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Big East Conference Football
The Big Eight has an interesting group of geographically diverse football programs. The Louisville Cardinals are the favorites with defending champion Pittsburg not far behind. The champion receives an automatic BCS berth.
2005 Predicted Order of Finish
1. LOUISVILLE
After a near-miss in 2004, the Cardinals come on the scene like gangbusters. Sophomore Brian Brohm will step in the shoes of last year's senior quarterback, Stefan LeFors and there will be little drop-off in production. There will be Travis Leffew anchoring the offensive line and he will also have multiple offensive weapons. There will be wide receivers Montrell Jones and Josua Tinch for him hit on the deep routes. With the defense dominating like they did in 2004, the Cards should be bound for a BCS bowl.
2. PITTSBURGH
There will be plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Junior quarterback Tyler Palko, who passed for 3,067 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2004, will have plenty of talent around him. There will be wide receivers Greg Lee and Joe DelSardo. With linebacker H.B. Blades and defensive back Bernard "Josh" Lay, the panthers have a chance to challenge Louisville and win the crown again.
3. SYRACUSE
Syracuse has nine starters back on defense and there in lies their strength. The defense is vital in containing some potent offensives. Their offensive has Damien Rhodes to carry the load. He is the tailback and has bulked up to carry the load. Syracuse should earn a bowl bid but not of the caliber of the Cardinals and Panthers.
4. WEST VIRGINIA
Inexperience, especially at quarterback, is the main trait of the Mountaineers. Three players will battle to replace Rasheed Marshall at quarterback. They are Adam Bedarik, Dwayne Thompson, and Pat Smith. The defense will need to replace Adam "Pac-Man" Jones in the secondary with Jahmile Addae or Mike Lorello as the likely candidates. They will not be able to compete for the league title, but could win over Rutgers or Syracuse.
5. RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights are thinking bowl bid. A bowl bid will hinge on quarterback Ryan Hart, who tossed more interceptions (19) last year than touchdowns (17). If the team is to make a serious bid for the postseason, he will have to improve his error ways dramatically. If no improvement by Hart, then freshman Jabu Lovelace will get a look. The running game is handled by Brian Leonard. With their favorable schedule, Rutgers could have a winning season and possible bowl bid.
6. CONNECTICUT
Matt Bonislawski is the favorite to fill the hugh void created by the graduation of quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Don't be surprised if freshman D.J. Hernandez takes his turn at quarterback. Which ever is the quarterback, he will have the talented running back Cornell Brockington. With a "yards per game average" of 101.5, Brockington is among the league's best runners. Linebacker James Hargrave leads a strong defense. The quarterback holds the key to this team being an upper-division team.
7. CINCINNATI
The Bearcats have numerous holes to fill after graduating 26 seniors and 17 starters last year. The biggest hole is at quarterback where freshman Dustin Grutza has the lead over Nick Davilla for the job. The defense has no returning starting linebackers but have defensive lineman Adam Roberts, who does not know when to stop. The Bearcats will win enough games to keep out of the cellar.
8. SOUTH FLORIDA
As the Bulls enter the season with more questions than answers, the will find it difficult to keep out of the cellar. They do have one of the top running quarterbacks in Andre Hall. He was last years offensive Most Valuable Player and set a new USF single- season record with 1,357 yards. Incumbent quarterback Pat Julmiste will find it hard to hold his position while competing against Courtney Denson, an Auburn transfer.
About the Author
Garth Belkins is the senior sports editor for 365SportsNews.com
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