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| Pittsburgh and Syracuse will play their final Big East conference game son the road in 2012. |
The Big East football schedule has been released for the 2012 season. Thirteen games have already been picked up by the ESPN family for national telecasts, starting with the September 6 meeting between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati on ESPN inprime time and including some key non-conference games for the conference, perhaps most notably the September 29 game between South Florida and Florida State.
Temple will play their first Big East game since being removed by the conference when they host South Florida on October 6. The Owls are also moving forward with an 11-game schedule, with hopes of being able to fill the 12th spot without having to dip back in to the FCS ranks for a second time in September. Temple opens against Villanova but is struggling to fill the schedule with teams mostly locked in for 2012 at this stage. Look for a MAC opponent to be added if possible. The MAC will release their schedule later today.
With the schedule now official, here is a quick look at ten of the best game son the schedule for the Big East in 2012.
1. South Florida vs. Florida State, September 29, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
South Florida defeated Florida State the last time these two programs faced each other in 2009, leaving Tallahassee with a 17-7 victory. Now the Seminoles come to Tampa for another round of in-state rivalry and the Bulls will be looking to make a statement against a Florida State program that could be an ACC favorite with a chance to compete for a BCS title in the fall.
Will the Bulls represent the Big East well, or will Florida State shrug them aside and retain the top spot in the in-state college football battles?
2. Syracuse vs. USC, September 8 at MetLife Stadium, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
We all know that the USC Trojans will be a program many expect to make a national championship run this season. Is there a better way to get that run started than with a game in the New York City market, in MetLife Stadium? USC makes the cross-country visit to take on Syracuse, who want to be known as New York’s team (at least they do in basketball). The game will be considered a huge measuring stick kind of game for the Orange.
Syracuse dropped a contest in Los Angeles last fall, 38-17.
3. Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, Friday October 5, 7 p.m. ESPN
It almost would have been somewhat fitting if these two schools played in the final game of the Big East schedule, but instead Pittsburgh and Syracuse will meet in early October. Mind you, as of this time Pittsburgh and Syracuse are still set to be in the Big East in 2013 but in all likelihood they will be taking this series to the ACC next year.
4. Louisville vs. Cincinnati, Friday October 26, 8 p.m. ESPN/ESPN2
These two bitter rivals tied for the Big East crown last fall, with West Virginia taking the conference’s automatic BCS bid and running and passing and scoring at a wild pace against Clemson. Given the date scheduled for this match-up, it coudl be a good opportunity for the winner to set the pace in the Big East race as well.
5. Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati, Thursday September 6, 8 p.m. ESPN
This could be the final meeting between these two border rivals for some time. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have played some meaningful games in recent seasons and this one could be one more to add to the series highlights.
6. Temple vs. Penn State, September 22
Temple has come close to knocking off Penn State the last couple of years but Joe Paterno’s record against the Owls was never dented. But 2012 is a new era for both programs, with a new head coach in State College and Temple coming back to the Big East. The game could be picked up for a national telecast, even if on Big Ten Network, and for now the Owls have a bye week before AND after the game. Advantage, Owls?
7. Louisville vs. Rutgers, Thursday November 29, 7:30 p.m. ESPN
The Big East championship could be on the line when Louisville visits Rutgers in the final week of the season. Will the Scarlet Knights be celebrating the way they did a few years back? We’ll see. This game was picked up for a Thursday night broadcast and could set-up an interesting final Saturday with Cincinnati vs. UConn and Pittsburgh vs. South Florida 48 hours later.
8. Temple vs. Connecticut, October 13
If you have not been paying attention, this Temple vs. Connecticut series has been somewhat interesting. In brief, the Big East kicked out Temple and brought UConn on board, the Owls therefore hated UConn, and Temple felt screwd in a couple decisions against Connecticut in recent years before finally beating the Huskies in 2010.
9. Temple vs. South Florida, October 6
Temple and South Florida have never faced each other (South Florida joined the Big East after Temple was given the boot). It will be Temple’s first game back in the Big East and with South Florida known to get off to a good start, this has the makings for a decent game early in the Big East schedule. It will also be a good taste of what the Big East is all about for Temple.
10. South Florida vs. Pittsburgh, December 1, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
Pittsburgh’s final game in the Big East conference will be played on the road, and the Big East title could be on the line for one or both of these programs. South Florida will hope to pull out a victory in the same spot they were unable to do so against West Virginia last year. If things can go the Bulls’ way earlier in the season, then they coudl be looking to capture the conference crown as well.
Honorable Mentions
Rutgers @ Arkansas – The Scarlet Knights travel to SEC-country for the first of a home-and-home series with the Razorbacks on September 22.
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech – The Bearcats and Hokies meet in FedExField on September 29.
Louisville vs. Kentucky – Revenge for the Final Four on September 1?
Temple vs. Maryland – Can the Owls dominate the Terps again, without Bernard Pierce on September 8?
UConn @ Maryland – Randy Edsall Bowl on September 15 for all the dream jobs.
Pittsburgh at Notre Dame – The Panthers get to be on national TV on November 3. Will they be relevent by then?
South Florida at Miami – The Bulls look to knock off the Hurricanes on November 17.
Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast and managing editor of Nittany Lion’s Den. Follow Kevin on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
