http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview07/...id=2973303

It's another joke. I can see the pandering to the media darlings in the Big 10. The BEast is a better conference, top-to-bottom, than the Big 10. I wouldn't put Ohio State in the top 2, either. Wisconsin is the best team in the conference this year, and either WVU or Louisville would take 'em. Rutgers would give 'em a run for their money. So would USF or Cincinnati.

Screw ESPN...

Purdue's offense too good for UC's defense? I don't believe that for a second.

I think we can take Ohio State to be honest, it'd be a real grinding win, but I think its possible.

what's with the lack of respect for the bottom 3rd of the big east, didn't uconn and cuse convincingly beat illinois and indiana last year? and with just about everyone coming back now they're supposed to lose to rebuilding minnesota and northwestern?

Why was the Big East seeded behind the ACC and Big 12? After last season we should be at least fourth for this preseason IMO.

Respect for the BE will come. It's gonna be interesting to see how Pitt, UC, SF, and Rutgers play in the coming years because all those schools really seem to be on the upside.

And everyone knows what WVU and UofL is about.

You tell Purdue to bring that weak ass offense and we'll see what they can do against UC. UC didn't hit their stride until Game 4. But, along the way, the teams they had the most trouble with was West Virginia (one of the elite offenses in football). The rest of the losses were inexperience (Pitt), size and depth (Ohio State, national title runner-up) Virginia Tech (special teams beat us), and Louisville, and Louisville and is head and shoulders superior to Purdue and we did a decent job against the Cards.

RaliLlama Wrote:Why was the Big East seeded behind the ACC and Big 12? After last season we should be at least fourth for this preseason IMO.

Just because they're more "established" conferences, thus they get kissed up to. The Big East is viewed as a brand new conference since conference reshuffling. That's ok, we do our talking on the field. Even our "lower tier" teams were healthy season or a break or two in a game away from being good. Connecticut and Pitt needs health. Syracuse just needs time.

The BEast just has to go out and win their games again this year and do well in the bowls. That's all we can do. If that happens we will get a little credit. They will say we didn't play a tough OOC schedule. Next year if we do well again, all the nay sayers will fade away. That is unless there is more conference shake ups. Right now, it's useless comparing conferences. It's all subjective. It must be played out on the field. But even that rarely happens now days.

And therein lies the problem!

UConn hammered IU last year, as SU did with Illinois. The scores were not an indicator of the level of dominance in those two games.

IU, Minnesota, Michigan State, Illinois, and probably Northwestern would all finish last in the BE.

What he is saying is Louisville and West Virginia are Big East football! Pitt and Cuse have to step up now!

i can't wait for the freaking season to start so we can read about actual games instead of hypothetical ones!! It's ridiculous to say that the Big 10 would go 7-1 against the Big East. This is the same league that lost 5 of its 7 Bowl Games last year. I don't think we're necessarily better overall, but it would be about a 50/50 split, certainly not a whitewash by the Big 10.

Man that's a very bias pretend head to head match ups. What does the BE have to do? Beat B10 8-0 for them to get a clue? B10 was a total fraud last year.

i actually thought it was pretty fair. louisville would be a 10+ point fav over penn state....ohio state would be a 5+ point fav over WVU....as would wisky over USF and OSU over Rutgers. the rest are toss ups. i personally think minnesota would handle syracuse fairly easily, UCONN/northwestern would depend on location, iowa/pitt would depend on pitt's qb situation, and purdue/cincy would be a pickem.

my winners would be

michigan over WVU
louisville over penn state
osu over rutgers
wisky over usf
iowa over pitt (unless pitts qb situation straightens itself out)
cincy over purdue
uconn over northwestern
minnesota over syracuse

the big east would be 3-5

aTxTIGER Wrote:i actually thought it was pretty fair. louisville would be a 10+ point fav over penn state....ohio state would be a 5+ point fav over WVU....as would wisky over USF and OSU over Rutgers. the rest are toss ups. i personally think minnesota would handle syracuse fairly easily, UCONN/northwestern would depend on location, iowa/pitt would depend on pitt's qb situation, and purdue/cincy would be a pickem.

my winners would be

michigan over WVU
louisville over penn state
osu over rutgers
wisky over usf
iowa over pitt (unless pitts qb situation straightens itself out)
cincy over purdue
uconn over northwestern
minnesota over syracuse

the big east would be 3-5

I think WVU would run circles around Michigan.

My take at the top:

Louisville over Wisconsin
WVU over Michigan
Ohio State over USF
Rutgers over Iowa
Penn State over Cincinnati

Big 10 and BE went 3-3 last year.
BE wins:
Uconn 14 Indiana 7
Rutgers 30 Illinois 0
Syracuse 31 Illinois 21

B10 wins:
Ohio St 37 Cinn 7
Iowa 20 Syr 13
Mich St 38 Pitt 23

Wilkie01 Wrote:What he is saying is Louisville and West Virginia are Big East football! Pitt and Cuse have to step up now!

What needs to happen is for WVU and Louisville to get BCS bids, and both win their bowl games handily.

The rest of the conference earning bowl bids winning their bowls wouldn't hurt any, either.