Go ahead and try it.
See if you can make any sense of the Big East race because I’m struggling with all of the what ifs.
Who will represent the Big East in a BCS bowl may be decided this weekend as all eight teams are playing one another.
On the surface the Backyard Brawl appears to be the biggest game of the weekend. However, Louisville’s road contest with South Florida is bigger.
If the Cardinals win there is no way for WVU to go to a BCS bowl because of an earlier 38-35 loss to Louisville.
Still, there are too many what ifs to go into every scenario. While most college fans complain about the parity in the Big East, it may actually be the best thing going for the Big East.
With so much intrigue in these final two weeks of the season, the Big East race is at least something to talk about.
The problem is a 7-5 Louisville or 7-5 Pittsburgh could be playing Virginia Tech or Clemson in the Orange Bowl in January. Also in the running are Rutgers (8-3), Cincinnati (7-3) and WVU (7-3).
There’s even a scenario where all five teams could end up tied at the end. What a cluster.
This gets us to the crux of the problem with the Big East, and why it is the butt of too many jokes.
Maybe I’m one of the few who don’t automatically assume that this means the Big East lacks talent. What I think it proves is the teams in the conference lack depth.
Look at Cincinnati.
The Bearcats lost quarterback Zach Collaros in the second quarter against WVU and went on to lose to the Mountaineers and again the following week against Rutgers.
West Virginia is the most talented team in the league, but even the Mountaineers learned how difficult it is to replace star players on defense. Even defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel hasn’t been able to work his usual magic with the unit.
What I can’t figure out is why this has become a problem for the Big East. It wasn’t the case when Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College were still in the league, and it really wasn’t a huge deal in the years that followed their departure to the ACC.
This has been an issue for about four years now. Maybe it’s cyclical or maybe it’s a trend.
However, we may never know as everyone is aware that Syracuse and Pitt are leaving for the ACC in 2014 and West Virginia will head off to the Big 12 either next season or by 2014.
Will Big East football survive? I’m not sure.
One thing is clear: no matter what happens this weekend, the Big East is going to end up with a less-than-deserving BCS representative.
