SB Nation - Ray Rice

Season Preview: Big East

Smooty — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:20:34 -0000

The third installment of our conference previews here at ADS is the BIg East. In football, the Big East is comprised of eight teams, unlike the super 16 team conference it boasts in basketball. The Big East has dropped significantly ever since the ACC pulled a little manifest destiny and lured Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Teach to drop the Big East and join the ACC, in 2003.

Of the "Power 6" conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, and SEC), the Big East as of late has brought up the rear. West Virginia spent a few seasons in the national spotlight, when they were led by Pat White, and Steve Slaton. They are gone. Rutgers made a magical run the past couple years with Mike Teel, Ray Rice, and Tiquan Underwood. All gone.

Last year, Cincinnati surprised many by capturing the Big East title. West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers finished a game out. This year, in an incredibly close preseason media poll, Pittsburgh was selected to top the conference. That is more of a product of the lack of any elite team in the conference. The difference between first place Pitt and fifth place Rutgers was only 35 points, and the top four teams all received multiple first place votes. Third place Cincinnati received three more first place votes than second place West Virginia. If you like parity, check out the Big East this season.

Big East Football Preseason Media Poll

Pittsburgh (8)
West Virginia (5)
Cincinnati (8)
USF (3)
Rutgers
Connecticut
Louisville
Syracuse

Find a TV for these games:

West Virginia at Auburn - Sept. 19: The BIg East could earn some national cred if the Mountaineers travel to Auburn and steal a game from War Eagle. I said they could.
South Florida at Florida State - Sept. 26: Big non-conference game in Tallahassee.
South Florida vs. West Virginia - Oct. 30: It seems like everyone is sleeping on South Florida. And doesn't it seem like their quarterback Matt Grothe has been there for seven years? How many years of eligibility are they giving out in Tampa?
Rutgers vs. South Florida - Nov. 12: Big game on the road for USF. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano gets the Scarlet Knights ready to play in Jersey.
West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh - Nov. 27: The Backyard Brawl. If the preseason media poll holds true, this game will decide the Big East title.
Rutgers vs. West Virginia - Dec. 5: If West Virginia trips up this season (say, against South Florida?), this may have some huge conference implications.

The Big East has seven bowl tie ins, and up to six will choose a Big East team to participate. The Gator Bowl and the Sun Bowl both have the right to the second Big East team. The Gator Bowl, however, gets to select first between the Big East #2 and the Big 12 #4.

BCS
Gator Bowl
Sun Bowl
Meineke Car Care Bowl
International Bowl
PapaJohns.com Bowl
St. Petersburg Bowl

The Big East is down. Anyone who follows college football knows this. They desperately need a big year, from one of their teams, any of their teams. Pitt was #1 in the preseason, but they have to replace LaSean McCoy. West Virginia has Noel Devine, but no Pat White. Cincinnati won last year, but they have to replace 10 starters on defense. Thanks for playing, Cincinnati. Look for South Florida to climb the Big East this year, especially with defensive end George Selvie returning, as well as quarterback Matt Grothe (seriously, that guy is still there?).

Come back tomorrow for the Big Ten preview.

Q+A With Testudo Times

TwistNHook — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:30:13 -0000

Well, we got the big Maryland game coming up soon. So, we figured we'd turn to the resident Maryland experts on the SBNation blog network, Western College Hockey Blog.

But they turned us down, so we turned to the next knowledgable Maryland SBN blog: Nascar Ranting and Raving. And they said yes, but then never followed through.

So, now we have turned to the one, the only Testudo Times. Hopefully they can answer your questions after the fold and help us better understand this muti-faceted enemy that we face this weekend. Also, we answered some of their questions here, so check it out. GO BEARS!

Da'Rel Scott killed us last year. Tell us why he will/won't do so this year.

Maryland’s offensive line is a huge unknown. It is without a doubt the scariest area on this team for me. It’s very young and very inexperienced. If it’s where I think it will be, Da’Rel Scott won’t kill you. If it’s better than I think it will be (which is possible – they’re talented, just not experienced), Scott still won’t kill you. At least, he won’t be alone when he does it. If any killing is done, it’ll be as much Davin Meggett as Scott. Other guys, like Gary Douglas or true freshman Caleb Porzel might pitch in as well.

Since our fellow Cal Sports blogger Bears With Fang asked you one of our infamous questions already ("Who is one player on offense and defense from Cal that you could choose to suit up for the Terrapins for the opener?"), let us ask you a variation of the question. First of all, pick your best player on offense and defense for the Terrapins. Now, if you had to choose one to suit up for the Bears instead of the Terps, which of the two players would it be, and why?

Sorry about not refusing to answer that question. I should be meaner next time. Anyway, I’m pretty confident the most talented players on the team are Da’Rel Scott and OLB Adrian Moten. In that case, I’d give you Scott in a heartbeat – he’s not better than Best, so not a lot of damage would be done, and Maryland has a replacement not far behind him at all. There’s not much depth at linebacker this year, and Moten – aside from being very talented – is a team captain.

How much will we see David Meggett play against Cal?

David Meggett is retired, so unless he attends the game and ESPN does a bunch of camera cutaways to him after every play (like Ray Rice’s mom), you probably won’t see him at all. But you’ll see Davin Meggett, his son, quite a bit. Probably as much as you see of Da’Rel Scott, actually. Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin have both said that Meggett has played just as well or even better than Scott in camp, and that they’ll split carries a decent amount. Maryland has experience doing this, and if it’s done like it has been before, expect Meggett to be the sole back every other two drives or so.

"Davin Meggett" via www.baltimoresun.com

Recently, Maryland named a "Coach In Waiting" similar to Oregon. Is there any concern about this or are fans happy to have a succesor already lined up?

There are some concerns about it, mainly because James Franklin – the CIW – is yet to prove himself here, either in recruiting or in games. He was heralded as a WCO-type of offensive genius, but is yet to show that. He was supposed to be a godsend in recruiting, too, but the returns have been average. That said, most people seem content with the selection. It was done as a way to keep him on-board – he almost went to the NFL as a coordinator – and Maryland probably couldn’t hire a better coach, so you might as well lock him up.

How would you describe the play of your quarterback Chris Turner? Was he really as good as he looked when he played against us?

Turner is definitely that good in big games. When Maryland plays a ranked team or in an otherwise big game, he’s damn near flawless. When Maryland plays Middle Tennessee State or UVA, it’s a completely different story. Turner is a classic example of playing to the level of the competition – in this case, you should probably expect exactly what you saw last year – an accurate, competitive leader who hates to lose.

What are you expecting from Maryland's defense now that they've lost seven of their starters? What do you figure will be the gameplan to stop Jahvid Best now that the Terrapins don't have the advantage of humidity or homefield?

The defense itself should be actually improved. The players Maryland lost weren’t really vital to the success of the team. I loved Jeremy Navarre, Dean Muhtahdi, and Bemi Otulaja as much as the next guy, but I can’t get all that disappointed about losing a FB-turned-DT and two walkons, especially when they’re being replaced by former four stars. In other areas, like safety, the player replacing the starter from last year should actually be better. And though we technically lose a starter at CB in Kevin Barnes, he missed the second half of the season with an injury anyway. Throw in a defensive coordinator who actually knows what he’s doing (Don Brown is replacing Chris Cosh), and the reports of the defense’s demise are exaggerated.

There are two options to stopping Best. Maryland will either do what they did last year – stop the run at all costs and hope the passing game can’t beat us – or let new defensive coordinator Don Brown use his Jim Johnson/Philadelphia Eagle-style blitzing defense, throwing a ridiculous amount of different looks in the hopes that the offense will get confused. Your guess is as good as mine.

Thank you very much to the guys over at Testudo Times with their help on this. GO BEARS!

Poll

How do Testudo Times' answers make you feel about the upcoming Maryland football game?

They make me feel more confident about Cal winning

39 votes

They make me feel less confident about Cal winning

29 votes

They do not change my view on Cal's chances in this game

67 votes

135 votes | Poll has closed

Who Will Represent New York When ESPN Comes A-Callin'?

Sean Keeley — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:48:47 -0000

ESPN's College Football Live 50 State Tour has begun, having stopped in Michigan yesterday and making it's way to Tennessee today. It'll be swooping in on New York July 3rd (after Colorado and before Lousiana...who scheduled this trip???). The big questions remain.

1. Will they be coming to Syracuse?

2. Who will they be featuring?

I suppose there's a decent chance they could go to Army and play the armed forces angle. I feel like they'd go with Navy though if they wanted to play that angle. Better program and better living alumni.

I mean, I guess there's Buffalo to consider too. Okay, done considering it? Good, let's move on.

Michigan featured Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson (for a very boring segment, truth be told). Tennessee is showcasing Peyton Manning, though it probably would have been classier to showcase Tee Martin, who actually won a national title for the school. So assuming they come to Syracuse, who will be the featured guest? I have some ideas...

Jim Brown - Too obvious? He's the football program's ambassador and a guaranteed good interview. Like an angrier Charles Barkley.

Don McPherson - Always a great school ambassador and recently a nominee for the College Football Hall of Fame

Donovan McNabb - How bout a twofer, like Michigan? Don & Donnie. (Don't tell Marvin Graves...)

Coach Mac - Perfect timing. Just inducted into College HOF. A great connection to the "glory days" of the 80's and segue into discussion about Marrone.

Doug Marrone - Why not the former SU player who has returned to coach his alma mater and return it to glory?

Greg Paulus - Too much? He's from Syracuse, returning to Syracuse as it's "savior" and he's got ESPN eating out of his hand already.

Mike Tirico - If they're really lazy and interested in cross-promotion, they can just plug their boy returning to his alma mater.

Dennis Quaid - Hey, The Express DVDs aren't selling themselves. Universal Home Entertainment needs every opportunity they can get.

Ray Rice - If they're a-holes.

Rob Spence - What evil lurks in the hearts of men? Rob Spence's eyes know! And they will strike fear into the infidels watching from home.

Marvin Harrison - He's available. Just don't look him in the eyes. If you do make eye contact...RUN!!!

Gerry McNamara - He'd probably draw a bigger crowd in Syracuse than any of them. Play to your strengths.

Tim Tebow - Just 'cause.

H/T: Black Heart Gold Pants for the idea.