4 Questions (Big East Edition)

Is USF's B.J. Daniels the best of the Big East?

1. Who is the conference favorite next season?

Cincinnati has won the Big East two years in a row, but head coach Brian Kelly has left the school to take over at Notre Dame. Pittsburgh returns behind the running of sophomore sensation Dion Lewis, and Connecticut returns 16-starters on a team that looked promising last season. However, a team that looks to be very talented is Rutgers. Rutgers defense finished 18th nationally in total defense last year and had the best turnover margin in the Big East; a staple to head coach Greg Schiano’s commitment of having a strong defense. While the defense loses some players to graduation and the NFL, enough talent returns to compliment an up and coming offense. QB Tom Savage has the makings to be the top quarterback in the league and can get the ball to future star wideout Mohammed Sanu. Throw in a conference schedule that includes Uconn at home and trips to West Virginia and Pittsburgh; Rutgers could very well end up playing after New Year’s.

2.Can Charlie Strong take Louisville to a bowl game in 2010?

Charlie Strong finally found the right fit for him to start his head coaching career at Louisville, and the Cardinals couldn’t be happier. Strong finds himself with a team that has some talent and an environment that wants to make it to the next level. RB Victor Anderson is looking to bounce back after a drop of last season in which he rushed for under 500 yards. QB Adam Forman struggled last year and will be essential to the success of the offense. Strong should take care of the defense and make it respectable after a poor showing in 2009, finishing second to last in the conference. Making a bowl could be very difficult provided the schedule ahead for the Cardinals. Trips to Rutgers, Pittsburgh, and Oregon State mixed with home contests with Uconn, West Virginia and Kentucky provide a lot of games in which the cardinals could be underdogs. Look for a 5-7 type season, and Strong missing out on a bowl for now.

3. How good can B.J. Daniels be?

USF’s B.J. Daniels started off last season behind 4-years starter Matt Grothe. Grothe got hurt the third game of the season and the freshman Daniels stepped right in and the Bulls never looked back. Daniels went on to lead a win at Florida State, accounting for 341 yards of total offense, and become an adequate dual threat quarterback running for 772 yards and throwing for another 1,983 yards. After the teams bowl game, USF decided to part ways with Jim Levitt and bring in East Carolina coach Skip Holtz. Holtz’s offense is still a spread attack focusing on a dual-treat quarterback; similar to the one USF ran last season. Along with Holtz comes in quarterback coach Peter Vaas, who at one time coached Brady Quinn at Notre Dame. All of this has to be good news for Daniels, who has the potential to be the top dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Strong coaching and a talented offensive set have Daniels looking ready for a solid sophomore year. A week two matchup at Florida, could give Daniels a household name status, if he somehow knocked of another big time state school.

4. Will Pittsburgh be able to survive its Out-of-Conference Schedule?

At Notre Dame, at Utah and a Thursday night home contest against national powerhouse Miami, has Pittsburgh looking at a daunting schedule for the upcoming year. Pittsburgh has entered 2010 understanding that the Big East isn’t the strongest conference of them all, so instead has beefed up it’s out of conference play in hopes of having the opportunity to receive a higher BCS standing. The opening week contest at Utah shouldn’t be too difficult of a game for the Panthers, as they return an offensive attack focusing on the running of RB Dion Lewis. The other games against Notre Dame and Miami should provide more of a contest. A home win against Miami looks more plausible as Pittsburgh’s defense should be able to slow down the Miami offense. However the game at Notre Dame should be interesting as October trips to South Bend can always be entertaning.

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-A. Ivins