South Florida

BIG EAST 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Big East over the last five years?

..Continued From Big East Fantasy Preview: Part One

Both football games on the schedule before Saturday seem to have the following theme: conference title contender taking on an opponent that's disappointed to this point in the season. North Carolina (4-3, 0-3 ACC) has been hurt by injuries on the offensive line and in the backfield, resulting in the ACC's second-worst offense. But can T.J. Yates and company challenge #13 Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1) in Blacksburg?

A pair of Big East matchups complete the pre-Saturday action for Week 7, beginning with #8 Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0) travelling to Tampa to take on #21 USF (5-0, 1-0) tonight (7:30 PM on ESPN). The Bearcats have gotten the job done thus far thanks to an explosive offense and a defense that's been better than advertised but now the goal of defending their conference title is front and center. QB Tony Pike has played well enough to have his name mentioned in the Heisman race, and receivers Mardy Gilyard and D.J. Woods are just two of the many weapons at his disposal.

Will college football learn its lesson?