia and South Florida and contributed heavily to the two-point win over Pittsburgh.

Tom Savage: Rutgers fans thought last year was the start of a beautiful relationship with Savage. Instead, the sophomore quarterback got hurt, benched and then decided to transfer, which briefly led to a dispute with Greg Schiano over his destination. The Scarlet Knights will now bat their eyes at Chas Dodd and hope for a different fate.

• UConn's Johnny McEntee was stunned by the immediate popularity of his trick-shot viral video.
• Pittsburgh is making Texas a new recruiting home base thanks to its staff's connections to the Lone Star State.
• Syracuse's defensive staff changes are aimed in part at helping stop spread offenses.
• Tate Forcier's transfer to Miami may have rendered the whole Tom Savage-to-the-Hurricanes debate moot.
• Devin McCourty exceeded everyone's expectations -- including his own -- during his first NFL season.

Serving up some late afternoon links after all the recruiting info has been digested:

• Skip Holtz stayed loyal to a South Florida recruit even after that prospect suffered a knee injury.

• Dana Holgorsen is adjusting to the different style of East Coast recruiting.

• Cincinnati's class got high marks, but the Bearcats won Big East titles without top-rated recruits.

• Syracuse must focus on player development.

• Todd Graham focused on speed in his first class.

• UConn is already working on a quarterback in next year's class.

• Louisville could hear from two more recruits on Friday.

• Tom Savage is visiting Arizona as he considers his transfer destinations.

Thanks to those of you who offered changes/corrections to my posts reviewing the 2007 recruiting classes. Trying to track nearly 200 players from four years ago with a quick turnaround can lead to some oversights, and I've tried to fix where possible. As I said in the beginning, it was not an exact science, nor was it meant to be. Of course, the underlying point remains: Teams are lucky if they get about a 60 percent return on solid contributors from their signing classes.

Now on to some of your e-mails on signing day eve:

Bill from South Jersey writes: In your article "Greg Schiano does right by Tom Savage," I could not disagree more. When a player/players commit to a school (Rutgers, USC, Notre Dame, TCU, South Florida) they should honor the commitment. What drives me crazy are the kids that say, "Well, I'm outta here because it's not working for me. I'll transfer, that's the answer." Hardships, coach either fired/quit/retire that's different. Then a college should be able to just pull a commitment whenever they feel like as well. I might agree with Schiano's reason b/c we recruit there, but where is line drawn at? When is enough enough?

Brian Bennett: I respect your opinion, Bill, but we disagree on this one. I'd buy the commitment argument if it worked both ways, but it simply doesn't. Schools only give players one-year renewable scholarships, and coaches can leave anytime after promising a player they will be there their entire four years. Why should a college student be forced to stay at a school if he decides the situation isn't right for him? We all have that freedom in our work lives, and we had it when we were students. Restricting a player from transferring to a conference school or a team on the schedule is one thing, but players should be free to go just about anywhere else they choose.

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Matt from Storrs writes: In one of your recent posts you talked about recruiting needs, and for UConn you didn't mention they needed a running back despite Jordan Todman's departure, or a quarterback, which in addition to the wide receivers was a struggling position. How confident are you that UConn can fill these positions?

Brian Bennett: Connecticut does at least have some options at those positions. Michael Box started a game last year at quarterback and is just a sophomore. There's also Scott McCummings, Johnny McEntee and Leon Kinnard, and the Huskies should at least be able to match the production they got in last year's passing game, which wasn't much. At running back, they have Robbie Frey back, plus D.J. Shoemate and Lyle McCombs, who was fairly well-regarded as a recruit. Todman leaves big shoes to fill, but UConn has shown the ability to plug in new players at tailback and not miss a beat.

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Dave from Pittsburgh writes: Ryne Giddins at USF deserves mentions in the ESPNU150 list -- he made a few big plays last year and looks like he'll be a future star. It sounds like he's already penciled in as a starter next year. USF's only other ESPNU 150 guy is Todd Chandler -- no idea if he'll pan out.

Brian Bennett: You're right, both those guys should have been in there. Giddins needs to have a breakthrough season for the Bulls next year. Defensive linemen sometimes take a little longer to develop.

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Zack M. from Sana'a, Yemen, writes: Great job with the blog. Thanks for keeping it so active during the off-season and giving us all our daily fix of college football. How quickly can the Big East climb out of the hole it dug for itself last season? Do you think next year might even be worse? I truly hope the best for the conference but it's hard to be optimistic. I would imagine the only recruits that would want to come to the BE would be punters and kickers ;-)

Brian Bennett: Yemen? Really? Well, I might be overly optimistic, but I think the Big East is in for a rebound soon. The majority of the teams bring back their starting quarterback, which is always big. New offenses at West Virginia and Pitt should help those teams in the long run. I could see 2011 being a sort of bridge year, and then in 2012 when all the coaches have their systems fully in place and TCU comes in, we could be looking at a really strong Big East campaign.

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Jack from Louisville writes: When you have talked about Louisville and Teddy Bridgewater sometimes it sounds like you didn't know he is on campus and is going to practice this spring. But it would just be me and how you are wording it. But I think he will be our starting QB next year and will break many records after 4 years of being here.

Brian Bennett: Yes, I'm aware Bridgewater is already enrolled and will practice this spring. That gives him a huge leg up on DaMarcus Smith, provided Smith still signs with the Cardinals. But there is still a long way to go.

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John from McKinney, Texas, writes: Read your article about recruiting needs. The old Pitt staff was going to (and probably the current Pitt staff will), hit WPIAL hard for OL in 2012. There are suppose to be 4 or 5 pretty good OL prospects in the 2012 in WPIAL. I heard WPIAL class for 2012 is suppose to be one of the strongest ones in recent years. It will be interesting to see if the new staff can hold off Ohio State for the top recruits.

Brian Bennett: That may be the case, but as of right now this year's recruiting class has only two offensive linemen in it. Given Pitt's problems on the line this year, coupled with the loss of the Panthers' starting left tackle and center, that seems like a problem to me.

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Adam M. from East Brunswick, N.J., writes: Just saw that Josue Matias decommitted from Rutgers and gave Florida State a solid verbal. I find this strange as new Rutgers recruit Savon Huggins was quoted as saying Matias wanted to go wherever he (Huggins) went. Should his hasty retreat have Rutgers fans worried?

Brian Bennett: It's my experience that a lot of players say they want to play together in college, but only a portion of the time does that turn out to be true. In the end, the player has to decide what's best for himself.

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Philip M. from Austin, Texas, writes: I do not see the point of getting to 10 members. If not going for 12, I think it's best to stay at nine. Please enlighten me on what 10 members brings. Thank you in advance.

Brian Bennett: Say hello to one of my favorite cities, Philip. The Big East doesn't need to get to 10. A nine-team league works just fine for scheduling. But the conference has said it wants to go to 10. The advantages would be an extra TV market for media-rights negotiating purposes, and potentially a stronger overall league. Remember that except for the Big 12, all other BCS leagues will have 12 members in 2011.

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Shane W. from Clarksburg, W. Va., writes: First of all, I'm a huge fan of the blog. I read it every day. I was just wondering, how badly do you think staying for his senior year affected Noel Devine's draft stock?

Brian Bennett: Thanks for the kind words, Shane. I don't really think it had much negative effect. Devine still would have measured 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds last year. Maybe if he'd been healthier he could have looked better for scouts, but his size was always going to be a big question mark.

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Brian from Tampa writes: Do you think the state of Florida is now the "BIG 4". This is a Yes or No question.

Brian Bennett: No. Not yet. I agree with Skip Holtz: The Bulls need to win a Big East championship and get to a BCS game before they can consider themselves on the same level as Florida, Florida State and Miami. They are getting closer, though.

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Doug from Tampa writes: BB, your push for UCF wouldn't have anything to do with ESPN and the parent company Disney ties would it? I know you're looking out for your job and all and in a tough spot, but if you are a real journalist and have any honor than why not disclose the whole story in spite of it? Yes, it could be career suicide but you would be a hero and show you're a class act. There are better fits than UCF for the BE; if we are looking at a wish list, UCF is about 5-to-10 on the wish list correct.

Brian Bennett: I am afraid to answer this letter, because Mickey is holding my whole family hostage at gunpoint. Nah, come on, that's just silly. Hey, it's my job to give my opinions on Big East issues, and it's simply my opinion that Central Florida is the best fit for a 10th league member right now. No other available program has the facilities, market, large student body and a team that just finished in the Top 25 and beat an SEC team in a bowl game. Reasonable minds can disagree whether the Knights are the best fit. But to say UCF isn't even in the top five best available teams is just ridiculous.

Sometimes, it doesn't matter how you come to the right decision as long as that's your destination.

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano announced on Monday evening that he will let quarterback Tom Savage transfer to wherever he chooses, even if it's to Miami or another Florida school. Schiano made his decision after a school appeals committee upheld his original restrictions on the Florida schools.

Schiano said he had a change of heart after talking to Savage and learning that the player has grandparents in Florida. He was also impressed with the positive outlook Savage had about the situation.

I opposed the idea of original restrictions, as I usually side with players in cases such as these. Schiano's reasoning that Rutgers recruits in Florida and thus Savage couldn't go there seemed like a bad potential precedent to me. Doesn't every school recruit in Florida? Should all players be restricted to transfer only to areas where their former schools don't recruit? Savage did not appear to be a guy who was inclined to go to Miami and try to destroy the Scarlet Knights by talking bad about his former school to all current South Florida high school prospects.

It's just as plausible that Rutgers could have been hurt in recruiting by not allowing Savage to go where he wanted, and thus risk being seen as a program that does not care about its players' best interests.

Savage may or may not end up at Miami, or in Florida. But now all parties can move on amicably, and the situation was resolved the right way.

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.

Before we get to another edition of the ol' mailbag, I must congratulate former blog crush Natalie Portman on her Oscar nomination. I can't say for sure that my constant mentioning of her had any influence on the honor, but if Rachel Bilson is nominated next year then we'll know something is up.

And now, the envelopes please ...

Brian from Parts Unknown writes: I just read your blog on Tom Savage, and I was hoping you could raise one of the great injustices of college football (one of many). The transfer rules are just horrible. I understand making guys sit out because it would be disastrous to have kids jumping schools, but how is it even remotely ethical for Rutgers or any other school to tell a kid where he can or can't get an education? (I understand that the kid can go wherever he wants and pay his own freight) These kids don't get four-year scholarships -- They get four one-year scholarships that get renewed each year. Why doesn't the NCAA put a stop to this?

Dave from Millstone Township, N.J., writes: Coach Greg Schiano believes Tom Savage going to Miami would hurt RU recruiting in Florida. Maybe that's true, maybe not. Tom is a distraught, somewhat confused, but classy and talented young man who believes he has NFL caliber talent and is worried about his future. His father is also in a very difficult emotional and stressful time, and wants nothing but what is right for his son. There are multiple sides to this story, and somewhere in the middle lies the truth. The media and we fans need to leave the parties involved alone and let them work out the best option possible for Tom and RU to move forward as quickly as possible to minimize controversy and impact on Tom's former and future teammates.

Brian Bennett: I've heard different sides to the Savage situation from readers and understand all the points. We haven't heard any official reason from Rutgers yet on why Schiano blocked Miami (as well as, reportedly, Florida and Florida State), but the implicit excuse has been to protect the Scarlet Knights' recruiting efforts in Florida. I just don't buy that.

I'm almost always going to side with the players in these situations; if a coach can promise his team he's not going anywhere and then bolt hours later, then players should have much more freedom to move around as well. Do we really think that if Savage plays two seasons at Miami, then Rutgers' recruiting efforts will be dealt a crippling blow? I think that's wildly overstating things. Regardless, you hate to see this situation play out like this after it looked like the Schiano-Savage combo would be four years of bliss for Rutgers.

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O. Badub from Morgantown, W. Va., writes: What do you think about Noel Devine measuring in at 5-foot-7 and weighing in at 160 pounds? How much does this hurt his draft stock and how will he have to test at the Combine to make up for it? Does this change any of your opinions on how Devine was used during his time at West Virginia?

Brian Bennett: If you look at these Senior Bowl weigh-in numbers , you'll see that Devine is one of the smallest players in virtually every measurable category. I can't say it surprises me, since I've stood next to Devine several times and knew he wasn't a big guy (and I'm fascinated to see Dion Lewis's measurements, since I towered over him and I'm barely 5-foot-9). You can get away with small backs in a spread offense, and Devine's biggest attributes were always his speed and cutback ability. I've long believed that he needs to get in the right situation with an NFL team that will find creative ways to use him. I can't see him being an every-down pro tailback, but he can certainly be a third-down specialist and a kick returner.

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Joe B. from Indy writes: What if the Big East expanded to 12 teams in football targeting Missouri, Kansas and K State? The Big East would be in a better position to increase its TV contract and those three schools would be on an equal footing financially with teams they would be competing against. The Big East would have much larger markets than the Big 12 (10). The non revenue sports could play a divisional to reduce travel costs. Men's and women's basketball would be even stronger.

Brian Bennett: It's a great idea, except that the Big 12 still offers more money than the Big East does. Athletic departments are not interested in taking pay cuts. Now, maybe those schools get sick of playing in Texas' shadow, especially in light of the recent Longhorns TV deal. But unless the Big East can find a way to grow its TV revenue and offer those schools comparable money, I don't see it happening.

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Zach from New Brunswick N.J., writes: I see you didn't include the UConn-Rutgers game in your countdown of the season's best games. Was it one of your honorable mentions at least? At the time it looked like Rutgers was ready to have a solid offense behind Chas Dodd, and it ended up being one of UConn's only two conference losses.

Brian Bennett: It was in my honorable mention category (seen only by me). That was a pretty exciting game with a good comeback. Ultimately, I just didn't feel like it had much overall impact. Rutgers wouldn't win another league game, and the loss didn't end up hurting UConn. Besides, I already had three Huskies games in my Top 7.

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Velden L. Parkersburg, W.Va., writes: In honor of signing day which is quickly approaching, I have a question for you: Is it more important to get the highly-touted players or to have a good coach who can do more with less? In the past decade we've seen many examples in the Big East of players who weren't ranked very high, yet they consistently beat-up on SEC schools. Of course, I'm speaking of Pat White and Steve Slaton. Then we all saw Brian Kelly do a lot with the players he had at Cincinnati. But then you have schools like Florida and Texas who consistently get ridiculous classes. For the most part those schools are always at the top in the rankings every year (outside of this year obviously).

Brian Bennett: It's a timeless question to which there is no clear-cut answer. Coaches need players with certain skill sets to win at the highest levels, and the highly-ranked recruits are the ones who are the biggest, fastest and strongest. At the same time, you can measure a player's 40 time and his bench press, but you can't gauge his heart or desire to be the best. Recruits are often judged at camps and combines where they're going through drills, not in crucial game-situations where they've already been hit two dozen times.

We saw this year how Texas and Florida had all kinds of athletes but not toughness. I'd rather have a slightly lower-ranked player who has a burning desire to be great. And you have to a coach who knows how to both develop and properly use his talents. That's why this is an inexact science.

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James S. from Kabul, Afghanistan, writes: Thanks for the blog. It's a great way to keep up with the Big East and the PITT Panthers and I try to read it daily. With Todd Graham at the helm of the Panthers and the offense hopefully opening up more, how do you see them faring this year? Not only in Big East play but in all games. Iowa, Utah and Notre Dame are on the schedule. Will the loss of the recruits and several key players turning pro hurt the program for next year?

Brian Bennett: You're welcome, James, and stay safe over there. I don't think the recruiting situation will have much of an impact on this year's team. It's doubtful many true freshmen would have seen significant time anyway. Pitt still has a lot of talent, though losing Jon Baldwin and Dion Lewis hurts. The biggest hurdle is the transition from a pro-style offense to Graham's far more wide-open attack. I've got to believe there will be some growing pains along the way. Pittsburgh still has enough talent to compete in the Big East, but I wouldn't make the Panthers one of the favorites for next year.

• West Virginia made the right choice not to fire Bill Stewart before the 2011 season, Mike Casazza says. Dana Holgorsen's salary could rise to $2.65 million with incentives.
• UConn grabbed a linebacker and an offensive tackle, both of whom are from Georgia, on the recruiting front. The Huskies should stand up to a major booster's "shakedown."
• Tom Savage thought about staying and competing for the quarterback job at Rutgers, but he and his family never thought Greg Schiano would block any of his transfer destinations, Another former Pitt recruit is headed to the Scarlet Knights, and this time it's defensive back Lafayette Pitts.