http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/09...inking-sh/

an excerpt:

"Sometimes in defeat, one can turn a corner. Call it a moral victory, call it rationalizing, call it new math. The final result is inherently better than what came into the conflict. And so, despite three clear non-conference defeats against power conference foes last weekend, the Big East Conference somehow looks better than it did before the week. "

I'd say that this article treats us generously. E.g., in examining the three close losses to powers from other conferences, an alternative spin would be that we lost all 3 despite two of the games being at home, and against teams that have looked shaky against other, weaker competition (Oklahoma) or are clearly in turmoil (UNC). And claiming that USF's embarrassing close call against Western Kentucky means that the Bulls "may be getting close to a turnaround" borders on wishful thinking: It might be true, but that game surely didn't offer much evidence for it.

That said, the author is correct in noting that teams can improve over the course of the season, and we can all hope that this is happening for Big East teams.

Looking at WVU's giveaway loss at SEC power LSU and Cincinnati's near comeback against A very highly regarded Oklahoma, even Rutgers close defeat to a UNC team down a few players--these games as the writer points out--show that the endless chatter about how bad the league is is a bit of a stretch. The teams are getting comfortable with new players at key positions, new coaching staffs, lots of travel. We'll see by the season's end how well things progress from here.

Unfortunately winning league games won't get much attention since the mainstream media is intent on bashing the Big East at every opportunity.

It's going to take a very good bowl season and a BCS bowl win (something the Bearcats sadly did not do the last two years), to get back in the good graces of the media.

(10-01-2010 08:40 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Unfortunately winning league games won't get much attention since the mainstream media is intent on bashing the Big East at every opportunity.

It's going to take a very good bowl season and a BCS bowl win (something the Bearcats sadly did not do the last two years), to get back in the good graces of the media.

If the teams really are improving we will know it during the bowl season. By then we would have had to listen to the well deserved criticism for a whole season, but we can certainly make ourselves look better then.

(10-01-2010 08:40 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Unfortunately winning league games won't get much attention since the mainstream media is intent on bashing the Big East at every opportunity.

It's going to take a very good bowl season and a BCS bowl win (something the Bearcats sadly did not do the last two years), to get back in the good graces of the media.

yes the post season will be very important. One or two teams can move up in the polls through the season if they play well the res tof the way. If WVU wins out the league has an 11-1 team with a 6 point loss at Death Valley.

If we win our bowl games, that will be all that will be remembered. But if we lose 'em, they'll heap that on top of a season's worth of abuse...

Man so if we get our butt kicked again maybe we'll look even better.

Koolaid at its finest. We're a bad league this year... we should just admit it.

As long as WVU rolls through the rest of their slate unbeaten, I'm happy. Otherwise...

if we can avoid a fiasco like Utah/Pitt in the Fiesta bowl, that would be huge.

We need a strong bowl showing.

(10-01-2010 08:58 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  If we win our bowl games, that will be all that will be remembered. But if we lose 'em, they'll heap that on top of a season's worth of abuse...

Sadly, the only bowl result we typically get remembered for is the BCS bowl game. The other ones are forgettable because the bowls are minor and often we are matched against non-AQ competition. Heck, sometimes i have trouble remembering who USF beat in our last two bowl games.

I wasn't aware WVU "gave the game away" LSU was the better team.

(10-01-2010 03:08 PM)uofl05 Wrote:  I wasn't aware WVU "gave the game away" LSU was the better team.

Yeah, my impression was that the final score fairly reflected the ebb and flow of play on the field. Had the game been in Morgantown might the outcome have been different? Quite possibly. But on that night and in that venue, LSU was 6 points the better team.

Outside of the punt return, LSU's 2 scoring drives for their other 10 points amounted to 16 yards - total - after WVU turnovers. LSU's offense didn't do diddly...

(10-01-2010 08:40 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Unfortunately winning league games won't get much attention since the mainstream media is intent on bashing the Big East at every opportunity.


I don't buy that for a minute. Bottom line is 3 of the 5 non bcs conf have more BCS wins occ than the BE does. The BE deserves to be described as bad this year. Winning conf games shouldnt mean much this year, The BE already has shown itself to be pretty weak. Cusa has won only 2 games vs BCS teams, No one should look at conf schedule as more than it is, same with Mac, and Sunbelt. The Wac and MWC schedule should get more pub than the BE, Cusa, Mac or Belt. this year, next year may well be a different story.

(10-01-2010 04:41 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Outside of the punt return, LSU's 2 scoring drives for their other 10 points amounted to 16 yards - total - after WVU turnovers. LSU's offense didn't do diddly...

Look UCF led 4-0 K state all day but blew it in the last 24 seconds, sorry we don't deserve cred for that, not do we deserve cred for losing to 4-0 NC state by 7. We lost both, and WV lost and a loss is a loss.

It was a gift...

would of, could of, should of.

(10-01-2010 04:41 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Outside of the punt return, LSU's 2 scoring drives for their other 10 points amounted to 16 yards - total - after WVU turnovers. LSU's offense didn't do diddly...

The problem i have with this analysis is that it neglects the game context: LSU's offense arguably didn't do much because, thanks to the big defensive and special teams play that produced a 17-0 lead, it didn't *have* to do much. Offensive strategy is often much different when you are way ahead than when way behind.

Even so, when WVU scored early in the 3rd quarter to pull within 17-14, from that point on LSU was able to chew up the clock with its running game, and still produced about 60 more total yards than WVU.