Big East Breakdown – Week 3

Going into the final week of true pre-conference action, we now have a grasp on what is good and what needs to be improved for Louisville’s conference opponents. Check back each Tuesday for the Big East Breakdown, where we’ll cover each of the other seven Big East squads, and give a beatability index for each team in relation to the Cardinals.

Cincinnati: The defending conference champs looked solid on the road in Corvallis, defeating Oregon State 28-18. The Bearcats fended off an OSU rally, slamming the door with a 18-yard touchdown pass from Tony Pike to Mardy Gilyard. The win was UC’s second road victory of the season (they also won at Rutgers on Labor Day), and should be considered the conference favorite right now. This week, the Bearcats host a tough Fresno State team.
Beatability index (5=sure win, 0=no shot): 0.5

Connecticut: The Huskies used 235 yards of rushing offense to dismantle Baylor 30-22 in Waco on Saturday. UConn ran an astounding 81 plays, controlling the clock for nearly 40 minutes of action. Andre Dixon led the ground assault with 31 carries for 149 yards. With starter Zach Frazer out, backup quarterback Cody Endress passed for 147 yards, and committed zero turnovers. This week, UConn hosts the Rams of Rhode Island before taking a week’s rest leading into the conference season.
Beatability index: 3.5

Pittsburgh: Navy came into Heinz Field on Saturday, but unlike the Ohio State game a few weeks ago, the Midshipmen could not establish their running game in a 27-14 Panthers victory. Pittsburgh moved to 3-0 on the season and was led by freshman Dan Mason’s 11 tackles in his first collegiate start. Pitt travels to North Carolina State this week before starting conference play one week from Friday in Louisville.
Beatability index: 1.5

Rutgers: We really don’t know too much about the Scarlet Knights at this point. Like the rest of the Big East so far, they have beaten the opponents they were supposed to beat (Howard and this week against Florida International in a convincing 23-15 win), but we should get a good look at Rutgers’ future this week with a trip to Maryland. A win there looks to be necessary for a chance at going bowling this year in Jersey.
Beatability index: 3.5

South Florida: The Bulls came into the season looking to start out 3-0 with some very easy opponents before being healthy and psyched about facing the test of the lifetime this Saturday in Tallahassee against Florida State. Unfortunately, all that was on pace to happen until superstar quarterback Matt Grothe left with a season-ending injury in a 59-0 win over Charleston Southern. USF racked up 547 total yards and looked poised, even with redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels taking his spot against the Buccaneers, but he’ll need to play out of his mind in order to take out the Seminoles.
Beatability index (with no Grothe): 4.0

Syracuse: The Orange (and quarterback Greg Paulus) picked up their first victory of the season at home against Northwestern, 37-34. Needing a last-second field goal to take the game, Syracuse looked like the same team that squandered their home opener against Minnesota two weeks ago. Paulus had a terrible first half interception in the end zone, and nearly cost the Orange the game with his third quarter fumble, leading to the Wildcats’ go-ahead score. Syracuse needs to put together a quality effort this week against Maine, or else the bad habits Orange fans are starting to expect this season will be commonplace in conference play.
Beatability index: 4.0

West Virginia: The Mountaineers survived a torrential rain downpour and an hour-plus delay at Auburn, but could not handle the second half charge by the Tigers in a 41-30 defeat. Noel Devine ran for 128 yards, while dual-threat quarterback Jarret Brown threw for 221 yards and ran for 66 more, but had four interceptions, three of which came in the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers do get a week off this week before hosting Colorado a week from Thursday. Despite the loss, look for WVU to firmly be in the conference race.
Beatability index: 1.0