Certainly not one of the more dominant conferences in college football, with an influx of new coaches (Pitt, Connecticut), more parity and bottom feeders like Louisville and Syracuse stepping up their game, the Big East hopes to trim back on the Big Least heckling of recent years.
Look for Geno Smith’s arm to carry West Virginia to the conference title. The junior threw for over 2,700 yards and 24 TDs while completing 64 percent of his passes. This year he will have a new system under Dana Holgorsen that will likely reduce the number of rushes and air it out a bit more, taking more advantage of where their skills lie. Fleet-footed receiver Tavis Austin should catch a lot more passes. That is a good thing considering he totaled over 1,000 all purpose yards and scored nine TDs in 2010.
The defense is led by quick linemen Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller with cornerback Keith Tandy who led the conference with 6 interceptions.
Skip Holtz
If South Florida hopes to overtake the Mountaineers, they will need to rely on its traditionally solid defense which has produced some NFL players over the past few years like Terrell McClain and Mike Jenkins. In that mold is LB DeDe Lattimore who as a freshman finished second on the team with 69 tackles last season. Look for him to anchor the Bulls defense.
B.J. Daniels must be more consistent as the Bulls signal-caller, but that will also hinge on the development of a young line in front him. The team has now made six straight bowl trips and after first-year coach Skip Holtz managed them to a 31-26 victory over Clemson in the Meineke Bowl last year, they are feeling good about getting another post-season invite.
