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Syracuse is not at the Big East spring meetings, but I did have a chance to catch up with coach Doug Marrone at the ACC meetings on Amelia Island. One quick note before I get to the Q&A. I asked Marrone for an injury update, and he said he would provide one as fall practice gets closer. So still no answers on when many of his key players will be back. Stay tuned.

We have heard a lot this spring about Ashton Broyld. Describe what makes him so special.

Doug Marrone: He’s an outstanding athlete. In my time there, I haven’t had many players who have possessed that type of talent level. From that standpoint he’s going through his first spring. So we are looking to find ways to get him involved because he’s someone that can make plays and has that ability. We have to do a very good job of finding ways of making sure how we insert him into our offense moving forward. But it’s a good problem, not a bad problem.

He was listed as a running back on the depth chart. Will he stay there or be used in a variety of ways like receiver and quarterback?

DM: We’re open to all those plans, so again a lot of it is based on the type of productivity we can get from him in what areas or what positions or where it may be on the offense and how we progress him and how much he can or cannot handle. It’s a matter of what the other people are able to do at the positions around him to put him where it’s best needed for us to score more points.

One of the problems that has plagued you guys has been inconsistency on offense. How will you be better this season?

DM: We changed a lot of things offensively in what we’re doing and the reason why we’ve done that is to be able to create that type of consistency. When you look at it, we did a very good job in just one area of third down; we led the Big East in third-down conversions. Well why was that successful? Those are the questions we asked ourselves, and then trying to take that philosophy and putting it into what we do offensively to have that type of consistency. We’ve gone forward in looking to make some changes, to become a better football team and that’s what we did this spring.

What was the biggest thing you learned about the way last season went?

DM: I think obviously we’re all disappointed, being in a good position, at 5-2 and not being able to turn that around and creating more wins always leaves a bad taste not only for coaches and fans and administrators but players and everyone involved in the program. For us, it was to go ahead, create a level of expectations for us so we can remain and do a better job during the year. A lot about character is how you respond to that. We have to do a better job, starting with me. Responding to that adversity and being able to move forward.

Ryan Nassib took some steps forward last year. What does he need to do to become an elite quarterback?

DM: I just think we need him to do what we plan on him doing. We don’t need him to go the extra mile and push so hard on himself. He’s a very competitive person. We have to make sure we have the right people in place around him for us to be successful. You look at all the offenses, whether it’s the NFL or college football. There are other people around making plays. For us to succeed offensively, we have to make more plays. We’ve generated more yardage but not at a rate we would probably like to but we haven’t generated more yards per play and that’s what’s keeping us back. We’re hoping with some of the changes we’ve made that we’re able to open it up and do some things where we have from a percentage standpoint the ability to make bigger plays per play. We have to make more plays, whether that’s at the quarterback position, running back position, tight end, receiver. We have to generate more plays.

Time for my long-awaited post-spring power rankings. I made only a few changes from the pre-spring rankings. Here goes ...

1. Louisville: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked better than ever this spring, giving me renewed confidence the Cardinals are going to be the preseason favorite in the league. The secondary should be exceptionally strong, and the offensive line should be better. Questions remain at running back and with depth in the front seven. But of all the teams in the league, I think the Cardinals have the most stability headed into the season. Plus, it hugely helps to have Charlie Strong entering Year 3.

2. USF: Big jump for the Bulls. I know I said I refused to buy into USF until the Bulls actually do something. But what they have returning is hard to ignore. Generally speaking, teams with 18 returning starters -- many of them seniors -- do really well. So do teams with veteran starting quarterbacks. While USF still has some major question marks on paper -- can B.J. Daniels develop, what happens at running back, where is the depth at linebacker -- the Bulls look like they have a shot.

3. Rutgers: At one time, I had Rutgers as my preseason favorite. But I am a little nervous about the situation at quarterback. I thought there would be a resolution this spring, but neither Chas Dodd nor Gary Nova did much to impress. Mohamed Sanu is gone, there are more shifts on the offensive line, and the running game has to prove something. I think the defense will be the best in the Big East. The offense is scaring me right now, which is why I moved the Scarlet Knights down.

4. Cincinnati: The Bearcats do return talent, and players who saw some significant action last season. But they also lose 21 seniors, including Big East Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Pead and Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe. I don't have any doubts that the Bearcats will have a good season. I just don't know if they will win another championship.

5. Pitt: If there is any team with "ifs" all over the roster, it is the Panthers. They have a new head coach. They are returning Tino Sunseri at quarterback. Nobody knows how Ray Graham is going to do after major knee surgery. The offensive line has to be better. There is not much depth on the defensive line. If all of these come together, the Panthers could be really good. If they don't, they could be really bad.

6. UConn: The Huskies will be good on defense. But what about quarterback? I feel like a broken record saying the same thing over again. Quarterback uncertainty always makes me hesitant to rank a team in the top half of the league. I was hesitant last year, and I am hesitant again this year.

7. Syracuse: I have said this before, but it bears repeating: I think Syracuse is the hardest team to gauge in the Big East. The Orange have to be more consistent on offense. They have to find a running game to help ease some of the burden off quarterback Ryan Nassib. Does Ashton Broyld give them enough to get them more explosive plays? The defense still has depth concerns in the front seven.

8. Temple: I worry about how the Owls will make the transition to the Big East in Year 1. I think Temple has a good team, but the Owls also lost a lot of their best players and have depth concerns on the offensive and defensive lines. That is enough to worry any coach in Year 1 in a major conference.

We continue on with our 2011 postseason position rankings with quarterback. There should not be too many surprises on this list. For me, it was hardest to separate Syracuse-USF-Rutgers in the middle of the pack. You could also make the case to flop Pitt and UConn.

1. West Virginia. Geno Smith went about shattering school, Big East and Orange Bowl records during his career year for the Mountaineers, throwing for 4,385 yards, 31 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. His development under Dana Holgorsen was about what we expected. Preseason ranking: 1.

2. Cincinnati. Zach Collaros' worth to the team was illustrated when he got hurt against West Virginia. The Bearcats lost their grip atop the Big East and ended up sharing the league title. Munchie Legaux was not great, but Collaros was. Cincinnati may have relied more on the run this year, but I thought Collaros and Isaiah Pead complemented each other perfectly. Preseason ranking: 2.

3. Louisville. True freshman Teddy Bridgewater really helped anchor this team once he replaced Will Stein in the starting lineup. He set a school freshman passing record with 2,129 yards and won Big East Newcomer of the Year honors. Without Bridgewater, I'm not sure this team wins a share of the Big East title. He showed poise and maturity beyond his years. Preseason ranking: 7.

4. Syracuse. Ryan Nassib had a career year for the Orange, setting highs for completions, attempts, yards, completion percentage and touchdown passes. There is no doubt he made some significant strides for Syracuse, but the biggest knock is that he never really was able to make the plays to get his team in position to win just one game in the final stretch of the season. Preseason ranking: 6.

5. USF. Coach Skip Holtz rightfully points out that the Bulls offense was improved in 2011 vs. 2010. But I think most of us were waiting on B.J. Daniels to take that next step and become an elite quarterback in the Big East. We are still waiting. He barely improved his completion percentage and threw just 13 touchdown passes -- though he did have a career-high with 601 yards rushing. What sticks out most are critical mistakes against UConn and West Virginia that cost his team wins. Preseason ranking: 4.

6. Rutgers. Greg Schiano went with musical quarterbacks again, switching back and forth and then back again from Chas Dodd to Gary Nova to Dodd. Neither was particularly effective, and both had a penchant for making bad mistakes. It's a true credit to receiver Mohamed Sanu that he was able to have such a great year with such inconsistent quarterback play. Preseason ranking: 5.

7. Pitt. How much more can be said about the way Tino Sunseri played this season? The further removed we are from the year, the more I'm convinced that his coaches let him down. Still, he was not very good in 2011 -- 38 yards passing against Utah was the low point. It was a disaster of a season. Preseason ranking: 3 (Gulp!)

8. UConn. Three quarterbacks in contention, but the Huskies really had no true quarterbacks. Johnny McEntee ended up winning the right to start, but he was completely overmatched. Scott McCummings came in for Wildcat duties and Michael Nebrich was an afterthought. No surprise that this was the worst passing offense in the Big East. Preseason ranking: 8.

Every team has plenty to do in the offseason. Today, I present to you my top priorities for each Big East program headed into the 2012 season.

Cincinnati

• Settle on a quarterback. If 2011 was any indication, then Munchie Legaux seems a sure bet to start next season. He showed flashes, but he needs to spend the bulk of his offseason developing a nice rhythm and chemistry with his receivers. That was one of the biggest roadblocks for him when he took over for Zach Collaros. Cincinnati has some good talent at receiver -- with Anthony McClung, Kenbrell Thompkins and Alex Chisum coming back -- so this must be a top priority.
• Develop senior leadership. The Bearcats are losing the best senior class in school history, filled with leaders left and right. With guys such as Collaros, Isaiah Pead and JK Schaffer gone, who is going to take the responsibility of leading this team? That is something that must be worked on throughout the offseason.

UConn

• Find a quarterback. Sounds the same as last season, right? The Huskies never really found one in 2011 and that is a big reason why they struggled. Spring practice has the potential to have five different quarterbacks taking reps in Johnny McEntee, Scott McCummings, Michael Nebrich, Chandler Whitmer and Casey Cochran. Somebody has to emerge to take a hold of this offense.
• Work on improving the secondary. The weakest part of this team last season ranked No. 113 in the nation, so this is a clear area that has to get better. The Huskies were hurt when starting cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson missed a good chunk of the season with a knee injury, and they also had to rely on freshmen in Byron Jones and Ty-Meer Brown. This group will be much more experienced, so you have to hope they will be much better, too.

Louisville

• Mature. The Cardinals were one of the youngest teams in the nation last season, and their immaturity showed at times. But now they enter the offseason with exceedingly high expectations. Many preseason lists have them ranked in the Top 25 and challenging for the Big East title. This team will still be young in 2012, so it will be imperative for coach Charlie Strong to help get this group to mature quickly and stay focused.
• Work on the run game. Strong wants the run game to be the bread-and-butter of the offense, and this was an area that took a step back in 2011 with Bilal Powell gone. Louisville went from being ranked No. 1 in the Big East to No. 5 in the Big East, averaging 121.5 yards per game. That is down over 50 yards per game. Dominique Brown and Jeremy Wright are back, but they have to be consistent and the Cardinals probably need somebody else to emerge.

Pitt

• New identity. A new coach means a new identity, so it will be interesting to see how the Panthers look under Paul Chryst and his new staff. We will find out when spring practice opens in March. There is plenty of talent on the roster, but the big question is how will the talent be utilized?
• Is Tino the man? This is starting to sound like a trend, right? The Panthers have quarterback issues as well after Tino Sunseri had a season to forget. Much of his performance can probably be laid at the feet of former coach Todd Graham, who stubbornly tried to run an offensive system that was not suited for the players he had. You can be sure Chryst will open up the quarterback competition to see who emerges.

Rutgers

• Handle expectations. The Scarlet Knights have not been so good in the past when the pressure is on. All you have to do is look back at what happened this season, with a shot to win a share of the Big East title. Now they are getting some preseason love and probably have their best team since 2006. So coach Greg Schiano is going to have to do a good job of managing preparation and focus because expectations were raised off a successful 2011 campaign.
• Quarterback derby. Yet another Big East team with a quarterback question mark. Chas Dodd and Gary Nova ended up splitting the starts this past season. Now there is the possibility that former quarterback Tom Savage transfers back in. I don't know if Schiano can afford to keep playing musical chairs with his quarterbacks every season.

USF

• Re-focus. The Bulls have to put 2011 behind them and focus on the future. This is still a team that has the talent to win. Coach Skip Holtz has to find a way to get that done. This is going to be a veteran team that has been through good times and bad. He needs leaders who will their teammates to victory, who know how to win close games and are determined to get this team back on top. Who are they?
• New defense. USF brings in new defensive coordinator Chris Cosh from Kansas State, its third different coordinator in the past four years. Getting the players adapted to his scheme as soon as possible has to be a point of emphasis in the spring and throughout the offseason.

Syracuse

• More offensive consistency. To be sure, Ryan Nassib and Alec Lemon both had career years and made strides for the Orange. But a lot of that was because the run game was inconsistent, and Syracuse found itself trailing late in several games. This team has to find a way to sustain drives and score -- Syracuse was No. 7 in the Big East in scoring offense (24.2 ppg).
• Shore up the defense. The Orange lose some of their best players on the defensive line, and have to get better in the secondary, which was a major problem for most of the year. Syracuse ranked No. 98 in the nation in pass defense, and they lose some key contributors. Shamarko Thomas is really going to have to step up and take control of this group.

West Virginia

• Big 12 or Big East? The Mountaineers are bent on leaving for the Big 12, regardless of any court outcomes. On-field issues have nothing on trying to figure out where you are going to be playing. And who you are going to be playing.
• Defense. Coach Dana Holgorsen has hired a few defensive assistants, but still no word yet on who is going to run the show. That, of course, will determine the future course of this defense. It appears an inevitability that they will no longer use the 3-3-5 that former coordinator Jeff Casteel ran. Plus, players such as Keith Tandy, Najee Goode, Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller are gone. Shoring up this unit has to be tops on Holgorsen's list.

Because I love you all so much, I now present to you my early 2012 Big East power rankings. The season is one day old, so I reserve the right to change my mind based on spring practice and then fall practice. To say these are way early is to say West Virginia beat Clemson. Understatement!

1. West Virginia.* You see the asterisk there for obvious reasons. Will the Mountaineers be in this league in 2012, or will somebody else get to be called the favorite in the preseason? Should West Virginia return to this league, that performance in the Orange Bowl should frighten the rest of this conference. Now granted, there will be some major questions on this defense, but if Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey can put up half a hundred every week, the Mountaineers are going to be really tough to beat.

2. Rutgers. This was a tough call for me. The Scarlet Knights still have quarterback issues, a nonexistent running game and are losing Mohamed Sanu. But they also return 16 starters, including Co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year Khaseem Greene. Everything should be in place for this team to make a serious run. The offensive line will be better; I firmly believe the quarterback play will be better; and there is enough talent at receiver to make up for Sanu's loss.

3. Louisville. Right now, I think it is a toss up between Louisville and Rutgers. The Cardinals also return a majority of their starters, including freshman of the year Teddy Bridgewater, along with a talented receiving corps and an offensive line that solidified itself as the season went on. What I worry about most right now is maturity and leadership. Louisville seems to thrive in an underdog role, and that will not be the case in 2012.

4. Cincinnati. The Bearcats lose 21 seniors, including Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Pead, Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe, defensive leader JK Schaffer and starting quarterback Zach Collaros. There is a lot of young talent on this team, but the key word is young. How will the Bearcats handle themselves without so many of their best players?

5. USF. This has got to be the year the Bulls make a serious run at the Big East. The only problem is they have no idea how to win Big East games, and that prevents me from listing them higher than middle of the road in this league. There are going to be a lot of returning starters and returning seniors on this team, and plenty of talent. But there are some holes that have to be filled on the offensive line, defensive line and in the secondary. B.J. Daniels must win this season.

6. Pitt. I truly believe Paul Chryst is the best hire Pitt could have made this time around. But does that mean he has what he needs to be able to turn this team into a serious Big East contender? There are major question marks at quarterback, offensive line, defensive line and linebacker. The defense was the strength of this team but it's losing most of its best players. How does Ray Graham come back from knee surgery? I think of all the Big East teams, the Panthers have the most questions headed into the offseason.

7. UConn. Should we talk again about quarterback issues for the Huskies? It was the same theme in the preseason last year. We are no closer today to knowing who is going to lead this team, because there will be yet another quarterback competition. Running back should be an area of strength, just like last season, and there are some good players returning on the defensive line. But offensive line and secondary are also two major questions that must be improved for this team to contend again.

8. Syracuse. The Orange lost their best players on defense in Phillip Thomas, Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich, along with 1,000-yard rusher Antwon Bailey. There are also depth questions on the offensive line, defensive line and at receiver. Ryan Nassib took a good first step this season, but he's got to make bigger steps this year. First and foremost, this team must find an identity and solve all the issues that plagued them at the end of this season.

Pitt became bowl eligible on the final weekend of the regular season, taking advantage of six Syracuse turnovers to win 33-20 on Saturday.

The Panthers (6-6) did not play the prettiest game, but they were far better than the Orange, who only hurt themselves throughout the ball game. Pitt came into the game ranked last in the Big East in turnover margin but finished at plus-5 on the day. Syracuse also had 10 penalties for 95 yards and were simply unable to take advantage of several opportunities to try and win the game.

Down 26-17 in the fourth quarter, Syracuse put together a really nice, long drive -- 19 plays, 83 yards in 9:38. But the Orange had to settle for a field goal. All they needed was to stop Pitt and get one more score. They did stop the Panthers on the next possession after a curious play call on third-and-1 from the Panthers -- Tino Sunseri threw incomplete on a pass after avoiding taking another sack.

But Syracuse, as it had all day, committed a major mistake when Brandon Lindsey got in the face of Ryan Nassib and forced him into giving the ball up. Pitt recovered and scored to essentially put the game out of reach. Nassib threw an interception on the next drive, and Syracuse ended the season on a five-game losing streak, failing to make back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1998-99.

The Orange (5-7, 1-6) collapse has been head-scratching since their huge win over West Virginia in October. The offense simply disappeared in the final five games, and the mistakes added up. Penalties and turnovers were absolute killers.

As for Pitt (6-6, 4-3), the Panthers were actually outgained on offense in this game, and had to settle for field goals several times after failing to score touchdowns in the red zone. Still, they are headed to a bowl. Does this salvage a season that started with such high expectations? At least the Panthers get to play on, and that is what matters most to coach Todd Graham and his players.

The most likely bowl destination is a return trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham.

Buckle up for a wild finish to the Big East season.

Cincinnati beat Syracuse 30-13 to keep its Big East and BCS hopes alive. The Big East will not know its BCS representative until the games end next weekend. West Virginia, Cincinnati and Louisville remain in the hunt. If all three teams win next weekend, the Mountaineers would get the BCS bid based on their higher BCS ranking. Each team would be 1-1 against the other.

The Bearcats (8-3, 4-2) rebounded from a dismal loss to Rutgers last week with a huge win over a struggling Syracuse win, and Isaiah Pead was a major reason why. The running back had 246 all-purpose yards -- 80 yards rushing, 112 yards receiving and 54 yards in returns. He and backup quarterback Jordan Luallen helped key an offense that only scored three points last week.

It could have very well been more. Luallen had two big runs that ended at the Syracuse 1. Cincinnati settled for field goals both times. Coach Butch Jones said earlier this week he would use Munchie Legaux and Luallen, and he stuck to that promise. Luallen finished with 77 yards on eight carries and was a nice change of pace for the Bearcats.

Syracuse (5-6, 1-5) has now dropped five straight since beating West Virginia for its only Big East victory. Even off a bye, the Orange couldn't solve their offensive problems. Antwon Bailey had 135 yards rushing, but Ryan Nassib struggled once again and was pressured continuously.

Syracuse had one last shot to try for a comeback, but Cincinnati batted down a fourth-and-goal pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter. The Orange has one last chance to become bowl eligible Saturday against Pitt (5-6), another team hoping to make a bowl game. Cincinnati hosts UConn (5-6), which also hopes to become bowl eligible.

Munchie Legaux threw his first career touchdown pass, and that was good enough to give the Bearcats a 10-6 lead over Syracuse at halftime.

Neither Syracuse nor Cincinnati has looked particularly sharp. The Bearcats, who have to win out to clinch at least a share of the Big East title, have been plagued by mistakes once again. Tony Miliano missed a field goal; backup quarterback Jordan Luallen, tripped over himself en route to a sure touchdown; and a running into the kicker penalty allowed Syracuse a second chance at a field goal.

Several false start penalties have been particularly costly. On the drive in which Luallen tripped, Cincinnati had a first-and-goal at the 1 but the Bearcats were eventually backed up to the 11. Cincinnati was more content putting the ball in the hands of Luallen and Legaux early, but finally started feeding the ball to Isaiah Pead.

He had a big role in getting the Bearcats into position for their first touchdown since the West Virginia game. Legaux threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Travis Kelce to put Cincinnati up 10-6.

Syracuse has made mistakes, too, off the bye week. Ryan Nassib has missed open receivers again, and Syracuse is just 1-of-6 on third down. The Orange need one more win to become bowl-eligible.

Here are the top story lines to watch in the Big East headed into Week 13:

1. BCS berth on the line. It is conceivable for the Big East to find out its BCS representative after this weekend. Rutgers can clinch if it beats UConn, and Louisville and West Virginia lose; Louisville can clinch if it beats USF, and Pitt and Cincinnati lose. As has been widely discussed, five teams have hopes of getting into a BCS game. Four of them have a chance to win out -- West Virginia and Pitt play each other Friday night, and one will most likely be eliminated from contention. Unless, of course, everybody loses and there ends up being a six-way tie for first. Yes. That is possible.

2. Final Backyard Brawl? Much has been made about the potential for this to be the final Backyard Brawl. Pitt will be leaving the Big East for the ACC; West Virginia will be leaving for the Big 12. This is a series that began in 1895, and the two teams have played every year since 1943. This has developed into one of the most heated rivalries in the nation, and game that generally has major implications and plenty on the line. So let's hope the two schools and figure out a way to keep this game alive as a nonconference matchup every year.

3. Dana Holgorsen vs. Todd Graham. The two coaches exchanged all the necessary pleasantries this week when they were asked about their turbulent past, when Graham was at Tulsa and Holgorsen was at Houston and Oklahoma State. Both said everything is fine between them; they respect each other; they are great coaches. But the drama between them in the past certainly adds a juicy subplot to an already heated rivalry game. Hopefully nobody tries to pull the ol' Jim Harbaugh back slap when the game ends.

4. Will B.J. Daniels play? Daniels bruised his shoulder in a loss to Miami last week, and now a backup quarterback could determine what happens to the Big East. Coach Skip Holtz is preparing Bobby Eveld to start against Louisville on Friday morning. Remember, the Cardinals win a share of the Big East title if they beat the Bulls. You can bet the Cardinals would welcome facing the backup quarterback with their conference title hopes on the line.

5. Tampa voodoo. It's no secret that Louisville has had a difficult time winning in Tampa. Louisville is 0-4 in Tampa, and has lost by an average margin of 21 points. In fact, Raymond James Stadium is the only road venue in which the Cardinals are winless. Coach Charlie Strong has addressed this fact with his team, but he has to work doubly hard this week to keep his team focused on the Bulls and not a potential BCS berth.

6. Munchie redux. It's no secret that Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legaux struggled in his first start last week against Rutgers, as the Bearcats tallied their fewest yards since 2005. Coach Butch Jones said he was going into the game against Syracuse on Saturday with Legaux as his starter, but opened up the competition during the week in order to help push Legaux. Backup Jordan Luallen might see game action. This is the third straight season Cincinnati will face Syracuse with its backup quarterback.

7. Syracuse after the bye. The Orange have lost three straight, and are hoping their bye week has given them a chance to fix what has gone wrong. They have been unable to run. Ryan Nassib has not been nearly as accurate, and the offensive line has not blocked particularly well. Syracuse has not won a game since Oct. 21. Back then, Louisville was 3-4 and Syracuse was 5-2. My how fortunes have changed. The Orange are fighting for bowl eligibility; the Cardinals are fighting for a BCS berth.

8. Rutgers goes for first title. The Scarlet Knights have a shot at clinching a share of their first Big East title, and becoming the first team in league history to go from worst to first. The only other time Rutgers played its final regular-season game with Big East implications was in 2006. The Scarlet Knights ended the 2006 regular season with a 41-39 triple overtime loss at No. 15 West Virginia as they finished the season 5-2 in the league and tied for second.

9. UConn bowl hopes. The Huskies need to win out in order to become bowl eligible, a year removed from representing the conference in the BCS. The past three games against Rutgers have been close, and the Scarlet Knights have won them all. In fact, seven of the past nine meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. This is the final home game of the season for the Huskies, and the question is how are they going to slow down a suddenly powerful Jawan Jamison and super receiver Mohamed Sanu?

10. Next to 100 tackles? Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene is the only Big East defender with more than 100 tackles -- a total of 114 through 11 games. Max Gruder of Pitt has 90 and JK Schaffer of Cincinnati has 89 as the two try to reach the 100-tackle mark this weekend. If Schaffer gets 11 tackles, he would have 100 for the third straight season. That would make him the fourth player in Big East history to accomplish that feat.

Time to take a look back at the Big East in Week 11 before moving on to Week 12.

The good: If you like parity, you love the Big East. Six teams have a shot for either an outright or shared conference title with three weeks left. That might be good for fans of those teams -- Cincinnati, West Virginia, Rutgers, Louisville, Pitt and UConn -- but not so much for national respect. The Big East has no teams in the latest BCS standings, while the Mountain West and Conference USA have two each. ... West Virginia has had major problems with its special teams all season, but its much-maligned unit came up with the play of the day in a 24-21 win against Cincinnati. Eain Smith blocked the potential game-tying 31-yard field goal with no time left, giving him the first field goal block of his career. It also was the first time since 2004 that West Virginia blocked a field goal in the game. Geno Smith was his usual terrific self, throwing for 372 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Smith tied a Big East record with his seventh 300-yard game of the season, matching Brian Brohm of Louisville in 2007. Even though Cincinnati lost, the Bearcats had a season-high 18 tackles for loss in the game. ... Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu broke the Big East record for single-season receptions and now has 94 and counting. Sanu is ranked second nationally in receptions (9.4 rpg), trailing only Jordan White of Western Michigan (11.0 rpg). Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights recorded their sixth non-offensive touchdown of the season after getting a touchdown off a blocked punt. ... Pitt beat Louisville 21-14 for its first road win of the season. The Panthers had been 0-2 going into the game. The win also was the first of the season when they scored fewer than 35 points. Receiver Devin Street has now posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. ... USF broke its four-game Big East losing streak with a 31-17 win against Syracuse. Eleven different receivers caught a pass in the game, and the Bulls had eight tackles for a loss as they put together their most complete effort of the season.

The bad: Cincinnati took double blows on Saturday, losing the game and starting quarterback Zach Collaros, now out for the season with a broken right ankle. Bearcats fans can look to 2009 to keep their hopes up, when Collaros had to start the season while starter Tony Pike recovered from an arm injury. Cincinnati made the BCS that season. ... What has gone wrong in Syracuse? The Orange dropped their third straight game and have somehow forgotten how to score. After putting up 49 points on West Virginia, Syracuse has scored a combined 48 points in its past three games. ... Louisville also saw its three-game wining streak stopped after another subpar performance from the offense. The Cardinals appeared to be turning a corner, especially in their past two games, in which they had scored 14 points in each of the first quarters. In a loss to Pitt, they managed 14 points the entire game, the sixth time this season they have failed to score 20 or more points. In those six games, Louisville is 1-5. The defense also gave up a season-high 200 yards rushing, to a team missing its best player in Ray Graham.

Milestone watch

Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia. Bailey had his seventh 100-yard game of the season in a win against Cincinnati, pushing him over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Bailey has 1,037 yards on the season.

Alec Lemon, WR, Syracuse. Lemon had 10 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns against USF, giving him 336 receiving yards in the past two games. He is the first Syracuse player to register back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Taj Smith in 2007.

Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati. Pead now has 3,095 career rushing yards, ranking third on the school's all-time list.

Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse. Nassib has completed 217 passes this season, breaking his own single-season school record of 202, set last year.

Week 12 schedule

Cincinnati at Rutgers, noon, ESPNU

Louisville at UConn, noon, Big East Network

Miami at USF, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU

Welcome back to the win column, South Florida.

The Bulls broke their four-game slide and won for the first time since September, thoroughly beating Syracuse 37-17 on Friday night in the Carrier Dome. USF (5-4, 1-4) avoided another fourth-quarter collapse thanks to solid play in all areas of the game, a first in conference play. Now the Bulls have to win just one of their final three games to become bowl eligible. All three are at home.

MVP honors in the game have to go to quarterback B.J. Daniels, who was a force on the ground with Darrell Scott held out of the game (concussion symptoms). Daniels racked up 336 total yards of offense -- 117 yards rushing and 254 yards passing -- as the Bulls took advantage of some problems in the Syracuse run defense.

What had been a strong part for the Orange (5-5, 1-4) has all of a sudden fallen apart. A week after giving up 198 yards on the ground to UConn, Syracuse allowed USF to rack up 236 yards rushing. The key denominator -- both teams use quarterbacks who can run. In the past two games, Syracuse has allowed a total of seven rushing touchdowns. The Orange allowed a combined seven in the first eight games of the season.

You could say the tone of the game was established early with a run play. USF went for it on a fourth-and-1 from the Syracuse 5-yard line, and had three backs in the backfield. The Bulls converted and then scored one play later to go up 10-0. It never really felt like the Orange were in the game because USF so effectively won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

The Bulls racked up three more sacks, bringing their season total to 31, and limited the Orange on the ground. Ryan Nassib has now been sacked 10 times in the past three games, and the Orange failed to get their run game going for the third straight game. No coincidence that all three are losses.

Now it is the Orange with the longest losing streak in the Big East at three. Syracuse has to win one of its final two to go back to a bowl game, but that is not going to be easy with games remaining against Cincinnati and at Pitt in the season finale.

The Orange have got to find a way to pound the football and be more physical up front. Catching the football would be nice, too, as key drops have hurt as well. How many passes were dropped Friday night? Alec Lemon was a bright spot with 10 catches for 179 yards, but he had a critical drop, too.

Who needs to win more -- USF or Syracuse?

The Bulls (4-4, 0-4) have not won a game since Sept. 24. Syracuse (5-4, 1-3) has dropped two straight after blowing out West Virginia last month. The two teams face each other Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 with an air of desperation hanging between them. For USF, the season began with a victory over Notre Dame and so much promise.

But in Big East play, breakdowns across all three phases of the game have hurt them. So have untimely penalties and an inability to hold onto second-half leads. USF has started off fast, but finished slowly. So now it is a matter of trying to put everything together to get a badly needed win.

"It's tough. We're trying hard and playing hard, but we're not getting the results we want," USF safety Jerrell Young said in a phone interview. "When you look at it, we could be 7-1 right now, but we're 4-4. We're just not getting the ball to bounce our way. Some weeks the offense doesn't show up, some weeks the defense doesn't show up. We haven't been able to put it all together yet. That's the thing that hurts the most. We're not doing the little things right."

USF has held second-half leads in its past three Big East contests. Particularly galling was what happened last week against Rutgers. The Bulls allowed the Scarlet Knights to rally with seven minutes remaining after holding a 17-3 lead. Rutgers scored on a kickoff return for a touchdown, and Maikon Bonani missed a short field goal that would have won it for the Bulls at the end of regulation. USF played inspired on defense, holding Rutgers to minus-7 yards.

The current four-game skid led center Chaz Hine to call a players-only meeting earlier this week, in which he told his teammates it was time to put an entire game together. USF needs to win two of its final four to become bowl eligible, but already it has guaranteed itself a losing conference record for the fourth straight season.

"We're trying to figure out how we're at this point," Young said. "We're talented, but that doesn't mean we're going to win games. Nobody is putting their head down, though. We can't just say this season's over. We still have four games to play. That's a lot of football. One thing I always say: It's November. How do you want to be remembered?"

Syracuse has had its own issues in its two-game losing streak. The offense has been inconsistent, particularly because the ground game has come to a halt. Quarterback Ryan Nassib has not been as accurate with his passes, either, and teams are teeing off on him. Nassib has been sacked seven times in the past two games, compared with 12 in the first seven.

Though both teams have struggled of late, coach Doug Marrone says he does not think either team is desperate.

"We're going to work, putting our heads down and we're going," Marrone said. "The kids are doing a good job of working and practicing. We can't have one loss leading to another. We've already had two straight."

At least Syracuse is playing at home, where it is 3-1 this season. Plus it is on a weeknight. Syracuse is 2-0 in weeknight games this season, including its impressive romp over West Virginia.

"I think the spotlight is cool and all but we've got to go out and play the game no matter if the game is on Oxygen," running back Antwon Bailey said. "But Friday night definitely brings a different electricity to the team and the Dome. The Dome is usually packed and loud, and I think we tend to feed off that at times."

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni beat his former team, as the Huskies overcame five turnovers to beat Syracuse 28-21 and keep its bowl hopes alive.

After a first-half that was plagued with one mistake after another, the Huskies had no turnovers in the second half and made several gigantic plays. The big difference: linebacker Sio Moore intercepted Ryan Nassib, and UConn was able to convert the mistake into a touchdown when Scott McCummings ran the ball in from 7 yards out in the fourth quarter.

The Orange had a final chance to try and mount a game-tying drive but failed to convert on fourth down. The teams combined for eight turnovers in a sloppy game, but that Nassib turnover was the only one either team was able to convert into a touchdown.

It was a huge win for UConn (4-5), which still needs to win two of its final three games to become bowl eligible. Still, the Huskies got much better play from their offensive line and Lyle McCombs, who had a career-high 152 yards rushing and a touchdown. McCummings overcame a fumble in the first half and ended up with two touchdowns. And the UConn pass defense, which has been shaky without Blidi Wreh-Wilson, held its own.

For Syracuse (5-4), it was a second straight missed chance to become bowl eligible. The Orange have lost two straight and have been completely inconsistent on offense. Nassib was playing much better in the second half until his interception -- he finished with two on the day. The Orange could never really establish their ground game, and failed to get a 100-yard rusher for the second straight week. The run defense could never really slow the Huskies down. The Orange gave up a season-high 198 yards on the ground.

The chance to be a driving force in the Big East race was right there for Syracuse.

The Orange had big-time momentum after an upset win over West Virginia. They had confidence. They finally were healthy. With just one conference loss, they were bunched among several teams with an opportunity to climb ahead.

But rather than building on that win, Syracuse took a step back in a 27-10 loss at Louisville.

Ryan Nassib went from one of his best games of the season to one of his worst. The team had trouble picking up varied blitzes. The run game slowed down. Defensively, the Orange were unable to generate much of a pass rush up front. Penalties were an absolute killer, with an uncharacteristic 12 thrown on the day.

Instead of being in the top part of the conference race, the Orange will need major help to win a championship. So as Syracuse (5-3, 1-2) prepares to play at UConn (3-5, 1-2) on Saturday, one of the big questions has been this: How does this team work on being more consistent?

"It’s very difficult to answer these types of questions because it starts to sound like you’re making excuses," coach Doug Marrone said at his weekly news conference. "But there is no doubt that we want to be a consistent football team. And we’re working. It’s a work in progress, and it’s never going to get there as fast as I want it to, or the players, or the coaches, or the media, or the fans want it to. But as long as we keep working and we keep our heads down and keep going, we’ll fight through that."

What is important to remember is that Marrone is in Year 3 of a major rebuilding project, after taking on one of the worst teams in the nation. What he has done in such a short period of time is remarkable.

Consider that Syracuse is one win away from becoming bowl eligible for the second straight year. The last time the Orange reached bowl games in consecutive years was 1998 (Orange Bowl against Florida) and 1999 (Music City Bowl against Kentucky).

But getting to bowl games ratchets up expectations. The natural next step is for Syracuse to begin competing for conference championships. Playing consistently is a huge factor.

Players understand this. Nassib in particular. There is no denying all the strides he has made this season -- Nassib is completing a career-high 65 percent of his passes and on pace to shatter multiple school passing records.

But he went from throwing for 229 yards and four touchdown passes against West Virginia to throwing for a season-low 162 yards and a score against Louisville, missing plenty of open receivers.

That inconsistency has lived with him this season. Nassib has three games where he has thrown three touchdowns or more; he also has had a three-interception game in a loss to Rutgers this season.

"There are a lot of areas to improve on," Nassib said in a phone interview earlier this week. "I am not quite where I want to be yet, and like the rest of the team, something I want to improve on is consistency game in and game out. To go from one game playing well to the next game laying an egg -- that's something I need to start improving on."

Nassib said he needs to do a better job of making quicker reads, trusting his first option, trusting himself and playing fast. That is a direct reflection of what happened last week, when he was sacked four times and taken out of his game because of all the pressure. Nassib said the Cardinals sent looks that were difficult to pick up, and everybody has to do a better job of responding.

"After a tough loss, you can’t wait to get back out there," Nassib said. "That’s what everybody on the offense is feeling right now."

Louisville got me again. Two weeks in a row I pick the Cardinals to lose, and two weeks in a row they win. That was my only loss of the short week as I went 2-1. Through nine weeks, I am 37-14 and hoping to do better with a full slate for Week 10.

Louisville at No. 24 West Virginia, noon, Big East Network. This is your classic battle of offense versus defense. So which side will prevail? The Cardinals have played well in their two straight wins over Rutgers and Syracuse. The run game has worked; the defense has not given up the big play and forced turnovers, too. The good news for Louisville is that West Virginia has had problems stopping the run and has not generated much of a pass rush this season. The bad news -- the Cardinals have lost four straight to the Mountaineers and are going to be faced with a serious challenge in stopping the West Virginia passing game. Louisville likes to bring the blitz, but if it is picked up well in this game, then the Cardinals run the risk of leaving playmakers like Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey running loose. Remember earlier in the year T.Y. Hilton burned this defense for more than 200 yards passing. Louisville is much better today than it was in Week 2. But the big play can be had on this unit. West Virginia does just enough to win. West Virginia 27, Louisville 20.

Syracuse at UConn, noon, ESPNU. The Coach P Bowl brings Paul Pasqualoni face-to-face with the team he coached from 1991-2004. But Pasqualoni has downplayed any and all mention of that this week as he focuses on trying to get his team better. UConn needs to win three of its final four games to become bowl eligible, and has got to find ways to get Johnny McEntee to be more effective leading the offense. If there is one area that Syracuse should be able to exploit it is the UConn secondary, which has been bad without leader Blidi Wreh-Wilson. It is uncertain whether Wreh-Wilson will be back this week. The key, of course, is for Ryan Nassib to be more on target than he was last week against Louisville in which he missed plenty of open receivers. UConn is 3-0 at home in this series, but I think the Orange bounce back. Syracuse 30, UConn 17.

Cincinnati at Pitt, 7 p.m., ESPNU. Which Tino Sunseri is going to show up on Saturday? The Sunseri that passed for 38 yards against Utah or the Sunseri that passed for 419 yards against UConn? It is hard to imagine Pitt being the same team without Ray Graham. Zach Brown is perfectly capable, but Graham brought a dynamic that is hard to replicate. Cincinnati is the best rushing defense in the Big East, and has been effective at putting pressure on the quarterback, so I think the Panthers are going to have a hard time having the same success on offense this week as they had last week. The Bearcats have allowed just four rushing touchdowns all season. I think Cincinnati has the type of offense that can exploit some of the problems in the Pitt secondary, especially with safety Jason Hendricks out for the season. Cincinnati 30, Pitt 21.

USF at Rutgers, 7 p.m., ESPN3. Both teams are desperate for a win -- USF has lost three straight, Rutgers has lost two straight. The Bulls just need to put an entire game together, while Rutgers has to cut down on the mistakes that have plagued it lately. You can bet USF is going to try and force Gary Nova into making the same mistakes he has made in the two straight losses but it's not as if the USF defense has been an unstoppable force. Still, it is tough to imagine USF dropping to 0-4 in conference with all the talent it has. The Bulls will find a way to win. USF 24, Rutgers 20.