Sunday, August 20, 2006

Projections: Big East

The Big East enters their second year in their new configuration. Last year, West Virginia almost single-handedly saved the league's reputation with a win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. This year, the Mountaineers are looking for more. This is a surprisingly competitive league, though, so the 'Eers will find what Louisville found last year, after a pre-season full of hype: Don't take the conference lightly.

Projections:
West Virginia 10-2 5-2
Louisville 10-2 5-2
Pittsburgh 9-3 5-2
Rutgers 7-5 4-3
South Florida 6-6 4-3
UConn 7-5 3-4
Cincinnati 4-8 2-5
Syracuse 1-11 0-7

John, what are you thinking? West Virginia is good enough to go through their entire schedule undefeated. However, I am forecasting a wild scenario. West Virginia goes undefeated until they visit Louisville, when they visit Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Louisville wins the big game away from home. However, the Cardinals' fortune is short-lived, as they lose the following week on a trip to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Panthers get off to a 6-0 start, before losing three of their next four. Their last two games are at home, in the muck and mire of Heinz Field, against archrival West Virginia and Louisville. Yes, you guessed it, Pitt wins those two games, forcing a three-way tie for the conference championship. In that scenario, Pitt would normally be the conference champion with wins over the two other tied teams, West Virginia and Louisville. However, the Big East, in event of a tie-breaker, gives their BCS bid to the highest-ranked team in the BCS rankings. That will be West Virginia.

Convoluted enough? To be fair, West Virginia and Louisville are both good enough to run the table, go undefeated, and end up in Glendale in January. Weird things happen during a season, though, and I look for something really weird to happen here.

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