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Is there such a thing as a Big East coach being hated because he wins too much?

The answer is clearly no when you look at the current group of head coaches. Three of them have never coached in a Big East game. Three are going into their third seasons in the league and are barely above .500. Paul Pasqualoni has a bushel-full of victories, but nearly all of them came at Syracuse two decades ago.

So let us take a dip back into history to find an answer. Here are the all-time winningest coaches in Big East history, by overall percentage. I am using this statistic because many of the biggest winners do not stick around the Big East for long.

• Larry Coker, Miami: 35-3 (.921)
• Dennis Erickson, Miami: 42-6 (.875)
• Brian Kelly, Cincinnati: 34-6 (.850)
• Bobby Petrino, Louisville: 21-4 (.840)
• Butch Davis, Miami: 51-20 (.718)
• Bill Stewart, West Virginia: 28-12 (.700)
• Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia: 60-26 (.698)
• Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: 108-48-1 (.691)

The conclusion is an easy one: Much more than one hated coach, Miami was a hated team because of all the wins it racked up while playing in the Big East from 1991-2003. That includes two national championships and seven Big East titles, more than any other school. Coker was never vilified or hated. The man is impossibly nice.

Davis' image took much more of a hit at North Carolina because he left the place in scandal, with two major investigations hanging over the program. While at Miami, he was lauded as the man who saved the program from NCAA sanctions. It is hard to hate a coach who won 10 games only once in his career.

Erickson simply took over for Jimmy Johnson and continued what was started.

But the assignment is to find a coach hated for winning. Let's look at some of the other names on the list. Kelly and Petrino were hated much more for the ways they left their programs. Kelly only coached three years in the Big East; Petrino only two in the Big East. I can't imagine their short stays struck fear into the hearts of opponents, despite all the victories.

So let's turn the focus to Rodriguez. He, more than any of the aforementioned coaches, probably fits the bill. In his final three seasons in Morgantown, Rodriguez won two league championships and had three 11-win seasons. His team went undefeated in league play in 2005, one of only two teams to accomplish the feat in the past seven years. He won with swagger and style, and some of the best athletes in Big East history.

But I used the word probably. Because as great as Rodriguez was, his on-field coaching career in the Big East will be defined by what he didn't do in 2007. West Virginia was ranked No. 2 in the country going into the regular-season finale against Pitt in the always-heated Backyard Brawl. Win, and the Mountaineers would be playing for the school's first national title. Pitt was already out of the bowl picture, entering the game at 4-7. West Virginia was a 28 1/2-point favorite.

Slam dunk, right? Well, you guys know what happened. Pitt pulled one of the biggest upsets in the series, and Rodriguez went packing to Michigan. The loss will always follow Rodriguez, despite all of his wins in the league. On the day he needed a win most of all, he failed. But that loss did not make him a villain in Morgantown. Leaving did.

That is why it is hard to anoint any Big East coach as somebody hated for winning.

Current Big East coaches' career records in the league:

• Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse and UConn: 112-63-1
• Doug Marrone, Syracuse: 17-20
• Butch Jones, Cincinnati: 14-11
• Charlie Strong, Louisville: 14-12
• Skip Holtz, USF: 13-12
• Steve Addazio, Temple: 0-0
• Paul Chryst, Pitt: 0-0
• Kyle Flood, Rutgers: 0-0

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Last May, Bill Stewart joined his colleagues at the Big East spring meetings to tackle league business and catch up with old friends.

One of them, Cincinnati coach Butch Jones, was particularly saddened by the news of Stewart's sudden and tragic passing Monday. When Jones took a job as receivers coach at West Virginia in 2005, Stewart was there as quarterbacks coach. The two grew close in the two seasons Jones spent with the Mountaineers. They then had the opportunity to face each other on opposite sidelines as Big East head coaches.

"Just one year ago, he was sitting in the meetings with us and we were sitting on the beach together talking," Jones recalled Tuesday. "Things like this put things into perspective in all aspects."

Here is the way Jones will remember his good friend:

You think of Bill Stewart the man and how much his wife Karen and his son Blaine meant to him. The best word that describes him is family man. They were everything to him. That was first. Him and I have been through a lot of wars together on the same team and also competed against each other. He was an individual of high integrity. We had that special bond from the positions we coached, and our friendship really grew. He was one of the guys who took me under his wing. He was a mentor to a lot of people. A father figure but extremely competitive. He had a love and passion for the state of West Virginia and that university. He used to talk about the old blue and gold, so I will always think about the passion and the affinity he had for Morgantown and the people in that community.

USF coach Skip Holtz also shared his fondest memory of Stewart.

He’s one of those guys that when you would have a big win, your phone would ring and it would be Bill Stewart. But the thing that makes Bill so classy is when you had that heartbreaking loss, your phone would ring and it would be Bill Stewart. I have great respect for him not just as a football coach but as a man and the way he handled everything. We lost one of the good people in this business, without a doubt. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and the entire West Virginia family because he was a special individual.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Big East football coaches and athletic directors heard a number of proposals for divisional alignment during spring meetings Tuesday.

Three specifically that got some attention -- a north-south alignment; an east-west alignment; and non-geographic alignments that focused on splitting the Florida schools, the Texas schools, and the West coast schools. There was no consensus in the room, but coaches were intrigued with some of the proposals.

"We’re far from coming up with a preferred format at this time," senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli said. "A couple concepts that emerged -- (coaches) had a strong desire to protect the ability for fans to see as many of the games as possible. They want to make sure they maximize their value for television, and protected and promoted as many rivalries as possible."

"Who was in each of those divisions was irrelevant at this point. We were looking for conceptually which direction they wanted to head. So the next step is to put models together, we’ll probably put dozens of models together about what their home-away rotations might look like under all those scenarios so they can make a further evaluation."

There had been some early talk that Temple would be in a West Division. Coach Steve Addazio said he would have no problem if that scenario ended up being adopted.

"That’s all yet to be determined," he said. "You know what, honestly? It’s a great opportunity for Temple, and however we can fit this thing in for us, we’re thrilled. That’s really how I feel about it. It all works. I can’t wait to play some of these teams."

Carparelli said further analysis would happen between now and Big East media day in Newport, R.I., at the end of July. The league also will reach out to its television consultants to see what gets the most value for a future TV deal.

A decision must be made before the summer ends.

"The best thing we did is we defined our strengths as a conference. Geographically, that’s one of our strengths to be able to go from the Western portion of the United States to the East Coast. So how can we make the conference work within the geographic boundaries we have?" Cincinnati coach Butch Jones said. "We didn't reach conclusions, but we defined a lot of that."

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- One of the big topics discussed during the football coaches meetings at the Big East spring meetings was how they want the future BCS to look.

The consensus from the Big East coaches: They would like to see bowl sites incorporated for the semifinals, have no problem with a neutral-site national championship game, and want preference given to conference champions.

With talk about a four-team playoff growing, and the next BCS meetings scheduled for June, each conference is taking various proposals to their administrators and coaches for further evaluation. Big East athletic directors will weigh in on the future BCS during discussions Tuesday.

"In college football, it’s different than college basketball. We don’t play nearly as many games. Winning your conference should matter," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. "It should stand for something. Not that there wouldn’t be a place for a team in an at-large situation. But at the end of the day, winning your conference should have some value."

Added Cincinnati coach Butch Jones: "The first thing is preserving the bowl system. So much of it is a reward to our student-athletes and our universities and to our fans and it’s embedded in college football. But also it's good having a playoff to crown a national champion. So to be able to have the semifinals in the bowl games, that helps solidify that, but also having a neutral site for the national championship game would be extremely healthy for the world of college football."

As for the Big East's place in the future of the BCS, senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli believes there will be a seat for the league in the future despite talk about the league not being a part of the largest BCS revenue generators.

"Everything that’s being discussed at some level is going to include the performance of the teams in each conference," Carparelli said. "If you look historically at the number of teams we’ve had ranked, revenue-wise, we’ll do fine. Some conference may end up making more revenue than others but it’s probably deserved. And in the end, the pool of money is going to be so much greater this time around, we feel pretty confident we’ll have an increase in revenue we will be getting."

The best Big East rivalry may never be played again, now that expansion has changed the face of college football.

Pitt and West Virginia had made a living hating each other, a bitter rivalry that really transcended the Big East and became one of the most heated in the entire country. Think of rivalry games, and think of the Backyard Brawl.

No future meetings between the two schools have been scheduled, with West Virginia beginning play in the Big 12 in 2012 and Pitt on its way out to the ACC. So what does that leave the Big East in terms of true league rivalries?

The longest running one remaining is Pitt-Syracuse. The two schools first met in 1916 and have played 67 times, including every year since 1955. But alas, those two schools are on their way out of the Big East.

So turn your attention to Cincinnati-Louisville. These two schools first played in 1922 and have met 52 times, with the rivalry starting back up in 1996 after a three-year hiatus. Cincinnati leads the series 30-21-1 and has won the last four.

But that could very well change in 2012.

While there may not be much national cache to the rivalry game between the two programs, all the ingredients are there for the intensity to ratchet up another notch between the two.

• The game already has a nifty trophy. The "Keg of Nails" has been handed out to the winner of this game since 1929, when fraternity chapters on both campuses decided the victorious players were tough as nails. The trophy is a replica of a keg that was used to ship nails and features the logos of both schools and the scores of every game. This rivalry is not merely contained to the Big East, either. The two were also Missouri Valley and Conference USA rivals.
• They are virtually neighbors. In the newly far-flung Big East, that counts for something. The two schools are a mere 106 miles away from each other.
• The two programs are on the rise, with coaches on the rise. Both Louisville coach Charlie Strong and Cincinnati coach Butch Jones head into their third seasons as Big East champions, and it seems pretty clear that neither one is going to stop at one, either. Louisville is expected to contend for the Big East championship this season; Cincinnati may have lost a bunch of starters but there is plenty of talent on the roster. Both coaches have become "hot" names in coaching circles because of their successes, and both have pledged their commitment to their respective programs. You can definitely see this game having pivotal implications in the race for the conference championship in the years to come.

While it is true that both schools have other rivals (Louisville has Kentucky; Cincinnati has Miami (Ohio) and Pitt), nobody says rivalries have to be exclusive. Michigan has Michigan State and Ohio State; Florida has Tennessee, Florida State and Georgia; Florida State has Florida and Miami; Oklahoma has Texas and Oklahoma State; Texas has Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

In the cases of all those rivalries, the greater the stakes, the greater the intensity, the greater the scrutiny. Florida State-Miami has lost a bit of its luster, compared to the 1980s and 1990s. If Cincinnati and Louisville are competing for Big East and national championships every year, the game will grow in national stature.

Here are a few other potential rivalry games in the new Big East:

USF vs. UCF: The War on I-4 has been played four times, with USF winning all meetings. Bulls fans will say this is not a rivalry because they have dominated the series, last played in 2008. There is no question the hatred is there, one of the key components to any good rivalry. USF fans look down at UCF as being a whiny little brother; UCF fans think USF fans are entitled for no apparent reason. Let the rivalry resume!

Temple vs. Rutgers: Having the schools in close proximity to one another certainly helps, along with the natural rivalry between New Jersey and Philadelphia. Rutgers fans will tell you a rivalry can't exist until Temple is on the same playing level. But Temple fans will tell you the Owls are already there, with three straight winning seasons. Watch out for some major recruiting clashes between the two as well.

Navy vs. SMU: There already is a trophy for the winner in this game. It is named after Frank Gansz, who played at Navy and later served on the coaching staffs at SMU and Navy. The trophy was established in 2009, and Navy has won it three times. The two are set to become conference rivals in 2015.

Two players who arrived at their respective teams as quarterbacks are set to make a bigger impact this season at a different position.

It is time to get to know Syracuse athlete Ashton Broyld and Cincinnati athlete Jordan Luallen. Both players spent the spring making the move to a more hybrid Wildcat/receiver/running back post.

The goal is clear. Both players are too good to keep tied to the bench behind somebody else. Their athleticism must be used for big plays.

"He’s a big, strong, fast, physical athlete," Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said of Broyld after the spring game. "We’re very fortunate to have him. I think he is going to be a great asset to us offensively. We just have to keep bringing him along, because he’s someone who can make a lot of plays."

"He’s one of the best athletes we have on our football team," Cincinnati coach Butch Jones said of Luallen earlier this spring. "We’ve got to find a way to get him on the football field."

Luallen has actual game experience, having played last season when quarterback Zach Collaros got hurt. Jones decided he would play both Munchie Legaux and Luallen at quarterback. Both can run with the football, but Luallen's knack for making big plays was clear. He rarely threw the ball, but had 135 yards on 22 carries. He should have had two touchdowns on runs that ended at the 1 against Syracuse, but alas the turf monster struck. That is probably how most Big East fans remember him.

But Cincinnati coaches just remember his ability to make plays. That led to the decision to move him to receiver, where he is listed right behind Anthony McClung on the second team. Cincinnati struggled at receiver last season, and the Bearcats could no doubt use some big-play ability at the position, particularly because depth remains a concern.

But Luallen won't be limited to just receiver. Watch for him to still be able to run a few plays out of the Wildcat to keep teams off balance, at least. Particularly because the offense is going to have a new look with Isaiah Pead and Collaros gone.

As for Broyld, he arrived as an early enrollee this spring after spending last year at Milford Academy. Though Syracuse closed practices, much has been made about the role Broyld could have in the offense because of his versatility.

Broyld is listed as the No. 3 running back on the post-spring depth chart, but he played receiver and running back in the spring game.

He had some of the only offensive highlights in that game, as the offense fizzled for the most part. He could also be used as a Wildcat quarterback, in addition to his other roles. Syracuse has lacked a big-time playmaker the last several seasons. In fact, the offense has been somewhat predictable. Broyld gives the Orange something they have lacked for quite some time. Syracuse receivers averaged 10.5 yards per catch last season -- second-worst in the Big East behind Pitt (10.4).

That is just a little glimpse of their potential. Now we wait and see what these "slash" players can do.

Tale of the tape

Ashton Broyld, Syracuse

Height: 6-4

Weight: 229

Stats: Threw for 427 yards on 31-of-56 passing and six touchdowns, and ran for 259 yards on 39 carries and six touchdowns in 2011 at Milford Academy. ... Was the 2010 New York State Class AA Player of the Year after leading Rush-Henrietta High to the Class AA State Championship and a 13-0 record. Passed for 1,961 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 1,540 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Jordan Luallen, Cincinnati

Height: 6-3

Weight: 215

Stats: Went 2-for-4 for 10 yards, and rushed for 135 yards on 22 carries last season in a backup role with the Bearcats. He was forced to sit out 2010 after transferring in from Georgia Tech, where he redshirted as a true freshman in 2009. ... Rated the No. 22 quarterback recruit out of high school. Also won a state championship in 2008, Went 46-for-85 for 941 yards, two interceptions, and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 622 yards on 84 carries in the Wing-T offense as a senior.

During the spring, Cincinnati coach Butch Jones posed a question to his team.

"Anybody who averaged 35 plays or more last season, stand up," he said.

Nine players got up.

All his quarterbacks remained seated. All his tight ends remained seated. All his running backs remained seated. Go ahead and guess the nine players who stood up, just for fun. The answer key will be down below.

What the exercise stresses is just how young a football team the Bearcats will have headed into 2012. We already knew Cincinnati was losing some pretty important senior contributors, but realizing only nine players averaged 35 plays or more last year really puts the youth movement into context.

Cincinnati is going from being one of the most experienced teams in the Big East to one of the least.

That is why Cincinnati spent so much time this spring not only working on developing new team leaders to replace guys like Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Derek Wolfe and JK Schaffer. Jones said he did more team 11-on-11 drills than he has done previously. Of particular emphasis were team passing drills, where Munchie Legaux and Brendon Kay are competing to replace Collaros at quarterback.

"So many times when you do seven-on-seven drills, that is like going to the driving range," Jones said in a recent phone interview. "I wanted to put as much game-speed reps in, have them slide in the pocket, practice awkward throws, find throwing lanes and windows. We did more than that than we ever had, and that accelerated both their development throughout the course of spring."

The development is particularly important, because Cincinnati is the only team in the Big East that much replace both its starting quarterback and starting running back. That starting running back was Big East Offensive Player of the Year and just went in the second round of the NFL draft. Cincinnati does have guys with playing experience to step in -- Legaux started several games when Collaros got hurt, and George Winn is a senior who had a great game against Vanderbilt in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

But they do not nearly have the same game experience as the guys they are replacing. Neither does Kay. He did not attempt a pass last season.

"Great quarterback play is a lot like being a great point guard in basketball, knowing how to distribute the ball, identifying matchups and taking care of the football," Jones said. "It's the small details. As a quarterback, you have to have great poise under pressure. They've both shown that, and we simulated as many game-like possessions as possible, so I feel they both worked extremely hard and I'm very excited to see how they show up the first day of training camp."

Though the Cincinnati defense lost some of its key players in JK Schaffer, Derek Wolfe and John Hughes (both linemen were NFL draft picks), the Bearcats do return more starters than the offense. Still, what Jones really wants to see is the leadership developed this offseason. Defensive end Walter Stewart could be the new force on the line.

Now here is the answer to the quiz up at the top. Name the nine players who averaged more than 35 plays last year:

Austen Bujnoch, offensive guard

Maalik Bomar, linebacker

Cam Cheatham, cornerback

Deven Drane, cornerback

Drew Frey, safety

Dan Giordano, defensive end

Anthony McClung, receiver

Kenbrell Thompkins, receiver

Walter Stewart, defensive end

With nearly every Big East team having wrapped up spring practice, one constant remains -- open quarterback competitions.

Unless coach Kyle Flood makes a last-second decision following the Rutgers spring game Saturday, four schools will go into the summer without a starter at perhaps the most important position on a team. Here is a quick look at how those competitions stack up:

Cincinnati. Munchie Legaux and Brendon Kay are the top two players vying for the job. Coach Butch Jones has decided not to name a starter, but all indications point to Legaux as winning the job once the fall rolls around. Legaux said during an interview this spring he had been taking most of the reps with the first team.

UConn. Five players remain in the competition -- Junior college transfer Chandler Whitmer, freshman Casey Cochran, Michael Nebrich, Scott McCummings and Johnny McEntee. Nobody distinguished himself through the spring or in the spring game, though Whitmer had the "best" performance of the three. Don't be surprised if Whitmer is the starter, Cochran is redshirted and McCummings continues in his role as Wildcat quarterback.

Pitt. Coach Paul Chryst has not named his starter, either, but he has indicated that incumbent Tino Sunseri has separated himself from Mark Myers and Trey Anderson. Now we'll see what happens when true freshman Chad Voytik enters the mix when he arrives in the summer.

Rutgers. Chas Dodd and Gary Nova went back and forth at quarterback last season for the Scarlet Knights, and neither one has really stood out this spring. Defense has dominated the scrimmages so far. Flood has said he would not make a decision until one player stood head and shoulders above the rest, but would like a starter in place a week to 10 days before the start of the season.

To have a workhorse back or to split reps? That is the question.

And it certainly is a question on the minds of Big East coaches around the league. With five starters gone headed into 2012, and Ray Graham coming off ACL surgery, this is a position of intrigue during the spring. The ultimate decision has to be made about whether to rely on one back a lion's share of the time, or whether to get a nice rotation going to provide yourself some depth and versatility.

Two league coaches offered their opinions recently on the matter, and both are in favor of finding a workhorse back. Louisville offensive coordinator Shawn Watson pointed to 2010, when Bilal Powell had 229 carries and 1,405 yards. Victor Anderson had the next-highest carries total with 64. Last season, the Cardinals distributed the ball more evenly among its backs -- Anderson and Dominique Brown each had over 100 carries -- and did not fare as well in the ground game.

But it is important to keep in mind the offensive line had its share of struggles as well.

Still, Watson said he wants to find a go-to guy among the four players competing for the starting running back position. “We need someone to be the war daddy at that position, like Bilal Powell was in (Charlie) Strong’s first season,” said Watson. “Biggest thing we look back at is not having a go-to guy. We have to find a go-to-guy. That creates competition in the room and makes everyone better.”

At UConn, Lyle McCombs returns after putting up 1,000 yards his freshman season, but there is some nice competition at the position this spring with D.J. Shoemate returning from injury, in addition to Joe Williams, Martin Hyppolite and Max DeLorenzo. But coach Paul Pasqualoni wants one go-to guy as well.

“I don’t want a guy that’s got to come out of the game," Pasqualoni told reporters in Connecticut. "I don’t want a guy that’s saying I’m tired, take me out. I don’t want a Jaguar. Do you know what a Jaguar is? The Jaguar is always in the shop, always breaking down so I don’t want a Jaguar. I want a durable guy and if we put him in the game he stays in the game and he stays in the game. We’re trying to develop the depth we have but I’m all for one guy staying out there. Now we’re going to use the talents and ability we have but I want them all to be able to do it if you know what I mean.”

Last season, four running backs had over 200 carries. Had Graham been healthy, that number would have been five. Rutgers and Cincinnati also went with one back primarily. This season, that may not be the case. Rutgers coach Kyle Flood already has talked about the value of having more than one back consistently produce, while coach Butch Jones has talked about trying to get more backs involved to make up for the loss of Big East Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Pead.

USF had three players with over 100 carries last season. The last time USF had a back with over 200 carries was Andre Hall in 2005, but even then the Bulls had another player with over 100 carries as well.

Pitt coach Paul Chryst has shown a proclivity to get multiple backs involved as well, but some of his offenses at Wisconsin did rely on one workhorse. If Graham returns on schedule, one would expect him to get the majority of the carries, but Isaac Bennett has had a nice spring game, and freshman Rushell Shell arrives in the summer.

As for Temple, the Owls relied on Bernard Pierce in recent years, though Matt Brown got his share of the carries. That load falls to him this season, with the hope that other backs can get involved as well.

Let's face it. Not many folks in Cincinnati clicked their red shoes three times and repeated, "There's no place like home" whenever the Bearcats played games at Paul Brown Stadium the past few years.

Anybody who went to a game at the NFL stadium understood why. When I attended the West Virginia-Cincinnati game last season at Paul Brown Stadium, the stands looked kinda sad with so many empty seats, and there was no real home-field vibe. You never forgot you were in the home of the Cincinnati Bengals.

So it makes sense for new athletic director Whit Babcock to scrap future plans to play at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati has seven home games set for Nippert Stadium in 2012, the home field coach Butch Jones and his players much prefer. It is true that Nippert Stadium is small compared to most every other big-time football venue, with only 35,000 seats.

But it belongs to Cincinnati, and sold-out games there provide a wonderful atmosphere that Paul Brown Stadium simply cannot match. Plus, the two games held at the bigger stadium last season -- Louisville and West Virginia -- each drew fewer than 50,000 fans. There seems to be no financial benefit to playing in the bigger stadium if crowd sizes are not going to be exceptionally large.

"I think it was a good move to go down the road and explore it," athletic director Whit Babcock told The Associated Press. "We may do it on a case-by-case basis. But financially, it was good but not great for us. I'm not saying we're not going to go back, but we prefer to play on campus. Right now, we don't have any plans to play future games there (Paul Brown), but that could change."

Last season, Cincinnati only played four games at Nippert. Because Louisville and West Virginia were played at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati went more than two months between games on its true home field, from Oct. 1 until Dec. 3. This is what Jones said about the time away from Nippert, just before the regular-season finale against UConn.

"It's been a great challenge. When you really look at it, our players love playing at Nippert," Jones said. "That's where our program has been built over a long period of time, it's nestled right into campus. It's convenient for our student body. To be able to play on campus in a place that we practice most of our time, that's familiar to our surroundings, that's important. Our players believe in this stadium."

Babcock reiterated the school has begun looking at plans to expand Nippert Stadium, but there is no timetable.

You understand why Cincinnati defensive end Walter Stewart feels so comfortable during spring practice.

He no longer feels like a ping-pong ball.

Stewart bounced around linebacker positions when he first arrived in Cincinnati. But finally this spring, there is stability. For the first time in his career, Stewart will go into the season playing the same position for consecutive seasons. He has solidified himself as a defensive end, somebody who used his athleticism and quickness to make an impact on the line in 2011.

Now that both starting defensive tackles are gone, defensive end is a position of depth and strength going into 2012 and Stewart is a big reason why.

"I just feel like I'm light years ahead of where I was last year and the year before that," Stewart said in a recent phone interview. "It just makes playing football a lot easier when you know what you have to do instead of playing something different. It's a good feeling knowing I can come out here and not really worry about anything else."

Stewart finished last season second on the team with six sacks, and added five quarterback hurries and 11 tackles for loss in his first year playing defensive end, where he started all 13 games. But it was not until the second half of the season that Stewart really got the hang of playing his new spot, while also getting adjusted to the increased weight he had to put on to play end.

When he arrived on campus, Stewart weighed 216 pounds. Last season, he played at 245, and now hopes to add between 5-10 more pounds to his frame before 2012 begins, "so I can stay light on my feet and be able to cover."

Where can he get better? "I want to make more improvements in the run game, and be better at the point of attack," Stewart said.

Though Cincinnati has only had a handful of practices before pausing for spring break, Stewart already has caught the eye of coach Butch Jones. When asked about players who have stood out in the early going, Jones mentioned Stewart.

As for the intangibles, Stewart received the most improved leader award from his coaches this past season, and will be looked at to be an even stronger leader in 2012 with players like Derek Wolfe and JK Schaffer gone. He is more of a "lead by example" player, and will take some of the younger linemen aside and work with them one-on-one to help them improve.

He also realizes that as one of the veterans coming back, Stewart has a big role to play if the defensive line is going to be as good as it was last season. He has the most starting experience of any player returning to the front seven — having started 36 of the 38 games he has played in over the last three seasons.

"We have to set the tone," he said. "Me, Dan (Giordano) and Brandon (Mills), especially up front. We are the veterans of the group and have been here the longest, so we have to set the tone every day for the defensive line and the defense. We take pride in that."

Cincinnati running back Akise Teague was dismissed from the team Thursday after he was arrested and charged with one count of burglary.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Teague allegedly went into unlocked dorm rooms while students slept and stole several items in January. When university police confronted him, he admitted to the crimes and wrote a confession.

"Student-athletes in the program are held to a higher standard of conduct on and off the field as representatives of the university," coach Butch Jones said in a statement. "This incident in no way reflects the values, principles and ideals of our football program."

Teague played in two games as a true freshman last season, with eight carries for 42 yards.

Here are some news and notes from each Big East team, based on comments from signing day news conferences today.

Cincinnati

The Bearcats signed 16 defensive players and 14 offensive players, and hit areas of need at linebacker and the secondary. This is also shaping up to be the best class in school history.

“The class lends itself to filling many needs within our program,” coach Butch Jones said. “We wanted to put an emphasis on team speed in general while addressing needs at defensive back and linebacker. We feel like we attracted a very high caliber of student-athlete in this class, which will continue to allow us to build a championship culture both on the field and in the classroom.”

UConn

The Huskies might not have the highest-profile class in the Big East, but they were able to fill several need areas. Coach Paul Pasqualoni said he was pleased with the class, but he would have been happy with another interior lineman and defensive back.

Two players committed but didn't sign — one flipped to Memphis and the other — receiver Neally Cunningham is expected to go to junior college.

Louisville

The Cardinals were able to bring in another outstanding class, and this one was led by the linebackers -- three of them are four-star players in James Burgess Jr., Keith Brown and Nick Dawson to specifically address a major need area. Working the state of Florida was huge, too. Ten total players, including transfers, hail from the state.

"We have to continue to move this program forward," coach Charlie Strong said. "You have to have a plan, you have to have a vision. The only way to win championships is bringing in great people."

Pitt

New coach Paul Chryst was also able to keep a strong recruiting class together, and did a great job once again in Western Pennsylvania, a key area for Pitt every year in recruiting.

"There's a group of guys, Pitt was the place for them," Chryst said. "They wanted to be here. They've got a unique bond because of sticking together and going through what they went through."

Rutgers

If there is one area Rutgers wants to dominate during recruiting it is the tri-state area, or the "state of Rutgers." Of the 20-player class, 19 are from the area. ESPNU150 defensive end Darius Hamilton was the big jewel of the class.

"It is the second year in a row now that the top player in the state of New Jersey has committed to Rutgers," coach Kyle Flood said. "But they are not the only great players that committed to Rutgers over the past two years, or the last three or five years. But every year we’ve been able to — more and more — build that wall around the 'State of Rutgers,' so that the players in our area are coming to play for us — the top players. And when a guy like Darius Hamilton does that on TV, what it does is it gives more validity to what we tell the people in this local area."

USF

Cornerback Chris Bivins has a chance to make an immediate impact, coach Skip Holtz said. Though the Bulls hit many of their needs in the secondary and on the offensive line, they did not sign a quarterback. That becomes a priority for the 2013 class.

"We would have liked to have a quarterback," Holtz said. "When you looked at some of the quarterbacks that were available, we were behind, and I did not want to take one just to take one. At that point, I said I'd rather hold onto it. I feel very comfortable with our quarterback situation right now."

Syracuse

Coach Doug Marrone was happy he was able to hit major needs on the defensive line. Though junior college defensive end Mark Garrick didn't sign as expected, Marrone listed Zian Jones and Markus Pierce-Brewster as two players who might be able to contribute immediately. He also said early enrollee Myles Davis, who came in as a linebacker, would start the spring at fullback.

He also mentioned kicker Ryan Norton as having a chance for an immediate impact as well because he is slated to handle kickoff duties.

West Virginia

Coach Dana Holgorsen confirmed what was long expected — the Mountaineers are abandoning the 3-3-5 stack defense they ran under former defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and will run out of the 3-4 and 4-3. As for the offensive players that were signed, Holgorsen was high on receiver Deontay McManus.

“We’re fired up about getting him over here as soon as we can to teach him what to do and get him out there,” Holgorsen said. “Physically I can tell you right now he’s ready to play at the next level. We’ve got to get him here, teach him what to do and get his skills right to the point where he can get out there and compete at this level. We’re excited about Deontay and can’t wait to get him here.”

Cincinnati coach Butch Jones got his three-year contract extension and raise on Tuesday after the school's board of directors approved the new deal.

The contract now runs through the 2017 season, and gives Jones a $475,000 raise to $1.575 million in 2012. The size of the deal increases up to $2.05 million in 2017. He would also earn a $300,000 retention bonus in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Jones had previously confirmed he agreed to the deal. Having the board vote on it was just the final step.

“I’m very grateful of the support shown from UC President Dr. Gregory Williams, the UC Board of Trustees and director of athletics Whit Babcock,” Jones said in a statement. “This a commitment to our staff and to the football program as a whole. It’s another illustration of the tremendous support our administration as we continue to work on a daily basis to build a college football program of national relevance.”

Jones won Big East coach of the year honors after guiding the Bearcats to a share of the Big East title and a 10-win season. He will be entering his third season with Cincinnati.

I had a chance to catch up with Cincinnati coach Butch Jones and hit a wide variety of topics. In Part I, he reflects on 2011. Stay tuned for Part II, in which he looks to the future.

What was your favorite moment of the season?

BJ: There's so many that I don't think there's one particular moment but just the journey and obviously very happy for our players, especially our seniors. Everything we talk about in our program is about how you leave your legacy overall. When I said it at Big East media days at that point in time, I liked the way we managed our business and conducted ourselves. To win a Big East championship and also have the academic achievement award, to represent our conference and win the Liberty Bowl was very fitting, and I think when you throw in the adversity and the resilience our football team had to show. It's one of the most under-talked stories in college football -- Zach Collaros coming back for that game.

I’ve said it before -- we live in SportsCenter society. The only thing people see are the highlights. They don't see the trials and tribulations, the amount of effort Zach put in to the rehab process, eight, nine hours a day. In his mind, he was going to play in that football game. So I just think that obviously 10-win seasons are extremely difficult in the world of college football, so there's so many things and it provides us with great momentum. But it also defines our foundation of what it means to be a senior in our program. They've laid the foundation, and the expectations of what we expect from our future seniors.

Is this the best senior class in the history of Cincinnati football?

BJ: We’ve played football here, this is our 124th year. We’ve had five 10-win seasons and these seniors have been a part of three of those. I think also the exciting thing for us, for a lot of them it was their first bowl victory in their careers, the first bowl victory versus a BCS opponent. They finished the way we want our teams to finish. That's a tribute to them.

There is something to be said about the intangible of leadership. How important is that to a winning team?

BJ: We won this year on intangibles, on character, work ethic. Leadership is something that develops daily. It doesn't develop overnight. We have a peer intervention program, we teach leadership, we define leadership and we've already started that process. The greatest thing is the younger players in our program had the benefit of witnessing the leadership of this senior class. The younger players saw that each and every day, and so it's something that we spend more time on -- leadership sometimes and the intangibles -- than actual X and Os, because everything is about the team. We do lose a lot of quality individuals, but I also think we have a number of quality individuals in our program.

You mentioned before the contributions of the senior class. Cincinnati has won at least a share of a Big East title in three of the past four years, yet still does not get much respect nationally. How do you change that?

BJ: Great programs are marked by their level of consistency, so being consistent in everything we do on and off the field. We have very high expectations for ourselves, so just continuing to win on and off the field and playing with a level of consistency with everything that we do.