ESPN College Football

The final ranking of the Big East Top 25 players for 2011 is complete. So it's time for a little breakdown.

By school

West Virginia: 7

Cincinnati: 4

Rutgers: 4

UConn: 3

Syracuse: 2

Louisville: 2

Pitt: 2

USF: 1

By unit

Offense: 9

Defense: 16

By position

Defensive line: 8

Running back: 4

Linebacker: 4

Defensive back: 4

Wide receiver: 3

Quarterback: 2

Now for what many of you have asked to see -- the players ranked in my preseason list who went unranked on the final list.

No. 2 Brandon Lindsey, DL/LB, Pitt. There are many Panthers fans who are upset that Lindsey did not make the final Top 25 list. Lindsey had 8.5 sacks, down from the 10 he had a year ago, while he transitioned to a new hybrid defensive end/linebacker position. I think being caught in no-man's land at times this season really took a toll. Pitt never really decided how they wanted to use him, and while he had the stats, overall I didn't think he was as effective as he was a year ago. In fact, I think he was probably misused in the new 3-4 scheme.

No. 10 Sio Moore, LB, UConn. Moore did have a good season for the Huskies, but I thought he was inconsistent on the whole at a position that had some pretty strong players. Moore did not make either Big East conference team, an award voted on by the coaches, but I do expect him to have a much better season in 2012.

No. 12 Moe Petrus, C, UConn. Offensive line was an area of weakness across the Big East, and UConn was no exception. Petrus was the first-team Big East center, but the Huskies had big problems on the line this past season, and I didn't think any lineman was worthy of recognition.

No. 13 Mark Harrison, WR, Rutgers. Totally misjudged the receiver position at Rutgers, where Mohamed Sanu dominated. Still, I wasn't the only one who had high expectations for Harrison in 2011, so I think it is safe to say he disappointed.

No. 15 Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, UConn. Wreh-Wilson hurt his knee and missed a good chunk of the season, leaving the Huskies' secondary to fend without him. The result was a mess.

No. 16 D.J. Woods, WR, Cincinnati. Woods never really became the go-to receiver for the Bearcats, finishing with just 444 yards and two touchdowns. His production was down by more than half compared to the 2010 season, when he had 898 yards and eight touchdown receptions.

No. 19 Jarred Holley, S, Pitt. Holley did make the Big East first-team, but he didn't make as many big plays this season as he did during the 2010 season at a position that was relatively week across the league.

No. 22 Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville. Anderson got his chance as a starter, and never really made a big impact. He struggled to play through a sprained ankle, and ended up splitting reps with Jeremy Wright and Dominique Brown, finishing with 539 yards and three touchdown runs.

No. 23 Tino Sunseri, QB, Pitt. Do I need to go into how I badly miscalculated here?

No. 24 B.J. Daniels, QB, USF. Daniels had more yards passing, more touchdown passes and cut down on the interceptions from the 2010 season. But he wasn't an elite quarterback in the league, and ended up making critical mistakes in several key games this past season.

No. 25 Dave Teggart, PK, UConn. Teggart's field goal percentage was down from the 2010 season, and he also missed the first extra point attempt of his career. Nobody in the kicking/punting game really merited a mention in the Top 25.

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys for Louisville going into the Belk Bowl tonight:

1. Relax: This will be the first bowl game for many of the starters and key contributors on this team. With so many true and redshirt freshmen contributing, it is natural to wonder how they will handle the challenge of playing with the spotlight squarely on them. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is not one to flinch under pressure -- he led his team to a comeback win against in-state rival Kentucky early on this season. But still, bowl games come with distractions and a long layoff that are not built into the regular season. How Louisville handles both will be a big key in this game.

2. Watch Amerson: NC State cornerback David Amerson has been an interception machine all season, so you can bet Louisville will be on the lookout for where he lines up in the secondary. With Michaelee Harris out because of a knee injury, he most likely will draw the assignment of trying to slow down Eli Rogers and DeVante Parker -- who leads the team with six touchdown receptions. Bridgewater has thrown 12 touchdown passes to nine interceptions this season, and is still learning how to read coverages. NC State might try to disguise what it is doing or at least confuse Bridgewater, and force him into making mistakes.

3. Do run-run: Louisville is at its best when it is able to establish the run, so that is going to be a bigger key than anything Bridgewater can do in the passing game. Louisville is 7-2 when rushing for 100 or more yards this season; 0-3 when failing to reach the 100-yard mark. Moving Dominique Brown to running back has been a big help for the Cardinals, as he and Victor Anderson have carried the rushing load in the past five games of the season. When Louisville has balance, most everything works out for this team.

Last week, we took a look at the up-and-coming freshmen in the Big East. Now it is time to take a look at all of the departing senior talent. There is a ton across every team in this league. Sixteen of the 29 players honored on the All-Big East first team are seniors. There are still five bowl games left to be played, but it is worth taking a look at how many seniors are departing.

I will take a closer look at some of these "super seniors" in a future post.

Cincinnati

• Seniors: 21
• Starters: 12
• Key losses: Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Randy Martinez, D.J. Woods, Evan Davis, John Hughes, Wes Richardson, Alex Hoffman, JK Schaffer, Adrien Robinson, Tom DeTemple, Derek Wolfe.

UConn

• Seniors: 13
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Mike Ryan, Moe Petrus, Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore, Dave Teggart, Twyon Martin, Kendall Reyes.

Louisville

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Victor Anderson, Josh Bellamy, Josh Chichester, Ryan Kessling, Dexter Heyman, William Savoy, Greg Scruggs, Chris Philpott.

Pitt

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Lucas Nix, Greg Gaskins, Jordan Gibbs, Antwuan Reed, Max Gruder, Greg Williams, Brandon Lindsey, Chas Alecxih, Myles Caragein.

Rutgers

• Seniors: 16
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Desmond Wynn, Caleb Ruch, Art Forst, Joe Martinek, Justin Francis, Manny Abreu, David Rowe, San San Te.

USF

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 6
• Key losses: Jeremiah Warren, Chaz Hine, Quenton Washington, Jerrell Young, Patrick Hampton, Keith McCaskill.

Syracuse

• Seniors: 18
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Van Chew, Andrew Tiller, Michael Hay, Antwon Bailey, Kevyn Scott, Mikhail Marinovich, Nick Provo.

West Virginia

• Seniors: 22
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Don Barclay, Julian Miller, Bruce Irvin, Najee Goode, Keith Tandy, Eain Smith.

Let's take one final look back at Week 9.

The good: Start with the Louisville defense, which is playing like the best unit in the Big East right now. The Cardinals have held each of their opponents to 25 points or fewer this season. Only one other team has done the same: Alabama. Pretty nice company for the Cardinals, who now rank No. 1 in the Big East in total defense and scoring defense. They are the top Big East team in the national rankings in those categories as well, ranking No. 12 nationally in total defense (295.63 ypg) and No. 11 in scoring defense (16.25 ppg). More on the defense in my video later today. ... How about a little standing O for Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri, perhaps the most heavily criticized player in the Big East this season. Sunseri has taken heat not only from fans, but from his coaches as well because he has not been able to run the new hurry-up spread offense as efficiently as coach Todd Graham anticipated. But Sunseri had a career-day in a win over UConn, throwing for 419 yards and two touchdowns. Interestingly, Pitt didn’t have a 100-yard receiver. Eight players caught at least one pass in the game. ... West Virginia became bowl-eligible for the 10th consecutive season with its 41-31 win at Rutgers. Quarterback Geno Smith has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 11 consecutive games, and he added his first career rushing touchdown as well. Meanwhile, cornerback Brodrick Jenkins got his first career start and ended up with two interceptions -- the first two of his career.

The bad: Rutgers still is one of the best in the nation in turnover margin, but that number has taken a tumble of late. The Scarlet Knights had forced at least four turnovers in each of their first five games, but have a total of three forced turnovers in their last three games. In those three games, Rutgers is minus-six in turnover margin -- minus-five in two straight losses. ... Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey ran for 70 yards in a loss to Louisville, breaking his four-game streak of 100-plus rushing yards. The defense, which played so well against West Virginia, did not have its greatest day against the Cardinals -- a team that had struggled to move the ball for most of the season. Syracuse allowed Louisville to score a season-high 27 points and its second-highest total offense output against FBS opponents this season (343 yards). ... For the first time all season, UConn did not force a turnover in its loss to Pitt. ... West Virginia receiver Stedman Bailey had two receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers, snapping his streak of five straight 100-yard games.

Milestone watch

Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville. Anderson became the 13th 2,000-yard rusher in school history after gaining 93 yards against Syracuse.

Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse. Nassib moved past Joe Morris (1978-81) and now ranks eighth in school history in total offense (4,429 yards).

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers. Sanu had seven receptions for 48 yards against West Virginia, moving into third place on the school's single-season receptions chart (70).

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia. Smith now has 45 career passing touchdowns and is tied with Rasheed Marshall (2001-04) for No. 3 on the all-time school list. He also passed athletic director Oliver Luck for No. 4 on the all-time passing chart with 5,787 career passing yards.

San San Te, K, Rutgers. Te moved into second place on the school's career scoring chart (307 points) with seven points against West Virginia.

Dave Teggart, K, UConn. Teggart was 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts against Pitt, making him 117-for-117 in his career. Teggart broke the Big East record of 116 consecutive made extra points, held previously by Art Carmody of Louisville.

Week 10 schedule

Louisville at West Virginia, noon, Big East Network

Syracuse at UConn, noon, ESPNU

Cincinnati at Pitt, 7 p.m., ESPNU

USF at Rutgers, 7 p.m., ESPN3

How about a little Big East did you know? Thanks to the school sports information departments and ESPN Stats & Information for their great notes.

• Louisville is 1-4 this season and 1-7 under coach Charlie Strong when scoring under 20 points in a game. Louisville had dropped seven straight games when failing to score more than 20 points.
• The Cardinals are on pace to tally just five rushing touchdowns for the season, which would be the second-fewest in school history. Louisville had just three in 1991 and six in 1974. Senior Victor Anderson and Teddy Bridgewater had the only other rushing touchdowns before Dominique Brown scored against Rutgers.
• Louisville did something against Rutgers that they hadn’t done all season -- score a touchdown in the third quarter. Louisville has scored a total of just 12 points in the third quarter all season.
• Syracuse needs one win to become bowl eligible for the second straight season. The last time the Orange reached bowl games in consecutive years was 1998 (Orange Bowl vs. Florida) and 1999 (Music City Bowl vs. Kentucky).
• The Orange hit the road for the first time in conference play this season after going 4-0 away from home in Big East games in 2010. It was the first time since 1996 the team didn’t lose a Big East away game. The last league road loss was the 2009 finale at UConn.
• If Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey rushes for 100 yards at Louisville, he will tie Curtis Brinkley’s 2008 school record for the most consecutive 100-yard rushing games in a season at five. He’ll also match Brinkley and Joe Morris (1979-80) for the most consecutive 100-yard games during the course of a career.
• Rutgers made its living earlier this season on takeaways, but the Scarlet Knights have been sloppy of late. They were plus-14 in turnover margin through the first five games; in their last two they are minus-3.
• This is the 12th time Rutgers has faced a ranked West Virginia team. Rutgers is 1-10 against ranked WVU teams. The lone victory for the Scarlet Knights was a 23-19 win over No. 19 West Virginia at Giants Stadium on Nov. 10, 1984.
• Here is a little breakdown of West Virginia vs. Rutgers in their last 16 meetings, all West Virginia wins. The Mountaineers have averaged 40.9 ppg; Rutgers 16.1. West Virginia has scored 30 or more points 12 times; Rutgers twice. The Scarlet Knights last beat West Virginia in 1994.
• After giving up 61 sacks last season, Rutgers has only allowed 13 this year.
• West Virginia has had 10 100-yard receiving performances after seven games, the most 100-yard receiving performances in one season in school history. Five of those belong to Stedman Bailey.
• Pitt set season-highs for total offense (529), passing yardage (433), completions (30) and pass attempts (43) in its win over UConn.

Three upsets left me at 3-3 last week, but 30-7 overall through five weeks. Not too bad, but now I see why this league is so unpredictable. Only four games on tap this week. How do I see them shaking out?

Louisville (2-2) at North Carolina (4-1), noon, ESPN2. The Cardinals are struggling to run the ball and score, two big factors in their 2-2 start. It is unknown whether Will Stein or Victor Anderson will play. The last time North Carolina played a team from the Big East, the Tar Heels were sloppy but still came out with a win. I think they are better on offense, and that makes the difference. North Carolina 24, Louisville 14.

UConn (2-3) at No. 16 West Virginia (4-1), noon, ESPN3. The Huskies beat West Virginia for the first time ever last year, thanks to four Mountaineers turnovers. You think that is going to happen again? I don't. After seeing UConn have a tough time stopping Alex Carder and Western Michigan, how on earth are the Huskies going to stop Geno Smith? West Virginia 38, UConn 13.

Pitt (3-2) at Rutgers (3-1), 3:30 p.m., ESPNU. Both teams are coming off wins, but Pitt looked better in its victory over USF than Rutgers did in its win over Syracuse. The Panthers finally had a complete effort for an entire game. Rutgers has yet to announce who will start at quarterback. Pitt 28, Rutgers 17.

Syracuse (3-2) at Tulane (2-3), 8 p.m. The Orange are coming off a tough double-overtime loss to Rutgers, but they did have a defensive performance worthy enough of a win. Plus, safety Shamarko Thomas is expected back and that should add even more help. Watch for Ryan Nassib and Antwon Bailey to rebound from sub-par games last week. Syracuse 35, Tulane 20.

Take a look at the numbers Louisville has put up on offense this season, and you will see why the Cardinals have struggled in a 2-2 start.

Here is how they rank in the Big East:

No. 8 scoring offense, 18.8 ppg

No. 5 total offense, 359.8 ypg

No. 6 rushing offense, 120.8 ypg

Compare that to where they finished a year ago:

T. No. 2 scoring offense, 26.4 ppg

No. 3 total offense, 368.9 ypg

No. 1 rushing offense, 174.9 ypg

There are two major factors holding Louisville back: subpar play on the offensive line, and an inability to run the ball. The two go hand in hand, of course. The Cardinals have found it quite difficult to replace four starters on the line, and and were without rock-solid center Mario Benavides until last week. It also has been tough going replacing Bilal Powell, who finished second in the league in rushing last season with 1,405 yards.

The numbers show that. Louisville ranked No. 34 in the country last year in rush offense. This year, it ranks No. 91. Victor Anderson and Jeremy Wright have struggled. Anderson has 155 total yards; Wright has 136. Louisville has scored a league-low two rushing touchdowns this season. Last year, the Cardinals scored 17 on the ground.

Quarterback Dominique Brown seemed to add a spark against Kentucky, with 14 carries for 91 yards. But in a loss to Marshall last week, he only six carries for 11 yards.

"We just didn't do a good job of running the ball," coach Charlie Strong said. "We didn't do a good job of it at all."

The Cardinals face a tough task Saturday against North Carolina. The Tar Heels have been pretty good against the run. Rutgers only had 1 yard rushing against the Tar Heels, who have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Meanwhile, Louisville has issues at quarterback, too. Starter Will Stein is still day-to-day with a shoulder injury, so true freshman Teddy Bridgewater could make his second career start on Saturday.

Anderson also is being evaluated this week with an injury and could be a game-time decision.

Here are some news and notes from the Big East coaches' conference call today.

Cincinnati

Coach Butch Jones spent a lot of time talking about the physicality of his football team, both on offense and defense so far this season. Cincinnati ranks No. 1 in the league in rush defense and No. 2 in rush offense.

It is a point of emphasis he has made with this group since becoming head coach.

"It's creating a mindset," Jones said. "In recent years, we haven't had much success on defense. There hasn't been a lot to hang your hat on, so I think it's really building the standard of what you expect day in and day out from the way you prepare to the way you practice to the level of physicality you play with."

UConn

The Huskies have lost running back D.J. Shoemate (shoulder) and offensive tackle Jimmy Bennett (knee) for the season. They will apply for a sixth season for Shoemate, the highly touted transfer from USC who only had eight carries all season.

When asked whether he was surprised at his team's 2-3 start, coach Paul Pasqualoni said injuries and inexperience at key positions like quarterback and linebacker have hurt. "These things don't help you, especially when you're a new staff and have a new system on offense, defense and special teams," he said.

Louisville

Coach Charlie Strong says starting quarterback Will Stein remains day-to-day with a shoulder injury and would know later in the week whether he will be able to go against North Carolina. Running back Victor Anderson, who was hobbled against Marshall, will be re-evaluated this week to determine whether he can play.

As for the way his team performed in a 17-13 loss to Marshall, Strong said, "No position played well." When asked for the mood at practice Sunday, he said, "Nothing needs to be said when you have a poor performance on Saturday. You don't have room to talk. It's about getting better and just keeping your mouth shut and going about your business.”

Pitt

Coach Todd Graham was pleased with the way his team put together a complete effort against USF. Tino Sunseri did a much better job with timing and rhythm, and even had success running the ball at times. If there is one area where he wants his offense to improve, it is getting big plays downfield. The big knock on Sunseri has been his inability to throw the ball downfield. So that is the next step.

"We executed the offense closer to where we want to try to be," Graham said. "The key is, the system will work for you. You've just execute it."

Rutgers

Coach Greg Schiano said he will wait and see before making a decision on who starts at quarterback against Pitt. Schiano pulled a struggling Chas Dodd in favor of true freshman Gary Nova, who led a 19-16 double-overtime comeback win over Syracuse.

Rutgers has played both quarterbacks in three of four games, but it was Nova's most extensive action of the season.

"They're both getting reps anyway and we'll make a decision as the week goes on," Schiano said.

Syracuse

Coach Doug Marrone meant no disrespect to Rutgers, but reiterated he felt his team gave the game away on Saturday with five turnovers -- including three in the second half. Now he wants to make sure one loss does not turn into two against Tulane on Saturday.

"Our kids will respond," he said. "I believe in them. They're very disappointed. ... Not trying to take away anything from Rutgers, but it hurts a lot. ... You have to move on and we'll start working with our players today on that."

USF

The Bulls are going to have a long time to sit on their 44-17 loss to Pitt, with a bye this week before playing UConn on Oct. 15. Is that too long to wait?

"We would have played Saturday if they would have let us after playing the way we did on Thursday," coach Skip Holtz said. "I wish we could get out and go play to get rid of that bad taste, but we were the ones that performed that way."

One injury of note: receiver A.J. Love (ankle) will be held out of practice this week but should return for UConn.

West Virginia

After some early-season struggles, the Mountaineers' offensive line has put together back-to-back solid performances. Coach Dana Holgorsen said it was only a matter of time before they got better.

"They've allowed themselves to be coached," he said. "After the first game, we knew we had a couple new starters, a couple guys who were returning starters that didn't go through spring practice, plus you put that with a new coach, a new system and new scheme it's not surprising it took them a few games to get going. They've showed improvement not only with schemes but techniques."

True freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater got the start for Louisville, but it took a while for him to get the Cardinals a 13-7 lead at halftime.

The offense struggled in the early going and could not generate anything. Louisville went three-and-out on its first three drives. Meanwhile, the defense allowed Marshall to open the game with a 12-play touchdown drive.

But that changed midway through the second quarter, as Bridgewater settled down and led two scoring drives to close the half. He is at 10-of-14 for 136 yards -- including a 41-yard touchdown pass to Victor Anderson. Bridgewater started in place of Will Stein, who hurt his shoulder against Kentucky, and became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Louisville since Stu Stram in 1976.

The Cardinals are still struggling to get the ground game going, with 31 yards on the ground. Dominique Brown does not have a carry yet after being quite effective against Kentucky.

Time for a little Big East did you know. Thanks to the league and school sports information offices, and ESPN Stats & Information for the great notes.

• UConn and Iowa State are playing for the first time since 2002. The Huskies won the game 37-20 and at the time, the win was considered the greatest in school history — it was the first against a team that would eventually play in a bowl game.
• UConn linebacker Sio Moore leads the Big East with 3.5 sacks, while defensive end Teddy Jennings has a league-leading five tackles for loss. Jennings has replaced starting defensive end Jesse Joseph, out with a knee injury.
• Pitt is 3-1 against Iowa, with the lone Hawkeyes win coming in 1951. The last time the two teams played was 2008 in a game that featured three current NFL running backs -- LeSean McCoy, LaRod Stephens-Howling and Shonn Greene.
• Pitt defensive tackle Chas Alecxih has the Panthers’ only interception so far this season.
• One of the most effective formations West Virginia has run this season has come with Geno Smith in the shotgun and multiple backs in the backfield. In two games this season, Smith is 17-of-28 for 224 yards and three touchdowns in the formation.
• West Virginia is the only Big East team that has not allowed a touchdown pass this season.
• Cincinnati is 10-for-10 in red zone scoring with nine touchdowns.
• Bearcats running back Isaiah Pead has taken his first carry for a touchdown in each of the first two games this year. On those two carries, Pead has tallied 105 yards and two touchdowns.
• USF has not allowed a point in the first half and has allowed just seven points in the first three quarters this season.
• The Bulls have opened the season 2-0 seven times in their 15-year history, including five of the last six seasons.
• Syracuse has only visited the state of California eight times, going 5-3 in this games. The last time the Orange played a game in California was in 1968, losing to Cal, 43-0. Syracuse last won in California in 1967 when it beat UCLA 32-14. There nearly was one more game in the state. After going 9-1-2 in 1915, the Orange were invited to play in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1916, but declined because of its trip west to face Occidental in early December.
• Syracuse offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett worked with USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay. Hackett's father, Paul, also was the head coach at USC from 1998-2000.
• Louisville outgained Kentucky in the last two meetings in Lexington, but lost both games. The Cardinals outgained UK 467-460 in 2007 and 378-346 in 2009. Victor Anderson ran for 110 yards in the last meeting in Lexington in 2009.

What did we learn in Week 1?

1. The Big East came to play. The league is 7-0 with the West Virginia-Marshall game left on the slate, a terrific start for a league that was in need of one. Sure, some of the wins came against FCS teams, but at least there is no Oregon State among the bunch. Syracuse and Wake Forest played the most exciting game of opening night Thursday, then USF topped it off with a 23-20 win over No. 16 Notre Dame on Saturday night.

2. USF is a player. No more dark horse talk for the Bulls. They announced themselves loud and clear in their win over Notre Dame. Many people, myself included, picked USF to lose a close game. But the Bulls showed a tenacity to make the plays when they had to in critical situations. B.J. Daniels looked more comfortable running the offense, and it was good to see him get involved in the run game again. Sure the offense could have used a bit more consistency, but nobody is complaining after a win.

3. Pitt is a work in progress. Maybe we were too quick to anoint Pitt as fine purveyors of a high-octane offense. What the Panthers did on Saturday was far from high and octane and closer to chug, chug, chug. Expectations were perhaps set too high. After all, the Panthers are trying to run a spread-type scheme with pro-style players. The Panthers only passed for 179 yards and went 4-for-11 on third down. It is no wonder that Ray Graham emerged to have a huge day. We probably will see plenty more of that as the season goes on.

4. Not much learned from Rutgers, Cincinnati or UConn. All three teams easily beat overmatched opponents. The Huskies still don't have an answer at quarterback after playing Michael Nebrich, Johnny McEntee and Scott McCummings. The Bearcats don't know how much better their defense is headed into a big game at Tennessee next weekend. And Rutgers doesn't have much more clarity at running back. Four backs played against NC Central, but coach Greg Schiano says that probably won't be the case next week at North Carolina.

5. Louisville, Syracuse still works in progress. There were questions going into the season about whether both teams would be able to build off bowl seasons from a year ago. The Cardinals' defense looked strong in a win over Murray State, but the offense did not have much to brag about. The offensive line broke in five new starters and it showed. Running backs Victor Anderson and Jeremy Wright fumbled. Will Stein was up and down. They will face a big test from FIU this week. Meanwhile, Syracuse sleep walked through three quarters against Wake Forest before springing to life. Is the defense the one we saw through three quarters or the one we saw in the fourth? We shall tune in next week to find out.

It may not have been the prettiest night of football, but the Big East opened the 2011 season Thursday night 3-0 -- including a thrilling come-from-behind win for Syracuse.

So what do we take away from Louisville, Rutgers and the Orange? It is hard to take away much from Week 1. Rutgers beat an overmatched NC Central team 48-0. The defense looked good, but we will know more about the Scarlet Knights after next week's game at North Carolina.

The Cardinals defense looked better than expected in a 21-9 win over Murray State, but the offense was hit or miss and made way too many mistakes. I am not sure any Louisville fan feels good about the offensive performance this morning, especially against an average FCS team.

Syracuse, meanwhile, had the game of the day. The Orange, hoping to build off an impressive bowl season in 2010, looked completely lifeless for three quarters. Fans on Twitter joked about being reminded of the Greg Robinson era. But the fourth quarter was a different game. The Orange scored 22 unanswered points to stun Wake Forest 36-29 in overtime.

The comeback was spurred, in part, when Wake Forest starting quarterback Tanner Price went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter. He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, particularly picking on cornerback Kevyn Scott. There was little pass rush, and the defense seemed flat footed. But after Price left the game, Wake managed just 59 total yards.

Despite the early struggles, Syracuse never gave up and deserves credit for that. No matter how you get it, any win is a big win.

Now here is more on the good and the bad for each team that played Thursday night.

Louisville

• The good: You have to start with the defense. Many thought a pass-happy Murray State would be able to pass over a secondary featuring two inexperienced starters at cornerback. But starters Anthony Connor and true freshmen Andrew Johnson held their own. Connor picked up his first career interception, and Murray State never got a consistent string of big pass plays. Murray State quarterback Casey Brockman threw for just 148 yards and three interceptions. Meanwhile, the defensive line was without B.J. Butler, Roy Philon and Brandon Dunn, and Greg Scruggs played just a handful of snaps. In their place, true freshman B.J. Dubose, sophomore Marcus Smith, Randy Salmon, William Savoy and Malcolm Mitchell all played well. True freshman receiver DeVante Parker also flashed.
• The bad: The offense has to get into a rhythm. The offensive line had five new starters and remains a work in progress. Of the 10 Louisville penalties, five were false starts and one was a hold. Will Stein had good plays and bad plays and fumbled once. Victor Anderson fumbled for the first time in his career. Jeremy Wright fumbled, too. Highly touted true freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater only played one series, which featured two false starts, a delay of game and his first career interception.

Rutgers

• The good: The defense had a nice game, posting the ninth shutout under coach Greg Schiano. Rutgers had nine sacks -- the most since a nine-sack day in a 44-9 victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 26, 2005. Scott Vallone got his first career touchdown when he recovered a fumble in the end zone. Duron Harmon had two interceptions, including one he returned 37 yards for his first career touchdown. Harmon, in particular, seemed to be everywhere. Another highly touted freshman, Savon Huggins, got his first two career touchdowns but averaged just 3.2 yards a carry.
• The bad: It is hard to find anything bad in a 48-0 rout. All you can really say is Rutgers did not get much of a test before a big game on the road next weekend. Perhaps Rutgers wants more consistency out of its running game. DeAntwan Williams, Jawan Jamison, Jeremy Deering and Huggins all played, and collectively averaged 3.3 yards a carry. Jamison had the longest run of the day at 14 yards.

Syracuse

• The good: Everybody loves a come-from-behind win. The Syracuse offense finally showed its capability in the fourth quarter, when Antwon Bailey ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run to help tie the game at 29. Ryan Nassib, inconsistent early in the game, was a perfect 8-for-8 to close the game. Hard to believe it was the same offense that had fewer total yards (52) than penalty yards (56) in the first half. The defense came through with some big plays down the stretch, including an interception from Kevyn Scott. But perhaps what you love most is the moxie Syracuse showed in coming from behind to gut out a win.
• The bad: In the first three quarters, the offensive line looked shaky. Receivers had drops. Bailey and Nassib could not generate much of anything. The defense looked slow, out of position and not aggressive. There were wide open Wake Forest receivers left and right. Not much of a pass rush, either. There also was a go-ahead field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter by Ross Krautman that was blocked because of a bad snap.

Louisville has sent out its notes for the Murray State game, including their depth chart. Of course, none of this is set in stone. It is Week 1 after all. So take from it what you will.

Will Stein is listed as the No. 1 quarterback and freshman Teddy Bridgewater is the backup, not a surprising move but one that should be noted nonetheless.

Coach Charlie Strong has maintained throughout camp that Stein was the leader. Both are expected to play on Thursday night. One more point of clarification -- Bridgewater is eligible to play. Bridgewater was mentioned in the Yahoo! Sports story on violations at Miami but was never accused of an NCAA violation.

Other positions of note from the depth chart:

• Anthony Conner and Jordon Paschal are listed as the starting cornerbacks. Both were pushed during fall camp, but this makes the most sense for the Cardinals. At least Conner has started a few games. Depth here is lacking and inexperienced. Freshmen Andrew Johnson and Charles Gaines are listed behind Conner, and redshirt freshman Stephan Robinson is listed behind Paschal. Titus Teague is not listed.
• The Cardinals have listed Victor Anderson or Jeremy Wright as the starter at running back.
• B.J. Butler is not listed as the starter at defensive end, perhaps the result of an injury that hampered him during fall camp. William Savoy instead is listed No. 1 and Butler No. 3. Tackle Roy Philon, who also has been banged up, is behind Randy Salmon.
• One note, courtesy of the Louisville sports information department: 21 redshirt and true freshman are listed on the two-deep. As many as seven could be getting their first collegiate start against the Racers. Last year, 10 true freshmen played for the Cardinals.

Let's check in on practice from the weekend:

Cincinnati: Coach Butch Jones has yet to decide on a backup quarterback to Zach Collaros. Munchie Legaux and Jordan Luallen are locked in a battle for the backup spot, with neither player emerging just yet.

Connecticut: The Huskies went back to the basics during practice Saturday, but there still is no answer in the quarterback race. Coach Paul Pasqualoni said, "We are constantly changing the rotation of who is doing what. They are all working hard, all doing good things. They also all still have things that they need to improve on and we try to point those things out and move on."

Louisville: The Cardinals ran about 125 plays in their Saturday scrimmage, which was closed. Will Stein led the first-team offense and led a scoring drive early. Victor Anderson ran for more than 100 yards. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater also looked sharp, capping off his drive with a 25-yard scramble for a touchdown. The defense recorded five turnovers on the day, including a 56-yard interception return by Terence Simien. Shenard Holton had an interception in the end zone. One other note: Eli Rogers had a nice day at receiver.

Pitt: The Panthers broke camp with a few positions still up for grabs. Coach Todd Graham said he would know more after evaluating tape from the final scrimmage Saturday. But it appears Todd Thomas has beaten out Greg Williams for the starting spur linebacker job. The offensive line, cornerback and backup quarterback jobs still are open.

Rutgers: Mohamed Sanu stood out during Rutgers' final scrimmage Saturday, catching six passes for 112 yards. De'Antwan Williams had 79 yards on 14 carries (that includes five negative running plays). Savon Huggins had 55 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Jawan Jamison had 25 yards on 14 carries. Jeremy Deering is still out with a head injury. Meanwhile, the defense played better though both sides were sloppier than coach Greg Schiano wanted to see.

Syracuse: The Orange held a scrimmage Saturday in which nearly all the backups were featured. Adrian Flemming did a nice job at receiver, and the offensive line looked solid. Now the Orange are going on lockdown with no media availability or open practices as they prepare for Wake Forest. Also, offensive line coach Greg Adkins underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder and is expected to return to work this week. Freshman cornerback Jaston George injured his left groin and will be out indefinitely.

USF: Skip Holtz was not pleased with his backup quarterbacks following the team's scrimmage Saturday, saying he was disappointed that Bobby Eveld hasn't pushed starter B.J. Daniels and Matt Floyd hasn't pushed Eveld for the backup job. Holtz also wants to see more out of his second-team offense.

West Virginia: Coach Dana Holgorsen named a few standouts from Saturday's scrimmage: "Jeff Braun had some energy out there, and Stedman Bailey made some really good plays. Najee Goode is a guy that is as mentally tough as they come Terence Garvin is a guy that has been in those wars and battles. The guys that have been there and done it are the guys that typically rise up and are able to handle a situation like this. This is the closest we have come to what it is going to be like two weeks from now, which is the way we wanted it. You can’t just put them in this situation all the time. You have to practice. You go in and watch the film and correct it. You try to put them in more situations before the first game."

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Your final serving of links for today ...

• Cincinnati assistant Kerry Coombs says his defensive backs will be better this season.
• Paul Pasqualoni is earning the respect of his players.
• Louisville's deep backfield is expected to hit the ground running. Running back Victor Anderson is dealing with tragedy. His cousin was an innocent bystander when he was shot and killed this past weekend.
• Lucas Nix and Jordan Gibbs plan to anchor the Pitt offensive line. Competition is still ongoing on that line.
• Scott Vallone is confident the Rutgers defensive line will find a way. Mohamed Sanu didn't have a normal childhood, but his experiences have shaped him and he makes an effort to reach out to kids in the community. Eric LeGrand visited Jets camp on Thursday.
• Tight end is the best position for Max Beaulieu. The plan is to play everybody in the Saturday scrimmage.
• Video: Skip Holtz talks USF's practice and the stay in Vero Beach.
• Steve Dunlap has seen the West Virginia defense struggle before. Shaq Rowell's mom steered him to the Mountaineers. Beware of the running back with a chip on his shoulder. Beer at West Virginia home games will set you back between $7-$9 a pop.