Around the Conference Week 7

WVU has the week off so many readers may not watch Big East games this week. That is fine, just don't look in the box. However, for everyone else the Big East has a thrilling slate of games so good that ESPNU is all up on the conferences' jock this week with three Big East games playing on the U which is slightly better than playing on ESPN Classic and worse than playing on Versus I believe. The schedule this week for the Big East is slightly misleading at first glimpse. There are not any marquee matchups on the docket, but some important games for the teams anyway. Three teams are in must wins to save their seasons while 3 others are looking for wins to prove themselves to voters and their fans. Meanwhile Syracuse continues to look for a reason to stay in Division I.

Navy vs. Pittsburgh--Barring upsets Pitt has two possible wins left on the schedule with one of those being tonight vs. Navy. The Panthers still have Cincy, Louisville, Rutgers, USF, and WVU on the schedule along with a pillow fight with Syracuse. So far Pitt has beaten Eastern Michigan and Grambling State. The last time Pitt took the field they were beaten 44-14 by Virginia in a game they trailed by 27 at the end of the first quarter. Pitt is 103rd in total offense and 110th in passing offense which has undermined a good defensive effort on the year (9th overall). The stache has challenged Pat Bostick to put up 28 points this week. Calling out a freshman quarterback before a game may be odd, but Wanney is feeling some pressure now that his AD, Jeff Long, left for Arkansas without even receiving a counteroffer from Pitt. Wanney also publicly challenged himself to "keep rocking out with my cock out." Navy is 3-2 with wins over Temple, Rutgers Duke, and Air Force. The Midshipmen are first in rushing offense and last in passing which balances out to 26th overall. The defense has been bad, however, giving up 454 yards per game. Can Pitt move the ball on this defense and score 28 points? Can Pitt get a passing game going against the 107th rated passing defense? Doesn't Dave look like a guy that uses the phrase "hump day" waaaaay too often? All these questions will be answered tonight in front of 10s of people in Pittsburgh.

UCF vs. USF--Once upon a time this was going to be a huge CUSA rivalry with two up and coming Florida schools. However, in the last three years UCF has gone 15 and 26 while USF has gone 24 and 17 while moving to the Big East. UCF is looking to make a statement while USF tries to avoid a misstep after moving into the top 5. Last week the Bulls allowed FAU to hang around until the end in a 35-23 victory that included a touchdown by USF with 29 seconds remaining. USF passed for only 122 yards and had 4 turnovers in the game. On the season the USF passing offense has fallen to 99th in the country. UCF comes into the game off of a blowout loss to ECU. The Golden Knights are led by running back Kevin Smith with 860 yards and 11 touchdowns. Smith is a 6'1" 211 back that is getting raves from NFL scouts. UCF is 9th in the country in rushing and 85th in passing. We have seen this before. Look for USF to play the same defense as against WVU, putting 9 in the box and forcing quarterback Kyle Israel to beat them down the field.

Rutgers vs. Syracuse--Rutgers is in the same position this week as WVU was last week. Coming off of a conference loss the Knights can take out some frustration on Syracuse and save their season or become Louisville. Rutgers was unable to run the ball for a second straight week as Ray Raice averaged 2.8 yards per carry versus the Bearcats. Mike Teel was forced to throw the ball 38 times and as improved as he may be any team would love to force Teel to beat them. Syracuse managed 202 yards against WVU last week and is now 116th on offense and 112th in defense. On the bright side Greg Robinson has perfected the "Good try guys" clap and is now incorporating it into everyday activities such as when his wife makes her widely criticized overly dry meatloaf.

UConn vs. Virginia--The Huskies have a chance to get to 6-0 with Louisville on the horizon after beating Akron in their last game. So far UConn has wins over Duke, Maine, Temple, Pitt, and Akron. The schedule will get much harder from here on out for UConn so a victory here is important. The Huskies are 4th in total defense and 6th in turnover margin so far this year. Virginia is 5-1 with a loss to Wyoming and wins over Duke, UNC, GT, Pitt, and Middle Tennessee State. The offense is ranked 108th in the nation and the defense 36th. Both teams scheduled this game looking for an easy win and maybe one will get what they wanted.

Louisville vs. Cincy--Louisville continues to lose games despite putting up huge offensive numbers and limiting turnovers. The defense is beyond embarrassing now as Utah, a team averaging 350 total yards per game, had 582 yards of offense against the Cardinals. Louisvile is currently 108th in passing defense. The Bearcats need a victory in this game to continue to prove themselves and bring the 27th best offense in the country into the game including the 37th best passing offense. Louisville hasn't been blown out this season and will continue to scare everyone they play because if they can ever keep someone below 35 points they will win. Wanney may have to issue a challenge.