ESPN College Football

Without further adieu, here is your 2011 Big East All-Bowl team:

OFFENSE

QB: Geno Smith, West Virginia. Smith was named the Discover Orange Bowl MVP after the Mountaineers routed Clemson 70-33. Smith ended up with Orange Bowl records for passing yards (401), touchdowns responsible for (six) and total offense (433). He threw just 11 incompletions and had zero interceptions.

RB: Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati. The Big East Offensive Player of the Year turned in a terrific final performance as a member of the Bearcats in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Vanderbilt. Pead set a school bowl record with 149 yards rushing in a 31-24 win, his sixth 100-yard game of the season. His 12-yard touchdown run with 1:52 remaining sealed the team's first bowl victory since 2007.

RB:Jawan Jamison, Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights run game was inconsistent all season, but the redshirt freshman stepped up against Iowa State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Jamison was named MVP of the game after gaining 131 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. It was his third 100-yard game of his career. All of them happened this season.

WR: Tavon Austin, West Virginia. The best playmaker on the Orange Bowl field was pretty much unstoppable. Austin racked up an Orange Bowl record with 280 all-purpose yards, including 117 yards receiving, 46 yards rushing and 117 yards on kickoff returns. He also set Orange Bowl records for receptions (12) and receiving touchdowns (four).

WR: Josh Bellamy, Louisville. Bellamy set a season-high with 98 receiving yards in a loss to NC State in the Belk Bowl. Still, he had the most receiving yards by a Cardinal in a bowl game since Harry Douglas had 165 against Wake Forest in the 2007 Orange Bowl. His 53-yard reception in the first quarter was a career long and the second-longest pass play for Louisville this season.

OG: Randy Martinez, Cincinnati. Martinez has been one of the most consistent offensive linemen for the Bearcats over the past two seasons, and he graded out near the top once again in the Liberty Bowl. Martinez helped pave the way for 221 rushing yards -- second most against FBS competition this season.

OG: Betim Bujari, Rutgers, OT: Desmond Wynn, Rutgers. Bujari made just his third start of the season, on the left side no less. Wynn slid over from guard to tackle. But the combination worked for the Scarlet Knights, who put together perhaps their best effort on the offensive line all season. Rutgers ran for 173 yards -- their second-highest total of the season. And they did not allow a sack.

OT: Don Barclay, West Virginia, C: Joe Madsen, West Virginia. One of the biggest knocks against the Mountaineers this season was their inconsistency on the offensive line. In the days leading up to the Orange Bowl, Madsen said he felt the unit had played to the level of its competition. The hope was that facing several NFL draft prospects on the Clemson line would help West Virginia play better. Whatever works, right? West Virginia ran for 188 yards and did not allow a sack in its domination of the Tigers.

DEFENSE

DL: Myles Caragein, Pitt. The Panthers may not have had the greatest game in the BBVA Compass Bowl against SMU, but Caragein was solid for most of the afternoon, with six tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup.

DL: Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati. Wolfe ended his Co-Defensive Player of the Year season with six tackles, including two for loss, against Vanderbilt.

DL: Aaron Donald, Pitt. Donald did his part for the Panthers, with one sack, a forced fumble, a tackle for loss and five tackles in all. Pitt racked up four sacks on the day and held SMU to 61 yards rushing in the loss.

LB: Najee Goode, West Virginia. Goode was a part of an outstanding defensive effort, with 1.5 tackles for loss, one sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery against Clemson.

LB: Khaseem Greene, Rutgers. After posting one of the best regular seasons in school history, Greene finished everything off with a team-high 13 tackles in the Pinstripe Bowl to finish the year with 140, tied for fifth in the school single-season record books. Unfortunately, he could not complete the game after breaking his ankle. He is expected to be fine for 2012.

LB: JK Schaffer, Cincinnati. Schaffer had nine tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss in a win over Vanderbilt. He closes out his career with 337 stops, a mark that ranks him ninth on the Big East career list.

LB: Nick Temple, Cincinnati. The true freshman saved his best performance of the season for the final game of the season. Temple had a career-high eight tackles, a forced fumble and his first career interception in a win over Vanderbilt. Simply put, he was everywhere for the Bearcats.

S: Darwin Cook, West Virginia. Cook had perhaps the play of the game in the Orange Bowl, when he scooped up a fumble by Andre Ellington and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown to seize momentum in the second quarter against Clemson. West Virginia ended up scoring 35 points in the frame to put the game way, way, way out of reach.

S: Eain Smith, West Virginia. With starting Terence Garvin out because of a knee injury, many wondered whether Cook and Smith would take more on their shoulders. They both delivered in a big way. Smith finished with a game-high 13 tackles, including 12 solo stops, and assisted on a tackle for loss.

CB: Keith Tandy, West Virginia. Tandy had six tackles and an interception on the night, and was part of a secondary that completely shut down Sammy Watkins, holding him to 66 yards on five catches. After a shaky start, West Virginia hunkered down and gave up just 78 yards passing in the second half. Tajh Boyd completed only 52 percent of his passes.

CB: Logan Ryan, Rutgers. Ryan really seemed to grow up throughout the season and ended the year with another big performance. Logan had seven tackles -- 2.5 for loss -- one interception and half a sack in the win over Iowa State.

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: Tyler Bitancurt, West Virginia. Bitancurt was 10-for-10 on extra-point attempts in the Orange Bowl, setting a new record for extra points attempted and made in any bowl game.

P: Justin Doerner, Rutgers. Doerner had a terrific performance against Iowa State with a season-best 49.7-yard average on six punts. Two of them went inside the 20. One of them went 57 yards. His average was tops among the five Big East punters in bowl games.

KR: Ralph David Abernathy IV, Cincinnati. After Vanderbilt went up 21-17 early in the fourth quarter, Abernathy took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 90 yards for a score to put the Bearcats up for good. It was the first return for a score in his career.

AP: Austin. See above.

Pitt dominated USF last week. Now how do the Panthers keep their momentum?

That is the big question facing the team this week, as it prepares to play at Rutgers on Saturday. But the task is not so much about backing up what they did in a 44-17 win over the Bulls Thursday night. The challenge is about building on the success; realizing what can happen when the system in place is executed properly.

Players gained a great deal of confidence last week, something that was missing after its two heartbreaking losses to Iowa and Notre Dame. Coach Todd Graham brought wildly different offensive and defensive schemes for his players to learn, and they faltered at understanding them.

But everything came together last week, and Pitt had its most complete performance. That in itself is a confidence booster moving forward.

"We're coming together," Graham said. "The guys are really committed to one another. We are a close-knit team and you had to face a little adversity for that to happen. When you face adversity you realize that at the end of the day you have to be arm-in-arm and to depend on each other. When you face great adversity like we did at the Iowa game and losing two close games then that helps.

"The thing we're facing is time. We're trying to develop relationships with this team but relationships and building a team takes time. We wanted it to happen early on so I think those two losses helped us. We have not faced the entire adversity we will this season, but this team has the makings of a championship team. It is going to be about us getting better every single day from me as a coach to the very last player to take the field. These guys are coming together and transforming."

Two of the starkest transformations from the USF game: the play of quarterback Tino Sunseri, and the overall performance of the defense. Sunseri executed more run options than he had all season, in part because he had to start believing he could be a runner and a passer. That is something he never had to do in the old offense.

"I felt I could only run if certain things opened up very clearly," Sunseri said.

He had to completely change his mind-set. He had 12 carries for 35 yards, and USF coach Skip Holtz said his designed runs "discombobulated" his team and caught his players off guard. Teams will be more prepared for that now that they have seen him do it.

But having that option makes Pitt much more difficult to prepare for because of what the Panthers have in Ray Graham. Talk about a workhorse. Graham has 126 carries and leads the team with 25 catches. If Sunseri can get the deep passing game going -- something Pitt has yet to do -- you will see an offense that can reach its full potential.

"We just have to keep on staying hungry, keep on learning, keep on going back to the film, learning as much as we can, trying to make sure we can get our mistakes fixed, and keep on trying to play as hard as we can for 60 minutes each and every week," Sunseri said.

As for the defense, the Panthers had surrendered a whopping 49 points in the fourth quarter in their first four games. Many of those came on big plays in the pass game. But they shut the Bulls out in the second half.

"We finally learned how to execute the fundamentals," defensive tackle Myles Caragein said.

Pitt is trying to get to 2-0 in the Big East for the seventh time since round-robin play in the conference began in 1993. The Panthers have won the last two games against Rutgers, but have dropped two of their last three games at Rutgers.

"Our philosophy is to stay in the left lane, put the hammer down and to try and get better each week," Graham said. "I have been pretty consistent in what my beliefs are in this team and the system we have in place. Our deal is we have to go out and face a unique and different challenge. Just like South Florida was very unique in what they did, Rutgers is very unique in what they do. The bottom line is if we execute this system, take care of the ball and play Pitt football the way we know how then were are going to be successful."

PITTSBURGH -- No more Iowas. No more Notre Dames. No more partial efforts.

As they prepared to open league play, each and every Pitt player talked about the way they had failed to play a complete game this season. They knew what type of talent they had on this team, that they let wins slip away against the Hawkeyes and the Irish after blowing fourth-quarter leads.

They may have been the only ones who believed they were capable of what unfolded Thursday night. Pitt unleashed four games' worth of frustration on No. 16 USF, dominating the previously unbeaten Bulls 44-17.

Ray Graham was the best player on the field, running over, around and through the Bulls' defense to the tune of 226 yards and two touchdowns en route to 303 all-purpose yards. Tino Sunseri, who has been one of the most criticized players in the Big East, had his best performance of the season. The offensive line, down two starters, outmuscled USF up front. The defensive line played aggressively, forcing B.J. Daniels into his worst game of the season.

Pitt was more physical. Pitt was smarter. Pitt played with confidence. Pitt looked prepared. Pitt looked like a Big East contender.

"That's what our team is supposed to look like," nose tackle Myles Caragein said. "That's the Pitt way."

Pitt struggled to play the Pitt way in the first four games of the season. Expectations were high for the Panthers heading into the season, with new head coach Todd Graham promising up-tempo, high-octane offense. But there was nothing high octane about what they did to open the season. Graham repeatedly criticized his players for failing to execute his offense, and none took the brunt of that criticism more than Sunseri.

But it was not just Graham who criticized him. If you had turned on talk radio in Pittsburgh or checked a Panthers message board this week, you would have found an increasing chorus of people who wondered why Graham didn't just bench Sunseri already.

Sunseri had struggled throwing the deep ball, working at a quick tempo and getting rid of the ball in a timely fashion. The low point came last week in a loss to Notre Dame, when the Panthers scored just 12 points and Sunseri was sacked six times. The lack of a real threat in the passing game impacted Ray Graham, one of the most dynamic players in the Big East.

Without any real threat to hurt teams with the pass, Ray Graham was essentially shut down in the losses to Iowa and Notre Dame. Sunseri, the son of a coach, realized he was not living up to his capabilities. His father told him so in a phone conversation last week, in which he told his son to try to do better to adapt to the changes of the new offense.

Sunseri was resistant to change. More specifically, he was resistant to execute some of the run options required of the quarterback in the Graham style offense. That is something Sunseri never had to do before, and contributed to the heavy number of sacks he had taken this season. So Sunseri met with co-offensive coordinator Mike Norvell this week to hammer out how exactly he could do a better job when called on to run.

You saw the results. Sunseri went 22-of-33 for 216 yards with a touchdown. He also ran for 35 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown. It is safe to say USF never expected Sunseri to have as much success running the ball as he did.

But the Bulls should have been better prepared for Ray Graham, who was unstoppable. Graham unleashed some series spin moves. He broke tackles. He made defenders fall away helplessly. It was his second 200-yard game of the season, and his incredible talent was showcased in every move he made. Not only that, he caught four passes for 42 yards out of the backfield and returned two kickoffs for 35 yards.

Rather than try to play his hurry-up style in the fourth quarter, Todd Graham stuck with Ray Graham and the run game. That was in contrast to the end of the Iowa game, in which the Panthers never sustained a drive and Iowa was able to come back.

"Ray's been phenomenal," Todd Graham said. "I thought it was his best performance.This kid’s competitiveness is off the chart. He runs all over the field, and then he comes over there and he’s cheering on the kickoff team, he demanded that he returned the kickoffs. I love how he’s competing. These kids are transforming. I feel like we’re close. It’s just one game, but we’re close. All of us are really coming together and I’m proud of them."

The Panthers had dropped two straight and were in danger of a three-game losing streak with one of the best Big East teams coming to town. It's too early in the season to declare anything a must-win, but as safety Jarred Holley said, "That was needed. Big-time."

It was just one game, as Todd Graham said. But an important game to open league play. Now the effort has to be sustained for the remainder of the season.

"We're on a mission," Ray Graham said. "To win the Big East."

We continue our look at team position rankings today, and start up with the defense. First up are the guys in the trenches, the defensive line. This has got to be one of the strongest positions from team to team in the Big East. Four different teams could probably make an argument for the No. 1 spot. There are lots of standout defensive ends and tackles in the league, but I also am judging experience, returning starters and depth here.

1. Connecticut. The Huskies have good players and depth this season, and get the nod as the top line in the league. Defensive end Jesse Joseph and defensive tackle Kendall Reyes return. Reyes turned down a shot at the NFL for one more season, and is the only first-team Big East selection on the defensive line returning to his team. Both Reyes and Joseph are defensive player of the year candidates. Five players return who started seven or more games last season, giving the Huskies plenty of experience along the line.

2. Pittsburgh. The Panthers lose defensive player of the year Jabaal Sheard and are switching to the 3-4. But they do have another candidate for that award in Brandon Lindsey. We have to count him half here, though, because he is transitioning to the new hybrid defensive end/linebacker position. Still, the Panthers have solid players in Chas Alecxih and Myles Caragein on the line, along with depth in Aaron Donald, Tyrone Ezell, Kaynin Mosley-Smith and Bryan Murphy. Even without Sheard, this is one of the strongest lines in the league.

3. West Virginia.You have got to love the tandem of Julian Miller and Bruce Irvin, who combined for 23 sacks last season. They are the best returning tandem in the league. But they are ranked here for a few reasons. First, how does Irvin transition from spot player to full-time starter? Will he be as effective as last season, when he led the league with 14 sacks? How does Miller transition to defensive tackle? Losing noseguard Chris Neild is a huge blow, too. Josh Taylor is penciled in to start, depending on what happens with Jorge Wright. Junior college transfer Shaq Rowell will be in the mix, too, with high expectations.

4. USF. The Bulls might be losing three starters, including Terrell McClain and Craig Marshall, but this unit has the potential to be even better than the group in 2010. Hopes are high for Ryne Giddins to step in at defensive end and be an immediate difference-maker. Cory Grissom and Keith McCaskill are veterans inside, but if there is one question mark here it is depth at tackle. True freshman Elkino Watson could make a big impact.

5. Louisville. Three starters return, and there is potential for this group to be very productive. Defensive end Greg Scruggs is in line for a breakout season. Eight linemen have starting experience, so there is depth, though there is youth here. Players like BJ Butler, Brandon Dunn and Roy Philon have a chance to take big-time leaps, but this unit is still relatively unproven compared the ones ranked ahead.

6. Syracuse. No question the Orange have excellent defensive ends in Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich. But the Orange lose their starters on the inside. Deon Goggins and Cory Boatman are penciled in to start at tackle but they are undersized. So are some of the other players who will rotate in. The line as a whole is pretty undersized when you think about it, and a big reason why Syracuse is ranked here.

7. Cincinnati. The Bearcats were solid against the run last season but struggled to get a consistent pass rush. They hope to remedy that now that Walter Stewart has moved to defensive end. Last season, the Bearcats lacked depth but that is no longer the case in 2011. The top eight players in the rotation return, and there is nice size in the middle -- especially with defensive tackle Derek Wolfe returning. Still, the Bearcats have a lot to prove this season.

8. Rutgers. Aside from nose tackle Scott Vallone, there are some questions on this defensive line, which has to show significant improvement over a unit that was so-so in 2010. Rutgers was one of the worst teams in the nation in sacks last season, with just 17. Manny Abreu moves from linebacker. How does that transition go? Justin Francis had a nice spring at end. Does that continue in 2011? Will Michigan transfer Anthony La Lota have an impact next to Vallone? There is a lot of inexperience along the entire line.

Previous rankings

• Offensive line
• Receiver
• Running back
• Tight end
• Quarterback

PITTSBURGH -- Chris Jacobson knows he is way behind.

The Pitt senior was moved from guard to center less than two weeks ago and is trying to figure out the position as he plays it for the first time in his life. That's why he takes a ball home each night and simulates snapping it against his leg.

"Coach [Todd] Graham told me I have to get a year's worth of snaps in before August, and he's right," Jacobson said. "I want to be the best at it, and I know what I have to do. I'm all in on this move."

Jacobson started all last season at left guard and was a reliable player there. But the Panthers haven't had much depth at center and were forced to start former walk-on Alex Karabin there last season. They tried a couple of different guys there this spring, like Brandon Sacco and Greg Gaskins, before deciding to move Jacobson over one spot.

"We think he's got a chance to be special there," Graham said.

First, he has to get comfortable. Jacobson said he had performed a few exchanges when the quarterback was under center over the years. But he had never practiced snapping in the shotgun, which is what Pitt will use about 85 percent of the time in Graham's new offense. In a fast-paced offense, the snap has to be delivered with precision so the quarterback can simply grab the ball and make the play. If he's grabbing or reaching for the ball, it can throw the entire rhythm off.

Jacobson is still getting used to that. In a practice last week, he made a couple of errant snaps to Tino Sunseri. Those are going to happen now. They can't happen in the fall.

"When I do have bad snaps in practice, I have to forget about them," he said. "It has to become like second nature."

Sunseri said that after Jacobson's first couple of days at center, he stayed after practice to work on about 300 extra snaps.

"He's a guy who doesn't like not doing it right the first time," Sunseri said. "He'll make sure he gets it down."

Offensive coordinator Calvin Magee has seen players in the past get spooked by some bad snaps early on in their career, coming down with the football version of Steve Blass Disease. But he doesn't think Jacobson is a candidate for such treatment.

"If anybody has the work ethic it takes to do this, he has it," Magee said. "So I'm not real concerned with that."

Learning how to snap the ball isn't all that's facing Jacobson. He's also in command of an offensive line that will be sprinting to line up after each play. He won't have much time to gain his bearings.

"People don't realize how hard it is," he says. "Because with this fast offense, you have to come up to the line, identify the defense, point out the linebackers, make the call for the whole offensive line and see and hear what's going on. And then if there's a guy like Myles Caragein or Aaron Donald lined up right off the ball, sometimes you're like 'Oh, man.' You have to get all of that down in 15 seconds, and sometimes your head is spinning."

Jacobson continues to work to have it all make sense. Come August, he hopes no one notices that there's a new guy snapping the ball.

Three keys for Pittsburgh in Saturday's BBVA Compass Bowl against Kentucky:

1. Come together, right now: Maybe that Beatles tune should be playing on the team bus ride to Birmingham's Legion Field. Pitt has been through an extraordinarily odd time the past month. Occasionally, that can help a team rally together -- see Ohio State's performance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl after the controversial suspensions of five players. Of course, the Buckeyes were 11-1 and playing in a BCS game; Pitt is coming off a vastly disappointing 7-5 season and playing in a underwhelming bowl in what will likely have a catatonic atmosphere in the stands. But the Panthers need to use the off-the-field problems as an us-against-the-world mentality, because if they play up to their capability they can still win this game. And they can bring some respect back to a program that has suffered a national embarrassment.

2. Point the Compass south: As in, downhill running with Dion Lewis and Ray Graham. (A lame play off the bowl's name, but I bet most of you have no idea what the sponsor company does. It's a bank.). Kentucky couldn't win many big SEC games this year because of its inability to stop the run. Pitt's running game with Dion Lewis and Ray Graham is still its strength, especially as the offensive line improved during the course of the season. The Wildcats are far better against the pass, so the Panthers' game plan should be to try and stuff it down their throats as much as possible.

3. Get pressure on Morgan Newton, but contain him: Newton, a sophomore, will make his first start of the season at quarterback after Kentucky suspended senior Mike Hartline. He played some last year but still should have some rust. That rust could create holes in the Wildcats offense if Pitt can force him to make bad decisions. The bad news is that Big East defensive player of the year Jabaal Sheard and tackle Myles Caragein are out of this game with injuries. So guys like Brandon Lindsey and Chas Alecxih need to have big games. Newton is also more mobile than Hartline, so the Panthers must be sure not to break contain when they rush him. Superstar Randall Cobb will likely be heavily involved in the game plan and figures to line up in the Wildcat formation a lot (though when your mascot is the Wildcats, aren't they all Wildcat formations?). He'll get his yards, but Pitt can still control things by making Newton's day miserable.

With all the coaching turmoil surrounding Pittsburgh this past month, it could be easy to forget the Panthers still have a game to play. They'll kick it off in one of the last bowl games of the season Saturday in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., vs. Kentucky. A Pitt victory would give the Big East a winning record in the postseason, as the league is currently 3-2. Here's a quick preview:

WHO TO WATCH: Pittsburgh wide receiver Jon Baldwin. It's all but assuredly the junior's final college game before he goes to the NFL, and Pitt's offense usually only excels when he's fully involved in the game. Kentucky is not a great defensive team but does have a decent secondary, as the Wildcats finished No. 20 in pass defense this season. It will also be interesting to see how Baldwin is used after he publicly complained about his role in the offense following Dave Wannstedt's forced resignation last month.

WHAT TO WATCH: How focused and organized the Panthers are. The last month has been incredibly strange, with not one, but two head coaches being dismissed. The players weren't even sure who would coach them in the bowl game until Wannstedt announced Monday he would not be going to Birmingham. The program might have a new coach in place before kickoff. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will be serving as interim head coach, but the staff is missing defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who both went to work for Rutgers. Where the players' heads are is anybody's guess, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Pitt struggle after all this dysfunction. Then again, maybe playing a game will serve as a major relief.

WHY WATCH: If for no other reason than to see the soap opera unfold on national TV. In strictly football terms, there will be a lot of playmakers on the field, like Kentucky's Randall Cobb. But the Wildcats have their own problems, starting with the loss of suspended starting quarterback Mike Hartline. Still, it's a team that nearly beat Auburn this season and upset South Carolina. Every Big East vs. the SEC matchup is worth watching for league respect, and Pitt needs to win a nonconference game against somebody of note this season.

PREDICTION: Kentucky is no juggernaut, especially without its quarterback. But Pitt also will be missing Big East defensive player of the year Jabaal Sheard and starting defensive tackle Myles Caragein because of injuries. Throw in all the off-the-field drama and the Panthers' inability to win big games all year, and I just don't see how they can claim a bowl victory. Make it Kentucky 31-21.

Pittsburgh's Brandon Lindsey led the Big East in tackles for loss and finished second in sacks, providing excellent production at defensive end once Greg Romeus got hurt.

But Lindsey knows that his job was made easier by the play of fellow defensive end Jabaal Sheard. The Big East Defensive Player of the Year commanded double teams and constant extra attention, often freeing up Lindsey to make plays.

In Saturday's BBVA Compass Bowl, Lindsey won't have Sheard on the other side, since the senior underwent surgery. Starting tackle Myles Caragein is out, too. So this time, Lindsey will be the player that Kentucky will focus on stopping.

"I know I have to take a more active role," he said. "I have to get everybody ready on the line and there will be a lot more attention on me. I'll have to flip and play both sides and not get frustrated when they're chipping and double-teaming me."

At 250 pounds, Lindsey was better rushing the passer than stopping the run. Now he'll be going against a team with SEC size, a trio of good running backs and the electric Randall Cobb. Lindsey said he expects Kentucky to use Cobb in the Wildcat more than it normally does with starting quarterback Mike Hartline suspended.

"They're definitely a lot bigger than we are," he said. "We have to be technically sound and fill our gaps. And we have to know where Cobb is at on the field at all times."

Lindsey said things have "changed 180 degrees" since spring camp, when he was trying to find playing time as a backup defensive end. At the end of his junior year, he finds himself as the playmaking veteran of the defensive line. He'll have to play like a star for Pitt to have a chance.

Take that and rewind it back ...

Team of the week: Connecticut. Well, we can't give this award to Syracuse every week. Congrats go to the Huskies, who looked dead in the water a week earlier before rallying to beat West Virginia for the first time ever on Friday night.

Game of the week: UConn's 16-13 victory at least had the drama of overtime, though it was by no means a thing of beauty. None of the weekend's three games will be remembered as instant classics (unless you're a fan of the winning team, perhaps).

Biggest play: Can't pick just one, so I'll go with a three-way tie.

Ryan Clarke's fumble near the goal line on West Virginia's overtime possession cost the Mountaineers a shot at victory and could make the rest of Bill Stewart's fall very uncomfortable.

Syracuse linebacker Derrell Smith's interception at the goal line prevented Cincinnati to cutting the score to 17-14 early in the second half, and he returned it 60 yards to boot.

And finally, Pittsburgh defensive end Jabaal Sheard slammed into Louisville quarterback Adam Froman and jarred the ball loose, resulting in Myles Caragein's rumble the other way to the Cardinals' 5. Pitt would then score to go up 20-3 and basically salt the game away.

Best call: Doug Marrone decided to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Cincinnati 36 on the first play of the second quarter. Syracuse completed a 19-yard pass and went on to score the game's first touchdown. Marrone said he planned on going for the long field goal until the first quarter ended and the wind that was at the Orange backs suddenly was in their face. Even time is on the Orange's side right now.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse. This was a weird weekend where there were no real standout offensive performances. Carter wins almost by default for his 19-carry, 109-yard effort.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Connecticut linebacker Sio Moore had 17 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in the Huskies' win. His play to strip the ball out of Noel Devine's hands in the second quarter was especially impressive.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): UConn kicker Dave Teggart was 3-for-3 on field goals, including the 27-yard game-winner in overtime.

Worst hangover: West Virginia. For the second straight week. After a week of criticism over their offense, the Mountaineers responded with just one touchdown against a Huskies defense that had been giving up big plays all season.

Strangest moment: A two-way tie between two off-the-field occurrences.

The first was UConn fans rushing the field after their team beat West Virginia in overtime. I get it that the Huskies had never beaten the Mountaineers and it was an exciting finish, but rushing the field after beating an unranked, 5-3 team still qualifies as odd.

And then there was the surreal site Saturday of Cincinnati fans leaving en masse and booing the home team as Syracuse thrashed the two-time defending Big East champs. Last time the two played at Nippert Stadium, the Orange were in their last game under a lame-duck coach while Cincinnati was on its way to the Orange Bowl. The irony was not lost on Syracuse players.

"We were talking about that on the sidelines," Derrell Smith said.

Want a strong argument for Big East expansion? Just check out this week's schedule, which features only one weekend game (Games listed in descending order of interest/importance):

Louisville (4-4, 1-2 Big East) at Syracuse (6-2, 3-1): A Louisville-Syracuse matchup that has meaning? You betcha. The Orange can clinch bowl eligibility, while the Cardinals need to find a couple of victories still to get there. Basement Bowl no more. (ESPN3.com, Noon ET)

Rutgers (4-3, 1-1) at South Florida (4-3, 1-2): On Wednesday, it's business time for the Scarlet Knights and Bulls as both battle to move up in the league pecking order. (ESPN2, Wednesday, 7 ET).

Byes: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Connecticut.

I've got Jabaal Sheard winning my Big East defensive player of the year race this week, and the Pitt defensive end proved his value moments ago.

Sheard slammed into Louisville quarterback Adam Froman and jarred the ball loose. Defensive tackle Myles Caragein scooped it up and rumbled 55 yards to the Cardinals 5, where Dion Lewis punched it in for a touchdown and a 20-3 Panthers lead.

It was a huge turn of events, as Louisville was putting together a nice drive despite losing star running back Bilal Powell to an apparent knee injury early in the march. Powell was trying to get loose on an exercise bike and might return. The Cardinals will need him after Pitt has tacked on two touchdowns in the second half after going up 6-3 at halftime.

It's an uphill climb for Louisville, and Pittsburgh is in good shape to improve to 3-0 in league play and have a virtual two-game lead in the Big East thanks to its wins against the remaining one-loss teams, Rutgers and Syracuse (assuming the Orange hold on to beat Cincinnati).

The Big East has been hit by a lot of injuries early in the season. None are bigger than Tuesday's news that Greg Romeus could miss a large part of this season after he undergoes back surgery on Thursday.

Romeus's back appeared to be a major issue in fall camp when he repeatedly missed practice. Head coach Dave Wannstedt tried to downplay it and said Romeus would be fine. But the star defensive end did not look like himself against Utah and then didn't play at all against New Hampshire last week.

No one knows for sure how long Romeus will be out. Pitt officials said they expected to have a better idea on a timetable for him once he begins rehabbing. But backs are tricky injuries. Wannstedt said he hoped to have Romeus back "for the conclusion of the season." Which could mean a lot of things.

There's no replacing a guy like Romeus, who won the Big East's co-defensive player of the year award last season and is a load to contain with his combination of speed and size. (And think about how bad things could have been if fellow senior defensive end Jabaal Sheard had earned a lengthy suspension after his altercation this summer.) The one bit of good news for Pitt is that the program has done a great job of developing defensive linemen. Brandon Lindsey started in place of Romeus last week and did a good job, recording a pair of sacks.

But he's not Romeus, and New Hampshire isn't Miami or Notre Dame, two teams Pitt will face in the next three games. Not having Romeus to generate a pass rush without blitzing, which is so key to the Panthers' entire game plan, puts a lot more pressure on Sheard and defensive tackles Chas Alecxih and Myles Caragein. Justin Hargrove and Shayne Hale will have to improve as well to give the team enough depth to rotate fresh bodies at the end spot. Impressive true freshman Aaron Donald could see more time as well.

It's also really unfortunate for Romeus, who contemplated going to the NFL draft last offseason before returning for his senior year. Now his senior year is in jeopardy -- and so too are Pittsburgh's Big East title hopes unless others step forward in his place.

Pittsburgh fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Defensive end Greg Romeus, the Big East's reigning co-defensive player of the year, finally returned to practice on Monday after missing more than a week of team workouts. He had been out with back spasms.

"It was very encouraging this morning with Greg," coach Dave Wannstedt told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He came out and took every snap in full pads, inside run, team, pass rush. He did everything from start to finish and felt good afterward. We're headed down the right road there."

The Panthers have some other players dealing with bumps and bruises, such as running back Ray Graham, safety Dom DeCicco and defensive tackle Myles Caragein. They all are expected to recover quickly.

The first weekend when every Big East team was in fall camp just concluded, which meant plenty of scrimmages.

Several teams had their first full-bore intrasquad scrimmages of the preseason, which can help determine depth charts and give an early indication of how things are going. Here are some notes from those workouts:

PITT: The Panthers went through an 88-play scrimmage, but they did so without injured key players such as Dom DeCicco, Myles Caragein, Andrew Taglianetti and Greg Romeus, who continues to be unavailable with back spasms. In addition, Jabaal Sheard, Dion Lewis and Jon Baldwin played limited snaps.

Ray Graham was taken out of the scrimmage after going down with a knee injury, but it did not appear to be serious. Quarterback Tino Sunseri was just 5-for-11 for 61 yards, while backup Pat Bostick impressed by going 9-of-15 for 163 yards and three scores.

RUTGERS: Defense dominated in the Scarlet Knights' 2 1/2 hour scrimmage, which is not surprising given how strong the Rutgers 'D' looks. The offense, which played without Howard Barbieri and Joe Martinek, scored just one touchdown while the defense scored off a turnover and had two safeties.

Quarterback Tom Savage went just 8-of-15 for 52 yards as the offense managed just 74 yards on its first 29 plays. De'Antwan Williams hoped to make a push for the No. 2 running back job but finished with just 13 yards on four carries while losing a fumble. Mason Robinson scored the lone TD.

WEST VIRGINIA: Head coach Bill Stewart mostly didn't like what he saw out of the Mountaineers' first scrimmage.

"Sloppy tackling, not breaking on the ball, not doing back-side cutoff blocks, not hustling, drops, exchange snaps,'' he said. "I'm not real pleased. [We] didn't play up to our standards."

Noel Devine did, though, ripping off a 79-yard touchdown run and then taking most of the rest of the day off. And so did Bruce Irvin. The junior-college import recorded two sacks as West Virginia lined up with four defensive linemen. Coaches and teammates are singing the praises of Irvin for his quickness and burst so far in practice.

Quarterbacks Geno Smith and freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson combined to complete 16 of 18 passes for 113 yards on mostly short routes.

SOUTH FLORIDA: Defense was also ahead of the offense at South Florida, as the Bulls mustered one touchdown in a nearly 150-snap scrimmage.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels missed 11 of his first 12 passes and finished 7-for-22 for 70 yards. True freshman backup Jamius Gunsby did look good, though, going 12-for-17 for 169 yards, including a 58-yard completion. But the defense had three interceptions.

"Right now we're a long way from being productive as an offensive football team," coach Skip Holtz said. "With the penalties and dropped passes and missing open receivers and inconsistencies in the passing game, it's very difficult to get anything into rhythm. We've got a lot of work to do right now, but I think the attitude is good and they're willing."

SYRACUSE: Coach Doug Marrone was disgusted by his team's lack of physicality on Friday, especially the offense, so he emphasized that in Saturday's first full-contact, two-hour scrimmage.

So the focus was on running the ball and running it hard, which Delone Carter did. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Nassib remained turnover-free. Freshman linebacker Marquis Spruill got some looks with the first-team defense at outside linebacker, where he's battling with Ryan Gillum.

LOUISVILLE: Head coach Charlie Strong held his scrimmage behind closed doors, with no fans or media allowed to attend. So details of the 90-play scrimmage were unknown. The school's official account said the Cardinals worked on situations like 1st-and-10 from their own 30, 1st-and-10 from the 12 inside the red zone and 1st-and-10 from their own 1.

"Early in the scrimmage, the offense didn't move the ball very well, but the longer we went, the better it got," Strong said. "We still have a long way to go and we still have to get better. We have to improve our tackling and we need some guys to really step up and become leaders of this team."

You could call Buddy Morris the dean of Big East strength coaches. He hasn't been in his job for the most consecutive amount of years in this league, but he's in his third different stint with Pittsburgh dating back to 1980. If anybody knows the Panthers football program, it's Morris.

He's also extremely popular with current and former players, and that's no surprise given how much time they spend with him. I caught up with Morris last week for a brief Q&A session:

What is your philosophy when it comes to strength and conditioning football players?

Buddy Morris: We don't refer to ourselves as strength and conditioning coaches, and that's not being arrogant. We're coaches of physical preparation. What we do encompasses more than just conditioning and strength. There are a lot of variables we have to look at it with each individual athlete and each individual group. In this country, I think if anything, we place too much emphasis on strength. I'm not downplaying the importance of strength, but I think we put too much emphasis on it and too much volume.

Our program looks very simple, and it's very simplistic-oriented. But don't mistake simple for being easy. It's a very demanding program.

So are you saying you don't lift a lot of weights?

BM: It depends on the position because of the way we run our program. What makes our program unique and a little different than anybody else across this country is, I'm responsible for all the offensive and defensive linemen, the tight ends and the linebackers who we deem need more strength. My assistant James [Smith] is responsible for the preparation of our skill guys. ...

We look at it as a long-term process, so we slow cook it based on position requirements. They're not all the same. I still don't understand why some people train their skill guys like they do their big guys. We don't do that.

This is your third stint with Pittsburgh. You must like it there, huh?

BM: I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1980 and was very fortunate to be hired by Jackie Sherrill and worked there from 1980 to 1990. I then went into private practice at a hospital physical therapy clinic until 1997. Part of the reason was my daughter was on a liver transplant list, so during the time period she was the sickest, I chose to step away from coaching.

I was fortunate to be asked back to Pittsburgh in '97. In 2001, I went to the Cleveland Browns with Butch Davis, but the NFL was not for long for me. I wound up at the University of Buffalo for six months, where I was very fortunate to meet my wife. Then I came back to Pittsburgh.

How much did you know Dave Wannstedt when he hired you back in 2006?

BM: I had met him once at the NFL combine. I introduced myself to him. And I guarantee he wouldn't remember it.

How fun has it been to coach some really great players during your time at Pitt?

BM: Over the years, I've had a chance to work with some great players, from Dan Marino to Mark Stepnoski to Bill Fralic, Curtis Martin. You could build a whole NFL list of who's who. But to be honest all strength coaches in the country can say that. I've been fortunate to work with great ones, and I've had the opportunity to work with ones who aren't so great and whom you have to help get better.

How much does weight-room performance translate into on-field performance?

BM: In my opinion, the most important criteria and the most overlooked is the ability to play the game. I've seen guys who are built like Tarzan but play like Jane. The best athlete is not going to put up the greatest numbers in the weight room. They're going to be kind of right in the middle, which is where we want all our guys to be, right in middle of everything. Because then we know we're developing the strength of entire human body and preparing them for the sporting demands.

How does the level of athlete you're working with now compare to earlier in your career in kind of the glory days of Pitt?

BM: We're definitely getting better and better. I was fortunate to be at Pitt in 1980 when we had two defensive ends in Hugh Green and Rickey Jackson. I think we have two right now in Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard who can be, depending how they work, every bit as good as those two guys were. We've got an unbelievable wide receiver in Jonathan Baldwin. You don't coach Jonathan Baldwin. That's God-given. So we're getting better and better athletes, and Dave and his staff have done a tremendous job recruiting those athletes. I think it's an exciting time to be at the University of Pittsburgh.

How much time do you spend talking with Coach Wannstedt and keeping him informed of what's going on in the weight room?

BM: I talk to him every day. What I love about Dave is he lets me run my program. He's 100 percent supportive, especially from the discipline aspect of the program and all the little things. I couldn't ask to work for a better guy.

Who are some of your workout warriors right now?

BM: We've got a linebacker named Dan Mason, who in my opinion just has to grow up a little bit. Myles Caragein. A kid who was a walk-on in Chas Alecxih. Our fullback Henry Hynoski -- my wife is president of his fan club. We've got a great core, a great group of hardworking, tough kids.

How close are you to former players and how much do they keep in touch?

BM: Every time they come into town, we've got eight million guys who wind up in the weight room. Coach Wannstedt will tell you that's the first place everybody wants to go. I'm kind of the link between the past and the future because I've been here for so long. To me, that's a tremendous honor.

PITTSBURGH -- When Greg Romeus watches film of himself from last season, he says he sees all kinds of mistakes. Poor technique, bad footwork, not finishing off plays -- those things all jump out at him.

And remember, he is the reigning Big East co-defensive player of year.

Still, Romeus believes he has plenty of room for improvement that will make him a better player and a richer man soon. That's why the defensive end decided to return to the Pittsburgh Panthers for his senior year instead of entering the NFL Draft this winter.

"Next year, I'll be more prepared," he said. "The more experience I have, the better chance I have [of being a high draft pick]."

Romeus gave serious thought to coming out after his junior year, and there's no doubt his 6-foot-6, 270-pound package of skills would have intrigued NFL personnel. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt called his contacts in the pros, and he said the consensus among them was that Romeus would be a third- or fourth-round pick in this year's deep draft.

"He and I talked about it, and I told him if he needed the money, he should go," Wannstedt said. "But I really believe he's a first- or second-round draft pick. I think he'll be a great player in the NFL. I think he'll have a great year here and then make a ton of money."

Romeus is still relatively new to the sport, having not played football until his senior year in high school. So his ceiling remains ridiculously high, which must be a sobering thought to opponents already having trouble containing him.

"You aren't going to find too many people with Greg's size and athleticism," Pitt left tackle Jason Pinkston said. "Practicing against him all the time makes Saturdays seem easy."

For all of his talent, Romeus has never put up huge numbers. He shared the Big East honor last year with teammate Mick Williams despite recording only eight sacks and 43 tackles. But it's often a race to the quarterback between him and fellow senior defensive end Jabaal Sheard. And though Williams and Gus Mustakas are gone, the Panthers remain strong in the middle with Myles Caragein and Chas Alecxih.

"We finished No. 1 in the nation in sacks last year and it wasn't just one player getting 13 or 14 sacks," he said. "I think that's what makes the line so good. Somebody might be getting chipped or double-teamed the whole game, and another person will step up."

Romeus and Sheard played a lot of snaps last season because they didn't have experienced backups. This spring, sophomore Shayne Hale and junior Brandon Lindsey have performed well and could perhaps provide more depth at the position. Romeus thinks that will make him better.

"I need to play harder and run to the ball more," he said. "I have to get off the field if I'm tired. I plan on being a lot more aggressive this year."

And by the end of the season, he could produce some film that NFL scouts will love to watch.