The BCS’ least-respected conference is about to take an even bigger hit with the loss of West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
However, the Big East is trying to survive as a football conference. Commissioner John Marinatto has added seven new football programs, including Boise State, Houston and UCF. So you can imagine the offseason and even during the 2012 season, realignment and the new look of the Big East will dominate the discussion.
We’ve been looking at the top offseason storylines around college football:
Today we give you the Big East.
10. Does a basketball league really play football?
With all due respect to Louisville and Cincinnati, West Virginia was the last serious football team in the Big East. That’s right; I’m not even including Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
But I’ll defend the league a little.
Louisville and Cincinnati are on the rise with newer coaches, and once the league finally gets to 12 teams the Big East will remain a legitimate top-tier conference … but it will have a Conference USA feel to it.
9. Can Skip Holtz get South Florida to live up to its hype?
Skip Holtz’ second season at USF was a huge disappointment, especially considering the talent the Bulls had in 2011.
His third season will be his chance to make a real statement. If South Florida has another strong start but can’t close the deal, then Holtz will become Jim Leavitt Jr.
8. Does Pitt’s Tino Sunseri have a shred of confidence left after one year with Todd Graham?
I’m not sure there was a quarterback in the nation that took the emotional pounding that Tino Sunseri endured under Todd Graham. It got so bad even former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt came to Sunseri’s defense.
But Graham’s verbal assault on Sunseri was constant and reached new heights following his poor performance at West Virginia. It may have been deserved, but is there any way Paul Chryst can rebuild Sunseri’s confidence enough to be an effective QB?
7. Does Paul Pasqualoni have some magic left for UConn?
Paul Pasqualoni won 107 games in 14 seasons with Syracuse from 1991 to 2004. He even won or shared four Big East championships, and won nine or more games in six seasons.
His first year at UConn was a mixed bag.
The Huskies dropped from league champs to 5-7, but Connecticut’s roster was young and inexperienced. As the season wore on you could see that Pasqualoni actually got a lot out of this team.
When you see how disliked Randy Edsall has become with the Maryland folks it’s easy to think UConn made out in this change of coaches.
6. Can Ryan Nassib carry the load at Syracuse?
With top running back Antwan Bailey off to the NFL, erratic quarterback Ryan Nassib will be asked to get Syracuse back into a bowl game.
Nassib is not an elite quarterback, but he is the best option for Syracuse and Doug Marrone. If Nassib can cut back on the turnovers then the Orange could be a contender in the Big East.
5. Charlie Strong is college football’s most intimidating coach.
OK, that’s not really a storyline. But have you looked at that guy? He’s bigger than most of the football players at Duke.
What Strong has done at Louisville is downright amazing. Steve Kragthorpe destroyed and up-and-coming program, but Strong has the Cardinals headed in the right direction again.
He’s a great recruiter and has the best young quarterback in the league with Teddy Bridgewater. If Louisville doesn’t get an offer from the Big 12, the Cardinals could become the new WVU in the Big East.
4. What? No Isaiah Pead and no Zach Collaros?
That’s right Cincinnati you don’t have Isaiah Pead or Zach Collaros to run Butch Jones’ offense. For anyone outside of the Big East and doesn’t have the slightest idea who these two are … let’s just say it’s a big deal.
Luckily the Bearcats have a quarterback with the best name in college football to replace Collaros. Hello Munchie Legaux. He actually played in all 11 games last season and filled in for Collaros after breaking an ankle against WVU.
The leading candidates to replace Pead are senior George Winn and sophomore Jameel Poteat.
3. Will there be more focus on the future of the conference than on what happens in 2012?
Of course the future of the league will be a huge story all year, but is there any chance it could be a positive for the league? Probably not. There’s a good chance the league is going to be down to just seven members.
I’m sure Memphis would jump right now, but the Big East prefers Boise State come online tomorrow. Boise’s president has said it won’t happen, but it could be interesting if the conference starts pressing for someone to join immediately.
If no one can make it work, then all seven teams have a scheduling issue.
2. Is it finally Rutgers time?
How ironic would it be for first-year coach Kyle Flood to lead the Scarlet Knights to a BCS Bowl after that became the expectation under Greg Schiano? Schiano was a huge success, but he couldn’t deliver a Big East championship.
Well, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if it happened. Flood closed on a nice recruiting class and the Scarlet Knights have some returning talent. The early departure of athletic receiver Mohamed Sanu will be tough to overcome.
Will WVU play in the Big East or Big 12?
If I had an extra $10,000 lying around I’d bet on the Mountaineers playing in the Big 12 in 2012. Recent stories suggest that WVU and the Big East are closing in on a large exit fee so the Mountaineers can leave. If that does happen, then it will be interesting to see if Syracuse and Pitt bolt in 2013 for the ACC—a year earlier than expected.
Since this will be decided soon, this storyline may not last long. But you can bet during every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night ESPN game that features the Big East that WVU and the ugly divorce will be discussed ad nauseum.
