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Big East Coast BiACC - Big East Preview, Week 9
October 29, 2010 | By Brian McCabe
After a weekend of mild upsets and surprising outcomes, the Big East is back with three intra-conference matchups to satiate your football needs.
The conference is so upside down that Syracuse — Yes, that Syracuse — could come out of the weekend in first place. It is crazy to fathom that this conference is given a guaranteed bid to a BCS game.
I have a feeling that the powers-that-be will have a meeting of the minds this off-season to readdress this bid. It is hard to imagine that one of these eight teams automatically gets to play in one of the biggest bowl games of the season.
Syracuse could be playing Oklahoma in a bowl game. No, I am not kidding.
The Big East portion of the BiACC struggled last week and finished 1-3. That gives us a very mediocre 16-15-1 record overall.
Friday:
West Virginia at Connecticut (+6.5) - Saying both teams struggled last week would be an understatement. The Mountaineers had a chance to play themselves into the top 20, but they fell out of the top 25 after a disastrous loss at home against the aforementioned Orange.
Bill Stewart and his crew have to be reeling this week, but there is still a lot of football to be played.
UConn is coming off embarrassing shutout loss on the road against Louisville. The Huskies had high hopes this season, but after a 3-4 start, the Poulan Weed eater Papa Johns Detroit Bowl looks pretty darn good right about now.
Look for West Virginia to bounce back strong Friday night and roll to a lopsided victory. Lay the points and take the Mountain Men.
Saturday:
Louisville at Pittsburgh (-9.5)
The Wann-stashe Bash did it to me again. I cannot bring myself to pick them, but they keep covering. The Panthers put on an impressive showing last weekend at home against Rutgers and look to build on that this Saturday. Pitt is 4-3 after winning three of its past four games.
Meanwhile, Charlie Strong has his Redbirds playing some seriously good football. Louisville shut out UConn at home last weekend and is improving with every game. Since losing to a ranked Oregon State team, Louisville has won three of four heading into Saturday’s tilt with Pitt.
Again … I just cannot do it …
I look for Louisville to keep up their impressive play and cover 9.5 points. I am not saying it will win the game, but the Redbirds will cover.
Syracuse at Cincinnati (Pick) - Butch Jones’s first season at Cincy has not gone swimmingly. At 3-4, the Bearcats can be declared a disappointment thus far. Losing at home to South Florida last week is inexcusable. They have only won two games convincingly and those foes were Miami (Ohio) and Indiana State. Zach Collaros is putting up the numbers with 20 touchdowns on the season, but the results are just not there.
This game seems to be the definition of teams heading in different directions as Syracuse is turning heads around the country, Big East country that is. The Orange are coming off their biggest victory in two years after winning on the road in Morgantown last weekend. ‘Cuse is second in the Big East and only one win away from becoming bowl eligible.
Yes, people in upper New York, I said BOWL ELIGIBLE. Syracuse is almost bowl eligible.
However, I do not see that happening this week. Cincy’s offense will be too much for the Orange to contain. At a “Pick” status, I see Cincy winning this contest. Take the Bearcats.
Patsy Party: None
Lazy Saturday: Rutgers, South Florida
Posted October 29, 2010 10:30 AM