UCONN

Poll: Who is the Most Overrated Top 25 Team?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:04:35 -0500

Big East Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:44:33 -0500

Despite losing a ton of talent in the off-season, the Big East is still one of the country's most exciting and talented leagues.. and it features the country's dominant fantasy star: Luke Harangody. Other players to watch include newcomers like Lance Stephenson and Youphtaou Yarou and vets like Scottie Reynolds and Da'Sean Butler.

Conference Rank: 5th

10 year average: 3rd

Big East Page

All-BIG EAST Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	Sr
F	Devin Ebanks	West Virginia	So
F	Greg Monroe	Georgetown	So
F	Da'Sean Butler	West Virginia	Sr
F	Luke Harangody	Notre Dame	Sr
Second Team
G	Deonta Vaughn	Cincinnati	Sr
G	Dominique Jones	South Florida	Jr
G	Jerome Dyson	UCONN	Sr
F	Lazar Hayward	Marquette	Sr
F	Wesley Johnson	Syracuse	Jr

Player of the Year - Luke Harangody Freshman of the Year - Lance Stephenson
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Luke Harangody (1st Team) Scottie Reynolds (2nd) Devin Ebanks (4th) Da'Sean Butler Greg Monroe All-Freshman Team Lance Stephenson (2nd) Mouphtaou Yarou (2nd) Dante Taylor (3rd) Alex Oriakhi Peyton Siva Hollis Thompson		Points: Luke Harangody (ND) 23.3 Rebounds: Luke Harangody (ND) 11.8 Assists: T. Jackson/ E.Harvey 4.9 Team: Syracuse 80.2

Big East Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

2	Villanova	Big East	1	NCAA
7	West Virginia	Big East	2	NCAA
17	Georgetown	Big East	3	NCAA
19	Connecticut	Big East	4	NCAA
27	Louisville	Big East	5	NCAA
40	Pittsburgh	Big East	6	NCAA
45	Seton Hall	Big East	7	NCAA
50	Cincinnati	Big East	8	NIT
60	Notre Dame	Big East	9	NIT
67	Syracuse	Big East	10	NIT
74	St. John's	Big East	11	NIT
81	Marquette	Big East	12	NIT
98	Providence	Big East	13	CBI/CIT
114	Rutgers	Big East	14	CBI/CIT
139	South Florida	Big East	15
201	DePaul	Big East	16

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Other Big East Content

Big East Fantasy Stats Preview

Big East: Top 25 Players

Big East: Five-Year Ranking

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:41:31 -0500

ESPN's somewhat ridiculous but somewhat awesome 24 hours of college basketball tips off tonight, as we enter the first full week of action. Four Top 20 teams are in action, though none should be tested. Most eyes will be on the young freshmen stars on the likes of Duke & Kentucky, especially the debut of UK's John Wall.

If you will be watching, betting on, paying attention to, or hating on any of the day's games, please feel free to share your thoughts below:

TV GAMES

Coastal Carolina at #8 Duke - 7:00 - ESPNU

Colgate at #14 UCONN - 9:00 - ESPNU

Texas State at Arizona State - 11:00 ESPNU

Fullerton at UCLA - 12:05 AM - ESPN

San Diego State at Saint Mary's - 2:00 AM - ESPN\

No. Colorado at Hawaii - 4:00 AM - ESPN

OTHER BIG GAMES

Miami (OH) at #4 Kentucky - 7:00 - ESPN360

Penn at #6 Villanova - 7:00

Enjoy the games!

Big East Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:38:22 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG EAST

PG
1. Scottie Reynolds - Villanova
2. Dominique Jones - South Florida
3. Kemba Walker - UCONN
4. Tory Jackson - Pittsburgh
5. Sharaud Curry - Providence

SG
1. Mike Rosario - Rutgers
2. Jeremy Hazell - Seton Hall
3. Jerome Dyson - UCONN
4. Deonta Vaughn - Cincinnati
5. Corey Stokes - Villanova

- With so many more teams, the Big East is always harder to rank. There is no one dominant player in this group, but many experienced starters. Nova's Corey Fisher was the hardest player to leave off. One newcomer to watch is WVU's Casey Mitchell, a juco shooting guard with high expectations.

SF
1. Devin Ebanks - West Virginia
2. Wesley Johnson - Syracuse
3. Lance Stephenson - Cincinnati
4. Stanley Robinson - UCONN
5. Robert Mitchell - Seton Hall

PF
1. Da'Sean Butler - West Virginia
2. Lazar Hayward - Marquette
3. Anthony Mason Jr - St. John's
4. Herb Pope - Seton Hall
5. Dante Taylor - Pittsburgh

C
1. Luke Harangody - Notre Dame
2. Greg Monroe - Georgetown
3. Samardo Samuels - Louisville
4. Mac Koshwal - DePaul
5. Arinze Onuaku - Syracuse

- Impressive that WVU has the top SF & PF. Herb Pope has surpreme talent, but he might not even start for a deep SHU team. There are a good amount of newcomers on the list, including the likes of Johnson, Stephenson, Pope, etc. One other transfer to watch is Nova's Taylor King, who can light up the score-sheet if given ample minutes.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Big East Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:05:22 -0500

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?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	2	Louisville	14	6	12	14	16	62	84	74	Win %
			Final Four	NIT	2nd Round	Elite 8	Elite 8			31	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							105

2	4	Villanova	11	14	9	9	13	56	84	67	Win %
			Sweet 16	Elite 8	1st Round	Sweet 16	Final Four			32	Post Pts.
										99

3	1	UCONN	13	14	6	13	15	61	84	73	Win %
			2nd Round	Elite 8	X	1st Round	Final Four			24	Post Pts.
										97

4	3	Pittsburgh	10	10	12	10	15	57	84	68	Win %
			1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	Elite 8			24	Post Pts.
										92

5	5	G'Town	8	10	13	15	7	53	84	63	Win %
			NIT	Sweet 16	Final Four	2nd Round	NIT			23	Post Pts.
										86

6	6	WVU	8	11	9	11	10	49	84	58	Win %
			Elite 8	Sweet 16	NIT	Sweet 16	1st Round			23	Post Pts.
										81

7	9	Marquette	7	10	10	11	12	50	84	60	Win %
			NIT	1st Round	1st Round	2nd Round	2nd Round			13	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							73

8	7	Syracuse	11	7	10	9	11	48	84	57	Win %
			1st Round	1st Round	NIT	NIT	Sweet 16			12	Post Pts.
										69

9	8	Notre Dame	9	6	11	14	8	48	84	57	Win %
			NIT	NIT	1st Round	2nd Round	NIT			9	Post Pts.
										66

10	10	Cincinnati	12	8	2	8	8	38	84	45	Win %
			2nd Round	NIT	X	X	X			5	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							50

11	13	Providence	4	5	8	6	10	33	84	39	Win %
			X	X	NIT	X	NIT			2	Post Pts.
										41

12	12	Seton Hall	4	9	4	7	7	31	84	37	Win %
			X	1st Round	X	X	X			2	Post Pts.
										39

13	11	DePaul	10	5	9	6	0	30	84	36	Win %
			NIT	X	NIT	X	X			2	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							38

14	15	St. John's	3	5	7	5	6	26	84	31	Win %
			X	X	X	X	X			0	Post Pts.
										31

15	14	Rutgers	2	7	3	3	2	17	84	20	Win %
			X	NIT	X	X	X			1	Post Pts.
										21

16	16	South Fla.	5	1	3	3	4	16	84	19	Win %
			X	X	X	X	X			0	Post Pts.
			*CUSA							19

Was = Last year's rankig

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

Big East Thoughts

- UCONN manages to drop to 3rd despite making the Final Four. The Huskies 2004 title comes off the books, as does down years from competitors Louisville & Villanova.

- Villanova's made the Sweet Sixteen in 4 of 5 seasons. No other Big East team can claim that.

- Now that Northwestern made the NIT last year, South Florida and St. John's are virtually alone as BCS teams not to have made the postseason.

- Syracuse, surprisingly, has basically been a middle of the pack Big East team over this span.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

ACC

Big 12

Big East Basketball: Fantasy Preview

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:52:24 -0400

This is the 4th of six fantasy stats projections for BCS conference starters. One of my favorite series of the year, and a helpful guide when drafting for fantasy college basketball leagues. For an idea of whether I know what I'm talking about, check out last year's Big East Stats Projection. As always, some teams were nailed better then others.. UCONN, for example was almost shockingly spot on, while Rutgers was a bit off.

Keep in mind stats are highly dependent on minutes, and freshmen are obviously the hardest to predict. I try to note places below where other starters not listed may emerge or where competition for major minutes exist. Stats are listed by ppg, rpg, and then apg.

BIG EAST: PART ONE

CINCINNATI

G Deonta Vaughn - 14, 5, 4
G Cashmere Wright - 10, 3, 5

F Lance Stephenson - 14, 6, 2
F Rashad Bishop - 8, 5, 3
F Yancy Gates - 13, 7, 1

Notes: Wright returns after missing last season from injury and should be able to put up solid assist numbers with Vaughn & Stephenson alongside.

UCONN

G Kemba Walker - 13, 4, 4
G Jerome Dyson - 15, 4, 3
F Stanley Robinson - 14, 8, 2
F Gavin Edwards - 8, 6, 1
C Alex Oriakhi - 4, 5, 0

Notes: UCONN's 3 main scorers could all approach 15 ppg. Until Ater Majok arrives (and if he's healthy), Oriakhi or Charles Okwandu will get the start. Neither of them should be terribly productive.

DEPAUL

G Jeremiah Kelly - 7, 2, 4

G Will Walker - 14, 4, 3

F Eric Wallace - 8, 4, 1

F Tony Freeland - 9, 5, 1
F Mac Koshwal - 16, 10, 2

Notes: Koshwal averaged 12 & 10 last year, but underachieved in my opinion. He could/should be even better. Eric Wallace is a transfer from Ohio State who averaged 1.8 ppg in limited duty as a freshman.

GEORGETOWN

G Chris Wright - 12, 3, 5
G Jason Clark - 8, 4, 2
F Austin Freeman - 14, 5, 3
F Holl Thompson - 10, 5, 1
F Greg Monroe - 16, 9, 3

Notes: Monroe almost nailed my 12 & 8 prediction from last year, and should take another step forward this year. Thompson is a freshman who will contribute immediately.

LOUISVILLE

G Peyton Siva - 8, 2, 4

G Edgar Sosa - 12, 2, 4
G Jerry Smith - 11, 3, 2
F Terrence Jennings - 11, 8, 1
C Samardo Samuels - 16, 8, 2

Notes: Jennings only averaged 12 mpg last year, but should see his minutes and production soar. Sosa only averaged 7 ppg last year but should get many more chances to score.

MARQUETTE

G Maurice Acker - 5, 2, 3
G Dwight Buycks - 12, 3, 3
G/F Jerome Maymon - 7, 6, 1
F Jimmy Butler - 10, 5, 1
F Lazar Hayward - 17, 10, 1

Notes: Buycks is a Juco transfer who should be the 2nd option behind returning forward Lazar Hayward. Jimmy Butler is an underrated performer who will hold his own in the starting five.

NOTRE DAME

G Tory Jackson - 13, 5, 7
G Jonathan Peoples - 7, 4, 2
G Ben Hansbrough - 10, 5, 4
F Tyrone Nash - 8, 7, 1
C Luke Harangody - 24, 11, 3

Notes: Ben Hansbrough comes over from Mississppi State and he can pass the ball well and rebound. Notre Dame's lack of depth is troubling and none of the reserves should be fantasy contributors.

PITTSBURGH

G Ashton Gibbs - 10, 2, 4
G Jermaine Dixon - 12, 4, 3

G Brad Wanamaker - 9, 5, 2
F Gilbert Brown - 10, 5, 2
F Dante Taylor - 12, 6, 1

Notes: Familiar names are gone, but Pitt has some talent. Taylor should be one of the league's top freshmen.

..Continue to Part Two (Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF, St. John's Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia)

Poll: Who Will Win the Big East?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:50:33 -0400

UCONN Basketball Preview: #19

Joel Welser — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:07:59 -0400

Overall Rank: #19

Conference Rank: #4 Big East Conference

2008-09: 31-5, 15-3

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Jim Calhoun (557-205 at Connecticut, 805-342 overall)

Most programs would be devastated to lose Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price and Craig Austrie, but that is not the case with Connecticut. If anybody can reload after losing that much talent it is Coach Jim Calhoun and his Huskies. With yet another solid recruiting class and the return of a great backcourt, Uconn could make it back to the Elite Eight if everything comes together nicely.

Key Losses: F Jeff Adrien, G Craig Austrie, G A.J. Price, C Hasheem Thabeet

Key Newcomers:

The biggest need is in the frontcourt where Adrien and Thabeet dominated last year. A couple returning players are in the mix, but Ater Majok and Alex Oriahkhi will be as well. Majok, who will be eligible in December, is an athletic 6-10, 233 pound forward and Alex Oriahkhi, a McDonald’s All-American, is a strong player around the basket and has all the necessary skills to battle for a starting job right away. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel is a very talented wing and Jamaal Trice will add a defensive presence to the wing. Combo guard Darius Smith is another highly touted freshman who will hope to find some minutes off the bench.

Backcourt:

The Huskies certainly do not lack talent on the wing. Jerome Dyson has been a consistent scorer throughout his entire Huskies career. Dyson is not the greatest outside shooter, but he does do a fine job finishing around the basket. Stanley Robinson is not your typical wing player. The 6-9 small forward is one of the best athletes in the nation and should be in for a big senior season. Last year he tallied 8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds, but he missed the first semester due to personal reasons and it took him a while to get back into the swing of things. Robinson should see his numbers drastically increase and he is likely a first round selection in the 2010 NBA Draft. Donnell Beverly rarely saw the floor during his sophomore campaign and will have to battle it out with the newcomers for minutes off the bench.

Frontcourt:

It is in the frontcourt where there are bigger concerns. Nobody is going to replace Adrien and Thabeet. Those two averaged 13.6 points per game a piece and combined to average 20.7 rebounds and 5.4 blocks. Gavin Edwards, a 6-9 forward, is next in line. While Edwards has never started a game for the Huskies, he is an experienced player who is athletic and tough on the glass. The starting power forward spot will be his to lose, but he may lose it sooner or later to one of the newcomers. Charles Okwandu missed most of last season and only played in ten games, but the 7-1, 255 pound Nigerian has the toughness and skills to be a dominating center in the Big East.

Who to Watch:

While replacing Adrien and Thabeet might be an issue, replacing point guard A.J. Price is not. Kemba Walker averaged 8.9 points and 2.9 assists as a freshman and is more than ready to take over this team. Walker is amazingly quick and the point guard position is in good hands as long as Walker opts to stay in Storrs.

Final Projection:

If you count Robinson, Connecticut has one of the best backcourts in the nation. The frontcourt has a little rebuilding to do, but if Edwards, Okwandu, Oriakhi and Ater Majok can even come remotely close to putting up numbers like Adrien and Thabeet, this is a team that will be competing for a Big East title yet again.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Kemba Walker, Sophomore, Guard, 8.9 points per game

Jerome Dyson, Senior, Guard, 13.2 points per game

Stanley Robinson, Senior, Forward, 8.5 points per game

Gavin Edwards, Senior, Forward, 3.8 points per game

Charles Okwandu, Junior, Center, 0.3 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
20		21		22		23

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

College Football: Week 7 Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:02:36 -0400

Normally this space would be occupied by one of the college football weekend’s biggest stories in regards to the happenings on the field. Sadly, tragic news out of Connecticut overshadows a weekend in which the first BCS standings will be unveiled.

A family and campus mourns the death of UConn cornerback Jasper Howard, whose life was taken in a fatal stabbing early Sunday morning following an on-campus dance. Howard, 20, was a native of Miami who led the Big East in punt return average last season and had just hours before posted eleven tackles and a forced fumble in the Huskies’ 38-25 win over Louisville.

According to the Connecticut State Police a fire alarm was pulled at 12:26 AM, and an altercation between two groups happened shortly thereafter. Two people were stabbed, and while one (who remains unidentified) was treated at and later released from Windham Community Memorial Hospital Howard wasn’t as fortunate. He was transferred to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford via Life Star, where he eventually passed (information courtesy of the Hartford Courant).

Howard is survived by his mother and two younger sisters. His girlfriend was also expecting the couple’s first child, news that makes this that much more heartbreaking. Condolences go out to Jasper’s family and the University of Connecticut community.

WAC: Idaho continues their improbable resurgence.

The Vandals haven’t taken part in the postseason since 1999, but there will be an update to that bit of history thanks to their 35-23 win over Hawaii on Saturday. Idaho (6-1, 3-0) got the job done on the ground, rushing for 194 yards and going an excellent 8-for-10 on third downs. Nathan Enderle was efficient, throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, and the running back tandem of DeMaundray Woolridge and Princeton McCarty will be a handful for teams going forward. But things get tougher in the coming weeks for Idaho. Next up is a hot Nevada team in Reno, followed by home games against Louisiana Tech and Fresno State.

Sun Belt: It looks like one of three teams will win the conference this year.

It certainly isn’t a surprise that the Trojans lead the Sun Belt with a 3-0 record; the surprise lies within the fact that the other two teams undefeated in conference play were projected to be middle of the pack teams in the preseason. UL Monroe has won three straight, most recently beating Arkansas State 16-10 on Tuesday despite losing starting QB Trey Revell to injury. The Red Wolves were quite charitable in the rain, turning the ball over three times and getting whistled for sixteen penalties in the loss, but that’s not the fault of the opportunistic Warhawks.

In-state rival UL Lafayette also remained undefeated in conference play thanks to a 30-22 win at Western Kentucky. The Ragin’ Cajuns put up 434 yards of offense in the win, including a solid performance from QB Chris Masson. There’s always the possibility of FAU making some noise but more than likely one of the aforementioned three will represent the conference in the New Orleans Bowl.

SEC: Take your pick: Alabama or Florida.

Two things are obvious at the halfway point of the season in the SEC: defending champion Florida and Alabama are the two best teams in the league, but they’re going to have to earn their way back to Atlanta. Florida survived a game bunch of Razorbacks in Gainesville, needing a field goal with nine seconds remaining to pull out the 23-20 win. The first half was an ugly one for the Gators, who went into the locker room trailing 10-3 after what head coach Urban Meyer referred to as the worst half they’d played since he arrived on campus. But thanks to Tim Tebow and pass catchers Riley Cooper and Aaron Hernandez Florida was able to survive the upset threat. Alabama had a fight on its hands as well, but the difference maker was sophomore running back Mark Ingram in the 20-6 victory.

Ingram rushed for 246 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, catapulting himself into the Heisman discussion. So who should be the top-ranked team? The coaches and BCS polls have the Gators on top while Alabama leads in the AP. In terms of consistency it may be the Crimson Tide right now, but if that’s to be the case at the end of the season Greg McElroy will need to perform better (10-20, 92 yards 2 INT) against stout defenses.

Pac-10: Nick Foles continues to impress for the Wildcats.

Arizona went into the season not really knowing who the right man for the quarterback job was; Matt Scott got the call early on due to his ability to make plays with his feet. But looking back on this season, people may want to consider what the loss of All-American TE Rob Gronkowski did to the offense. Once his back injury became a season-ender the Wildcats were without playmakers in the passing game (at the time); there was even more of a need for an accurate passer. Enter Michigan State transfer Nick Foles, who has thrown seven touchdown passes to two interceptions since being named starter following Arizona’s loss at Iowa.

He was on from the start in Arizona’s wild 43-38 win over Stanford on Saturday, completing forty of fifty-one passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns (no picks). But even with Foles lighting it up through the air, the key for Arizona challenging for their best finish in the Pac-10 since 1998 will be the running game. There’s plenty of talent in Nic Grigsby and Greg Nwoko but they haven’t been as productive as they were late last season thanks to Grigsby and Keola Antolin. And with a schedule that’s back loaded with their toughest conference challenges, more balance is a necessity.

Mountain West: The stage is set for TCU’s visit to Provo.

Both teams took care of business on Saturday with the Horned Frogs whipping Colorado State while the Cougars won at San Diego State. Now comes the rematch of a game that got out of hand in Fort Worth last season. TCU blitzed BYU to the tune of 32-7, giving teams the blueprint on how to slow down the vaunted BYU offense. Gary Patterson’s defense pressured Max Hall all night long, forcing the quarterback into a pair of interceptions while also forcing a pair of fumbles.

In their four losses over the past two seasons, BYU has turned the ball over an astonishing eighteen times, resulting in a turnover margin of minus-14. You can’t win big games like that. If Hall and company can’t deal with the pressure that DE Jerry Hughes and the rest of the TCU defense can (and will) bring the undefeated Horned Frogs could leave Provo with the win. Expect a hard-nosed, physical football game next weekend.

MAC: Central Michigan looks poised to run away with the MAC West.

Combining the Chippewas’ 34-23 win over Western Michigan with Northern Illinois losing at Toledo 20-19 and you’ve suddenly got a race that lacks a serious challenger to Dan LeFevour and company. WMU lost despite twenty-seven first downs and nearly 500 yards of offense, but the defense was unable to contain the versatile LeFevour. As for Northern Illinois, the Huskies were done in by the fact that the offense still has issues putting points on the board. You’ve got to have balance and it’s become quite apparent that Butch Jones’ team is best equipped to win games in a variety of ways. The schedule also works in Central’s favor, with Toledo and Northern Illinois both having to visit Mount Pleasant. After a one-year hiatus it looks like the Chips could find themselves back in the MAC Championship Game.

Independents: Closer, but still no cigar for the Fighting Irish.

The talk all week was about how much Notre Dame had improved going into their matchup with USC, and they could not only challenge but beat the Trojans. That talked seemed to ring hollow when the score reached 34-14 early in the fourth quarter, but there was a noticeable difference from that point forward. Prior editions of the Irish would have folded the tent, hoping to be spared embarrassment by the superior Trojans, but this group stood up and fought, eventually getting three shots at the end zone to tie the game before falling 34-27. Ultimately Matt Barkley was too much for Notre Dame, but Jimmy Clausen also played well in defeat. So while their hopes of getting into a BCS game may be dashed, there’s at least some tangible evidence that the Fighting Irish can compete with high-level competition.

Conference USA: Could the East Carolina offense be ready to awaken from its season-long slumber?

The Pirates went into their game with Rice not scoring more than 29 points in a game this season, with QB Patrick Pinkney struggling to make plays in the passing game and the running game lacking consistency. But the sight of the Rice Owls may have been the catalyst for improvement, with ECU scoring forty-nine points in their 49-13 win over the winless Owls. Make no mistake about it; ECU will see much tougher competition when they take on the final four games of the season (Virginia Tech, Tulsa, UAB and Southern Miss) but this may be a good start. Just one caveat: they must take better care of the football. Three more turnovers on Saturday make thirteen on the season, but while they do rank fourth in the conference in turnover margin the Pirates can ill afford to put their defense behind the eight ball too often as the stakes get higher.

Big Ten: People continue to doubt Iowa, yet the Hawkeyes keep on winning.

The Hawkeyes didn’t get off to the best start in Madison, falling behind 10-0 halfway through the second quarter. But from there the Iowa defense took over and the offense posted twenty unanswered points to give the Hawkeyes the 20-10 victory. Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien threw three interceptions and a running game that usually batters opponents accounted for just eighty-seven yards (2.6 yards per rush) on the afternoon. Iowa’s running game didn’t do much either but they had Ricky Stanzi (17-23, 218 yards 1 TD), who was efficient and didn’t throw an interception. If Iowa can take care of the football they’ll find ways to win. Whether or not those wins merit style points isn’t important, and Kirk Ferentz’s team could care less.

Big East: If you want to win the Big East you’d better have a capable backup quarterback.

Interesting stat: seven of the eight teams in the Big East have gone to their backup quarterback at some point this season. On Thursday night Cincinnati backup Zach Collaros had to step to the plate when Tony Pike went down with an injured left wrist. Collaros stepped up in grand fashion, taking a quarterback draw seventy-five yards for a touchdown that gave the Bearcats a 24-10 lead in what eventually would be a 34-17 victory. Pike may be able to play next weekend when Cincinnati plays Louisville for the “Keg of Nails” at home, but if he isn’t at least Brian Kelly knows that he’s got a guy who can step in and make a few plays himself in Collaros.

Also of note is the concussion suffered by West Virginia’s Jarrett Brown in the Mountaineers’ 24-7 win over Marshall. Geno Smith did enough to deliver the win over the Thundering Herd and it remains to be seen if Brown will be ready to go when WVU hosts Connecticut on Saturday. If not, Smith needs to be ready to take over the offense. By the way, the only team yet to replace their starter in a game is Pittsburgh (Bill Stull), who currently leads the conference with a 3-0 mark.

Big 12: Is there anyone in the conference that can knock off Texas?

The Longhorns certainly didn’t look like world beaters in their 16-13 win over Oklahoma, but given what happened to the likely challengers from the Big 12 North all that may sit between Mack Brown’s team and an appearance in the BCS Championship Game are road trips to Missouri and Oklahoma State the next two weeks. And given the drop in offensive production from the Tigers when faced with challengers that can match up athlete for athlete (Nebraska and Oklahoma State the last two weeks) it’s tough to see Gary Pinkel’s team knocking off Colt McCoy and company. But if Texas wants to be a serious threat to win the national title McCoy is going to need some help from the running game. But it’s a good problem to have when you’ve averaging nearly 170 yards per game on the ground and people have questions about your ability to run the football.

ACC: Feeling left out of the chaos, the ACC Coastal decided to complicate things this weekend.

It only took one result to accomplish this: Georgia Tech 28, Virginia Tech 23. Now they both have one conference loss, as does Miami, leaving Virginia (yes, Virginia) alone atop the division with a 2-0 league mark. Things haven’t gotten as bad as the Atlantic Division (Boston College leads that division with a 3-2 mark; 0-3 Florida State is still in contention too) but if Al Groh can continue his seemingly annual rise from the chopping block who knows what the ACC is capable of. Next weekend the Cavaliers host the Yellow Jackets, who they beat on the road 24-17 last year so it’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. At this point, it’s better to expect chaos yet hope for clarity when watching the ACC. And you won’t be cheated in the entertainment department either.

BCS Standings

1 Florida 6-0
2 Alabama 7-0
3 Texas 6-0
4 Boise State 6-0
5 Cincinnati 6-0
6 Iowa 7-0
7 USC 5-1
8 TCU 6-0
9 LSU 5-1
10 Miami (FL) 5-1
11 Oregon 5-1
12 Georgia Tech 6-1
13 Penn State 6-1
14 Virginia Tech 5-2
15 Oklahoma State 5-1
16 Brigham Young 6-1
17 Houston 5-1
18 Utah 5-1
19 Ohio State 5-2
20 Pittsburgh 6-1
21 Wisconsin 5-2
22 Arizona 4-2
23 West Virginia 5-1
24 South Carolina 5-2
25 Kansas 5-1