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A year ago at this time, the Big East was dealing with the loss of a plethora of stars, including some of the best players in league history. Guys like Pat White, Donald Brown, Kenny Britt, LeSean McCoy and Scott McKillop seemed difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

The league fared just fine in 2009 without those stars, and the good news for 2010 is that many of its top performers will be back. But that's not to say there aren't still some key losses that teams will have to adjust to this spring. Here's a look at the biggest shoes to fill this season in the Big East:

• Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: The Bearcats aren't exactly hurting at wide receiver with Armon Binns, D.J. Woods and USC transfer Vidal Hazelton around. Still, someone must replace Gilyard's leadership and knack for making the big play at crucial times. What might be even more difficult to replace is Gilyard's production on special teams. The two-time Big East special teams player of the year was always a threat to score on kickoffs and punt returns. And hopefully someone will step in Gilyard's role as the best quote in the entire conference.
• Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers: Brown may not have received a ton of attention nationally, but he was vitally important to the Scarlet Knights. The speedster averaged 20.9 yards per catch and amassed 1,150 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as the team's only true deep threat. With a still very young receiving corps surrounding Tom Savage, Rutgers will need to find someone who can stretch the field the way Brown did.
• Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: The 2009 co-defensive player of the year in the conference, Williams was a wildly disruptive force in the middle of that Panthers defensive line, as well as an inspirational leader. With fellow senior tackle Gus Mustakas also gone, Pitt needs more production from backups Myles Caragein and Chas Alecxih, among others.
• Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: McCourty was an underappreciated gem for the Scarlet Knights, a lockdown cornerback who also was seemingly everywhere on special teams. He was the leader of the secondary. Guys with his skills don't come around that often.
• Reed Williams, LB, West Virginia: The Mountaineers had to deal with Williams' absence for most of 2008 and at times this past season because of various injuries. But it was clear that they were a different team whenever Williams was healthy. A smart player (he's the 2009 Big East football scholar-athlete of the year ) who anchored the defense at middle linebacker, Williams was like a coach on the field.
• George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: Say what you will about Selvie's dwindling production, but opposing offense still always had to account for him. And Pierre-Paul ascended to star status in his one year on campus. Combined, the two produced 26 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2009. The Bulls now need the next wave of pass-rushers to emerge, with former stud recruit Ryne Giddins one possible candidate.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

One of the most interesting debates you could have in the preseason about the Big East was trying to figure out which team had the better defensive line between Pittsburgh and South Florida.

	George Gojkovich/Getty Images
	Greg Romeus (91) and Mick Williams (95) have led a stout Pitt defensive line.

Halfway through the season, there is still no definitive answer. Each unit has a strong claim to boasting the best front four in the league. Pitt ranks third nationally in sacks and 12th in tackles for loss while the Bulls are 19th in the FBS in both categories (Cincinnati, it should be noted, is ahead of both in those stats, but the Bearcats play out of a three-man front).

The debate could be settled this Saturday, when South Florida takes on the Panthers in Heinz Field. Fans will be treated to two defensive lines stacked with pass-rushing menaces and future pros.

"I think there are a lot of similarities," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "One is the scheme, because we're both 4-3 teams. And we both turn our D-linemen loose, if you will. We play aggressively with those guys up front."

Both lines feature top candidates for the Big East defensive player of the year award, including South Florida defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul (8.5 tackles for loss) and George Selvie (three sacks) and Pitt defensive end Greg Romeus (seven sacks) and tackle Mick Williams (11.5 tackles for loss). Jabaal Sheard, Romeus' counterpart at the other end spot, continues to be one of the more underrated players in the league.

While both lines have some big guys -- Bulls tackle Terrell McClain is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds, and Williams and fellow Pitt tackle Gus Mustakas are strong as oxen -- both lines share preferences for speed over size. Selvie, for example, was a high school center who has worked most of his career to put on weight, while Romeus was a slender high school basketball player who has bulked up to 270 pounds.

	Cliff Welch/Icon SMI
	South Florida's Jason Pierre-Paul has 8.5 tackles for loss this season.

"They're both very athletic with a lot of speed," Pitt offensive lineman John Malecki said. "[South Florida] utilizes a lot of different things in their pass rushing, with line games and stunts, just like we do."

One major key to the game will be how both offensive lines hold up under the massive pressure. Pitt has allowed only six sacks in seven games, ranking 13th in the FBS in that statistic. But its O-line has not seen a D-line as fearsome as South Florida's yet.

The Bulls have given up 11 sacks in six games, but Cincinnati had four in last week 34-17 win in Tampa. B.J. Daniels' scrambling ability probably has saved at least a half-dozen or more additional sacks. Still, this unit came into the year as the team's biggest question mark.

"We were supposed to be the weakest link of the team," center Sampson Genus said, "and so far, we're doing pretty well."

I asked Romeus if he and his teammates were looking at this week as a chance to prove they have the Big East's best defensive line. He chuckled.

"We went into the season wanting to be the best in the conference and the country," he said. "That's something we're trying to accomplish every week, regardless of who we're playing."

Yet there's no getting around the fact that Saturday's game will provide a feast for those who like watching the trenches.

"I think it's going to be a defensive game, and obviously it starts up front," Romeus said. "Whichever D-line comes up big will have a big sway in who ends up winning the game."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Greg Romeus managed to wolf down four lobsters and had thoughts about many more at last week's Big East clam bake before the buffet line ran out of crustaceans.

"I could have definitely kept going," he said.

Big East offensive linemen already know what a terror the Pittsburgh defensive end can be when he's got a full head of steam. Now here's a scary thought for them: Romeus should be much better this year.

	Matt Cashore/US Presswire
	Pitt's Greg Romeus hopes to improve on the 7.5 sacks he recorded last season.

As a sophomore, the 6-foot-6, 270-pounder registered 7.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in his first year as a starter. But he wasn't all that happy with the way he played.

For one thing, Romeus had to deal with nagging back pain throughout the year. That has since been rectified, thanks to minor surgery in the offseason.

"I don't want to use it as an excuse, but it affected my pad level and things like that," he said. "Now I'm a lot stronger and I'm able to bend better. I think it will make me better on the pass rush."

And though his size and athleticism belies it, Romeus still didn't really know what he was doing all the time on the field last year. The former basketball player didn't get involved with organized football until his senior year of high school. After three years of coaching (he redshirted his first season), Romeus is now starting to feel like he understands the nuances of the game.

"I couldn't even get in a stance when I first got here," he said. "I think I've improved, but I've still got so much to learn. I made a lot of mistakes last year and there were a lot of things I messed up that I shouldn't do again this year."

He and fellow junior Jabaal Sheard (5.5 sacks, 10.5 TFLs in '08) form the most imposing pair of defensive ends in the league. Romeus said he and Sheard push each other every day in practice, talking smack about who can get to the quarterback first and most often.

With those two, senior tackles Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas and plenty of depth behind them, Pitt ought to have the most formidable and experienced defensive line in the Big East, with the possible exception of South Florida. 

"We're going to go out and work hard to try and get better every day," Romeus said. "But I think we can have one of the best defensive lines in the country.