NCAA Football Preview - Big East
By Kwame Manu
It’s funny how things end up. At the end of the 2009 college football season, it was a forgone conclusion that the Big East was going to be dismantled. That’s what all the “experts” predicted. And yet, here we are on the cusp of another college football season and the Big East has been a rare pillar of stability. How? Nobody can really say, but whatever Big East commissioner John Marinatto is doing, he should keep it up. The Big East will quietly enter this season the same way they ended last season…under-appreciated and overlooked. Frankly, I think the Big East is tired of it. Big East programs like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia look to solidify their status as elite programs. Luckily, two of the best running backs in the country, Noel Devine (WVU) and Dion Lewis (Pitt), play in the Big East. Both running backs should be on Heisman watch. Although both Pitt and WVU have solid squads, neither team is considered a National Championship contender. However, high-profile out of conference victories would change that. WVU plays LSU in September and Pitt plays Utah, Miami, and Notre Dame this season.
Needless to say, victories in all these game would push the Big East to the forefront of the National Championship discussion. Cincinnati, who went undefeated in last year’s regular season, look to bounce back after losing their starting QB, #1 wide receiver, and Head Coach. It looks grim for them, but maybe QB Zach Collaros can duplicate the success he had as a sub last year. This may be a make or break year for the Big East. A successful season may be a deciding factor in the Big East getting a major TV deal. It may factor into the Big East getting it’s own network. It will factor into whether the Big East can bring in big recruits. It may even decide if the Big East can survive as a conference. A lot is riding on the Big East, and it’s not enough if one or two teams are successful. It’s going to take a collective effort.
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