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I’ve already hashed out the atrocity that was the Big 12 North of a couple years in the ACC Coastal preview a couple days ago, and now it’s time to actually talk about the current state of the Big 12 North.
Nebraska’s struggles – and the rest of the conference living in the shadow of Oklahoma and Texas – damaged the division’s reputation and respectability, and Missouri and Kansas valiantly tried to help repair that last year.
Mizzou reached the top of the polls heading into the Big 12 Title Game, but lost to the Sooners for the second time last year. Meanwhile, KU used a favorable (to say the least) schedule to roll to undefeated season until a 36-28 loss to the Tigers in KC.
The now-departed Aqib Talib’s pick six led Kansas to an unlikely (and undeserved) Orange Bowl win last year
The Tigers finished by crushing Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Kansas played in the Orange Bowl they totally didn’t deserve, but shut people like me up by beating Virginia Tech. Even with those two teams, I’m not sure how many people thought Mizzou and KU were all that good, which is somewhat understandable given their respective football pasts.
So while there’s been improvement for the North, there’s still a little ways to go, and that has to do with how Nebraska and Kansas State fare this year (more on them later). I for one think that the Big 12 will move past the Pac-10 for the title of second-best conference (behind the SEC of course).
The Big 12 as a whole should be a powerfully offensive league this year, as only Iowa State (Bret Meyer) and Nebraska (Sam Keller) have to find new QBs. You look at the QBs in this league, and you can only be impressed by not only the talent there, but they’ve put up some pretty good stats as well.
Perhaps the best QB is Missouri’s Chase Daniel. 2008 should be another big year for Daniel and the Tigers. Despite the losses of HB Tony Temple, WR Will Franklin, and TE Martin Rucker, the Tigers are pretty set at the skill positions. They will have a new C and new LT, the two most important OL positions, but there won’t be much of a dropoff.
Defensively, Mizzou has one of the top LB corps in the conference with Sean Weatherspoon, Brock Christopher, and Luke Lambert. Three defensive lineman, including the awesomely-named DE Stryker Sulak, return and FS William Moore anchors the secondary. The only games I see as potential losses for Missouri are the opener against Illinois in St. Louis and trips to Nebraska and Texas. Fortunately, Oklahoma is not on the schedule (yet).
WR Jeremy Maclin was a Freshman All-American last year, racking up 2,776 all-purpose yards to go along with 1,055 receiving yards and 16 total TDs
This needs to be said: I’m partial to Missouri, simply because I almost went there…i.e. if I had to pick a second favorite team behind the Vols, it would be Missouri. No, I don’t live-and-die with whether or not they win on Saturdays like it is with Tennessee, but I certainly enjoy seeing them do well. Plus, I think they are fairly exciting to watch as well.
Kansas surprised everyone last year, using a terribly easy schedule and kind Orange Bowl reps to reach their first BCS Bowl, a 24-21 win over Virginia Tech. While much of that team returns intact, the schedule is more challenging this year, so expect a fall back to reality for Kansas.
The Jayhawks face the South’s three best teams (at Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas at home in a three-week span) and play at USF on a Friday night. They go to Nebraska as well, and still play Missouri. QB Todd Reesing returns and will have some new faces on offense, but the production should be about the same.
Overshadowed by the offense last year, Kansas returns 9 starters from a defense that allowed just 16 points/game last year. They have to replace stud CB Aqib Talib, but the LB group of Mike Rivera, Joe Mortensen, and James Holt rivals Missouri’s.
Nebraska’s certainly had a really, really hard fall the past decade. From dominating everyone with the option (seeing the Gators get owned I can always enjoy) here…
…to playing just horrifically bad defense last year (WARNING: it’s long and a poor choice of music)…
Nebraska had owned Kansas for a really long time before 2005, and KU hung 76 on them last year. Interestingly, Nebraska scored 73 the next week in a win over Kansas State, before returning to form by giving up 65 to Colorado in the finale. On the season, Nebraska gave up a school-record 455 points (38 per game) and 5,722 yards.
Nebraska got rid of Bill Callahan, and hired LSU Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini, a very good hire in my opinion. Pelini obviously will bring a new attitude to the Husker defense, one that will have to rely on its front four in 2008. The same group that gave up 232 yards/game on the ground all returns and can only get better. It’s a little green in the back seven, but Nebraska can’t be much worse defensively than they were last year with Pelini running things.
Offensively, QB Joe Ganz started three games last year, and, in 173 fewer attempts, had more TDs than the highly-touted Sam Keller. The Huskers will rely on the running game this year, and having Marlon Lucky back behind an OL with five players with more than nine career starts. We’ll get to see the new Huskers early – they host Virginia Tech September 27.
After rolling Baylor, Kansas State was 5-3 with a close loss at Auburn and a 41-21 romp at Texas. Then the defense disappeared, giving up 31, 73, 49, and 45 points respectively to Iowa State, Nebraska, Missouri, and Fresno State. Despite just 12 returning starters, K-State should make it back to the postseason.
QB Josh Freeman has led the Wildcats to wins over Texas the past two years
Why? They bring in a whopping 19 junior college transfers. That’s not a typo. 19 junior college players. I’ve never heard of that. QB Josh Freeman and 2006 and 2007 All-Big 12 1st Team DE Ian Campbell returns as well.
Colorado, under first-year coach Dan “Go play intramurals, brother” Hawkins, surprised many and reached a bowl game last year. The highlights included a stunner over #3 Oklahoma on a late FG, a 31-26 win at Texas Tech, and a 65-51 romp over Nebraska. This was pretty cool too…
(Yes, I think South Park’s a great show) CU must replace Charles, Polumbus, Wheatley, and Dizon the Tackle-Machine (he had 173 last year). Hawkins landed Darrell Scott, a highly-ranked RB who could start this year, and his son Cody returns at QB.
I would say Colorado would be a shoe-in for a bowl, but they play a tough schedule: host West Virginia, play Florida State in Jacksonville, play at Kansas, at Missouri, at Texas A&M, at Nebraska, and get Texas at home.
Finally, there’s Iowa State, who started off the Gene Chizik era last year by losing home games to Kent State at Northern Iowa (ouch). It got better, as ISU beat hated Iowa, hung with Oklahoma and beat Kansas State and Colorado late in the year. QB Bret Meyer is gone, there’s improvement everywhere else on the offense. On defense the entire secondary is back, but only three of the front seven return, and the Cyclones have a ways to go to make any noise in the league.
Iowa State’s new logo for 2008
Yesterday I dove headfirst into the ACC Coastal Division and today it’s the Atlantic Division, which has seen three different winners – Florida State, Wake Forest, and Boston College – the three years of divisional play.
Clemson would love to be #4. The Tigers, the media’s preseason favorite to win the ACC and make a run nationally, arguably have the most talented team in the ACC. They have certainly had more success in winning recruiting battles with the SEC powers than any other team in the ACC, to the point where I would say the Tigers talent-wise would be in the top half of the SEC.
Two years, two straight late-season home losses have kept Clemson out of the ACC Title game with all that talent…this year Clemson closes the ACC home slate with Duke…no way…
As good as they are on paper, though, Clemson usually finds ways to…well, to blow it. In 2006, Clemson lost 13-12 at home to a 6-7 Maryland team. Had the Tigers won that, they would have tied Wake at 6-2, won the head-to-head tiebreaker and played Georgia Tech (a team they beat 31-7 earlier that year) for the ACC Title. The Tigers then capped the season off with a home loss to South Carolina and a bowl loss to Kentucky.
Last year is a better example though. Clemson laid consecutive eggs at Georgia Tech and at home to Virginia Tech, recovered, and needed a home win over BC to win the division. Highlights…
Not included was a long pass that went through WR Aaron Kelly’s hands right down near the end zone. Better yet, here’s a view from the Clemson student section of the missed FG…(why one would put that on YouTube I’ll never know, and pardon his language…).
Clemson managed to squeak a W out at Carolina, but lost to Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
Simply based on talent, Clemson has to be the ACC favorite. Cullen Harper, James Davis, C.J. Spiller, Aaron Kelly, Jacoby Ford, and Tyler Grisham form quite the set of athletic skill players. Clemson will have some inexperience along the OL though.
Along with QB Cullen Harper, HB tandem James Davis and C.J. Spiller give Clemson one of the best backfields in the nation
Defensively, LBs Nick Watkins and Tremaine Billie have to replaced. DE Philip Merling is gone too, but freshman spring-enrollee Da’Quan Bowers, ESPN’s top-rated recruit, should fill that spot nicely. The entire secondary returns too.
With ALL of that, can the Tigers finally finish the deal? The opener against Alabama in Atlanta – a game I’m really looking forward to – should tell us quite a bit, about both teams. Clemson plays two I-AA teams (The Citadel and SC State), but play Florida State and Wake Forest, the division’s top challengers, on the road. I just have a feeling it will be the same sad story of underachieving for the Tigers again.
As for the Noles, they haven’t been the same since winning it all in 1999. It’s been two straight 7-6 seasons, highlighted by incompetent QB play spoiling great defensive talent. To top it all off, FSU had over 20 players suspended for the Music City Bowl loss to Kentucky for an academic cheating scandal, and many players will also miss the first two games this season as well.
FSU responded to having half its team suspended by scheduling Western Carolina and Chattanooga to open up 2008
To cope, FSU smartly – but ridiculously – scheduled Western Carolina and Chattanooga to open ‘08. FSU has the schedule to return to glory this year, with basically 8 home games – 7 at home, one in Jacksonville (Colorado). They get Clemson, Wake, Virginia Tech, and Florida all at home.
Drew Weatherford will be the Nole QB, and having a running game might help. The Noles haven’t had a 1,000 yard rusher since Warrick Dunn in 1996. Antone Smith will try to do it this year, but the OL returns just 24 career starts. Talented playmakers at WR, Greg Carr and Preston Parker, are both back.
After some tough years, Bobby Bowden leads FSU back to the top of the ACC and tells his critics to shove it…
Eight defensive starters are back, but is FSU ever really that bad on defense? Mickey Andrews is one of the better defensive coordinators in the nation, but the Noles will be without stud LB Geno Hayes. Will all of this returning talent and an easy schedule, this has to be the year FSU returns to the top of the ACC right? I think they will.
On the opposite end of the spectrum of both FSU and Clemson is Wake Forest. Jim Grobe has been magnificent, leading the Deacons to the ACC Title in 2006, and 9-4 with a bowl win last year with less talented players. Wake’s a contender against this year.
When talking about nationally underrated coaches, you have to remember Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe
QB Riley Skinner is back along with HB Josh Adams. Skinner will have to find some new WRs and the OL lost a good bit of experience, but offensively Wake should be fine. The defense is the area of improvement though, as 9 starters are back, including the top 4 tacklers, including All-American CB Alphonso Smith. Defense will be a strength for Wake in 2008, with the potential to lead them to another ACC Title.
Maryland was 31-8 from 2001-2003 but have had two losing season since. The Terps should change that this year, with eight returning starters. They do lose HBs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, but the OL returns 4 starters. Who the Maryland QB will be is still TBD – it’s between Florida transfer Josh Portis, and two guys who played extensively last year, Chris Turner and Jordan Steffy.
Whichever one of three QBs for Maryland will like throwing to the very speedy Darrius Heyward-Bey
A generally solid defense has to find six new starters. Stud LB Erin Henderson is gone, but Dave Philistin, who racked up 124 tackles last year, could help make up for Henderson’s loss.
Expect Boston College to struggle this year, obviously as Matt Ryan is now with the Falcons. His replacement will be Sr. Chris Crane. In addition, there will be new RBs for BC, but top WRs Rich Gunnell and Brandon Robinson should help the inexperenced Crane.
Sr. QB Chris Crane gets the unenviable task of replacing Matt Ryan and his legend
Just four returning defensive starters for BC, as guys like Jamie Silva, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and DeJuan Tribble are gone. LB Brian Toal, a two-year starter, returns after missing last year with an injury. Including Toal, BC has just three of its back seven back. We’ll get to see how good of a hire Jeff Jagodzinski was this year, and a bowl game should be a realistic goal.
Finally, there’s NC State. The Wolf Pack started 1-5 last year (the 1 was Wofford), won four straight, then lost the last two by a combined 75-18 to Wake and Maryland. The 37-0 home loss crushed NC State’s bowl chances, but fans and players got this to brighten their days…
Classic. NC State has just 10 starters back this year, though, and only four on defense where five of last year’s top six tacklers are gone. The schedule – with trips to South Carolina, Clemson and Maryland, and home games against East Carolina, USF, the Florida schools and Wake – isn’t easy either, so I’ll be surprised if NC State makes a bowl in 2008.
Second-year coach Tom O’Brien may find matching last year’s five wins fairly difficult in 2008
Remember the pitifulness that was the Big 12 North just a couple of years ago? In a three-year stretch from 2004-2006, the North representative lost in the conference title game by a combined 133-13. The emergence of Missouri and Kansas have more or less saved the division’s reputation.
What does this have to do with the ACC Coastal Division? If it wasn’t for Virginia Tech, this division would be the new Big 12 North. You could also call it a mini-Big East, because it’s a surprise if the Hokies don’t win the division. The competition? inconsistent Virginia and Georgia Tech, fallen power Miami, and basketball schools North Carolina and Duke.
I don’t really know what to say about this…
Look, I’m not going to ruffle many feathers when I say the ACC may be the worst of the major six BCS leagues. It was supposed to be the next super-conference when Miami, VT, and BC joined, but the Canes and perennial power Florida State have struggled, and the league has struggled in non-conference games.
Virginia Tech has won two ACC titles since joining the league in 2004
Yes, the ACC won the most non-conference games of any other league with 10. The wins: South Carolina, Colorado, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Notre Dame (twice), Texas A&M, UConn, and Pitt. However, the league was just 2-6 in bowls last year (this division was 0-3) and is a woeful 1-9 all-time in bowl games.
This probably says just as much…
Yes, the SEC Champions beat the ACC Champion by 41 points. Virginia Tech recovered from that and the late collapse against Matt Ryan to bounce back, win the Coastal in its rival’s stadium, and avenge the loss for the ACC Championship, the Hokies’ second in its four years in the ACC. They then of course lost to Kansas, who had no business even being in the Orange Bowl (uh, Missouri?).
Once again, the Coastal is Tech’s to lose, despite the dismissal of HB Branden Ore, graduation of the top four WRs, and having to find 7 new defensive starters. The two-headed QB attack of Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor return, and the Hokies’ OL, which gave up 54 sacks last year, should be much improved. VT has some tough road games – North Carolina, Nebraska, BC, FSU, and Miami – but c’mon, they have the most talent in this division and Frank Beamer.
CB Victor “Macho” Harris is one of just four returning defensive starters for Virginia Tech, but the Hokies always have good defenses under Bud Foster
The Hokies most likely challenger will actually be North Carolina (don’t laugh). Though UNC hasn’t won a game outside the state since 2002, it’s Butch Davis’ second year and he has the Tar Heel program heading in the right direction. The entire offense returns, including So. QB T.J. Yates, who broke the school records in yards, completions, and attempts last year. The entire secondary returns and the defense should be fine despite losing its top two tacklers.
Could Butch Davis lead UNC into the ACC Title Game in just his second year??
UNC will be tested early, with trips to Rutgers and Miami sandwiching the home game against Virginia Tech, all in the first four games. The Heels also host Notre Dame. They were just 3-6 last year in games decided by less than 7 points, so it’s not like they have that far to go.
Miami was supposed to be Virginia Tech’s main competition, but the Canes have had a rough go in the ACC. The Canes were just 2-6 in the league last year and those wins were UNC and Duke. I would attribute most of the issues to poor QB play and lackluster effort. The current QBs on the roster have attempted as many passes in college as I have – zero. That said, many are high on rFr. Robert Marve and Fr. early-enrollee Jacory Harris. Playmakers like HBs Craig Cooper and Javarris James and WR Sam Shields should help. Oh, they lost five of their top six tacklers from last year too.
Miami said adios to the Orange Bowl by laying an egg against Virginia…maybe the move to Dolphin Stadium will get Miami and all that talent back on track
Seriously, it’s not like Miami is depleted on talent, they had a top 10 class last year. They’re going to be a pretty young team this year, and they play Florida and Texas A&M on the road in the first three games. Still, there’s no reason Miami shouldn’t at least make a bowl game this year.
Quietly, Virginia, led by their defense, had a chance to win the Coastal last year, but lost at home to Virginia Tech in the finale. It’s a rebuilding year for Al Groh, as the Cavs lose much of that defense (six starters including #2 pick DE Chris Long), lose experience along the OL, and must break in a new QB. The Cavs got smacked by Wyoming and were 6-2 in games decided by 7 points or less last year, so they were fortunate to go 9-4.
A strength a year ago, Virginia returns just five starters, but all three LBs – including Clint Sintim – are back
Playmaking HBs Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson are back, and QB Peter Lalich did play in 8 games last year.
It’s a whole new start for Georgia Tech, as new coach Bobby Johnson is bringing the triple option offense to Atlanta. Last year’s starting QB Taylor Bennett transferred to Louisiana Tech since he was certainly not an option QB. So. Josh Nesbitt, though, is an option-style QB. Proof:
Stud HB Tashard Choice is gone but Jonathan Dwyer scored 9 TDs last year, yet there are some questions on the OL. Seven starters and Jon Tenuta, one of the best defensive coordinators in the game, are all gone. 1st Team All-ACC Vance Walker anchors a defensive line that should be solid.
And finally, there’s Duke. The Blue Devils have just plain sucked for a really, really long time (see 1-31 ACC record since expansion in 2004). But they hired David Cutcliffe away from Tennessee and look to be showing some vested interest in making a concentrated effort on improving the football program. Cutcliffe won at Ole Miss, but can he win at Duke, a place where only Steve Spurrier has won?
(Sincerely) Good luck at Duke, Coach Cut, you’re gonna need it…
Simply because of what Cutcliffe has done for Tennessee, I hope so. Cutcliffe has always been an excellent QB coach (see the Mannings and moreso Erik Ainge 2005 vs. Erik Ainge 2006-2007) – maybe less so as an offensive coordinator (not touching that dead horse). He’ll now be working with Thaddeus Lewis, who’s entering his third year as Duke’s starter.
The rushing and receiving leaders from last year both return, but the Devils averaged just 64 yards rushing/game last year. They do have 10 starters back on defense, though, including 100 tackle LBs Vincent Rey and Michael Taualiili.
Duke’s won 4 games the past four years, and I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch for them to win that many this year.
I gotta be honest: I just don’t think very highly of the Big East. It just seems to me all the beef – Miami, Virginia Tech, and BC – has now moved “up” to the ACC.
Virginia Tech probably has benefitted the most from the shift, but more on that in the ACC preview. The next beneficiary has clearly been West Virginia, the league’s most notable and consistent team since the “Big Three” left. Obviously since then the Big East has more or less been the Mountaineers’ to lose.
Many, myself included, thought the league had fallen into the mid-major/not-deserving-of-its-automatic-bid-to-a-BCS-bowl situation. Pitt being rocked by Alex Smith and Urban Meyer’s undefeated Utah team in the Fiesta Bowl following the ‘04 season didn’t help, but something happened the next bowl season…
West Virginia, with Pat White and Steve Slaton, stunned the powerful SEC champion Georgia basically in their own backyard. That was a great win and has more or less given the league some credibility, but how long can that be used? Of course, now WVU’s rout of an Oklahoma team many thought deserved a shot at the national title in the most recent Fiesta Bowl will likely take its place.
The league actually had 7 wins over BCS teams in the non-conference schedule (tied with the MWC and SEC for the second most), but a closer look at those wins takes the luster off that stat. The wins were over: Maryland, Mississippi State, Auburn, North Carolina, NC State, Oregon State, and Duke. I should point out that more chances for respect come this year though: West Virginia plays at Colorado and hosts Auburn, USF hosts Kansas, Pitt plays at Notre Dame, Louisville plays Kentucky and Kansas State, and Cincinnati plays at Oklahoma.
Other than USF’s OT win at Auburn, Cincinnati’s 34-3 rout of Oregon State might have been the best out-of-conference regular season win for the Big East in 2007
In reality they should call it the “Thursday Night” league because of the almost dominance of ESPN Thursday night games the past three seasons or so. I guess it’s good for the exposure and that’s great and all, but to me college football is meant for Saturdays and Saturdays alone – maybe I’m just old-school. I just think if you have to play your games on nights when you’re the only option for a football-hungry nation to be seen and noticed, then you must not be that important in the whole scheme of things. NOTE: Big East teams play 25 non-Saturday games this year, including games Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday.
In addition to WVU, Louisville has also carried the Big East’s respect with QB Brian Brohm and a lesser BCS Orange Bowl win over ACC Champion Wake Forest. But the Cards fell to 6-6 last year and were absolutely atrocious on defense (#113 in the country against the pass). The worst? the 38-35 loss to 40+ point underdog Syracuse, winner of two Big East games the past two years. In an effort to improve the defense, UL coach Steve Kragthorpe brought in former Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English.
Back to WVU, the image that sticks out to me that makes me think of the Big East in such a negative light, is Pat White nursing his thumb injury while his WVU offense sputtered against a Pitt team whose coach Dave Wannstedt was likely on his way out. I can’t imagine the injury was that bad, but of course what do I know.
I’ll put it this way: Tim Tebow played the last half of the year with a bum shoulder and won the Heisman with his performance against Florida State with a broken hand. Even Erik Ainge, who most Vol fans consider the most contact-shy, fragile Tennessee QB ever played ALL of last year with a pinky-on-his-throwing-hand injury and a bum throwing shoulder.
Yes, WVU could have gone to New Orleans last year, and honestly I would not have watched them play Ohio State because I believed LSU fully healthy was better than both. That said, I would have liked the Mountaineers chances because of Ohio State’s problems with the spread (see their loss to Illinois). But Pitt ruined that…
West Virginia still controls the Big East, with Pat White returning and speedy HB Noel Devine to take the place of the departed Steve Slaton. The offense will have new WRs that will need to emerge, but the offensive line will be one of the best in the country. The ‘Eers will have a whole new secondary to develop and have questions on the defensive line. Also, how will new coach Bill Stewart fare in his first full year? The bowl win was stirring, sure, but will that carry over?
Because of the upset of WVU, Pitt is viewed as a challenger in the Big East this year. Wannstedt is still the coach, and the Panthers seem to be a popular darkhorse Big East champion pick behind WVU and USF. Pitt lost just 13 letterman and have 15 starters back, most notably stud HB LeSean McCoy and last year’s top three tacklers (LBs Scott McKillop, Shane Murray, and Adam Gunn). Pitt shut down WVU in that upset, and they allowed just over 3 yards/carry on defense last year. At the least, Pitt should make their first bowl since that Fiesta Bowl blowout in 2004, or Wannstedt will be looking for a new job.
A recent episode of College Football Live on ESPN had the USF Bulls as a “breakthrough” team of 2007. However I think it’s much more accurate they had a couple of breakout wins. One was this…
…the other was beating West Virginia on ESPN on (surprise surprise) a Friday night. The Bulls climbed to #2 in the polls before a Thursday night loss at Rutgers, followed by a loss at UConn, and a home loss to Cincinnati. Their season then ended with this thud…
USF pretty much may be the reason Jonathan Stewart was the first RB taken not named McFadden (I jest, Stewart should be a solid NFL HB). If the Bulls broke through last year, then expectations should be higher this season, with 17 starters back (10 on offense), including QB Matt Grothe. The offense has the potential to put up lots of points (the Florida speed should help), and the defense, while having to replace leading tackler LB Ben Moffitt and two NFL CBs in Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams, should be solid again this year. USF actually could run the table, and the league might be decided December 6 when they visit Morgantown.
Cincinnati, under first year head coach Brian Kelly quietly finished 10-3 and in the top 20 last year, but the Bearcats suffered a blow when QB Ben Mauk was denied a 6th year of eligibility. You could see Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones win the job, but the strength of Cincy should be the defense, which gave up 19 points/game last year. The only question there is the DL, but offensively Cincy will need to find a QB to throw to one of the better WR groups in the league.
Cincinnati CB Mike Mickens will be one of the defensive leaders for the Bearcats this year
Little do people know that Connecticut split for the Big East title last year with WVU. Simply put, the Huskies caught some breaks – there was the Temple game, and then there was this play…
…that ultimately turned the game and allowed UConn to win. UConn lost 17-16 at UVa, but the best three teams they played (Cincy, West Virginia, and Wake Forest in the bowl), beat the Huskies by a combined 117-34. Ouch. While the entire offense pretty much returns and the only question defensively is the secondary, I think UConn will be hard-pressed to reach 9 wins again. They can make a bowl certainly, but really how good were the Huskies last year?
Can UConn and HB Andre Dixon build off last year’s Big East “co” championship?
Then there’s Rutgers, who had a little fall back to the reality of being Rutgers last year going 8-5. Sure there was the good Rutgers…
…but losses to Maryland (24-34), Cincy (23-28), and WVU (3-31) at home and at UConn (19-38) and Louisville (38-41) dampered the feelings from 2006. The Scarlet Knights return 15 starters, but one of them is not 2,000-yd 24 TD HB Ray Rice. That and special teams are the questions for coach Greg Schiano this year, as pretty much everyone else – QB Mike Teel, WRs Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood, FS Courtney Greene, and LBs Kevin Malast and Damaso Munoz – returns. However Rutgers has trips to WVU, USF, and Pitt, so a fourth-straight bowl game should be a respectable goal for this team.
Last but not least, there’s Syracuse. The Orange have won 7 total games the past 3 years, and only 2 league games (UConn in 2006, UL last year). While Syracuse has 14 starters back, they were just awful last year – outscored by 20 points/game in Big East games – and there’s quite the gap between them and the rest of the league.
Syracuse’s Greg Robinson is just 7-28 in his first three years as head coach
Again in 2008, the Big East is West Virginia’s to lose.
2008 “Replacements”: West Virginia’s explosive HB Noel Devine replaces the departed Steve Slaton and Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell, who led the Cards’ 31-7 win over Miami in 2006, replaces Brian Brohm
I think it’s safe to say that the East Division was much better overall than the West Division in C-USA in 2007. Proof: in the regular season, the East was 13-5 against the West, with four of the losses being by Marshall and UAB, the last-place teams. League champ UCF, along with East Carolina and Memphis, went 3-0 vs. the West.
A closer look somewhat furthers this notion: six of the East’s wins were by 7 points or less. At the same time though, Marshall lost by just eight at Tulsa and just a TD at Houston, and UAB lost at Tulsa by just 8 points (30-38).
The East Division was 13-5 against the West Division of C-USA in 2007, thanks to the departed Kevin Smith and UCF, who were 4-0
The East also had four bowl teams – UCF, ECU, Memphis, and Southern Miss – to just two – Tulsa and Houston – from the West (C-USA was just 2-4 in bowl games last year). Also, UCF beat Tulsa in the C-USA Title Game.
Will this continue to this year? I will say not to the same extent – look for a more even intra-divisional record in ‘08. Here’s the East…
EAST CAROLINA
Last Year: 8-5, upset Boise State in Hawaii Bowl – 2007 Schedule – 2008 Schedule
ECU FS Van Eskridge, here returning a fumble for six at UTEP last year, leads a stout Pirates defense into the C-USA East title hunt in 2008
In 2007, ECU closed the season winning 7 of 9, and set a school-record for points in a season (403). However they were outgained by 30 yards/game in conference games, and lose speedy HB Chris Johnson and his nearly 2,000 yards of offense and 23 total TDs. Two QBs – the running threat Patrick Pinkney and pocket passer Rob Kass – alternated last year, and should do so this year as well.
At the HB position, Sr. Dominique Lindsay has plenty of experience, and So. Jonathan Williams has sub-4.4 speed and averaged nearly 7 yards/carry last year. Leading WR Jamar Bryant is back, as is So. Dwayne Harris, who had nearly 800 all-purpose yards (he returned punts too). With 4 starters back, ECU may have the best OL in the conference.
ECU was OK on defense last year, showing glimpses (the opener at Virginia Tech and first 3 quarters of the bowl game) of being really good, and they return 9 starters this year. Three top tacklers return – FS Van Eskridge and LBs Pierre Bell and Quentin Cotton. The entire DL is back, potentially the best in the league, so this should be a pretty good defense. The Pirates play a tough non-C-USA schedule – VT in Charlotte, West Virginia, at NC State and at Virginia – but get their tougher C-USA games – outside of UCF and maybe Southern Miss – at home. With possibly the best lines in the league, ECU might be the East favorite.
UCF
Last Year: 10-4, League Champs, lost in Liberty Bowl – 2007 Schedule – 2008 Schedule
‘07 C-USA Champ UCF returns their entire secondary, including SS Sha’reff Rashad, who led the Knights with 103 tackles last year
Even-numbered years have not been good for UCF so far under George O’Leary: 0-11 in 2004 and 4-8 in 2006. The Knights went 18-9 in 2005 and 2007, including last year’s C-USA Championship run, led by departed 2,500-yd, 29 TD HB Kevin Smith. They also will have a new QB, likely Jr. Mike Greco, who attempted just 45 passes last year. At HB you’ll see Jr. Phillip Smith and incoming Fr. Latavius Murray. WRs A.J. Guyton and Kamar Aiken combined for nearly 900 yards and 7 TDs as freshman last year, and leading WR Rocky Ross is back as well. Seven of the top 10 OL return.
Nine defensive starters return for the Knights, including the entire secondary – CBs Johnell Neal and Joe Burnett, SS Sha’reff Rashad, and FS Jason Venson. The 3 starters at LB from last year – Derrick Hallman, Chance Henderson, and Cory Hogue – return and the backers may be the best in the league. The top two DL are gone, though. UCF has in-state bragging right opportunities with USF and a trip to Miami on the schedule (also a trip to BC). They get ECU at home, but travel to UTEP, Tulsa, Marshall, and Memphis. Nevertheless, UCF should be bowling again and could very well defend their title.
MARSHALL
Last Year: 3-9 – 2007 Schedule – 2008 Schedule
FS C.J. Spillman led Marshall with 131 tackles last year, leading a defense that had just a total of 4 INTs
Marshall started off 0-7 last year before salvaging the season with wins over Rice, ECU, and UAB – long gone are the days of Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich setting school records. Marshall should be better this year, however, with 17 returning starters, including 2006 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year DE Albert McClellan, who tore his ACL last summer and missed ‘07.
QB Bernard Morris is gone, but the RBs and WRs return with experience and the OL losses should be replaced with some talented JUCO and redshirt freshmen. Nine defensive starters return, including the top four tacklers, including FS C.J. Spillman and MLB Maurice Kitchens. Marshall intercepted only four passes last year (2 were by DE John Jacobs who returns). The Herd will have to win a couple tough home games against Memphis, Houston, UCF and Tulsa in conference, because a 1-3 non-conference record is very likely with games against Cincy and at Wisconsin and at West Virginia.
MEMPHIS
Last Year: 7-6, lost in New Orleans Bowl – 2007 Schedule – 2008 Schedule
Memphis returns their top 7 receivers from last year, including the tall (6-foot-8), lanky Carlos Singleton
The hometown (I won’t say my) Tigers were 2-4 the middle of last year with losses to Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee before close wins over Rice and Tulane propelled Memphis into bowl eligibility with a 3OT home win over SMU. They were outscored in conference despite going 6-2. The top passer (QB Martin Hankins) and rusher (HB Joseph Doss) are gone, but the entire WR corps return. Head Coach Tommy West, entering his 8th season, has also said this year’s OL may be the best he’s had while Memphis.
Eight defensive starters return, including FS Brandon Patterson. Three DL return, so there should be improvement there, and two starting LBs return, along with 3 in the secondary. The East may very well be a four-team race, and Memphis should be a contender this year. They get UCF at home and travel to ECU, but they draw Rice, SMU, and Tulane out of the West (that’s favorable). They open up at Ole Miss, and look who’s back on the schedule again! Yes, the hated Louisville Cardinals visit Memphis October 10.
SOUTHERN MISS
Last Year: 7-6, lost to USF in bowl – 2007 Schedule – 2008 Schedule
HB Damion Fletcher looks for his third-straight 1,000-yd season, though Southern Miss returns just 10 starters and (inexplicably) has a new coach
Rant time: Southern Miss was just plain stupid for forcing out long-time head coach Jeff Bower. What did Bower do in Hattiesburg? He built USM into football respectability: the Golden Eagles have been to 10 bowls the last 11 years, and Bower led USM to 14 straight winning seasons. To put that into perspective, only Florida, Florida State, Michigan, and Virginia Tech have that current distinction. Tough spot for new coach Larry Fedora.
To add to the change, Southern Miss has just 10 starters back. HB Damion Fletcher and leading receivers WR Torris Magee and TE Shawn Nelson return, but the OL returns just 45 career starts and the interior line must be replaced. C-USA’s Defensive Player of the Year last year MLB Gerald McRath returns (139 tackles last year), but the Eagles have to replace seven starters, including the entire D-Line. LB Tokumbo Abanikanda, who has one of the coolest names in college football in my opinion, does return too. Continuing their ambitious non-conference scheduling, USM plays at Auburn this year and host Boise State. With the losses and the new coach, don’t be surprised if that 14-year streak comes to an end in 2008.
UAB
Last Year: 2-10 – 2007 Schedule – 2008 Schedule
FS Will Dunbar led UAB with 122 tackles last year and is one of 9 returning starters on defense for an extremely youthful Blazer team in ‘08
When discussing the powerful offenses in C-USA last year, remember not to include the Blazers – UAB averaged 19.6 points/game last year, and allowed 35 to add on all that. A tough first year for coach Neil Callaway, UAB has just 4 senior starters and just 7 overall seniors on the listed two-deep charts.
Dual-threat QB (Darrell Hackney, part II?) Joseph Webb saw a fair share of action last year, and he enters this year as the likely starter (Webb had 30 receptions and 3 TD catches last year too). The revolving door at HB continues: Rashaud Slaughter led in rushing last year, but moves to WR, Mississippi State transfer Brandon Thornton had 63 carries last year but was dismissed, and Aaron Johns, after failing to qualify last year, returns. Three OL starters return, two of whom started as freshmen last year.
Nine defensive starters are back for UAB. UAB was atrocious against the run last year, allowing 291 yards/game in C-USA play (257 overall). The entire DL returns, and all but one LB and one DB return, so huge improvements are expected for the Blazers defensively. Trips to Florida Atlantic, Tennessee, and South Carolina could spell trouble, as UAB is another year away from seriously contending for a bowl bid.
