Syracuse blew out previously unbeaten Louisville, and now the Big East standings are just as bunched up at the top as ever.
To surprisingly little surprise, Louisville is no longer undefeated. The No. 9 Cardinals succumbed to the horrors of the Carrier Dome and a Syracuse team that's come up just short too many times this year, falling by a 45-26 score in New York despite a 424-yard day from Teddy Bridgewater. He's only one man.
As for what this means for the Big East race, the last week of the season might've just gotten a big drama boost. Louisville (9-1, 4-1) at Rutgers (8-1, 4-0) in a few weeks could now count as the Big East's championship game even if Rutgers falls at 7-2 Cincinnati next week (or Pitt!).
And that big Big East three-way free-for-all we had at the season's midpoint? It's back. The Bearcats are themselves back in the mix for the conference's BCS spot, with their lone conference loss coming to Louisville. Nobody else is really in contention, so the madness stops there.
The Cards will plummet in the rankings, and the big question right now is whether they've built enough cushion for themselves to keep them ahead of Cincy and Rutgers if all three finish with similar records. Does not seem likely -- a 10-spot fall to around 19 would put them barely ahead of Rutgers, which is currently No. 23.
For Syracuse, bowl eligibility is now back in reach after looking like a major longshot. Trips to Missouri and Temple remain, and even splitting those would mean the second bowl since 2004 for the Orange.
As for Charlie Strong:
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