Brian Kelly bolted the Natty for Notre Dame before the Bearcats bowl game against Florida in January. Former Central Michigan coach Butch Jones will replace Kelly at Cincinnati like he did at Central Michigan. Cincinnati shouldn't take much of a hit on offense because Jones runs a system similar to Kelly's and the Bearcats will still be loaded on offense. The defense, which stunk up the joint last year, will be very young and will be adjusting to a new scheme. However the defense adjusts will be the key to Cincinnati season.
South Florida and Louisville also have new coaches for the 2010 season. Skip Holtz replaces Jim Leavitt at South Florida which will be a huge change. Leavitt was the only coach in South Florida's history and he was fired in the off-season for striking a player. Leavitt was also known for his colorful personality which is definitely different from the more mundane Holtz.
Charlie Strong was finally given the opportunity to coach his own team when Louisville hired him in the off-season. Strong who had been the defensive coordinator at Florida going back to the Spurrier days. Strong was passed over at many jobs, but Louisville finally scooped the defensive coordinator. Louisville has fallen on hard times since Bobby Petrino rented that head coaching job in Atlanta. Strong will look to turnaround a program that just four years ago was competing for a national title.
With all the coaching turnover in the Big East that leads a gaping hole as to which team will actually win the conference. Most experts are picking Pittsburgh. Others are going with UCONN. The sleeper pick is Rutgers. Honestly, I don't have a clue who will win the conference.
Both Pittsburgh and West Virginia start the year with new quarterbacks and excellent running backs. UCONN returns the most starters. Is this the year Rutgers finally goes to a BCS game after being on the verge of a BCS bowl game before? We'll have to wait to find out. One thing is for sure, the Big East won't lack excitement this season.
Team That Will Surprise, UCONN: The Huskies lost five games last year by a combined 15 points. With an experienced team returning the Huskies should turn those loses into wins this year. The Huskies return a veteran defense, have an experience play-caller (Zach Frazer), and the running game will continue to be strong with a veteran offensive line returning. I agree with experts that UCONN is the sleeper team of the Big Eat. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they win the conference.
Team That Will Disappoint, West Virginia: NCAA violations, a bowl loss, and underachieving seasons have West Virginia on a down-slope. While West Virginia returns the majority of their starters, they head into the season with a sophomore quarterback who wasn't very impressive in last year's Gator Bowl. With NCAA violations hanging over his head, WVU coach Bill Stewart might not be long for Morgantown.
Player of the Year, Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh: Lewis rushed for over 1,700 yards in just his Freshman season. With a loaded receiving corps, opposing defenses this year can't just stay focused on Lewis and the running game. An inexperienced offensive line though might hinder Lewis' production.
Game of the Year, West Virginia at Pittsburgh, Nov. 26: Once again the Backyard Brawl should determine the Big East champion. We also have showdowns between new starting quarterbacks for both teams and a showdown between all-conference running backs Dion Lewis and Noel Devine. The November 11th game between Pitt and UCONN will also be a must watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment