2008 Big East Discussion

[MD Buckeye]

Rivals.com College Football - Work begins anew across country

Gives dates of spring practice & also Spring Games. Also gives news on current buzz

 

[HoltWVU75]

Dont everybody talk at once....

 

[BB73]

si.com

After the exodus
WVU's White moving on after losing Slaton, Rodriguez

The two freshmen speedsters and the homegrown coach sat at a podium inside the Georgia Dome collectively beaming. A West Virginia team that was a preseason afterthought had just delivered arguably the most monumental win in the program's history, but already the conversation had shifted to what appeared to be a future of limitless potential for Rich Rodriguez's team behind star running back Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White.

When asked what was next for this group, White answered without batting an eye "Start a dynasty, I guess."

Cont'd ...

 

[BB73]

WV plans to tweak the offense and keep White healthy, and stay with the 3-3-5 on defense.

cfn

How much is being changed at West Virginia with the new coaching staff, and will even more of the offense be put on Pat White? More importantly, how much have all the outside distractions affected the team?

From Kevin Kinder, BlueGoldNews.com

Look for tweaks and additions, rather than a major overhaul, as West Virginia goes through spring practice. New offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen will bring some of his playbook from Wake Forest to WVU, which features more motion and runs from different angles than the conventional spread offense. White will still be the focal point of the offense, but care will be taken not to beat up the Heisman candidate, which is what happened during the previous two seasons. Those factors contributed heavily to the losses in 2006 and 2007, and head coach Bill Stewart is adamant that won't happen again. The call for more passing will also be heard, but it remains to be seen whether the receivers can actually do anything about it. The thinking on the coaching staff is that, given the chance, the passing game will develop.

Defensively, the story will be the same. WVU will continue to run its base 3-3-5 look, but more diversity will likely be seen in several other alignments. With former defensive coordinators (Steve Dunlap and David Lockwood) joining the staff, there certainly won't be any shortage of ideas for doing so. Coordinator Jeff Casteel, who engineered a remarkable turnaround on the defense in 2007, will be surrounded by talent in the staff.
Cont'd ...

 

[BB73]

Spring preview of the Big East by Richard Cirminiello.

cfn

2008 Spring Preview - The Big East

Yes, Louisville's Hunter Cantwell could be the 2009 top NFL QB prospect. Can he lead the Cards back to a Big East title? As spring ball gets rolling, here are the big questions, the most important positions and more for each Big East team in the CFN Spring Preview.

Cont'd ...

 

[BB73]

Schedules week-by-week (including the recent changes for Rutgers), and a look at each team's slate.

cfn

2008 Big East Composite Schedule

Top Ten Big East Games
1. West Virginia at Pitt, Nov. 28
2. South Florida at West Virginia, Dec. 6
3. Cincinnati at West Virginia, Nov. 8
4. West Virginia at Louisville, Nov. 22
5. Rutgers at West Virginia, Oct. 4
6. South Florida at Cincinnati, Oct. 30
7. Rutgers at South Florida, Nov. 15
8. Pitt at Cincinnati, Nov. 22
9. Cincinnati at Louisville, Nov. 14
10. Louisville at Pitt, Nov. 8Top Ten Non, Conference Games
1. Auburn at West Virginia, Oct. 23
2. Kansas at South Florida, Sept. 13
3. West Virginia at Colorado, Sept. 18
4. Cincinnati at Oklahoma, Sept. 6
5. Kansas State at Louisville, Sept. 13
6. Kentucky at Louisville, Aug. 31
7. Pitt at Notre Dame, Nov. 1
8. Iowa at Pitt, Sept. 20
9. Virginia at Connecticut, Sept. 13
10. South Florida at UCF, Sept. 5

cont'd ...

cfn

2008 Big East Team-by-Team Schedule Breakdown

The Big East is only an eight team league meaning there are several chances for interesting non-conference games. It also means that some teams only have three league road dates. So who gets the big break? If you're looking for a rebound year from Eric Wood and Louisville, the schedule should help.

Cont'd ...

 

[MD Buckeye]

Rivals Free

Leavitt has South Florida dreaming big

 

[HoltWVU75]

our game with Auburn should be a doozie.....

 

[MD Buckeye]

Rivals (Free)

4/10

Talks about the upcoming year for Pitt

 

[cincibuck]

Dont everybody talk at once....

OK. I for one have firmly believed that the Big East was a step above the MAC and a step below the Big 10/SEC/Pac 10. Results from bowl games would seem to suggest otherwise, especially when you add in that the Big East winner, like the Big 10, Big 8 winners must play an away game in their bowl.

 

[Steve19]

OK. I for one have firmly believed that the Big East was a step above the MAC and a step below the Big 10/SEC/Pac 10. Results from bowl games would seem to suggest otherwise, especially when you add in that the Big East winner, like the Big 10, Big 8 winners must play an away game in their bowl.

Three thoughts.

First, the Big Ten sucked last year. There, I said it.

Second, if those really are the top ten OOC games played by the Big East, then they will struggle with SOS this year. SOS really determines your conference SOS, because once the conference games begin, the baseline has been established and you cannot play a team higher than your top conference team.

Third, the Big Ten will be better this year, but some teams will still suck. Where's that put us in the scheme of things versus the Big East?

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Keeping QB White's jersey clean is WVU's primary goal - College Football

Keeping QB White's jersey clean is WVU's primary goal

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- If you're not a West Virginia player, it seems like a game played 10 years ago.

So much has happened in the interim: a coaching divorce as messy as any split on "Entertainment Tonight," an upset victory in the Fiesta Bowl, a coaching hire decided in the wee hours that appeared as well thought out as most marriages performed at 3 a.m.

Before any of that conspired to make Mountaineer football a soap opera, there was West Virginia's 13-9 loss to Pittsburgh, a four-touchdown underdog, on Dec. 1. If West Virginia had won, it would have played in the BCS National Championship Game, coach Rich Rodriguez would not have left for Michigan two weeks later and West Virginia would not have staged a coaching search that made the athletic department look as if it were being run out of the governor's back pocket.

Contd...

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Syracuse's top receiver suspended from university - College Football

Syracuse's top receiver suspended from university

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse wideout Mike Williams, the Orange's leading receiver last season, has been suspended by the school over an academic issue, the university confirmed Tuesday.

Sue Edson, assistant athletics director for communications, said Williams was not enrolled in school. Head coach Greg Robinson cited privacy laws in not elaborating on Williams' situation.

Williams practiced with the team in the spring and university spokesman Kevin Morrow said he completed the spring semester.

If Williams, a second-team All-Big East Conference selection, does not return for his junior year, it will leave the struggling Orange without their top two offensive threats from 2007. As a team, Syracuse scored 24 touchdowns in 2007, with Williams and Taj Smith accounting for 15 scores.

Contd...

 

[MD Buckeye]

Pitt receiver Williams out for 2008 - NCAA Football - Yahoo! Sports

Pitt receiver Williams out for 2008

PITTSBURGH (AP)?Pitt receiver Maurice Williams will sit out the season after being declared academically ineligible.

Williams, a former star at Strong Vincent High School in Erie, played in 10 games in 2007, catching five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Williams was expected to be Pitt?s top deep threat this season, and his absence will create an opening that could be filled by incoming freshman receiver Jonathan Baldwin of Aliquippa.

Williams plans to remain on Pitt?s team and take a redshirt season. He would have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

?We believe Maurice can achieve a lot at Pitt, both academically and athletically, and our expectations are for him to use this as motivation for improvement,? Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement.

 

[MD Buckeye]

ESPN - Jeffers to be eligible to play for Vandy in 2009 - College Football

Jeffers to be eligible to play for Vandy in 2009

Terence Jeffers, Connecticut's leading receiver last season, will finish his career at Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson announced on Wednesday that Jeffers was enrolled in summer school classes at Vanderbilt and would be a part of the Commodores' football program. Jeffers is required to sit out this season per NCAA transfer rules, but will still have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2009 season.

"Terence wants to be a Commodore and has worked hard to join the team," Johnson said. "I look forward to him being a great contributor on the practice field next season and a valuable player on Saturdays starting in 2009."

Contd....