ESPN College Football

Over the next couple of days, I'll be asking you to give your opinion on a variety of burning questions in the Big East.

You'll get a chance to vote in a poll right here and let your voice be heard. We'll tally up the results and react to your decision once the vote it over.

To start off, I want your opinion on who will be the hardest players to replace in the Big East this season. I highlighted many of the candidates in my spring shoes to fill series. Here's a quick look at what I feel like are the top five nominees:

• Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: Todman ranked second nationally in rushing last year and was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2010.
• Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: Not many Big East backs have Powell's combination of strength, speed, vision and fearlessness.
• Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia: A bull in the middle of the Mountaineers' defensive line, Neild often occupied two blockers at a time.
• Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh: Sheard used his nonstop motor to fight off double-teams and pressure quarterbacks on his way to winning defensive player of the year honors in 2010.
• Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: Led all Big East receivers in catches, yards and touchdowns last year and provided a great red zone target.

So there are your nominees. Now it's time to cast your vote.

Scouts Inc. has come up with comprehensive draft boards for every position as we draw ever closer to the 2011 NFL draft (and, hopefully, a 2011 NFL season).

Let's start on the offensive side of the ball and take a look at where some Big East hopefuls are ranked. First, the skill positions:

• Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh: second round

• Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: third round

• Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: fourth round

• Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse: fourth round

• Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: fifth round

• Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: sixth round

• Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh: seventh round

• Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: seventh round

Now, the offensive linemen/tight ends:

• Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsbugh: fifth round

• Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville: sixth round

• Zach Hurd, OG, Connecticut: sixth round

• Ryan Bartholomew, C, Syracuse: seventh round

• Jason Kelce, C, Cincinnati: seventh round

Now let's move to the defensive side and see where Scouts Inc. rates some Big East defenders:

• Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida: second round

• Jabaal Sheard, DE/LB, Pittsburgh: second round

• Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville: third round

• Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: fourth round

• Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia: fourth round

• Robert Sands, S, West Virginia: fourth round

• Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut: fifth round

• Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers: sixth round

• Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia: sixth round

• Derrell Smith, LB, Syracuse: sixth round

• J.T. Thomas, LB, West Virginia: sixth round

• Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse: sixth round

• Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut: seventh round

These projections aren't gospel by any means, but they should give you a pretty good idea of how Big East hopefuls are being viewed right now.

I'm borrowing an idea from Big 12 blogger David Ubben and taking a look at the top individual performances by a Big East player in 2010.

Ubben's list was restricted to offensive players in conference games, and only players whose team won the game were eligible. I'm going to be a lot more inclusive than that. But I will give extra weight to performances in victories and in games against league competition or other high-caliber opponents. Sorry, but no stat-stuffing feats against FCS opponents were considered.

Here, then, is my Top 10:

1. Jordan Todman versus Pittsburgh: Todman -- with a heaping dose of help from his offensive line -- was simply unstoppable against Pitt's defense, running for 222 yards on 37 carries in a key win that changed the conference race. He was so good that Randy Edsall felt confident going for it on fourth-and-short from deep in his own territory late in the game, and of course Todman picked up that first down.

2. Isaiah Pead versus Rutgers: Granted, the Scarlet Knights' defense was a shell of its former self by this point. Still, Pead racked up a whopping five total touchdowns, most by a Big East player in a league game in 2010. He had 213 rushing yards and four scores on 31 rushing attempts and added a touchdown reception. Rutgers had no answer.

3. Sio Moore versus West Virginia: The Connecticut linebacker, often overshadowed by Lawrence Wilson and Scott Lutrus at his own position, was a one-man wrecking crew in the win that changed the Huskies' season. He collected 17 tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered two of them in the hard-fought upset.

4. Dion Lewis versus Cincinnati: The Bearcats had seen this show before. For the second straight year, Lewis was a load that the Cincinnati defense couldn't stop. He carried 42 times for 261 yards and four touchdowns in the snow at Nippert Stadium for what turned out to be his final regular-season college game.

5. Geno Smith versus Marshall: Down 21-6 in the fourth quarter, West Virginia looked like it would suffer its first loss to its in-state opponent. But Smith came to the rescue. He calmly led two scoring drives in the final minutes and delivered perfect strikes for the tying touchdown and two-point conversion plays attempt near the end of regulation. He finished 32-of-45 for 316 yards, and that's even more impressive when you consider it was just his second career start.

6. Bilal Powell versus Cincinnati: Our first performance on the list that came in a losing effort. It wasn't Powell's fault. The Louisville senior rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries and had perhaps the highlight of the season with his bruising, 85-yard scoring run. Powell also rushed for 204 yards on just 18 carries the week before, but it came against a truly terrible Memphis defense (not that Cincinnati's was all that much better).

7. Delone Carter versus Kansas State: Carter had a strong year but lacked a lot of explosive plays. That changed in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State's admittedly shaky defense. Carter crushed the Wildcats for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Orange held on for the postseason win.

8. Mark Harrison versus Cincinnati: There were a lot of great performances against the Cincinnati defense, but Harrison's was truly breathtaking -- and record-breaking. The Rutgers wideout had 10 catches for 240 yards and four touchdowns against the helpless Bearcats secondary.

9. Ray Graham versus Florida International: Not an elite opponent by any means, but what Graham did was still mighty impressive. Subbing for an injured Lewis, Graham nearly broke the Pitt single-game rushing record with 277 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.

10. Joe Lefeged versus Florida International: FIU appears again as a victim here in a ridiculous performance by the Rutgers safety. He had an interception, forced two fumbles and blocked a pair of punts to almost single-handedly ensure his team's narrow victory.

Honorable mention: Zach Collaros versus South Florida and Rutgers; B.J. Daniels versus Cincinnati and Clemson; Pead versus Oklahoma; Todman versus Cincinnati; Armon Binns versus Louisville; Chas Dodd versus Connecticut; Dave Teggart versus South Florida; Doug Hogue versus West Virginia; Marcus Sales versus Kansas State.

Here is the list of players from the Big East who will be participating in the East-West Shrine Game, a showcase for seniors and NFL hopefuls:

• Anthony Sherman, FB, Connecticut

• Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati

• Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse

• Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse

• Greg Lloyd, LB, Connecticut

• Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut

• Ryan Bartholomew, OL, Syracuse

• Scott Lutrus, LB, Connecticut

• Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida

• Zach Hurd, OL, Connecticut

The 86th annual game will be held Jan. 22 in Orlando.

After two straight Big East titles and BCS game appearances, Cincinnati came crashing down to earth with a 4-8 record in 2010.

Several factors conspired against the Bearcats in this disappointing season. There was the coaching transition, of course, as Butch Jones took over for Brian Kelly. There was a difficult early schedule that included games at Fresno State and NC State and versus Oklahoma, all of which Cincinnati lost. Injuries played a part, as starting receiver Vidal Hazelton went down in the opener with a torn ACL, and the team's most experienced cornerback (Dominique Battle) missed most of the year with a knee injury.

The Bearcats led the league in points scored and total offense but finished last in points allowed thanks to an undersized, inexperienced defense that gave up nearly 34 points per conference game. Unlike last season, when they could win shootouts late in the year because of their prolific offense, they continually ended their own drives with mistakes. Their abysmal minus-15 turnover margin was second-worst in the FBS.

Intangibles were at play as well. Jones had to fight a sense of entitlement that stemmed from those two straight championships. Senior center Jason Kelce told the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this month that the team lacked the hunger it had in previous years.

So what can Cincinnati do to get back to the postseason in 2011?

Jones has a strong nucleus returning. The team loses only six starting seniors, none of them on defense. Quarterback Zach Collaros, running back Isaiah Pead and receiver D.J. Woods are all among the best at their position in the Big East, so the offense should thrive again, especially with a year of Jones' system under their belts. The Bearcats will miss start wideout Armon Binns, but freshman Anthony McClung showed promise late in the year, and former star recruit Dyjuan Woods and junior college transfer Kenbrell Thompkins will become eligible.

The defense remains an issue, and this offseason will be crucial in the weight room for the Bearcats to add some bulk. Jones has to fill in some gaps through recruiting and may look to a junior college player or two to provide immediate help.

Next year's schedule will be slightly easier, with difficult games against Tennessee and NC State but highly winnable contests against Austin Peay, Akron and Miami of Ohio. For the first time in a few years, the Bearcats won't be picked among the favorites for the Big East. But they should improve enough to get back to a bowl in 2011.

Welcome to the ESPN.com 2010 All-Big East team. Unlike the official league team, we don't do ties here. One man, one spot.

I compiled the following list after watching each team the entire season and through consultation this week with some coaches throughout the league. Later on today, I'll offer up some thoughts on the selections, explaining my picks and the toughest omissions.

Here is the team:

Offense

QB: Geno Smith, West Virginia
RB: Jordan Todman, Connecticut
RB: Bilal Powell, Louisville
WR: Armon Binns, Cincinnati
WR: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh
TE: Cameron Graham, Louisville
OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
OG: Zach Hurd, Connecticut
C: Sampson Genus, South Florida
OG: Mark Wetterer, Louisville
OT: Byron Stingily, Louisville

Defense

DE: Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh
DT: Chris Neild, West Virginia
DT: Terrell McClain, South Florida
DE: Julian Miller, West Virginia
LB: Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut
LB: Derrell Smith, Syracuse
LB: J.T. Thomas, West Virginia
CB: Brandon Hogan, West Virginia
CB: Johnny Patrick, Louisville
S: Robert Sands, West Virginia
S: Sidney Glover, West Virginia

Specialists

K: Dave Teggart, Connecticut
P: Dan Hutchins, Pittsburgh
KR: Lindsey Lamar, South Florida
PR: Doug Beaumont, Louisville

So Connecticut wants to get to the BCS? Let's see what the Huskies are made of in another pressure situation.

UConn and Cincinnati traded turnovers and punts for most of the third quarter, but a Bearcats drive ended with a Zach Collaros touchdown with 8:42 left to make it 24-17. Cincinnati was aided by three pass interference calls on cornerback Dwayne Gratz against Armon Binns and a questionable call on the Collaros score when it looked like his knee might be down. West Virginia fans like these officials.

Anyway, UConn showed a lot of resiliency against Pitt and West Virginia at home, but with the BCS bid so close there's a bit of pressure on right now. Time for the Huskies to show they're BCS-worthy with a strong finish.

Only two regular-season games left -- or one, for Louisville and Syracuse -- for players to make to their cases for some individual hardware.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut: Todman all but engraved his name on the trophy with a 130-yard, two-touchdown day against Syracuse on Saturday. He went over 1,300 yards for the season with two games left.

2. Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: Binns solidified his stake as the best receiver in the Big East, at least production-wise, with a six-catch, 139-yard performance against Rutgers. He needs 35 more yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

3. Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: Smith didn't do a whole lot in the Louisville game, completing just 9 of 20 passes, but he continues to be the most important player on the Mountaineers' offense.

4. Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: Powell has been quiet most of the past few games because of injury, and on Saturday he barely made a dent in the stat sheet while dealing with an illness and the sick West Virginia defense.

5. Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: Collaros tossed four more touchdown passes against Rutgers, giving him a league-best 24 on the season.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh: Sheard was relatively quiet stats-wise against South Florida but is still the most-feared defender in the Big East.

2. Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia: The Mountaineers' defense is on a historic pace without a lot of superstars, but Neild starts it off as the anchor up front.

3. Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut: Had eight more tackles against Syracuse to go over 100 for the second straight year.

4. Keith Tandy, CB, West Virginia: Grabbed his Big East-best sixth interception versus Louisville.

Coach of the year race

1. Doug Marrone, Syracuse: No matter what else happens, winning seven games and getting the Orange back to a bowl should be enough for Marrone to win this award going away.

Coordinator of the year race


1. Jeff Casteel, West Virginia: His defense is just astounding, allowing 12.9 points and 88 rushing yards per game while leading the nation in third-down defense. If he doesn't get mentioned for head-coaching jobs this December, I'll be dumbfounded.

2. Scott Shafer, Syracuse: The Orange defense is responsible for the team's major turnaround, and Syracuse was flat-out nasty on the road because of it.

3. Mark Snyder, South Florida: Inherited a defense that lost five starters to the NFL and not only didn't lose a beat, but made them tougher against the more physical teams in the league.

4. Vance Bedford, Louisville: People usually talk about Charlie Strong when they mention the Cardinals' defense, but Bedford is the defensive coordinator. Louisville's defense is posting its best numbers in more than a decade. Considering the lack of elite talent on that side of the ball, especially up front, that's amazing.

Considering the way the Big East is gone, it's not at all amazing that all the coordinators on this list come from the defensive side of the ball.

Cincinnati coach Butch Jones will be returning to familiar territory when he takes his team into Morgantown this weekend. Jones was an assistant coach for West Virginia from 2005-06.

"It will be different," Jones said. "From the bus ride in, to the fans cheering against us to running out of the opposite tunnel."

That won't be the only thing that feels a bit off about the Bearcats' trip. Cincinnati has beaten West Virginia two years in a row on its way to consecutive Big East championships. But in Jones' first season as head coach, the team is just 3-5, already exceeding the number of losses it had the past two years combined. While few rational people expected Jones to match Brian Kelly's 12-0 regular season record of 2009, the Bearcats' 2010 definitely qualifies as a surprise setback.

Despite the poor record and increasing fan criticism, Jones isn't pushing any panic buttons.

"Nobody has wavered," he said. "Are we disappointed? Yes. But we still have a lot to play for. This program is very prideful. Nobody is going to blink."

After Cincinnati lost 31-7 at home to Syracuse last time out, Jones said there were things going on within the program that "Joe Public has no idea" about. He has also alluded to building a foundation. Those sentiments may seem odd to people who only see the two straight Big East trophies.

Jones hasn't delved into a lot of specifics publicly, and he's in a no-win situation in that regard. If he talks about problems in the program, most fans will simply consider it excuse-making. His only option is to win more games.

Many expected this team to compete for another league title because of the return of Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Armon Binns and D.J. Woods. But the Bearcats also lost several key pieces off last year's Sugar Bowl squad, including electric playmaker Mardy Gilyard; all-Big East offensive linemen Jeff Linkenbach and Chris Jurek; and cornerstone defensive players in linemen Ricardo Matthews and Alex Daniels, linebackers Curtis Young and Andre Revels and defensive backs Brad Jones and Aaron Websters. In most cases, the Bearcats haven't been able to replace their production.

Add in some recruiting misses -- the 2009 signing class has accounted for only a handful of contributors, and many of those original signees are gone -- and you get a team starting seven sophomore on defense, with precious little experience behind them. Jones was very concerned about depth this summer, and injuries and other issues have further thinned the ranks.

"We lost Kembrell Thompkins, Vidal Hazelton and Travis Kelce, who are three bona fide potential NFL prospects," he said. "And then [cornerback] Dominique Battle, who's played a lot of football for us and has been a model of consistency and stability.

"It has been an issue, but you can never allow that to be a crutch. Usually, teams playing for championships in November stay healthy and have great competition at spots. We knew [depth] was going to be an issue going in. The only thing you can do is develop your younger players."

Despite all the challenges, Jones said he likes the way the young players have responded and how leaders have emerged. That gives him hope for the future.

"Every great program suffers adversity at some stage or another," he said. "When that happens, you really find out about the character of the people in your program and around our program. If anything, what this proves is that we have very high standards here. We expect to compete on a national stage and in the Big East conference year in and year out."

These Bearcats have to win three of their final four games just to have a shot at making a bowl. The buzz around Cincinnati may have dimmed considerably since last year's run at a BCS title berth, but Jones believes he's still got the program on the right path.

"I know the system we have in place here, I know the younger players we have in place here and I know the standards and expectations we're working toward here," he said. "We're upgrading our facilities, we have great expectations and great support around our football program. We won't lose momentum. I'll make sure we do not lose any momentum."

Who in the world were those guys wearing South Florida uniforms this week? And who was playing quarterback for the Bulls?

They sure didn't look like the same team that managed just 15 total points, and no offensive touchdowns in its first two Big East games. South Florida broke out in a big way with a shocking 38-30 win at Cincinnati.

Skip Holtz promised a thorough re-evaluation of his offense after last week's sputtering effort at West Virginia, and whatever he and his staff came up with sure worked Friday.

B.J. Daniels, who has been criticized a lot and in this space for his disheartening play and 10 interceptions, finally looked like the guy with so much potential against the Bearcats. Daniels completed 13 of 16 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two scores.

Daniels played with confidence and completed some long throws, including a 64-yarder to Dontavia Bogan and a 71-yard touchdown pass to Faron Hornes right after USF's defense stopped Cincinnati on a 4th-and-1 from the Bulls' 29. Hornes, who had three catches for 29 yards coming into the night, also had an 18-yard run.

The Bearcats, as they have done often this year, hurt themselves several times. Zach Collaros threw a costly interception in the red zone. Armon Binns dropped a sure touchdown pass, forcing the offense had to settle for a field goal.

They got the ball back with a little more than three minutes left but had to try and mount a game-tying drive without Collaros, who was taken out with an apparent left leg injury. Chazz Anderson came off the bench cold and led the team down to the USF 16. But his pass went through the hands of a streaking D.J. Woods on third down, and he was pressured into an incompletion on fourth down to seal it.

Credit the Bulls' defense, even with all the points they gave up. Cincinnati couldn't find much running room all night, and red-hot running back Isaiah Pead was held to just 48 yards on 15 carries.

The Bearcats saw their 13-game Big East winning streak and 14-game Nippert Stadium winning streak both come to an end. At 3-4 and 1-1 in the Big East, they now have less margin for error to reach bowl eligibility, and the home loss really hurts them in the league title chase. They were feeling good about their schedule with only two road games left, but now they will be in basically must-win mode to stay in the hunt.

Holtz got his first big victory at South Florida, leading the Bulls to a win in a place they had only known misery. This was, obviously, the best overall performance by the team all season and showed what USF is capable of if things are clicking, especially at quarterback. The Bulls (4-3, 1-2) still need a lot of things to go right to contend for the league title, but now this win gets them one needed step closer to bowl eligibility.

Just another night in what looks like a wild and unpredictable Big East season.

There was nothing more significant that happened in Week 7 than the neck injury to Rutgers' Eric LeGrand. It's devastating, and fans from all schools have been sending in their prayers and condolences.

On to more trivial matters, as we review the games and action from the week.

Team of the week: Pittsburgh. The Panthers haven't had much reason to celebrate this season, but a 31-point road win against a Syracuse team that was jacked up on confidence will do the trick. Pitt fumbled away its nonconference opportunities, but it would be foolish to count this team out of the Big East race.

Best game: Cincinnati's 35-27 win against Louisville was far and away the most entertaining game of the week in the Big East. It was a shootout in the first half, as the Cardinals took a 24-21 lead into the locker room. The scoring slowed down in the second half, but there were many big plays, big performances and an exciting finish.

Biggest play: Robert Sands' interception of South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels in the final minute before halftime of West Virginia's 20-6 win on Thursday. The pick set up a Mountaineers' score right before intermission to make it 17-3 and put the game on ice. Lesson to USF coach Skip Holtz: Never let Daniels pass near the end of the half while in his own territory. That proved disastrous against both Florida and West Virginia.

Best call: The touchdown set up by the Sands play was an exciting hook-and-ladder pass that Jock Sanders lateraled to Noel Devine. Gotta give credit to Bill Stewart and Jeff Mullen for that, especially after criticizing them for the double-pass play that failed against Maryland. But, actually, my award for best call involves the first West Virginia touchdown. The Mountaineers had their big-back look with Ryan Clarke and a fullback in the I, but Geno Smith faked the handoff and found a wide open Brad Starks for a 31-yard strike. West Virginia hadn't passed much out of that formation, and it clearly caught USF off guard.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Cincinnati receiver Armon Binns had eight catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-clinching 62-yard score in the fourth quarter. Good to see Binns have a monster game after he'd been relatively quiet much of the year.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): West Virginia cornerback Keith Tandy was burned repeatedly in last year's game against South Florida. On Thursday, he had 10 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble to prove he's no longer a weak link in the chain.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Pitt's Dan Hutchins averaged 50 yards on five punts and had two downed inside the 20. He also made his lone field-goal attempt, a 24-yarder.

Strangest moment: Rutgers seemingly had everything in place for a game-winning field-goal try against Army after rallying from a 17-3 deficit. Chas Dodd completed a pass to Mohamed Sanu at the Army 28 on first down. Then Dodd ran for a 2-yard loss, trying to get the ball to the middle of the field. Then Army called timeout, and Rutgers somehow got a delay of game penalty after that stoppage as Dodd couldn't find his helmet on the sideline.

Forced to run another play, Rutgers gave up a sack. And then Dodd threw an interception on fourth down, forcing overtime. Fortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they still went on to win.

"We fouled that thing up," head coach Greg Schiano said. "I've made a lot of really good, time-management decisions over 10 years, really good ones that have won games for us. That one could have lost the game for us. That's my job to take control, and that was a bonehead move by me."

Worst hangover: Syracuse. The Orange kicked away a lot of momentum and fan excitement by losing 45-14 at home to Pittsburgh on Saturday. They surely thought they had improved to the point where they wouldn't get blown out at home like that in a conference game. You could sense the resignation by the home fans, many of whom headed for the Carrier Dome exits midway through the third quarter.

Now let's look ahead to Week 8, the first week when all eight Big East teams are squaring off head-to-head in conference play (Games listed in descending order of importance/interest):

Rutgers (4-2, 1-0 Big East) at Pitt (3-3, 1-0): The only matchup featuring two teams with undefeated Big East records. Rutgers had owned this series until Pitt struck back last year. How will the Scarlet Knights react after the LeGrand injury? (ESPN3.com, Noon ET).


Connecticut (3-3, 0-1) at Louisville (3-3, 0-1): The past three games in this series have all been close, with UConn winning all three. One of these two teams will essentially be out of the Big East race by Saturday night. (ESPNU, 3:30 ET)

Syracuse (4-2, 1-1) at No. 20 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0): How do the Orange bounce back while taking on what looks like the best team in the league? Can the Mountaineers keep things rolling and avoid a letdown? (ESPN2, Noon ET)

South Florida (3-3, 0-2) at Cincinnati (3-3, 1-0): Two teams going different routes, as the Bearcats have turned it on offensively, while the Bulls continue to search for answers on that side of the ball. (ESPN2, Friday, 8 ET)

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: The sophomore completed 24-of-31 passes for 219 yards and two scores in the Mountaineers' 20-6 victory against South Florida on Thursday.

Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: The senior had eight catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns in the Bearcats' 35-27 win at Louisville on Friday.

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: The senior ran 24 times for 209 yards and two touchdowns -- surpassing 200 yards for the second straight weeks -- in the loss to Cincinnati.

Tino Sunseri, QB, Pittsburgh: The sophomore completed 17-of-24 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns in the Panthers' 45-14 win at Syracuse.

Antonio Lowery, LB, Rutgers: Lowery had 19 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Scarlet Knights' 23-20 overtime win against Army.

The streak lives on.

Cincinnati now has won 13 straight Big East games dating back to 2008, but Friday's game against Louisville wasn't easy. The Bearcats trailed 24-21 at halftime before coming up with some key defensive stands and a couple of big passing plays for the 35-27 victory.

Zach Collaros finished with five touchdown passes, including three to Armon Binns. They hooked up for a 62-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that proved to be the clincher. Binns finished with eight catches for 175 yards after a somewhat disappointing start to the season for him.

Louisville had the ball inside the Cincinnati 10 with less than five minutes left but got stopped on fourth-and-goal after a third-down pass bounced off Josh Chichester's hands. Two earlier missed field goals haunted the Cardinals.

Two things stand out about this game. One, Cincinnati remains dangerous as its offense continues to improve. I think the Bearcats are the second-best team in the Big East right now, and they won in a tough environment on Friday night. Secondly, Louisville is going to be a tough opponent for every Big East team this year. The Cardinals have a legitimate superstar in Bilal Powell, who ran for 209 yards, and their offense is legit. Charlie Strong has done an excellent job with this team, and I'll surprised if they don't win at least a couple of league games and make a run at a bowl appearance.

Two key injuries to monitor from this game: Cincinnati's D.J. Woods didn't return after getting hammered by Shenard Holton on an amazing touchdown catch in traffic. Woods is leading the Big East in receptions and receiving yards and had two scores Friday. And Louisville cornerback Johnny Patrick had to leave early with an undisclosed injury. He's the best player in a young and sometimes shaky Cardinals secondary.

Cincinnati has a chance to get off to a good start in league play with South Florida and Syracuse coming to Nippert Stadium next. Louisville has UConn at home next week and needs to get that win over a very inconsistent Huskies team.

We thought the Cincinnati-Louisville game could be a shootout based on the stats both offenses had been accumulating. It has not disappointed.

Louisville leads 24-21 after a thoroughly entertaining first half. The biggest thing I took out of that first half: the Cardinals are much better than I thought, and there's no better running back in the Big East than Bilal Powell.

Powell -- who's coming off a 200-yard effort against Memphis -- already has 149 yards and two touchdowns at halftime, including a spectacular 85-yard run in which five different Bearcats hit him near the line of scrimmage but couldn't bring him down. That run will be on the Louisville highlight reel for a long, long time.

Cincinnati's defense came into the game leading the Big East in stopping the run, allowing fewer than 85 yards per game. But Louisville's veteran offensive line has done a great job opening lanes for Powell.

In a game like this, the last thing you want to do is turn the ball over. The Bearcats have done it twice, while Louisville hasn't. And that's the main reason why the Cardinals are on the plus side of this shootout right now. Zach Collaros and his receivers are finding lots of big plays against the young Louisville secondary -- Armon Binns already has two touchdown catches. The Bearcats just need to hang onto the ball and figure out how to tackle Powell.

Expect lots more fireworks in final 30 minutes as Cincinnati tries to extend its 12-game Big East winning streak.

1. Conference play in full swing: Last week, half the league got started in Big East play. This week, the other half gets going, and the slate features two pretty good rivalry games -- South Florida vs. West Virginia and Cincinnati vs. Louisville in the Keg of Nails battle. By Saturday night, we'll have better understanding of who the real contenders are for the conference crown.

2. Is Syracuse for real?: I had the Orange at No. 2 in my Big East power rankings this week but did so hesitatingly. They are 4-1 with a conference road win, but there is still some doubt about Syracuse because of its schedule. This week's home game against preseason favorite Pittsburgh should answer those questions. If the Orange can win this game, then they likely will be a factor in the race all season.

3. Can Pittsburgh get going?: The Panthers showed small signs of progress in a loss at Notre Dame, but the fact remains that they are 2-3 and haven't put together a complete game against a good opponent. Pitt fans hold out hope this team can figure things out and still make a run in the conference after playing a very difficult out-of-league schedule. We'll see just how possible that idea is when the Panthers open up Big East play in what figures to be a pretty hostile work environment.

4. Louisville's running game vs. the Cincinnati defense: Which seemed less likely before the season: that Louisville would be leading the league in rushing at this point, or that the Bearcats would have the top rushing defense? Odds were heavily stacked against both, but both are true. The Cardinals have the nation's No. 8 rusher in Bilal Powell, plus another star tailback in Victor Anderson. Cincinnati has greatly improved at the point of attack and is allowing fewer than 85 rushing yards per game. This Keg of Nails will be decided in the trenches.

5. Louisville's defense vs. Cincinnati's offense: The Cardinals are coming off a shutout of Memphis, but they allowed 35 points to Oregon State and 24 to Arkansas State. The Louisville defensive line is small and can get overpowered by the running game, while Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead is averaging 9.8 yards per carry. The Bearcats will also try to wear the Cardinals down with their high-tempo, no-huddle attack and go after the inexperienced Louisville secondary with D.J. Woods and Armon Binns. This will be a major test for Charlie Strong's defense.

6. Can West Virginia figure out USF?: The Bulls have been the biggest thorn in the Mountaineers' side of late, winning three of the last four meetings and usually shutting down the powerful West Virginia offense. This is a new South Florida coaching staff -- and a new-look Mountaineers team with a more productive passing game behind quarterback Geno Smith. Will that be enough to loosen up a defense that has loaded the box and used its speed to slow down the West Virginia rushing game?

7. Which B.J. Daniels shows up?: The South Florida quarterback almost single-handedly beat West Virginia last year, but he's almost single-handedly holding his team's offense back this season. Daniels made way too many mistakes again in the loss to Syracuse last week, and now he's facing a Mountaineers defense that's leading the Big East in points and yards allowed. He has to play much better than he has so far this season for USF to have a chance, and expect West Virginia to pressure him and hope he messes up like he did against the Orange.

8. The Great Chas?: Chas Dodd was brilliant in his first career start, burning UConn for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Can he do the same in his second start against an Army defense that will throw all kinds of different looks and stunts at him? It's doubtful that Dodd saw anything like the Black Knights' "double-eagle flex" defense in high school, and with just a week to prepare it will be interesting to see how Dodd responds.

9. Stopping the Army ground assault: The Army defense is difficult to prepare for, and so is its offense. The so-called spread triple-option has produced the nation's No. 9 rushing attack at 274 yards per game. The Black Knights ran for 312 yards last week against Tulane -- yes, the same Tulane team that beat Rutgers two weeks ago. The Scarlet Knights have the nation's No. 10 rushing defense, but they'll have to be disciplined and smart against the option.