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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current Big East coaches' career records in the league:

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

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- USF coach Skip Holtz delivered some encouraging news during the Big East spring meetings -- starting defensive tackle Cory Grissom is on pace to return for the start of the season.

Grissom broke his ankle during the last week of spring practice, and there were fears the injury could cost him some significant playing time. But after undergoing surgery and beginning rehab, Holtz said Grissom should be medically cleared Aug. 1. If there are no setbacks in his rehab and recovery, he should be able to play Sept. 1 against Chattanooga.

"He’s coming along well," Holtz said. "The swelling is going down, and he’s able to get on the bike and do some exercise things. One of the concerns was his weight that when he comes out of this he’s not 340 pounds and now it takes us a month to get back down to playing weight because of how much he would be limited with his exercise with the injury to the ankle. But he’s doing a great job keeping his weight down, he’s able to get on the weight and do some cardio things to keep his weight down. To this point, there have been no setbacks."

The tricky part will be handling Grissom during training camp. USF will take its time with him, to be sure it can get him up to speed with plenty of time to go before the season begins. All that will depend on how he handles getting back into practice.

"We’re going to have to be careful because we’re not going to be able to take him from 0 to 60 Aug. 1," Holtz said. "We’re going to have to slowly get him back in. Maybe we’ll take him through individual work for a week and no team stuff. Then the second week of camp, maybe we’ll let him do some 1-on-1s. Maybe the third week, he can get into inside drills or half line and hopefully when we get into our season, we’ll have been able to gradually get him back into it.

"He may get into it and at one point it, may start to swell and he may have soreness and we’ll have to pull back. Then you go a little slower with it. We’re going to have to see. It’s not the bone we’re worried about. It’s the ligaments and making sure that the ligaments come back strong enough and healthy enough and we don’t push him too early."

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

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

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

Here is the way Jones will remember his good friend:

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

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

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

USF is on the cutting edge of some pretty cool social networking.

Skip Holtz became Hip Skip earlier this week when he became the first coach from an automatic qualifying conference to host a Google Hangout with fans. Essentially, Holtz sat in front of a Web cam for 30 minutes and answered questions from USF fans in a pretty relaxed, casual setting.

If there is any coach who is perfectly suited for this type of social networking it is Holtz, one of the most outgoing, gregarious coaches in all of college football. He is easygoing, personable and does not give out the same old tired clichés. He puts thoughts into his answers, and he always does it with a smile.

Needless to say, his Hangout on Google+ was a hit, and USF plans on doing another one closer to the season with either Holtz or perhaps quarterback B.J. Daniels.

So how did USF come up with the idea? Several folks in the athletic department were searching for ways to use social media to their advantage. They initially had an idea to try it out with men's basketball coach Stan Heath around the NCAA tournament. But they didn't have enough time to get the particulars laid out, so they figured they would try with Holtz after spring football ended.

They approached Holtz with the idea and he immediately gave the green light. USF asked fans to submit questions for Holtz, then selected a handful of fans to appear on the chat with Holtz. On Wednesday afternoon around lunch time, Holtz sat in his office and chatted amiably for 30 minutes.

Among the topics he hit:

Holtz reiterated the need for USF to win the Big East. “I would much rather lose one of the nonconference games and represent the Big East in the BCS bowl than have a great nonconference win along the way,” he said.

On the potential for a playoff and where the Big East stands in the BCS: "I would tell you I am a big fan of the bowl system. College football's hard. You look at the number of surgeries, the aches and the pains, the bowl game is a great reward for these teams. If they can take the top four teams they think should play for the 'national championship' and keep the bowl games, I would be in favor of it."

On Aaron Lynch: The plan is for Lynch to enroll for the second summer session. USF will look to see if there is a way for him to be eligible immediately. If not, he has to sit out a year because of NCAA transfer rules.

It was a great way for Holtz to not only interact with his fans, but to get USF's message out and show that the Bulls are among the most forward-thinking programs when it comes to social media.

Following consecutive 8-5 campaigns, Notre Dame entered this spring with a re-shuffled staff, a wide-open quarterback competition and arguably one of the nation's best defensive lines.

So, uh, about those three new assistants ...

"I love the energy out there, I love what I'm hearing in terms of teaching," head coach Brian Kelly said April 4, roughly halfway through the spring. "Guys are teaching and I can hear it. So for me it's exactly what I need to hear from our coaches. There's a lot of teaching going on, there's a lot of energy. So for me I feel really good about going out to practice, and what I hear I really like."

Nine days after that comment, defensive end Aaron Lynch announced his decision to transfer, eventually ending up with Notre Dame alum Skip Holtz at South Florida. A series of cryptic Twitter posts by nose guard Louis Nix in the days after Lynch's departure unsettled an already-uneasy fan base, and Nix's admittedly honest public comments afterward about having missed his Florida home did little to quell Irish fans' worst fears.

Then came the spring game, Everett Golson's coming-out party. The rising sophomore quarterback completed 11 of 15 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, adding 25 yards on six rushes. Most importantly, he was the only of the four quarterbacks to not turn the ball over.

If that wasn't enough for Golson to improve his chances of starting in 2012 -- Kelly said afterward that he had trouble getting plays in on time -- the events of May 3 certainly did.

Tommy Rees, the only of the four signal-callers with starting experience, was charged with four misdemeanors as a result of his arrest at an off-campus house party. Police said that they had to use pepper spray to subdue Rees, who faces two counts of resisting law enforcement, in addition to minor consumption and battery.

So begins an offseason whose storyline, like last year's with Michael Floyd, will be dominated by an off-field run-in by a big-name player. Rees is due in court May 17, but his status with the Irish remains up in the air. Discipline of any kind -- even an offseason suspension -- would strongly diminish his hopes of taking the first snap Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland.

Kelly said after the spring game that the guy to emerge as the starter will be the one who commits to all the details in the summer. Golson and Andrew Hendrix — in addition to early enrollee Gunner Kiel — would be in much better positions to do that should Rees be dealt a ban. Regardless, leadership issue becomes an obvious question in light of the arrest.

Whoever does start should have plenty to work with in proven playmakers like Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick and Tyler Eifert. He will also be protected by an experienced offensive line, which returns four players with starting experience.

Linebacker Manti Te'o, who passed up NFL millions this offseason, returns to lead a defense that should still be strong enough up front, though a depleted cornerback corp could have benefited from playing behind an elite pass-rusher like Lynch.

A season that begins overseas is still four months away, but the drama attached to the hip of the nation's most polarizing program has only increased with spring ball in the rearview mirror.

Shortly after USF beat Florida State in 2009, a billboard went up in Tampa that welcomed the Bulls to the Big Four in the state of Florida.

Certainly, it was a historic win for the young program, going on the road to Tallahassee to take down one of the perennial powers in the state, one of three universities in Florida that make up the "Big Three."

What has happened in the three years since that victory? Well, football in Florida has gone through a bit of a down period. Florida State was the only team from the state to finish ranked in the Top 25 last season. Of the seven FBS programs in Florida, only three had winning seasons: Florida State, Florida and FIU.

I took a look at the recent struggles of Florida, Florida State and Miami in a recent article for ESPN.com, and had a chance to ask USF coach Skip Holtz for his take on college football in this state. USF has some pretty great nonconference wins, including one in 2010 over Miami. But Holtz firmly believes the focus for this program must be taken off its place in the state, and on its quest to win championships.

"People talk about, 'Well we’ve got to beat Florida State, we’ve got to beat Miami and we’ve got to beat Florida.' ... To me, the next step isn’t to beat a Florida State or a Miami or a Notre Dame or an Auburn," Holtz said. "Our next step needs to be able to run the table in the Big East. We need to get to where we can play in a BCS bowl."

USF should not be compared to Miami, Florida and Florida State right now. There are vast differences. USF has been playing FBS football for only a handful of years. Florida, Florida State and Miami did not win championships in the first 10 years of their existence. In fact, their success has only come in the past 30 years. Before then, nobody knew who they were.

The Big Three did not begin to get their notoriety until they established themselves as national powers and started winning championships. It is understandable for those at USF to look at what its geographic rivals have done and wonder, "When is it our turn?" But steps have to be made to reach that level.

Wins over Florida State and Miami are great, and they should give the Bulls some bragging rights. But rings are what really count. So USF has to start winning the Big East and putting up consistent 10-win seasons for progress to truly be made in its quest to make Florida home to the "Big Four."

Andrea Adelson talks to USF coach Skip Holtz about the state of football in Florida.

TAMPA, Fla. – When people think of USF, they think of a team that …

“Don’t say it,” quarterback B.J. Daniels interrupts.

He knows what is coming. So does everybody in the football facility. The Bulls have been a big tease, raising hopes with eyebrow-raising wins, only to dash them with eyebrow-raising losses. Last season only added to that reputation, after USF squandered a 4-0 start and national ranking with its worst season since joining the Big East in 2005.

How can a team with so many big nonconference wins crash so spectacularly in Big East play? You might have an easier time figuring out the meaning to life. No matter the season, something generally goes wrong in Tampa. Last season, it was four games lost on the final play, and the end result was a 5-7 season and no bowl game for the first time as a BCS team.

Daniels and his teammates have lived through the drama the past few seasons, and yes, the perception about their program bothers them. They intend to end all the jokes about the Beat-a-Bulls this season behind a strong senior class that has banded together to make a change.

“We’ve been ranked, we’ve beaten big teams, we’ve been projected to do this and that, but for whatever reason it doesn’t work out,” Daniels said. “We take pride in what we do. We’re not out here punching a clock. A lot of us have passion for the game and love it. It does bother us in the sense that the goals we have set out in the past, we haven’t accomplished. One approach that’s different is we are taking everything one game at a time. If we do the little things every day, we’ll end up where we want to be."

That, of course, would be with Big East championship rings for the first time. USF has plenty going for it as it works toward improving this spring. Eighteen starters return, tops in the Big East. But perhaps most important is a senior class of 24 strong. At least 12 will be starters; at least 18 will be on the two-deep. Every position but receiver will have at least one senior starter. That includes Daniels, who has started nearly every game of his career.

Compare that to last season, when USF had 17 seniors -- only six of them starters.

The larger group has actually been a more united group. After the season ended, the seniors got together to form a plan.

"We said we can’t have another season like we had last year," running back Demetris Murray said. "Days we’re supposed to be off, we're here, working out. We’re not letting days slip by that we can take advantage of."

Seniors have an expanded role in team meeting rooms. The added responsibility of setting an example for the younger players has been embraced wholeheartedly. The goal is to get everybody to buy in, from the most experienced players who have been through all the heartbreak to the freshmen who just want to play.

"All seniors have that urgency to win," linebacker Mike Lanaris said. "But the thing that we need to do as a senior class, we need to permeate that urgency throughout the team. It can’t be 25 guys have this sense of urgency to win a championship while the other 80 guys are worried about something else. We need to spread that sense of urgency and those small things that are going to make a difference need to be stressed. If we can get everybody on the same page, we have a chance to be really, really good."

Lanaris mentioned small things. Paying attention to those critical details has just about every player hooked. The mantra from coach Skip Holtz, repeated since last year, has become a rallying cry. Ask any player, and he will say it, probably as a reflex:

Little things lead to big rings.

So does a renewed focus on conference play, where everybody has to get as excited and motivated as he does when playing geographic rivals like Florida State or national names like Notre Dame. Though USF is really in its infancy as a program, getting some of those bigger nonconference victories ratcheted up expectations for the Big East. If the Bulls can beat Notre Dame on the road, surely they can handle UConn, right?

"We’ve talked a lot about what our goals are and what we want to do and want the next step is," Holtz said. "People talk about, 'Well we’ve got to beat Florida State, we’ve got to beat Miami and we’ve got to beat Florida.' I would have rather lost to Notre Dame and won every won of those close games in the Big East than the way it happened (last season). To me, the next step isn’t to beat a Florida State or a Miami or a Notre Dame or an Auburn. Our next step needs to be able to run the table in the Big East. We need to get to where we can play in a BCS bowl. To win those nonconference games and not play in a BCS bowl takes some of the luster away from those big wins. ... We’ve just got make sure that our players understand the season starts in conference. That’s what we’re playing for."

On paper, this should be the year USF breaks through. This is a veteran team with solid senior leadership -- the best, most vocal leaders since Holtz arrived. Depth is better across the board. Optimism is high. And it doesn't hurt that West Virginia is out of the league.

But when people think of USF ...

"The M.O. here has always been -- they're a talented team that underachieves," Lanaris said. "We want to break that."

I had a chance to visit USF all day Monday, checking in on the Bulls to see where they stand in their quest to move on from a disappointing 5-7 season a year ago. Everybody was really great, from coach Skip Holtz, to the players, to the coordinators, so stay tuned for plenty of videos and posts in the coming days. And special thanks to everyone at USF.

Here are a few quick notes:

• Holtz says he will be ready to reveal his first depth chart after the first major scrimmage of the spring Friday. The scrimmage will feature eight- to 10-play scrimmages, and there will be a set number of plays for everybody, that way each player can be evaluated. Plays will be called to get the ball in specific players' hands. One big key for the offense -- there will be no designed runs called for B.J. Daniels. Offensive coordinator Todd Fitch said he wants to see his offense run without relying on Daniels. In each of the past three seasons, Daniels has had more than 100 carries.
• Two players who have stood out on the defensive line this spring: junior college transfer Tevin Mims at end and Luke Sager at tackle. Mims initially signed with Texas before transferring to Navarro Junior College. Holtz praised him for his early progress this spring. Sager, meanwhile, has done a nice job in competition with Elkino Watson for the open tackle spot. It's not a foregone conclusion that Watson wins the starting job.
• Sophomore Austin Reiter has done a nice job stepping in at center for Chaz Hine, and looks to be the front-runner to win the starting job. Fitch had high praise for Reiter, who played sparingly a season ago.
• Fidel Montgomery, Josh Brown, Kenneth Durden and George Baker are competing for the open cornerback spot. Coaches are pleased with how far Montgomery and Brown have come in their short time on campus since transferring in from junior college. Working on building depth in the secondary is a major spring priority.
• Linebacker play was a strong part of the Kansas State defense last year under defensive coordinator Chris Cosh, and he really is working with his group this spring to make sure there is much better communication between the front and the back end. He highlighted DeDe Lattimore in particular, as a player who is starting to play much better against the pass. Depth is an issue at this position.

Stay tuned for plenty more!

USF has taken a big hit to its coaching staff.

Top recruiter Phil McGeoghan has left to take a job as assistant receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins. Skip Holtz wished McGeoghan well on his Twitter page.

McGeoghan has earned wide praise this week for his efforts on the recruiting trail, including an honorable mention for his efforts from the folks at ESPN Recruiting Nation. He was instrumental in bringing in four-star tight end Sean Price — who had wavered during the last weeks of the process — along with four-star cornerback Chris Bivins and linebacker Tashon Whitehurst, who flipped from Syracuse.

No question coach Holtz must find a top-notch recruiter to help fill the void McGeoghan leaves behind.

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

Cincinnati

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

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

UConn

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

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

Louisville

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

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

Pitt

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

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

Rutgers

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

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

USF

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

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

Syracuse

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

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

West Virginia

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

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

USF completed its 2012 recruiting class, signing 20 players in a strong closing effort from coach Skip Holtz.

The Bulls picked up two three-star players on signing day -- Tashon Whitehurst flipped from Syracuse, and linebacker Kameron Davis chose USF over West Virginia.

Here is the breakdown by position:

Defensive line: 5

Defensive back: 5

Reciever: 3

Offensive line: 4

Tight end: 1

Running back: 1

Linebacker: 1

Well who would have thought that Skip Holtz and Greg Schiano would one day share the same sideline?

Coming to Raymond James Stadium in 2012, it will be Holtz guiding USF on Saturdays and Schiano leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sundays. Schiano's move from Rutgers to Tampa Bay's NFL franchise means that former conference rivals are now chums. It also means that many Bulls fans in the Tampa area have to -- gulp! -- root for a former nemesis.

Holtz put out a statement on the move late Thursday evening, welcoming Schiano to the neighborhood.

"I’m excited for Greg and his family. We’ve gotten to know each other over the past few seasons. He’s a great person and a tremendous coach. We’ve had some great battles and I respect the effort and discipline his teams have played with. He’s a defensive coach with NFL experience, and I think he has a great opportunity to be successful with the Bucs. We are fans of coach Schiano and the Bucs organization and we wish them both great success."

For the record, Holtz and Schiano split their two Big East meetings. Rutgers delivered one of the more heartbreaking losses of USF's 2011 season, storming back from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit to win 20-17 in overtime on Nov. 5.

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.

USF defensive coordinator Mark Snyder has accepted the same post at Texas A&M, according to multiple reports Monday.

Coach Skip Holtz confirmed the news to Greg Auman of The St. Petersburg Times. Snyder has been USF defensive coordinator in the two years Holtz has served as head coach. Before that, Snyder was head coach at Marshall for five seasons. New Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has ties to Conference USA, having just been hired from Houston.