Editor’s Note: This following is the complete list of every 2010 team preview I have done in the past four days of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Research and statistics, along with some interesting storylines were used in creating each preview. I then listed the three more important players lost and returning for each team. Then listed were my candid thoughts on how the season would go for the team. Finally, I stated if I thought we could actually manage to defeat this team or not, and in the case of Syracuse, how we would do in the Big East Conference and on the season as a whole. My intent was to give you all the information needed to truly enjoy and appreciate each game Syracuse will have in the Big East, as well as make you a more informed fan, with a comprehensive rundown of important information on each team in a condensed fashion. Enjoy reading the analysis and more importantly enjoy the upcoming season, win, lose, or drunk.

Part 1: Cincinnati

Part 2: Connecticut

Part 3: Louisville

Part 4: Pittsburgh

Part 5: Rutgers

Part 6: South Florida

Part 7: West Virginia

Part 8: Syracuse

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Editor’s Note: This is part seven of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Two new teams will be released each weekday for the next four days, leading up to the start of the Syracuse Football season. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however the opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part 7 can be found here.

Syracuse

Preview – Syracuse begins their 2010 campaign under 2nd year head coach Doug Marrone with one very specific goal; get to a bowl game. Seems simple enough, but for a Syracuse team that has not headed to a bowl since 2004 and has not had a winning season since 2001 that is easier said than done. New starting QB Ryan Nassib (36/68, 422yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, sacked 7 times) proved a nice asset to Syracuse, and proved a skilled pocket passer in spots last season but he is truly untested in the starting role. Syracuse does have back a major offensive weapon however in senior RB Delone Carter (236att, 1021yds, 4.3avg, 11 TD) who should earn another 1000 plus yard season. The receiver core is a little suspect but should be adequate for the job at hand. As for the defense, Syracuse returns nine starters from last season that will start this time around. Both the defensive line and the linebackers will be absolutely solid and should provide another year of stingy run defense. The secondary all returns from last season and should be better at preventing the long plays this season, though this will be the most vulnerable of the defense again. Syracuse will be improved this season and should be able to compete even better this year than last year.

Key Returning Players – RB Delone Carter, DE Chandler Jones, LB Derrell Smith

Key Losses – WR Mike Williams, QB Greg Paulus, DT Art Jones

My Thoughts – Syracuse is a decent team this year. The offense should be improved compared to last season with Doug Marrone taking over as offensive coordinator and Ryan Nassib is progressing fairly well. If Syracuse can prevent big home run balls games should be a lot closer than they probably should be according to the teams on paper. Syracuse opens up a favorable schedule until the Big East starts. A good start will be key, and Syracuse fans should see some exciting games.

How Will We Do? – Syracuse will again finish around seventh in the league, but getting some lucky breaks and staying healthy could allow them to surprise some people and move up even higher. Syracuse should get around two Big East wins at minimum and they have a great shot at winning six on the season, including a 3-1. It looks like a rough October as they take on the top teams in the league. But November looks a little brighter as we face Rutgers, Connecticut, and Boston College to end the season. Rivals ahoy. Syracuse could steal a game here, but I think this is where Syracuse will thrive with three home games and some winnable games in the stretch. Syracuse will be competitive, but sadly I think a bowl game is just out of their reach this season. But winning six games and a couple in the league is a big time improvement.

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Editor’s Note: This is part seven of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Two new teams will be released each weekday for the next four days, leading up to the start of the Syracuse Football season. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however the opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part 6 can be found here.

West Virginia

Preview – Bill Stewart, who seems more like a happy grandfather than a football coach, sits on his third season at the helm of West Virginia. And he has another solid team. QB Jarrett Brown is gone and sophomore Geno Smith is now under center. He has played a little big previously, but in general he is pretty untested. Good thing he has WR Jock Sanders (72rec, 688yds, 9.6avg, 3 TD) who was solid last year and will be solid his senior season. Then again, they also have stud running back Noel Devine (241car, 1465yds, 6.1avg, 13 TD) who is an absolute game changer and a beast of a running back. The defense is also talented with nine returning starters, a beastly front seven, and a pretty talented secondary. Pat Lazear is the top tackler from last season, and there are all conference players up front. This will be a tough defense to move on. WVU is an absolutely talented team that can earn double digit wins this season.

Key Returning Players – RB Noel Devine, WR Jock Sanders, LB Pat Lazear

Key Losses – QB Jarrett Brown, WR Alric Arnett, OT Selvish Capers

My Thoughts – West Virginia should overcome a pedestrian quarterback this season seeing as they have a top talent wideout and an even more talented running back. Not only that but there defense will shut down various teams. They should challenge Pittsburgh and the other conference heavies for the league title this year, and they will probably cruise to several wins this season.

Will We Beat Them – We’re playing in Morgantown and their team defense will be very tough. On top of that they have proven Orange killer Noel Devine back. This will not be pretty for Syracuse. Same as it ever was. They will probably be keeping that trophy in their case yet another year.

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Editor’s Note: This is part six of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Two new teams will be released each weekday for the next four days, leading up to the start of the Syracuse Football season. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however the opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part 5 can be found here.

South Florida

Preview – Skip Holtz takes over a USF program that has only ever had one other coach since the inception of their program. Last season they earned eight wins, including their Bowl Game, but that seems about all they will ever be capable of at this point. The offense has a great leader in surprise QB BJ Daniels (122/227, 1983yds, 14 TD, 9 INT, sacked 32 times), but their running back core is depleted due to dismissals and academic issues. They also do not have great options to throw to either. Their defense is pedestrian at best. They lack playmakers in all areas. There are big questions on the defensive line and in the secondary. This team will have some big questions and although Holtz remains optimistic, some of the tougher games on their schedule will be out of reach for this particular team, no matter how well Daniels is playing.

Key Returning Players – QB BJ Daniels, DE Craig Marshall, RB Moise Plancher

Key Losses – QB Matt Grothe, DE George Selvie, RB Mike Ford

My Thoughts – This is another middle of the pack team that will determine their place through luck and who has the better day when they play some of the other middle of the pack conference teams. BJ Daniels is a stud and can do a lot of things but he is just one man. Football is a team game, and this team just isn’t really good. They will do just fine this season however, which is alright for a new football coach who has time to build the program in the always tough Florida area.

Will We Beat Them – If this game was in the Carrier Dome I’d give serious thought into the idea that Syracuse could upset them. However I just don’t think Syracuse will be able to stop Daniels for all four quarters in Tampa. I’ll put this one down as a loss for Syracuse to open their schedule. However, is it possible this is an upset game Syracuse steals because USF is focusing on West Virginia in their next game? It sure is.

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Editor’s Note: This is part five of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Two new teams will be released each weekday for the next four days, leading up to the start of the Syracuse Football season. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however the opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part 4 can be found here.

Rutgers

Preview – Greg Schiano is back and will lead a very young Rutgers team in their latest campaign. One of the big surprises in the league was the success of QB Tom Savage (149/285, 2211yds, 14 TD, 7 INT, sacked 35 times) who had a pretty successful freshman year. Rutgers also brings their leading rusher back in Joe Martinek (206car, 967yds, 4.7avg, 9 TD). They also have some solid receivers. As for defense, Rutgers had one of the best defenses last season in the nation and this year will not be as good but still a stingy defense. They will have a tough defensive line and defensive backs, but they lack the same talent at linebackers this season. Overall this is a team that will win several games, including some in the league.

Key Returning Players – QB Tom Savage, RB Joe Martinek, WR Mohamed Sanu

Key Losses – LB Ryan D’Imperio, WR Tim Brown, OT Anthony Davis

My Thoughts – Rutgers is good enough offensively to finish in the top half of the league. They have a solid quarterback and he will find success passing the ball a lot this season. Their defense is not great anymore, but it’s still pretty good and they will push some inferior teams around. Probably because they continue to play one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the country they will once again look better than they actually are. Either way, they will be a good football team this season.

Will We Beat Them – Having a good quarterback means nothing when his ass is on the turf because he was sacked. For an example, see last year’s Rutgers v. Syracuse game in the Carrier Dome. But this year Syracuse has to travel to New Jersey where Schiano and the Rutgers faithful are foaming at the mouth for revenge on the Orange. This is probably the toughest game to predict in the Big East slate for Syracuse, but because of last year and the all-time nature of the series, I’m saying Syracuse returns to their winning ways in NJ and pick up another win against the Scarlet Knights. Suck it Rutgers.

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Editor’s Note: This is part four of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Two new teams will be released each weekday for the next four days, leading up to the start of the Syracuse Football season. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however the opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part 3 can be found here.

Pittsburgh

Preview – Dave Wannstedt seems like he’s been at Pitt forever at this point. With good reason. They have won 19 games the past two seasons and are looking to get another ten or so this year. They lost their big playmaker in QB Bill Stull and will be starting sophomore Tino Sunseri, who has only attempted 17 passes on the field. The really good news is that RB Dion Lewis (325car, 1799yds, 5.5avg, 17 TD) is back and he looks to do even better this season. Sunseri has a nice target in Jon Baldwin (57rec, 1111yds, 19.5avg, 8 TD) as well. The Pittsburgh defense is very solid, with a great defensive line, a nice set of linebackers, and some really talented defensive backs. This is a well rounded team with a lot of talent and they can and should win a lot of football games.

Key Returning Players – RB Dion Lewis, WR Jon Baldwin, DE Greg Romeus

Key Losses – QB Bill Stull, TE Dorin Dickerson, S Elijah Fields

Thoughts – This is my pick for best team in the league. Pittsburgh has all the pieces to achieve a BCS birth by beating other teams in our league. The biggest question will be a quarterback. However this is Pittsburgh and they are a good team so that shouldn’t really be a huge issue for this squad. Dion Lewis will run around and burn some defenders, and Pitt’s defense will be stingy. This team will be good and it is basically their conference to lose at this point in the season.

Will We Beat Them – Pittsburgh and Syracuse is a pretty traditional Big East rivalry and in the past have produced several entertaining games over the past few years, despite Syracuse’s problems. This year will be no exception as Pittsburgh will be coming into the Carrier Dome that will be packed with Orange faithful heading back to homecoming. Additionally, the team very well could be hungry enough to give Pittsburgh a challenge with their first home Big East game. However, I just think Pittsburgh will probably be too talented and have too much to lose to let Syracuse sneak up on them. It will be closer than Pittsburgh wants, but they will beat the Orange.

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Editor’s Note: This is part two of an eight part series giving analysis of each of the eight teams in the Big East Football Conference, proceeding alphabetically, but ending with Syracuse. Two new teams will be released each weekday for the next four days, leading up to the start of the Syracuse Football season. Feel free to use the comment section to supplement the facts and analysis presented, however the opinions will stand. Enjoy and I hope you are looking forward to the new Big East football season as much as I am. Part 1 can be found here.

Connecticut

Preview – Coach Randy Edsall has publicly called for a “put up or shut up” to Notre Dame to join the Big East in football. He wants the league to expand. I like him a lot for this. And that’s where the liking ends. This former Syracuse player and staff member is the perfect villain for the Orange, and the Big East in general. The once laughing stock is a legit big time program thanks to smart recruiting and a boatload of state money from Connecticut for facilities. And they are pretty good on the field. QB Zach Frazer reclaims his starting spot after being injured most of last season. RB Jordan Todman (235car, 1188yds, 5.1avg, 14 TD) returns and should be a huge part of the Huskies offense this season as Zach Frazer has had mixed results previously. Additionally Frazer has shown some questionable decision making in the past. The offensive line and receivers are solid however. Similarly the defensive line is solid again and the linebackers are the strength of this defense. UConn is a good defensive team and should make some big plays this season.

Key Returning Players – RB Jordan Todman, QB Zack Frazer, LB Lawrence Wilson

Key Losses – RB Andre Dixon, FS Robert Vaughn, DE Lindsey Witten

My Thoughts – The Huskies will win some games this season as they have their traditionally weak non-conference games and will do some damage in the league. The success of the Huskies rest on Frazer. If he can find success in the passing game the Huskies will win some big games in the league, but if not this team will struggle. While UConn will do well in the league and get to a nice bowl game, they will fall short of the league title, leaving them still below an elite program.

Will We Beat Them – This game is in the Carrier Dome, which does bode well for the Orange. Additionally, the perceived slight at the end of last year’s UConn game by going for a score in garbage time should add fuel to the fire. Similarly to the revenge Syracuse took on Rutgers this past season, Connecticut could find themselves on the wrong end of a beatdown. However I just think that Connecticut will have another year of bragging rights at the hand of the Orange. But don’t fret SU fans, Syracuse will dominate them on the hardwood again this winter.

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football

Labels: 2010 Big East Football Prospectus, Big East, Football