College Football Conference Predictions - BIG EAST
For the next several weeks, I will make predictions and comments for the three college football conferences that people in this region care about the most: the ACC, BIG EAST, and BIG TEN. This week, the BIG EAST is up.
BIG EAST
1. Pitt
2. West Virginia
3. South Florida
4. Cincinnatti
5. UConn
6. Rutgers
7. Louisville
8. Syracuse
Even if Pitt hadn’t beaten West Virginia at the end of the season, I still would have picked them to finish first this year. Why? They should have the best defense since Dave Wannstedt has been there. They should also have the best offensive line since Wannstedt has been there. They will also get several players back that were injured for all of last season. They have one of the best RBs in the country in LeSean ‘Shady’ McCoy, who already showed what he can do in several games last year. He could easily be the next Adrian Peterson or Darren McFadden. They also will have the best receiving corps in the Big East with senior WR Derek Kinder, junior WRs Oderick Turner and T.J. Porter, 6’6” 4.4 speed true freshman WR Jonathan Baldwin, and junior TE Nate Byham.
West Virginia’s defense will be suspect again, just like the last couple of years, but their offense will be fast and deadly again, just like the last couple of years. They have one of the fastest QB/RB tandems in Pat White and Noel Devine. Devine is one of the fastest players in the whole country and looked faster and quicker than Steve Slaton most of last season. It’s no surprise that Slaton opted for the NFL Draft instead of coming back for his senior year and fighting Devine for playing time. They will miss FB Owen Schmitt more than people realize. Schmitt will make some lucky NFL team happy for the next 10 years. When West Virginia meets Pitt at Heinz Field for the Backyard Brawl this year at the end of this November, they will have revenge on their mind, and it will most likely also determine the Big East champion.