Walker Sports College Football Big East Preview

With less than 40 days to the kickoff of college football season, the crunch is on to get the first look at how your favorite college football is looking for the 2010 season. Today we turn our attention back to the East Coast, and we are talking about the Big East. On the whole it is most likely this will be a down year for the conference. With Brian Kelly gone, from Cincinnati, and the talent pool as shallow as it's been this century for West Virginia, we could be looking at a rough year the Big East.

Pittsburgh Panthers: It's time for Dave Wannstedt to produce. Sure the Panthers went 10-3 last season, and finished 17th in the BCS poll, but Wannstedt came to Pittsburgh to win a National Championship, and no time is better than the present. It's a down year on the whole for Big East, and all of those great recruiting classes (best in the Big East 4 of the last 5 years) have come of age, and now they must produce. The Panthers will have their hands full this season with non-conference games that include Utah, Miami and Notre Dame, if they can handle that schedule the Big East will be a cake walk.

Record 10-2 Key Games: Miami, Rutgers, at UConn

West Virginia Mountaineers: Once again the Mountaineers find themselves having to break in a new quarterback. Geno Smith is a sophomore, who is ready to take the reigns of what was once a high powered offense, although those days seem like decades ago to most West Virginia fans. Most likely the spark on offense will be provided by senior running back Noel Devine who has seemingly been wearing a Mountaineer uniform since 2000. If he can stay healthy for the whole season, it may be enough to keep West Virginia alive, and viable in the hunt for a Big East Title.

Record: 8-4 Key Games:South Florida at UConn, at Pittsburgh

Connecticut Huskies: 2010 is the year the Huskies break away from the shadow of their FBS days and prove they are a true Bowl Championship Division Power. Coach Randy Edsall has made UConn a legit team in the Big East over the past few years, and his 2010 squad is bigger, faster, stronger than any one he's had to date. It would not surprise me at all to see the Huskies knock off a one or more of the big boys in the Big East, and they even have an outside chance of winning the conference.

Record: 8-4 Key Games: West Virginia, Pittsburgh

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: It's hard to believe that the prospect of a 6 or 7 win season is a disappointment for the Scarlet Knights, but that's exactly the situation coach Greg Schiano finds himself in. Rutgers has made five consecutive bowl games, and if things go according to plan, they should be making their sixth consecutive bowl. However, that may not prove to be enough for the Rutgers faithful who have become accustomed to winning, but not winning it all. The Scarlet Knights are a bit young, with 62 of their 85 scholarship having three years of eligibility left. However, Schiano will not use youth and inexperience as an excuse. He is ready to win now just as much as his fans are.

Record: 7-5 Key Games: at South Florida, at Cincinnati

Cincinnati Bearcats:

South Florida Bulls:

Louisville Cardinals:

Syracuse Orange: