Under the Scope: Big East Football

Four weeks into the season, it's time to look at who's the Beast from the East. By Melissa Bronson 

USF: Hands down, USF is the current beast in the Big East. After a 52-24 win over UTEP in Week 4 of college football, the Bulls charged ahead to No. 18 in the AP Poll. B.J. Daniels quarterback intercepted once this 2011 season has a knack for vision and yes, might I add running. The Bull’s offense is explosive gaining great yardage for a 71 and 67 yard drive against UTEP. As we trump into conference games (4-0) USF is matched up with a (2-2) Pitt.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats defense is HOT HOT HOT. In their last game, they had three forced turnovers, six sacks, and 12 tackles for loss, one resulting in a NC state 26-yard loss. This team answers the call and completes third down conversions, and that is probably why the game winning score was 44-14. Defensively, the Bearcats are dominating.

West Virginia: No. 22 West Virginia is now (3-1) with a loss to No. 1 LSU. Yes, they were trotted 47-21 by the LSU defense but the duo made for good college football. The communication on this team is apparent. Quarterback Geno Smith completed 58 percent of his passes and the defensive backs covered all game long. Is this the end of their desired 12-0 run, yes but not the end of a potential BCS championship?  

Syracuse: Toledo wins over Syracuse! Well, not according to the officials. Bad calls happen all the time, moving on. Quarterback Ryan Nassib leads the big east in 71.4 percent pass completion. Nick Provo, Alec Lemon, and Van Chew make key plays to score offensively for the Orange. But the defense not so much. Last year Syracuse held the sixth best defense in the nation, but with key players like Chandler Jones and Shamarko Thomas out it obviously is taking on toll on the otherwise young defense. Can the Orange pull out a win over their first conference play, Rutgers?

 Check out the dubious call yourself.

Rutgers: Mohamed Sanu was named the Big East’s Offensive Player of the week, with the most receptions (13) in one game. The Scarlett Knights are now eighth in the nation in receiving yards per game. But, the victory over Ohio does not mask the fact their defense is lacking key plays. The (2-1) team will take on the Orange this Saturday. Who is your pick?

Pittsburgh: Coming off of two losses to Notre Dame and Iowa, Quarterback Tino Sunseri has been criticized for his lack of thinking swiftly. The offense gives up key plays they need to move the ball down field. In Week 3 of college football, The Panthers allowed 21-point lead slip away in the loss to Iowa. While this is a team loss, the defense has performed solid, forcing fumbles and tiring down other teams defenses. Blowing a 21-point lead, however, are not mistakes you want to make when joining a conference like the ACC. If the Panthers want a shot at beating USF, they need to regain their focus, while the quarterback and offense need to be more consistent.

Louisville: The defense is up to par for their last nonconference game. They play with confidence, but will they stand up to Cincinnati’s Bearcats defense in Week 6 of College Football?

Connecticut: Who will be this week’s upset? You’ve guessed it, the Huskies! They have no starting quarterback, and their offense is struggling. With cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson out with a sprained knee, the defense will suffer, along with their running game. So it’s back to the drawing board for this team.