2008 Big East Football Picks & Predictions
Check out Jimmy Boyd’s 2008 Big East season preview to get the quick run down on the smallest of the BCS conferences. Click on the individual team links below for a more in depth look at each of the college football predictions on these eight squads.
1st – West Virginia Mountaineers
Losing head coach Rich Rodriguez is sure to impact this team in the years to come as he has proven to be an exceptional recruiter and motivator, but the Mountaineers still have QB Pat White and no one else does. If he can stay healthy, West Virginia is a top ten team again. It’s also dangerous that the Mountaineers could have a bit of a chip on their shoulders after losing to Pitt to cost them a trip to the BCS title game.
2nd – South Florida Bulls
Rising to the number two ranking in the country was a huge deal for this program in 2007, but it can’t have a three-week letdown the way it did last season. QB Matt Grothe and DE George Selvie are stars. A December 6th date at West Virginia very well could determine the Big East champ.
3rd – Pittsburgh Panthers
Wannstedt’s recruits are now ready to shine and anything less than an eight-win campaign will be a major disappointment. LeSean McCoy is a star at tailback and the offense will be geared around him again. The Panthers have a serious shot at winning the conference if they can get solid QB play.
4th – Rutgers Scarlet Knights
With experienced QB Mike Teel directing the league’s best passing attack, Rutgers will be one of the toughest teams to stop in the conference again. Losing record-setting running back Ray Rice and playing a tough schedule will keep Rutgers from challenging for a league title.
5th – Connecticut Huskies
Seventeen starters return from a team which tied for first last season, but UConn relies too heavily on its defense to bail out the lackluster offense. A tougher schedule and teams gunning for them means wins will be tougher to come by.
6th – Louisville Cardinals
With heavy losses at the skill positions, most significantly QB Brian Brohm, the Cards won’t get anything easy. Their defense is not good enough to make up for the loss of offensive fire power either. A .500 season is likely.
7th – Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincy got its fans hopes up with a 10-win season in 2007 and now it will let them down. The loss of QB Ben Mauk will really take a toll on the offense. Also, it’s going to be hard for the Cats to come up with the amount of takeaways they got last season. Teams will be smarter with the ball against Cincy and that means bad new for the Bearcats.
8th – Syracuse Orange
There’s nowhere to go but up after a 10-loss season, but I don’t see any scenario that has the Orange winning more than four games. The talent level is still lacking as Syracuse is just 2-19 in league play under coach Greg Robinson. Another bad year likely costs him his job.
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