After further review: Cincinnati and Pittsburgh remain on a collision course to determine the Big East championship and BCS bowl berth.The Bearcats and Panthers experienced some anxious moments down the stretch, but both survived to move a step closer to delivering the Big East its first matchup of Top-10 ranked teams since 2006.
Cincinnati held off West Virginia, 24-21, and Pittsburgh outlasted Notre Dame 27-22 over the weekend. Did we mention both UC and Pitt were playing at home and benefited from two game-changing replay reversals?
And who says the SEC has the monopoly on all the controversial replay calls?
The No. 5 ranked Bearcats (10-0, 6-0 Big East) and No. 8 Panthers (9-1, 5-0) get a chance to catch their breath this weekend. West Virginia also is off this weekend, giving the Mountaineers time to reflect on their first two-game Big East losing streak since 2004 and watch Rich Rod against Ohio State.
Some things we may have figured out in the past week:
1. Chris Fowler isn't half as embarrassed as Jim Leavitt should be
During Rutgers' 31-0 seal-clubbing of South Florida on Thursday night, ESPN's Chris Fowler remarked he was embarrassed that he had voted for USF on his AP Top 25 ballot last week. (Hey Chris, I feel your pain: I had USF at No. 25 and I should really know better). When the Bulls joined the Big East in 2005, they were expected to compete for a league title: yet they've never finished higher than third (Syracuse is the only other league team without a top two finish). USF is 2-3 in league play and regressing. The Bulls' three Big East losses this year are by a combined 75 points and they're 4-8 in their last 12 Big East games. For a second consecutive year, the Bulls could be headed for a sixth-place finish. Perhaps, Fowler and I should have listened to SI.com's Stewart Mandel, when he wrote about USF's struggles last year: "I fell for the myth that Jim Leavitt's built-from-scratch program had established itself as a nationally relevant program."
2. Is the gig up for Cincinnati?
Another team has discovered Cincinnati's kryptonite that might eventually cost the Bearcats an undefeated season. West Virginia became the third team this season to crack the 200-yard rushing mark against the Bearcats and, not so coincidentally, the third team to hang within a touchdown of Cincinnati. The Bearcats allowed more than 200 yards rushing in close wins against Fresno State (28-20), UConn (47-45) and West Virginia (24-21). In their other seven victories, they allowed an average of 91 yards rushing and had an average winning margin of 28.9 points.
3. The 'R' on the helmet stands for red-hot
Whatever Greg Schiano is doing with his Rutgers teams in the second half of the past four seasons, he should bottle it and sell it -- or try doing the same thing in the first half of the season. Once again, the Scarlet Knights are heating up in the second half of the year. Since 2006, Rutgers' combined record – not including games against FCS opponents -- in the first six games of the year is 10-9. In the same span in the second half of the year, the Scarlet Knights are 19-5. Last year, Rutgers ended the year on a 7-0 run and after Thursday's dismantling of USF, the Scarlet Knights have won their last three games.
Re-Tweeting Week 11
Ranking the league from top to bottom and summarizing each team, in 140 characters or less.
1. Cincinnati: Bad news is the close wins don't impress pollsters. Good news is the 'Cats are now experts at recovering onside kicks
2. Pitt: Nation's only team with a RB (Dion Lewis) and QB (Bill Stull) ranked among the nation's top six in rushing and pass efficiency
3. Rutgers: QB Tom Savage gets all the credit, but the Big East's top-rated defense has been the key to Rutgers' recent resurgence
4. West Virginia: Unless the Mountaineers defeat both Pitt and Rutgers, WVU will finish with its most Big East losses since 2001 team went 1-6
5. UConn: Huskies hoping to extend the Big East's winning streak against Notre Dame to four games
6. South Florida: In five seasons in Big East play, the Bulls are 16-17 and have never finished better than 4-3
7. Louisville: The Cards like 'em close. UL's three wins against FBS teams this season are by a combined 11 points
8. Syracuse: Just like Greg Robinson, Doug Marrone appears headed toward a 0-7 Big East record in his debut season
Follow Brett McMurphy on Twitter at twitter.com/BrettmcmurphY
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brett if you and Fowler think you were dooped, think about how we feel. As a USF alumnus I fall for it every year, I can't help it....guess I and many others are gluttons for punishment!