Spring Break
Big East Beginning To Take Shape
Chris Licata
Issue date: 9/20/05 Section: Sports
With three weeks in the books, there is still no clear-cut picture of what the Big East Conference is and will become. There have certainly been surprises so far, but with most teams having three games under their belt, nobody is certain how the conference season will play out. The following is a look at which teams are on the BCS trail and which teams will fizzle out.
BCS Bound?
No. 9 Louisville (2-0, 0-0) and West Virginia (3-0, 1-0)
The first and most obvious team that fits into this category is Louisville. The preseason conference favorites by pretty much everyone in the nation have been playing like a BCS team thus far. After a sloppy win over intrastate rival Kentucky in Week 1, the Cardinals rebounded to absolutely destroy a 2-0 Oregon State team last week, 63-27.
Brian Brohm and Reggie Bush lead an explosive Cardinal offense that scored 42 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0 early on. With Kentucky and Oregon State out of the way, the remaining out-of-conference opponents this season are against Florida Atlantic and North Carolina, two teams with a combined record of 0-5. It goes without saying, but as long as the Cardinals stay healthy, their schedule is tailor made for a BCS bid.
Largely overlooked in the preseason as a conference contender, West Virginia is showing that they need to be taken seriously. After winning ugly against Syracuse in their season opener, the Mountaineers destroyed Division 1-AA Wofford, 35-7, in Week 2. However, last week the Mountaineers really showed what they were made of. In front of a hostile, capacity crowd in College Park, Md. the Mountaineers bested a Maryland team in desperate need of a victory.
The Maryland victory may not seem like much considering the Terps are 0-3 now, but the victory does much more than add another notch in the win column. For the Mountaineers to be able to go into a hostile environment like that and pull out a win speaks volumes for the character and poise of these guys. Hosting East Carolina this weekend, the biggest challenge for the Mountaineers all season will be when they host No. 4 Virginia Tech on Oct. 1. Last year the Hokies busted West Virginia's BCS dreams and if history is any guide, it's not inconceivable that the Mountaineers could play spoiler.
BCS Bound?
No. 9 Louisville (2-0, 0-0) and West Virginia (3-0, 1-0)
The first and most obvious team that fits into this category is Louisville. The preseason conference favorites by pretty much everyone in the nation have been playing like a BCS team thus far. After a sloppy win over intrastate rival Kentucky in Week 1, the Cardinals rebounded to absolutely destroy a 2-0 Oregon State team last week, 63-27.
Brian Brohm and Reggie Bush lead an explosive Cardinal offense that scored 42 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0 early on. With Kentucky and Oregon State out of the way, the remaining out-of-conference opponents this season are against Florida Atlantic and North Carolina, two teams with a combined record of 0-5. It goes without saying, but as long as the Cardinals stay healthy, their schedule is tailor made for a BCS bid.
Largely overlooked in the preseason as a conference contender, West Virginia is showing that they need to be taken seriously. After winning ugly against Syracuse in their season opener, the Mountaineers destroyed Division 1-AA Wofford, 35-7, in Week 2. However, last week the Mountaineers really showed what they were made of. In front of a hostile, capacity crowd in College Park, Md. the Mountaineers bested a Maryland team in desperate need of a victory.
The Maryland victory may not seem like much considering the Terps are 0-3 now, but the victory does much more than add another notch in the win column. For the Mountaineers to be able to go into a hostile environment like that and pull out a win speaks volumes for the character and poise of these guys. Hosting East Carolina this weekend, the biggest challenge for the Mountaineers all season will be when they host No. 4 Virginia Tech on Oct. 1. Last year the Hokies busted West Virginia's BCS dreams and if history is any guide, it's not inconceivable that the Mountaineers could play spoiler.