ESPN College Football

Greetings from the Midwest. Let's see what's happening around the Beast.

• South Florida player Boo Simon quits football after being diagnosed with epilepsy. The Bulls are working at an accelerated pace this spring.
• Pitt's new defense is similar to the one employed by former coach Dave Wannstedt. Panthers RB Isaac Bennett gets a showcase opportunity in practice while Ray Graham is on the mend.
• Tavon Austin's versatility stands out for West Virginia. Donte Campbell could be the Mountaineers' next 1,000-yard receiver.
• Connecticut coach Paul Pasqualoni has no issues with taking transfers, as long as they fit his program.
• Kyle Flood's friends and family members weigh in on the new Rutgers coach.
• Cincinnati coach Butch Jones discusses the second section of spring football.
• Athlon Sports ranks the current and future Big East coaches.
• Louisville offers a defensive back from Florida.

The way out of West Virginia to Tucson for Jeff Casteel has been a winding road, but it appears to be close to an end.

A number of news reports have Casteel shortly -- finally -- joining Rich Rodriguez's staff at Arizona. They previously worked together at West Virginia.

The Tucson Citizen reported, "Rodriguez will announce West Virginia’s Jeff Casteel as his defensive coordinator on Wednesday afternoon, when the other three staff vacancies could also be filled."

Casteel's name was immediately part of the discussion when Rodriguez was hired in November.

It also appears that Casteel will immediately become one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the Pac-12, perhaps only trailing USC's Monte Kiffin and Washington's new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox.

Has something seemed odd to you about the BCS bowls this year? Does it seem like ... oh wait, West Virginia just scored again.

Does it seem like ... wait, there goes De'Anthony Thomas. Don't think he'll get caught from behind.

Does it seem like ... wait, would somebody please tackle Justin Blackmon?

Does it seem like there have been a lot of points this bowl season?

It's not just you. There have been a lot of points. More points than ever before. And by huge quantities.

So far, BCS bowl teams have averaged a total of 77 points in the Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls. That, folks, is nearly 26 points more than last year (51.6). And it's nearly 11 points better than the previous high of 66.3 from 2001-02.

Perhaps pairing two SEC teams in the title game has created a black hole sucking all defensive stinginess into the LSU-Alabama rematch, which you might recall went 9-6 with no touchdowns in their first meeting. West Virginia scored 10 touchdowns -- 10! -- against Clemson. Alabama gave up 12 TDs all season.

Speaking of Clemson: ACC. Well, well, well.

After the Tigers ingloriously fell 70-33 to the Mountaineers, we got our second story from the BCS bowl season: The ACC's insistence on throwing up on itself in BCS bowl games.

The conference that was once expected to challenge the SEC is now 2-13 in BCS bowl games. That's hard to do. You'd think in 15 BCS bowls the conference could get lucky at least five or six times. But no, it insists on making ACC blogger Heather Dinich, a genuinely nice person, into some sort of Grim Reaper every bowl season.

Heck, the Big East has won seven BCS bowls -- second fewest among AQ conferences -- but it's 7-7.

Of course, this all ties together, and we're here to bring out a bow, but first a warning: If you don't want to read about how good the SEC is for the 56,314th time this year, then stop reading. I'd recommend an episode of "South Park" or perhaps a John le Carré thriller as an alternative for passing the time.

We can all agree the SEC plays great defense right? Alabama and LSU will play for the title Monday with the nation's top-two defenses. Do you think perhaps that it's not a coincidence that the conference that is 16-7 in BCS bowl games plays great defense?

The only other AQ conference with a winning record in BCS bowl games is the Pac-12, which is 11-7. The Pac-12 isn't known for defense, either, but USC was when it won the conference's last national title in 2004.

The only team to win a BCS national title without an elite defense was Auburn in 2010, but the Tigers' defense seemed to find itself late in the season. Since 1999, eight national champions had a top-10 defense. Other than Auburn, the lowest-rated defense to win a BCS national title was Ohio State in 2002. It ranked 23rd in the nation in total defense.

Three of the four BCS bowl games have been thrillers. Two went to overtime. We've seen big plays all over the field in the passing game and running game. Yet, if things go according to script in the title game, we'll see none of that. We might not see more than a couple of plays that go for more than 20 yards. We might not see any.

Some might call that boring. It might seem that both offenses are so paranoid of making a mistake that they are stuck in mud, both in game plan and execution.

But, snoozefest or not, when the clock strikes zero a team from the SEC will hoist the crystal football for a sixth consecutive time.

That might say something about playing better defense.

With a little less than a week to go before the Big East kicks off bowl season, I figured I would give you some updated ticket sales numbers for each school.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats have moved about 9,000 tickets for their game against Vanderbilt in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn. Doug Mosley, associate athletic director for external and media communications, says: "Sales continue to be steady. Our student trip package did well and our fans have responded generously to the One Team, One Ticket offer, where they purchase tickets for students and spirit groups. Overall, we're very pleased with how UC fans and our community has stepped up to support the Bearcats' trip to the 53rd Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl."

Louisville: The Cardinals are approaching 10,000 tickets sold for their game against NC State in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 27 in Charlotte, N.C.

Pitt: The Panthers have 2,100 tickets out for their game against SMU in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 7 in Birmingham, Ala.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights have passed the 10,000 ticket mark and counting for their game against Iowa State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium. If you need to be reminded, Syracuse sold around 8,000 tickets for its Pinstripe Bowl appearance last year. Who is New York's team again?

West Virginia: At last check, the Mountaineers had sold a little over 6,000 tickets from their allotment for the Discover Orange Bowl against Clemson on Jan. 4. WVU sports marketing director Matt Wells told the AP last week that the midweek slot had impacted sales because the game was after the holiday break. The Tigers are not burning up ticket sales, either, with about 8,000 sold.

It is important to remember that these numbers only count tickets sold through the university. There are lower-priced options available at other places, and that is a contributing factor in some cases to sluggish sales.

It appears that Arizona State's coaching search will end after 17 days with the hiring of Todd Graham, who coached Pittsburgh for a single season after being hired away from Tulsa in 2010.

Graham went 6-6 at Pittsburgh this year and is 49-29 overall. Graham told his players at Pittsburgh about his departure via text by assistant athletic director/football operations Blair Philbrick, which was first reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"I have resigned my position at Pitt in the best interest of my family to pursue the head-coaching position at Arizona State," Graham said. "Coaching there has always been a dream of ours and we have family there. The timing of the circumstances have prohibited [me] from telling you this directly. I now am on my way to Tempe to continue those discussions. God Bless. Coach Graham."

Graham, who turned 47 on Dec. 5, will replace Dennis Erickson, who will coach the Sun Devils in the Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State on Dec. 22.

Graham is a native of Mesquite, Texas. Other than a stint at East Central University, he was a high school coach until 2000, but his rise through the coaching ranks was quick.

A defensive specialist, he worked under new Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia from 2001-2002. He was the defensive coordinator at Tulsa from 2003-2005. He spent one year as head coach at Rice in 2006, then was named head coach at Tulsa, where he stayed until he was hired at Pitt last year.

Obviously, we'll have more later.

The back-and-forth between the Big East and West Virginia continued Thursday, as the league said it planned to seek dismissal of a lawsuit the university has brought against the conference.

West Virginia is trying to leave for the Big 12 in time for the 2012 season, but the Big East wants to hold the school to the required 27-month waiting period. They have each filed suit against one another.

From the AP story:

At a scheduling conference in Morgantown, Big East attorneys said they plan to file a motion Monday in Monongalia County Circuit Court, asking Circuit Judge Russell Clawges to either dismiss the case or put it on hold while a parallel lawsuit plays out in Rhode Island, where the Big East is based.

Attorney Benjamin Block said the Big East believes WVU has failed to lay a foundation for its claim that the bylaws are invalid. But if the judge believes there are grounds to move forward, he said, the case should be heard in Rhode Island.

WVU is trying to have the Big East's breach-of-contract lawsuit tossed from the Rhode Island court, arguing it has sovereign immunity as an agency of the state of West Virginia. A hearing on that motion to dismiss is set for Dec. 16, the lawyers said Thursday. In it, WVU also notes that it filed the lawsuit in Morgantown four days before the conference countersued.

Top safety recruit Latwan Anderson, who committed to West Virginia but chose not to sign in February as he explored other options, is now headed to Miami, Kristian Dyer reports on SportsIllustrated.com.

Anderson cast his lot with the Mountaineers in January at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl but had been wavering almost ever since. He scheduled a trip to USC but never went to Los Angeles. West Virginia kept trying to hold onto the Glenville, Ohio, product but to no avail. He made an official visit to Miami last weekend.

"I felt that all things were equal between West Virginia and Miami," Anderson told SI.com. "The only difference was the football. In my opinion, Miami is far and away closer to winning conference and national championships than West Virginia."

That's kind of an odd statement, since West Virginia has tons of starters returning and has won a Big East title far more recently than Miami has earned a conference crown.

He also added: "Even if I don't make the NFL, I could see myself living in Miami after I get my degree. I don't know if I can say the same if I went to West Virginia. I don't know if I can see myself living there after school."

Not getting Anderson is a setback for West Virginia. But if a guy clearly isn't fully invested in being at your school, it's best if everybody parts ways.

ESPN.com's J.C. Shurburtt has come out with his list of top recruiters in each conference. For the Big East, his choice is West Virginia receivers coach Lonnie Galloway.

"Galloway was able to land four-star receiver Ivan McCartney (Miramar, Fla./Miramar) late in the process over the hometown Miami Hurricanes and others. Throw in Georgia sleeper Quantavious Leslie (Hogansville, Ga./Calloway) and junior college linebacker Bruce Irvin (Stone Mountain, Ga./Mt. San Antonio College), and Galloway had an impressive three-man haul for the top class in the Big East."

Much was made of Doc Holliday's departure for Marshall, but the fact is West Virginia was still able to compile one of its best classes in recent memory, at least according to the various rankings. If safety Latwan Anderson remains in the fold, it will become even stronger.

Bill Stewart's staff still has plenty of top-notch recruiters, including rising star Chris Beatty. And now Galloway has been recognized for his work.

Score a big win for West Virginia on the recruiting trail.

Safety Latwan Anderson picked the Mountaineers over the weekend at the U.S. Army All-American game. What's notable about that is Anderson, who's from Cleveland, chose West Virginia over Ohio State, Miami and other top-flight programs.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Anderson is rated a three-star prospect and the 33rd-best safety by ESPN's Scouts Inc. Other services have him rated much higher. Anderson could slide right in at safety next to Robert Sands, who came on strong at the end of his sophomore year and looks poised to become a star.

West Virginia now has 22 commitments and appears to be putting together one of the best classes in the Big East this season.

1. Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0 Big East): The Bearcats have been No. 1 in these rankings ever since Labor Day and did nothing on their bye week to change that status.

2. Pittsburgh (9-1, 5-0): The Panthers didn't play last week. They could take this week off if they wanted to and still play for the Big East title on Dec. 5.

3. West Virginia (7-3, 3-2): The Mountaineers -- yawn -- were off last week, too. But they move up after the Rutgers fiasco. A 9-3 finish with a win over Pitt would look a lot better than 8-4 or 7-5 at this point.

4. UConn (5-5, 1-4): The Huskies have only one league win, but nobody would want to play them at this point. The oft-quoted statistic is that UConn's five losses came by a total of 15 points; three of its wins came by a total of 18 points.

T-5. Rutgers (7-3, 2-3): What exactly was that on Saturday, Scarlet Knights? You had worked so hard to establish a small semblance of credibility, which is now gone after an 18-point loss at Syracuse.

T-5. South Florida (7-3, 3-3): Yes, Rutgers thrashed South Florida 31-0 less than two weeks ago. But these two teams seem very similar, in that you'd trust them at home but would never bank on them beating a good team on the road.

7. Louisville (4-7, 1-5): One thing you can say for the Cardinals this year: they haven't been truly blown out of any game except those against Cincinnati and Pitt, who are both in the Top 10. It's not enough to save Steve Kragthorpe's job, however.

8. Syracuse (4-7, 1-5): I thought the ceiling for this team at the beginning of the season was five wins. The Orange are one upset of UConn away from bumping their heads on that.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

It's not exactly salted away yet, but West Virginia has a 17-6 lead going into the fourth quarter over Louisville.

The Mountaineers' offense found some life despite playing without Noel Devine, who's sidelined with an ankle injury. West Virginia's defense has played great against a Louisville offense that's pretty limited, starting a walk-on quarterback and a third-string, freshman running back.

So even though it's only an 11-point lead, it feels like a lot more.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

You know them, you love them, you can't live without them. They're are Big East preseason position rankings, and today we look at the linebackers.

1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers might have the best 1-2 punch in the league at linebacker, with senior Reed Williams back after taking a redshirt last year and J.T. Thomas looking ready to cause some serious damage. Pat Lazear has had a good camp and fills out a terrific trio of tacklers.

2. Connecticut: Scott Lutrus is one of the top defensive players in the league, and position mates Lawrence Wilson and Greg Lloyd are going into their third year of starting alongside him. The depth behind them, though, is untested.

T-3. Pittsburgh: It's a testament to Pitt's depth that the Panthers could lose 2008 defensive player of the year Scott McKillop and underrated outside linebacker Austin Ransom and still rank this high. They bring back starter Greg Williams, who really progressed in his first year of playing, as well as fifth-year guys Shane Murray and Adam Gunn. Throw in promising freshman Dan Mason, Max Gruder and senior Steve Dell, and this is maybe the deepest corps in the league.

T-3. Rutgers: Don't be surprised if Ryan D'Imperio wins this year's defensive player of the year award. He is by no means a one-man gang, though, as senior Damaso Munoz and either Antonio Lowery or Manny Abreu will start next to him on the outside.

5. South Florida: Kion Wilson is an all-league anchor in the middle who could very well rack up a 100-tackle season. Veterans Chris Robinson and Sabbath Joseph are trying to establish themselves as bona fide starters, If not, then skilled newcomers Jacquian Williams and Sam Barrington should be ready to step in.

T-6. Louisville: Senior middle linebacker Jon Dempsey was a second-team All-Big East selection last season and should gain from his first year of Division I experience. A big key for this unit is how Brandon Heath will fare as the rover. Heath has always had talent but has yet to fully harness it.

T-6. Cincinnati: Hard to know exactly where to rank the Bearcats, who are breaking in all new starters and will need a lot from their linebackers in a 3-4 scheme. Andre Revels has played a lot and should be a leader in the middle. Former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones will try to make a successful transition to defense. Linebacker wasn't the biggest strength of the Cincinnati defense the past two years, but the position has been solid under Brian Kelly.

8. Syracuse: Hate to rank the Orange last yet again, but it's hard not to given how many guys at this position have left the team since the spring. Derrell Smith, who has played a little of everywhere, should be good as a junior, and Doug Hogue is trying to make the move from tailback. Everything else is a question mark.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Each Monday during the season, this space will review the previous week's highlights and top players in the Big East and preview the coming week. Since it's Week One, all we have to do is preview.

Here's what's on tap for Week 1, with games listed in descending order of interest and importance:

Monday, Sept. 7

Cincinnati at Rutgers (ESPN, 4 p.m.): A potentially pivotal conference game, on the first weekend of the season and all alone by itself on Monday. While the coaches may not find this ideal, it's great for us to watch.

Saturday, Sept. 5

Minnesota at Syracuse (ESPN2, Noon): The start of the Doug Marrone era plus the college football debut of Greg Paulus. And Minnesota could be pretty good. There will be a lot of eyeballs on this one out of sheer curiosity.

Connecticut at Ohio: Right out of the gate, the Huskies are going on the road. It will be interesting to see how the new no-huddle offense looks, and UConn may not be able to hold much back with a possibly challenging opener.

Youngstown State at Pittsburgh: The Panthers shouldn't have too much trouble with the FCS Penguins, but most people will be looking to see how quarterback Bill Stull performs after months and months of scrutiny.

Liberty at West Virginia: This is another game that shouldn't be close in the second half, but it will mark the beginning of the post-Pat White era for quarterback Jarrett Brown.

Wofford at South Florida: Wofford gave South Carolina fits last year with its unusual wingbone offense, though several starters from last year's team have moved on.

Indiana State (0-1) at Louisville: You'd be hard-pressed to find a worse matchup anywhere in Week 1. The FCS Sycamores have lost 28 straight games, including last week's opener against Quincy, a NAIA team, in overtime. The Cardinals should be able to name their score.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

How can the Big East, which has no teams in the preseason Top 25, get some respect this season?

The answer is pretty simple: By winning key nonconference games.

Maybe the question should be, when can the Big East gain some respect? My answer would be in Weeks 3 and 4.

There is a plethora of high-profile interconference matchups for the Big East in those two weeks, and September is the time when credibility is usually gained or lost, because attention will turn to conference races in October. The Big East needs to at least hold its own or, ideally, win the majority of these games to regain its national presence.

Here's a look at the key games that week in descending order of importance, along with my totally unscientific percentages for success in each one:


Sept. 19




* West Virginia at Auburn: Auburn is down, but any win in SEC country is worth bragging about. The Mountaineers handled the Tigers easily last season in Morgantown, but the sailing won't be as smooth on the plains.

Chances of Big East victory: 55 percent



* Cincinnati at Oregon State: The Beavers are ranked 25th in the coaches' poll and are coming off a Sun Bowl win over Pitt. If the defending Big East champs can fly across country and take down a good Pac-10 team, that would be a nice scalp. But it won't be easy.

Chances of Big East victory: 35 percent



* Northwestern at Syracuse: The Orange have all sorts of high-profile games to start the season, opening with Minnesota and then going to Penn State. Getting Northwestern in Week 3 at home might be a good chance to spring an upset, if Greg Paulus has settled in by that point.

Chances of Big East victory: 15 percent



* Connecticut at Baylor: Baylor is a trendy pick as a sleeper in the Big 12, and the Bears have supremely talented sophomore Robert Griffin at quarterback. A win here might not turn a lot of heads for the Big East, but as the only road game in Big 12 country, it would be nice to have.

Chances of Big East victory: 50 percent



* Louisville at Kentucky: This is more of an in-state rivalry than anything of interest nationally, but again, any win over the SEC looks good in the books. The Cardinals have lost two straight in this series, however.

Chances of Big East victory: 30 percent



Sept. 26



* South Florida at Florida State: The Seminoles are in the top 20 of both polls, so a Bulls win on the road would be huge for Jim Leavitt's program and the Big East as a whole. ACC-Big East bragging rights are on the line as well.

Chances of Big East victory: 35 percent



* Louisville at Utah: Nothing would help the league more perception-wise than for one of its supposed cellar-dwellers to go out and beat the reigning Mountain West champ and preseason top 20 Utes. It's an awfully tall order for Louisville, however.

Chances of Big East victory: 10 percent



* Pittsburgh at NC State: Both Rutgers and South Florida beat the Wolfpack last year, but NC State is getting some votes in both polls because of Russell Wilson. This is a chance for Pittsburgh to announce itself as a legitimate Top 25 team.

Chances of Big East victory: 60 percent



* Rutgers at Maryland: The Scarlet Knights have only one nonconference game that poses any real challenge, and this is it. For their sake and for the sake of the league, they need to get this win in ACC country against an underwhelming Terrapins squad.

Chances of Big East victory: 65 percent



* Fresno State at Cincinnati: The Bulldogs aren't as strong as they have been in years past but still carry some name value. This game is more about Cincinnati's need to not lose it, especially after Rutgers got blitzed by Fresno in last year's opener.

Chances of Big East victory: 75 percent

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

" Jamar Howard, who went through Cincinnati training camp in 2006 but wasn't cleared by the NCAA, is back with the Bearcats at receiver, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

" UConn linebacker Sio Moore feels lucky to be alive and is ready to contribute this year, Chip Malafronte writes in the New Haven Register.

" Louisville junior cornerback Johnny Patrick is playing with a lot of confidence now, C.L. Brown says in The Courier-Journal

" Joe Thomas and Chris Jacobsen are locked in a battle for the Pitt starting left guard position, Paul Zeise says in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

" Here's a terrific feature on Panthers tight end Nate Byham and his relationship with his grandfather by Ray Fittipaldo.

" Eric LeGrand is entrenched at nose tackle after moving around the field last year for Rutgers, Keith Sargeant says in the Home News Tribune.

" Former walk-on Kenneth Luberice is getting a shot at tight end for South Florida, Greg Auman writes in the St. Petersburg Times.

" The Syracuse offensive line is slowly starting to come around, but it has a ways to go still, Dave Rahme writes in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
"They will be functional," offensive line coach Greg Adkins said. "It's my job to get them there. Our personality will draw from this group in terms of what they're ultimately able to do when all is said and done and we're lined up against Minnesota."
" Geno Smith is adjusting to college life just fine, and the freshman appears set to be West Virginia's No. 2 quarterback, Dave Hickman writes in the Charleston Gazette.