NCAA Football FanHouse

Big East Keeps its BCS Status Sun Rises in the East

John Radcliff — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, Cincinnati Football, South Florida Football

Was it really only four years ago that the Big East was in danger of losing it's BCS status? Miami and Virginia Tech left in 2003 and Boston College in 2004. The conference sent Pitt, one of several 8-4 teams in the Big East to lose to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. And there wasn't much reason to think the conference was going to get better any time soon. The conference was written off by the media and the blogospher didn't even bother to poke fun.

But something happened last week that most of us didn't even notice. The Big East was granted a spot in the BCS through 2013.

The reason is simple: no one noticed the news. No one questioned the Big East's place at the adult table. The reaffirmation wasn't even a note in BCS meeting coverage. "It was quiet,'' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said Tuesday. "The way I like it."

You'd never make it as a blogger Mr. Tranghese. You need to rub it in someones face every once in a while. The least you could do is hold up one of those foam we're #1 hands. Or one of six, I guess. How bout a little woot-woot? Oh fine!

Despite the picture on the right, you can't just point to West Virginia and say their two BCS bowl victories and three straight top ten finishes are the reason. But I won't argue with you if you do. It really has been the improvement of several teams in the Big East that has brought the conference back to respectability. Louisville was expected to be one of the better teams in the conference. And mostly, they've come through. But the real surprise has been the improvement of South Florida, Rutgers, and Cincinnati. And more recently, Connecticut.

While the conference still isn't flooding the first round of the NFL draft with players, it is putting a lot more teams in the top 25. Sure, some coaches have left for "greener" pastures. Others like Greg Schiano and Jim Leavitt have made commitments to their schools that don't involve contracts. There's a balance, and certainly enough rising programs and programs that are there to keep the Big East respectable. At least until the Big 11 10 decides to add another team. Wankers.

Big East Keeps its BCS Status Sun Rises in the East originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 07 May 2008 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mauk Has One Last Chance to Get Another Year of Eligibility at Cinci

Charles Rich — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:51:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, NCAA FB Injuries, Cincinnati Football

Cinci QB Ben Mauk's quest for a 6th year of eligibility will be heading for the final appeal in the NCAA process. Mauk has twice been turned down by the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver. This final appeal has him making a direct presentation to a 6-person appeals panel.

"I'm excited," Mauk said, "because now we start a new process and I actually get to talk to the NCAA instead of writing letters. I get to actually let them hear my voice and let them know who I am and why I deserve a sixth year. I think that will be a big help. Now I get to let them know every little detail. I think that will be a big help when you hear someone's voice and actually hear the story come from them."

Mauk will have ten minutes to speak and convince 4 of the 6 panelists to grant him an additional year of eligibility.

Mauk originally attended Wake Forest and as a freshman in 2003 he took a non-playing redshirt. Mauk contends that the reason stems from a medical injury.

As a high school freshman he suffered a broken leg. Mauk had plates and screws inserted in the leg and foot. Late in his senior year of high school, the screw in his big toe came free and had to be removed. The slow recovery prevented him from competing in training camp at Wake Forest, getting up to speed on the offense and led to his redshirt.

Wake Forest actually supports Mauk's contention, as the transfer to Cinci was an amicable event. The problem is, Wake has no documentation to support the claim. That was why the NCAA denied the medical hardship waiver in the first place.

Even with the face-to-face appeal, it doesn't seem like the NCAA will have a reason to change its mind unless there is something more that can help establish that Mauk's redshirt was tied to medical reasons.

Mauk Has One Last Chance to Get Another Year of Eligibility at Cinci originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 03 May 2008 15:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Wins the Big East Draft Again

John Radcliff — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:29:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, Syracuse Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, NFL Prospects, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football, South Florida Football

I did this last year, so it seems only fitting that I would do it again.

And it wasn't even close. Louisville had five players drafted, while Pitt and West Virginia had three apiece. Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Connecticut had two each. And for the first time since 1975, Syracuse did not have anyone selected.

That's 19 players drafted. And any way I slice it, that's just not all that good for a BCS conference. Looking at the distribution of what rounds the players were taken, it was pretty well spread out over the entire draft for the Big East. But that doesn't make it feel any better. It's especially bad if you look at a team like West Virginia that has had three 11 win seasons in a row along with three straight top ten finishes. They've had exactly four players drafted in the last three years. And Chris Henry and Pac Man Jones the year before that. So we won't even go there.

The ACC? Yeah, that conference we've been quietly laughing at after Miami, Va. Tech, and Boston College left. Yeah, they had 33 players drafted this past weekend. The coaching must really suck over there or something.

Pac 10? Oh, they had 37 players drafted. SEC? 35. Big 10? 28. Big 12? 27. Hell, C-USA had 11 players drafted! Patriot League? Never mind.

Even more upsetting for West Virginia fans, two players left early for the NFL and weren't drafted. Those two being Darius Reynaud and Johnny Dingle. Yeah, sorry folks. Those Dingle-Berry photo's won't be happening anymore. Those are definitely two players the Mountaineers could have used this year, though. I'm not saying that their stock would go up any with one more year of college. But it sure wouldn't go down.

Louisville will have the most holes to fill as well. You don't replace Brian Brohm, Harry Douglas, and Art Carmody. I know there are others, but those three were special at their positions. West Virginia won't be far behind with the loss of Slaton and most of the secondary and defensive line. Rutgers, well we don't know how bad it is because we haven't seen anyone but Ray Rice run the ball. The rest of the conference should be fine. And that's not a good thing if you think about it.

Louisville Wins the Big East Draft Again originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2008 Big East Football Schedules Announced

John Radcliff — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:04:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, Syracuse Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football, South Florida Football

OMG! Football news! February is like the worst sports month in the world! Unless you like meaningless mid-season NBA and NHL games. Sure I love NCAA basketball. But that love has been tainted by my coaches fashion sense and my teams ability to rip defeat from the jaws of victory. So I'm kind of not liking February at all.

Anyhow, some good news today football fans. The Big East released the 2008 football schedule. And while that's nothing compared to being in the stands after hours of tailgating and screaming obscenities at opposing fans and players, it is a reason for hope. The hope that another football season will soon be upon us.

And lookie, there are actually some good out of conference games this year. In September:

Cincinnati @ Oklahoma-Will the Sooners crumble again in the face of Big East might?

Penn St. @ Syracuse- When this game was scheduled Jo Pa was heard saying, "That Paul Pasqualoni is a tricky devil. We're going to have to find a way to shut down McNabb!"

Kansas @ South Florida- The Bulls can't be looking at this game the way they were a year ago.

West Virginia @ Colorado- This game fills the void left by Maryland opting out of the series. And given the size of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, that's quite a void to fill.

Iowa @ Pitt- Again, Iowa might not like this game as much as they did when they scheduled it.

Rutgers vs. TBA-Ah, the unknown enigma that is TBA. You just never know what team you're going to play.

October has two out of conference games of note. Auburn @ West Virginia and Pitt @ Notre Dame. This could be a buzz kill game for the Mountaineers. Even though it is a Thursday night game in Morgantown and the SEC doesn't know that you can play football on Thursday nights. It will be a tough test wedged in the middle of conference play. This could be a make or break game for West Virginia's national title hopes if they exist. Pitt has a score to settle with the Irish from the 2005 season opening game that, coincidentally, was the last time the Panthers were ranked.

This might be the last football news we get until spring practices start up in about a month. So enjoy it while you can.

2008 Big East Football Schedules Announced originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Mauk Wants One More Year

John Radcliff — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:06:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, NCAA FB Media Watch, Cincinnati Football

Cincinnati senior starting quarterback Ben Mauk is looking to gain an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA. You may remember that before transferring to Cincinnati, Mauk suffered one of the most gruesome injuries when he was still at Wake Forest in the opening game of the 2006 season against Syracuse.

Mauk attempted to recover a fumble in the third quarter when two Orange players fell on the arm. He suffered a fractured humerus, a dislocated shoulder, and a torn labrum. Shortly after the injury, he underwent reconstructive surgery in which surgeons put a titanium plate with eight screws in his upper arm and installed three anchors in the shoulder

Yeah, you'd think after something like that you might want to sit down and look at other career options. But Mauk found a home at Cincinnati and ended up being one of the leading passers in the Big East in 2007. And with that success, Mauk is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.

He has already had off season surgery to clean up the scar tissue in his shoulder and doctors said the shoulder and arm is strong enough to remove the screws and plates. But Mauk likes the Spinal Tap moments in airports and has decided to leave them in because of the rehab time it would cost him.

There's still no guarantee that Mauk will be granted a sixth year, but for the sake of everyone that ever toughed out an injury well beyond the point of reason I hope he gets it. A sentiment I'm sure none of the defensive coordinators in the Big East share with me. (close up of the arm after the ~~break~~ jump)

Ben Mauk Wants One More Year originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brian Kelly Could Be Leaving Cincinnati

John Radcliff — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:23:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, NCAA FB Coaching, Cincinnati Football

It's not entirely shocking that Brian Kelly would be receiving attention from so many big name schools for their head coaching vacancies. After all, he has taken a Cincinnati team that was thought by most going into the season to be average at best and turned in a 9-3 mark and an invite to the PapaJohns.com bowl.

More importantly, he put University of Cincinnati football on the map in Cincinnati. No small task to be sure. With two pro sports teams and the ever present Ohio State University, Bearcat football has been something of a red headed stepchild in Cincinnati for as long as I can remember. But from day one he has done every interview, shook every hand, kissed every baby, etc. to get people interested in Cincinnati football. Then, of course, he followed that up with one of the best seasons in the schools history.

And now the race is on to see which school he will coach next. And that school could very well be Nebraska.

...following UC's victory over Syracuse, the Department of Athletics sent out a release on Monday, Nov. 26, stating, "Director of Athletics Mike Thomas and head football coach Brian Kelly will not be commenting on any active football coaching searches or the status of Kelly's contract at the University of Cincinnati."

Do I blame him for exploring a shot at coaching a school such as Nebraska? Of course not. It's probably one of the top ten coaching jobs in America if you look at tradition and winning and all those warm fuzzy things. And if it doesn't happen there, there's always the Michigan job. Not to mention all the other jobs that are out there.

The thing is that as much as it hurts Cincinnati football if he leaves, it is probably more of a detriment to Big East football. It's a signal to the rest of the country that Big East jobs are nothing more than a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Rich Rodriguez, Jim Leavitt, and Greg Schiano staying at their respective schools is more of an exception to the rule rather than the rule. And while those three schools are seeing unprecedented success, the rest of the Big East has to almost think that it would be better to be just good enough to make a bowl, and no better. So they don't have to face the prospect of finding a new coach every time their team does well.

Mark Dantonio left Cincinnati after an 8-4 season last year. Randy Edsall is being mentioned for several jobs, including the Georgia Tech job. And yeah, while Rodriguez, Leavitt, and Schiano are still here, there's no guarantee that any one if not all three will be contacted if Les Miles should leave LSU for Michigan. It's a matter of money. The big schools have it, and the Big East doesn't.

Brian Kelly Could Be Leaving Cincinnati originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mountaineers Survive Late Cincinnati Scare

John Radcliff — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:44:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, West Virginia, Cincinnati Football

For the second week in a row, West Virginia moved out to a commanding lead only to have to pull out the victory at the end of the game. If you want to get head coach Rich Rodriguez a Christmas present I'd suggest a healthy supply of Just for Men hair color. He watched a 17 point lead evaporate last week against Louisville due to untimely fumbles.

And again this week, with West Virginia up 28-17 in the 4th quarter the fumble bug struck Pat White. First on a bad exchange with the center that didn't lead to any Cincinnati points. But on the next possession White was stripped of the ball and the Bearcats marched down for a touchdown to draw within five points. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by West Virginia and they were able to run the clock out. But the game never should have been this close.

Midway through the first half, West Virginia found a soft spot in the Cincinnati defense and exploited it with run after run up the middle that seemed to have drained the Bearcat defense by the end of the third quarter. West Virginia was chewing up large chunks of time off the clock and seemed well on their way to an easy victory. But they would have to hold off a late surge again for the victory.

With Dennis Dixon of Oregon going down, Pat White's name was being bounced around most of the day for a shot at the Heisman trophy again. It still remains to be seen if his late collapse will hurt his chances, or if it will be overshadowed by his 295 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. With Oregon and Oklahoma both losing this weekend, West Virginia's chances for a shot at the national title game are looking much better. They have two games remaining at home against UConn this weekend and they close out the season December 1st against Pitt.

Mountaineers Survive Late Cincinnati Scare originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinci Grinds the Nutmeg State Team

Charles Rich — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football

During Cinci's 2-game losing streak, the Bearcats defense could not get stops. They would give up key conversions or just find ways to hurt themselves. The numerous turnovers a gambling defense had generated in the first six games suddenly weren't happening. Last week Cinci seemed to return to form against USF, but who knew if it was a fluke.

UConn by contrast had run its record to 8-1 on the strength of its defense that would get big stops and put the offense in a short field. The offense was not needed to generate long drives, just take advantage of opportunities. The strength of the Huskies was with a strong running game that could grind and wear down opponents.

Cinci came out and showed that they were playing the way they had in the early part of the season as they took down UConn 27-3. The offense was open and scored on their first possession. The Bearcats got the only turnover in the game and converted that into its second TD. On defense, Cinci stacked the line to stop the run and UConn could not get any offense generated.

UConn is still in contention for the Big East Championship. Stunningly, the three top teams in the Big East -- UConn, Cinci and WVU will play each other in the final weeks. WVU comes to Cincinnati next week and UConn goes to Morgantown the following week.

Cinci Grinds the Nutmeg State Team originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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South Florida is Really Trying to Lose

John Radcliff — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Cincinnati Football, South Florida Football

With five turnovers in the first half, it seems that South Florida is not really interested in winning this game. The Bulls haven't been able to do much of anything on offense inside the red zone. Two fumbles and three interceptions have ruined almost every drive by the Bulls. If not for an interception and a kickoff both returned for touchdowns by the Bulls, this game would be way out of hand by now.

On the flip side, Cincinnati is looking more like the team that started out the season 6-0 and was leading the nation in turnover margin. Not the team that has lost it's last two games and was only able to generate one turnover. They've been balanced on offense, and as you can tell very opportunistic on defense.

The Bulls get the ball to start the second half and had better start doing something positive with it. Raymond James stadium already looks about half empty and the crowd shots are getting tighter and tighter. Wasn't it just a little over a month ago that this place was sold out?

South Florida is Really Trying to Lose originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinci Implodes at the Other River City

Charles Rich — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:23:00 EST

Filed under: Pittsburgh Football, Big East, Cincinnati Football

The River City Rivalry Trophy -- a legitimate contender for the ugliest trophy in college football -- remains with Pitt. The Cincinnati Bearcats completely fell apart as they lost to Pitt 24-17. Pitt was a 9.5 home underdog and was on a 4 game losing streak. Cinci had come off a tough loss to Louisville the previous week, and looking to show that they still deserved to be a ranked team.

They didn't. Not even close. Cinci's offense got away from spread formations, option plays and no-huddle attacks. Instead they behaved like a pro style, traditional offense. It showed. They had numerous 3-and-outs. What made that so absurd was that Pitt has been at its worst on defense against the spread and the option. It's like Cinci Coach Brian Kelly wanted to prove something. What I don't know, but something was very wrong with the Cinci offense.

Cinci turned the ball over 3 times and committed a whopping 12 penalties -- a majority being false starts. The team just didn't look like it had prepared for this game. It's not like the crowd noise from the Pitt crowd was an issue with a half-filled and -- prior to the game -- despondent fan-base ready to boo.

Pitt Coach Dave Wannstedt sat up in the coaches box for the game and must have thought he was hallucinating. It was the kind of game he envisioned Pitt playing from the moment he took the job. Pitt's offense dominated time of possession by nearly 10 minutes with lots and lots of runs -- freshman sensation LeSean McCoy and junior LaRod Stephens Howling each had 100+ yards rushing. The QB managed the game with short passes, set up the run and didn't make a lot of mistakes.

On defense for Pitt, the team gave up plenty of yardage, but kept Cinci out of the endzone (albeit with lots of help from the Bearcats). It was odd to actually see Pitt blitz. That the blitzing actually worked probably shook Wannstedt up a little bit.

Cinci started the season by playing loose and fast. They were a bit reckless at times and committed penalties, but they caused more turnovers and overcame the mistakes with lots of points. Now they are still sloppy and reckless, but they aren't getting more turnovers and the offense has stalled. They have scored 28, 24 and now 17 points in the last 3 games.

Cinci Implodes at the Other River City originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keg O' Nails Stays with Louisville

Charles Rich — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:06:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Big East, Cincinnati Football

Make it five in a row for the Louisville Cardinals over the Cincinnati Bearcats for the Keg O' Nails. This was the first time in quite a while where the Cardinals weren't the favorite, but Louisville still pulled off the 28-24 upset. Louisville's Brian Brohm was happy to have his favorite target, Harry Douglas back for this game, connecting 7 times for 118 yards.

Cincinnati came out and turned the ball over four times in the game. Twice the Bearcats fumbled deep in Louisville's end to give up points that any team needs to beat Louisville. Last week, Cinci played a sloppy first half against Rutgers, but tightened up in the second half to take the game. This time, the Bearcats never quite got it.

Cinci piled up the yards, but those turnovers killed them this game. Up until this loss, Cinci had been the team generating the turnovers. Against the Louisville offense, they couldn't create a single one. The loss likely will cost Cinci its top-25 ranking and missed the briefest window to lay claim to the longest 1-A winning streak.

Keg O' Nails Stays with Louisville originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Power Rankings: OK, Maybe That Was Two

John Radcliff — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:09:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Cincinnati Football, South Florida Football

The Big East Power Rankings is a weekly post where we'll delve into the overall feel of the Big East. And use a ranking system based partially on wins and losses, but mostly on the score and the strength of the opponent.
We're sick of that intro. Last week we kind of gave the impression that South Florida was clearly in the lead of the Big East. Cincinnati would beg to differ.

No man crush just yet, but I am really starting to like Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly. He's done a lot to get the city of Cincinnati into Bearcat football. Most notably in my mind was the daily blog he did during training camp, where he was very frank about the day to day goings on. Who impressed him, more often who didn't, etc. But it came at you not sounding like coach speak, but more like the way a fan would talk. So he got that whole blogger thing down pretty quick. I just wonder if he blogged in his underwear like the rest of us? And oh yeah, they're 6-0.

1. Cincinnati- How could you think it would be anybody else after that intro? Despite the shine coming off a road win at Rutgers after the Maryland game, it's still kinda cool to see Cincinnati go on the road and take down the Scarlet Knights. So far on the year, Cincinnati is second in scoring and rushing yards, and third in passing yards in the Big East. And while they might be 6th in total defense in the conference, they are number one in turnover ratio. And that will win you a lot of games.

1A. South Florida- Originally I was going to put them at #2 after the game against Florida Atlantic. But for all the times I've seen a Big East team get knocked down for a poor performance against a bad team, I though they deserved a little more. Still quite an impressive resume with wins over Auburn and West Virginia. But in our Chameleon-like impression of the Big East, Cincinnati looks like the best team.

3-8 after the jump

3. West Virginia- Nice bounce back from the USF loss, but am I the only one that felt like the offense just wasn't spectacular? It happens when all you want to see is Pat White and Steve Slaton running for like a billion yards a game. That's the thing we haven't seen this year. It's been a lot of five and ten yard runs, mixed in with more no-gains than normal. And yet, West Virginia is leading the conference in rushing with 311 yards a game. The next closest is Cincinnati with 185. The defense has been producing this year. All be it against less than stellar offenses. Still, it has kind of gone unnoticed.

4. UConn- I do not expect this to be the case next week, but they are undefeated. So they get a little love. But they have played absolutely no one yet outside of a banged up and demoralized Pitt team. I'm anxious to see them against Virginia and then the Big East to see if they have something.

5. Rutgers- Oh how the mighty have fallen, or if you will, have been chopped down. We're these guys supposed to challenge for a national title? And how soon do we see this fan base go back to pre 2005 enthusiasm?

6. Louisville- Not exactly the way you want to start your climb back to the top of the Big East. An embarrassing loss at home to Utah. The Utah that lost 27-0 to UNLV. I just don't get it. I know the talent is there, but this team can play no defense. Is Steve Kragthorpe Don Coryell reincarnated? Will a cold winter game in Cincinnati be the downfall of the ~~franchise~~ program?

7. Pitt- A week off will keep you out of the cellar, apparently. I still take no pleasure in putting Pitt here. Why can't you be good? OK, be good! No, really!

8. Syracuse- Yeah....

Big East Power Rankings: OK, Maybe That Was Two originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Year's Rutgers Beats Rutgers

Charles Rich — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:33:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, Cincinnati Football

Rutgers wasn't sneaking up on anyone this year. Aside from their non-con, the Scarlet Knights weren't exactly hiding, either. Campaigning for Ray Rice as a Heisman candidate. Rising in the rankings. They had 5 home games to start the season. Last week, they failed in their first game against a BCS team.

Tonight they blew it in their conference opener to Cinci, falling 28-23. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 17-7 lead at halftime because they got turnovers and converted them into points. The Rutgers defense looked sharp and acted cocky. Ripping at the ball on every tackle and jumping into the face of every Bearcats player after the whistle.

Much like last week, the opposing team was hardly intimidated and things changed in the second half. The big shift was that the Rutgers offense fell apart. Mike Teel threw an interception in the opening drive of the second half and Cinci cashed in. Teel added a second interception at the end of the third quarter that Cinci again turned into 7 points.

The Rutgers defense got worn down trying to respond to Cinci's no-huddle spread. They surrendered over 400 yards with a rather balanced Cinci offense -- 257 yards passing and 151 rushing.

The Cinci defense concentrated on, and mostly succeeded in containing Ray Rice. They limited him to only 94 yards despite 34 carries. They wanted to make QB Mike Teel beat them. The plan worked. While Teel put up lots of yards, he also threw 3 second half picks. The last a killer inside the Cinci 20 with a little over a minute left, allowing Cinci to hang on for win.

The Bearcats are now 6-0 with the second longest 1-A winning streak with nine straight wins.That makes just about as much sense as anything else in a college football season that has been completely insane in only the first 6 weeks.

This Year's Rutgers Beats Rutgers originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Power Rankings: And Then There Was One

John Radcliff — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:19:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Cincinnati Football, South Florida Football

The Big East Power Rankings is a weekly post where we'll delve into the overall feel of the Big East. And use a ranking system based partially on wins and losses, but mostly on the score and the strength of the opponent.

So, no one agreed with me that South Florida should be number one last week and West Virginia number two. How bout now? I'm a West Virginia fan, so it gave me no pleasure, but it is what it is. South Florida had a better resume in my eyes to that point. And for this week nothing has changed at the top.

1. South Florida- That had to be one of the ugliest games I have watched in a long time. 10 turnovers in all according to Count Von Count. Never the less, the Bulls had a solid plan to stop West Virginia, and the players to execute the plan. South Florida now has two wins over top 20 teams and is still undefeated with a top 10 ranking of their own. And their next real test shouldn't come until October 18th at Rutgers.

2. Cincinnati- No wins over top 25 teams yet, but they have destroyed everyone they have played. All they do is play solid defense, create turnovers, and don't turn the ball over. Despite two late interceptions thrown against San Diego St., they still have a 21-7 turnover ratio. You'll win a lot of games like that. We'll see if Cincinnati is for real this weekend as they head to Rutgers for a night game.

3. West Virginia- Despite one of the sloppiest games in recent memory by the Mountaineers, and an addiction to running the same plays over and over again when they don't work, I think we all know West Virginia still has one of the most potent offenses in the country. The resume looks a little better with the Maryland win over Rutgers. But still no wins over top 25 teams. Next up for the Mountaineers a trip to Syracuse and the home of crying babies.

4. Rutgers- Sorry Jersey, I know exactly how you feel. Top ten ranking, undefeated season, media love, all gone. I have to say that I was a little surprised to see Maryland rush for 239 yards and the Scarlet Knights only 82. There's something really wrong with that picture. But like West Virginia, you should probably try playing someone a little earlier in the season to get ready for the big games. You went from feasting on cupcakes to having to face a top 20 team three out of the next four weeks. First up, Cincinnati.

5. Louisville- As bad as things have been for Louisville, they still find themselves only one game out of the lead for the Big East. And if I was going to try to correct something, I would much rather have to make a few tweeks to a bad defense that at least has talent. There's nothing wrong with the offense. And before it's all said and done I expect Louisville to be back at or near the top of the Big East. The win at NC State wasn't overly impressive as the Wolfpack is not very Wolf-like this year. But it's still a road win against a BCS opponent. And something Louisville really needed. Next up, Utah. Yeah that Utah, the one that upset UCLA and promptly got shut out by UNLV.

6. UConn- Before the season, I expected the Huskies to be 4-1at this point. I didn't expect Pitt to be nearly as bad as they have turned out to be. So UConn is undefeated, but still hasn't played anyone of note. But that's all about to change. As easy as the first five games were, the last seven are going to be murder. Starting with a game at Virginia on October 13th.

7. Pitt- Being a West Virginia fan, you might think that I am enjoying every minute of this. But nothing could be further from the truth. For the Big East to get back to where it really needs to be, Pitt and Syracuse need to get their programs back on track. I don't expect it to happen this year. Until it does, those wins over the Panthers are all tainted. Next up for Pitt, a home game against Navy October 10th.

8. Syracuse- Back to Earth after an impressive road win over Louisville. A loss to a MAC school is never a good thing for a BCS conference team. Like Pitt, Syracuse has fallen on hard times and they look to be getting harder with their next two games against West Virginia and then Rutgers the following week. Ouch!

Big East Power Rankings: And Then There Was One originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Demetrius Jones Likes Chili, Apparently... Transfers to Cincinnati

Brian Stouffer — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:33:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, Big East, Cincinnati Football

Beleaguered ex-Irish quarterback Demetrius Jones has finally had his scholarship released (which he promptly fumbled, waka waka waka) and is packing up his belongings (with extra packing peanuts, naturally) and heading out to the Queen City to play for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Hopefully he can hold his own (or hold anything, for that matter) in southern Ohio, although it will be no cakewalk. The Cats have six quarterbacks with some eligibility remaining, and Ben Mauk might be applying for a medical redshirt if his mysterious injury doesn't resolve itself this season.

Anyway, hopefully the change of scenery will be good for Demetrius, and this might be his big chance to catch a break. Just make sure to secure that break to your body with two hands after you catch it

Demetrius Jones Likes Chili, Apparently... Transfers to Cincinnati originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cinci Finally Getting the Love

Charles Rich — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:10:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Cincinnati Football

Truly, this is uncharted territory for the Cincinnati Bearcats football program. The Bearcats had their first sellout in over 6 years (and the previous one was because Purdue fans just crossed the boarder to attend), with actual fan enthusiasm. It also goes down as tied for their largest turnout (Nippert Stadium wasn't expanded to 35,000 until 1992). They've already sold out homecoming against Louisville.

This is a team that couldn't get the local media to go to Big East Media Days and had barely 20,000 at their season opener. They are now putting out press releases warning that the rest of the season may sell out.

A 4-0 start and an exciting, offense first team seem to have had an impact. That, along with a head coach willing to get out there and stir things up locally by threatening the end of one of the oldest ongoing college football rivalry games and taking on the local media. Oh, and the Reds being near the bottom of the NL Central along with the Bengals off to a lousy start don't hurt either.

The team is ranked in the AP Writers Poll for the first time since 1976. Assuming the Bearcats don't have a road let-down in San Diego -- their game at Rutgers on October 6 will take on far greater significance than ever imagined. Especially since Cinci beat Rutgers last year to derail their Scarlet Knights' BCS asperations.

Cinci Finally Getting the Love originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brian Kelly Hates MAC Stadiums

John Radcliff — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:52:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Cincinnati Football

And I couldn't agree more. Honestly, the more I hear Brian Kelly talk the more I like this guy. First he did a daily blog during training camp. Which despite my poking a little fun at him, was pretty cool for a head coach. He was honest in his assessment and gave Cincinnati fans a unique insight into the outlook for this years team.

And now Brian Kelly wants you to know that he doesn't think a BCS school should travel to play a non-BCS school. Particularly Miami University.

"I want to play Miami. I think it's great for both institutions any time you're that close. (But) we're a BCS conference school, and as a BCS conference school, we have to look at our schedule and find out if it's in our best interest to travel to a non-BCS conference school. We have to think about that. Clearly, that's going to be a decision that's made above my pay grade. But I can have my influence in it and I can make my opinion known."

Everyone together now, Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Doesn't it feel good to have a coach that isn't afraid to speak his mind? I had mentioned to my fellow Big East bloggers earlier this year that I wished John L. Smith would come to the Big East just because of the stupid things he said and did. But having Brian Kelly is much better. A) Because so far he doesn't seem to be the type of guy to play the fool like John L. B) He will tell you what is on his mind without candy coating it. And C) He's a good coach. Hats off to you Brian Kelly. Don't go changing!

After the jump, some Youtube of John L. Smith. Just in case you forgot.

Brian Kelly Hates MAC Stadiums originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Third Quarter Live Blog: Oregon State at Cincinnati

Brian Grummell — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:17:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Pac 10, Cincinnati Football, Oregon State Football

Oregon St. @ Cincy | 1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr

Welcome back to the Live Blog.

Cincinnati leads Oregon State 10-3 on the strength of two interceptions on the Beavers' side of the field.

Be sure to keep an eye on ESPN2 as there's a wild one going on between Louisville and (gasp!) Middle Tennessee State. The two teams have combined for over 750 yards and 73 points in the first half.

Down in Cincinnati, it's a defensive struggle punctuated with two killer turnovers. Oregon State's Yvenson Bernard is turning in a heroic effort, but on about 20 touches he's averaging maaaybe 2 yards a touch (I don't have the numbers in front of me). It's rough out there.

Money men had this game at just a three point affair before kickoff, and they're looking smart so far.

Live Blog after the jump and once the second half kicks off ...
9:45 - Chris Fowler just called Ben Mauck "Old Zipper Arm". Heh.

9:46 - Doug Flutie: "I'd like to see a completion over 20 yards". Me too!

9:49 - This might be game. Sammie Stroughter just fumbled on a punt return on the one. He was accidentally interfered with as the ball drifted right into a defender but apparently it's not reviewable. Bad break for the Beavers. Bad, bad break.

9:50 - Touchdown, Cincinnati, 17-3. The question now: will Cincinnati do what I call "The Relent"? If they relax, Oregon State can ease back into this game against a softened defense and before Cincy gets it together again, Oregon State will have made a game of it.

I see that a lot in football (and many team sports). But, sometimes a team is just down for the count and never fights back. We'll see which of those options emerges here.

9:58 - Sean Canfield is starting to have that "I'm spent" look to him. His throws are off - way off - he's already two INT's in today. Maybe I was right earlier, time for Moevao ...

10:07 - Cincy keeps coming soooo close to putting Oregon State away if not for dumb penalties.

10:08 - Ok it's over, heh. Cincy just hit a 55-yard field goal, the fans are going nuts. Cincy 20, Oregon State 3.

10:14 - Oregon State punt blocked, Cincy easy recovery in the end zone for the touchdown. GAME OVER.

Oh wow, the guy blocked the punt with his back/back of the helmet. That's new, watch the highlights for that.

Cincinnati 27, Oregon State 3

No need for the fourth quarter live blog. Thanks for sticking around.

This was a huuuuuge win for Cincinnati, they slayed a dragon tonight, huh? This boosts the credibility of the Big East and the beleaguered Cincinnati program that lost its coach to Michigan State in the offseason. Local media didn't even show up to Big East Media Days and now they've got some egg on their face. Great story!

Third Quarter Live Blog: Oregon State at Cincinnati originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Quarter Live Blog: Oregon State at Cincinnati

Brian Grummell — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Pac 10, Cincinnati Football, Oregon State Football

Oregon St. @ Cincy | 1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr

Welcome back!

Cincinnati leads Oregon State 3-0 thanks to an Oregon State interception deep in their own zone that led to the field goal.

The fate of today's game may just fall upon whether or not Oregon State can untrack its running game. They gambled that they could demoralize Cincy's smaller, quicker run defense but so far the Beavers are getting pushed around.

Live Blog after the jump ...8:27 - Nice punt return by Stroughter. You know what though, he looks much slower than last year, at least on that return. But he also looks sturdier and made a great change-of-direction cut. He's like a new player almost.

8:29 - That's the second acrobatic one-handed catch in as many weeks for Yvenson Bernard. ARGH. Doug Flutie just said that a moment after I write this. I swear I'm not just copying what the announcers say.

8:29 - Canfield just left Bernard hanging to get crushed on that play. That might be the end of Canfield for a few drives if he allows their best player to get killed like that. Time for Lyle Moevao? BTW - Missed field goal for Alexis Serna. I don't remember hearing that very often the last two years.

8:40 - Ballsy. Third and one against a stout defense, the Beavers toss sweep to the near side and get the first down. That's huge. They're starting to run downhill a bit ... and then launch a bomb. Poor choice there, another run gets them closer to breaking down the Bearcat defense.

8:43 - Ocho Cinco never disappoints. Usually I hate celebrity interviews but he's keeping the announcers entertained.

8:45 - Good thing I'm not the coach. Canfield's starting to heat up on this very methodical drive.

8:50 - Field goal Oregon State to tie the game at 3-all with 5:00 left in the half.

8:55 - I watched the first 30 minutes of it and not much has changed ... Louisville and MTSU are both over 30 points in the first half with a combined 750 yards. That may be end up being one of this year's classic shootouts if MTSU can maintain its surprising offensive performance.

8:58 - I'm with the announcers, the play under review is a CATCH. My standard for a catch is much more liberal than what's in the rule-book though. This will be an interesting test of the replay crew.

Update: BOOO! Wrong call by the replay crew. They were quick in their decision, too. The NCAA's gotta rewrite its reception rules, they're simply way too strict.

9:00 - Win or lose, Cincy's offensive performance has been gutsy tonight. This is a very good Oregon State defense and they've been able to exploit it quite a bit. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to get many points.

9:06 - INT No. 2 for Canfield. It was a bad pass regardless, but he did get hit on the arm on the follow-through. It's going to take him a few more games to get everything right.

9:08 - Touchdown Cincy. Once again the Bearcats take advantage of a short field turnover. 10-0 just before the half.

9:16 - HALFTIME. See you at the third quarter live blog.

Second Quarter Live Blog: Oregon State at Cincinnati originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Quarter Live Blog: Oregon State at Cincinnati

Brian Grummell — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 20:02:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Pac 10, Cincinnati Football, Oregon State Football

Oregon St. @ Cincy | 1st Qtr | 2nd Qtr | 3rd Qtr | 4th Qtr

College football swings into its second week with two Thursday night game. We'll be keeping tabs on the Oregon State Beavers visit to Cincinnati. How do I sell you on this game? If you're a college football fan, early-season intersectionals like this provide kindling for all those conference arguments.

This game is far from a mismatch as both teams fall somewhere in the middle of their respective conferences. The home team is a three point underdog against the team that has a one-year lease on the label "Beat USC in 2006". A win for Cincy is akin to slaying the dragon's drunken cousin, but What About Bob taught us that it's all about those irritating "baby steps". They'll take it.

There's also that Thursday night magic that ESPN had last year. Who knew Boise State's unexpected trouncing of Oregon State would give us a glimpse of the confusing gridding/knitting greatness that is Ian Johnson. We all know about his Fiesta Bowl magic, but the real fans already knew he was something special after five filthy touchdown runs that Thursday night so many weeks before bowl season. Sometimes low expectations are a good thing, so be prepared to be wowed America.

Live Blog starts at 7:30 Eastern. Vitals and pregame notes below.

Vitals

- (Unranked) Oregon State (1-0) @ (Unranked) Cincinnati (1-0)
- TV: 7:30 PM Eastern, ESPN
- Announcers: Doug Flutie, Craig James and Erin Andrews
- Oregon State is favored by ~ three points
- Harmon Forecast: Oregon State 24, Cincinnati 23

-Phil Steele Facts (Oregon State): First meeting. OSU has gone just 5-7 against current Big East tms. Last trip east of the Mississippi they lost to Louisville 63-27. Oregon St. is 1-5 in their first road game.

-Phil Steele Facts (Cincinnati): This is the 1st meeting between these 2 teams. Cincy is 2-1 vs current Pac-10 teams. Cincinnati has won 8 straight non-conference home games.

* * *
Pre Game Notes (Continuously Updated)

... ESPN reports wayward Oregon State receiver Sammie Stroughter will play today. He won't start, but he will play early and often ... Louisville is playing Middle Tennessee tonight on ESPN2. Keep an eye on MTSU safety and scintillating returnman Damon Nickson .... Heh. For the second game in a row (this might be an NCAA record), Louisville scores on its first offensive play of the game. This time it was an 81-yard pass to tight end Gary Barnidge ... Big plays tonight on the undercard. Long touchdown for MTSU followed by a 71-yard touchdown to Louisville's Mario Urrutia ... My Nickson pick is looking stupid. He blew the coverage on the Urrutia touchdown and then just fumbled on the kick return ...

Live Blog

7:51 - Welcome back, Kotter Straughter! He was wide open but slightly overthrown on a bomb.

7:53 - Dumb dumb dumb interception by Sean Canfield. Upon review the safety hid fairly well in traffic and jumped that play.

7:54 - Nice research by Doug Flutie, talking about Cincy hoping to move "launch points" in its passing game. That was the difference for the USC passing offense against UCLA and Michigan, for reference. Two ferocious defensive lines, one was tamed, the other killed USC.

7:56 - Field goal good to take advantage of the turnover. Cincy leads3-0 with about 10 minutes left in the first quarter.

7:59 - Chris Fowler just said Oregon State "rarely goes East". Yeah, I guess those games against Cincinnati, Louisville and LSU all in the last few years aren't trips east. Come on! You simply cannot knock the Pac-10's willingness to travel.

8:07 - Oregon State defensive end Jeff Van Orsow is all over the field tonight. He does this occasionally.

8:13 - Interesting battle here between the two teams, and the announcers are all over it. Oregon State has two shaky quarterbacks and hopes to "demoralize" Cincy with the run. Cincy's coach in the intro said this week's theme is "stop the run". Something's gotta give!

8:16 - Interesting: Oregon State has gone to two frosh already on offense. 16 of their frosh never enrolled so this is impressive for the guys who did to already be involved.

8:17 - HOLY COW check out that 5-o-clock shadow on coach Mike Riley. He looks like an inmate or something. Wow.

8:18 - Interesting name evolution for Oregon State receiver Anthony Brown. As a recruit, I remember him as Anthony Wheat. His freshman year at Oregon State he became Anthony Wheat-Brown. And now he's going with Anthony Brown.

8:19 - Good nugget by the announcers. Cincy doesn't let its players hit during the week in practice. Wow. I'm reading a book about Bo Schembechler at the moment and he made sure to let his guys hit a little. If you follow USC at all, they're almost always hitting at practice. Of course, few teams suffer anywhere near as many friendly fire injuries, so there's a give-and-take to each philosophy.

8:23 -See you at the Second Quarter Live Blog

First Quarter Live Blog: Oregon State at Cincinnati originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 20:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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