Ladies and Gentlemen it is that time again to look into the upcoming Big East NCAA football season that is only 65 days away as of June.27.
2006 Big East Final Standings
Team Conf. W-L Overall W-L
Louisville 6-1 12-1
Rutgers 5-2 11-2 West Virginia 5-2 11-2 South Florida 4-3 9-4 Cincinnati 4-3 8-5 Pittsburgh 2-5 6-6 Connecticut 1-6 4-8 Syracuse 1-6 4-8
Louisville Cardinals 2007 Preview:
Louisville finished in the top spot in the Big East in 2006 and now they have a new head coach Steve Kragthorpe who is very lucky to take over a football program that will still be one of the best programs in the Big East. Brian Brohm returns as QB for Louisville in his senior year and he is definitely going to be in the Heisman race this season since he is definitely one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Brohm still has his main targets at Douglas and Urrita at WR and he will be right at home with Kragthorpe's spread offense. Louisville does lose their star running back Michael Bush so they will go with a running back by committee approach this season and they also have a new Offensive line on the right side of the ball. The Cardinals weakness this season will be on defense as they have some huge holes to fill after losing CB William Gay and DT Amobi Okoye. Overall Louisville will be at the top of the standings once again this season in the Big East and they will almost definitely have another BCS birth.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2007 Preview:
I must say Rutgers was one of my favorite teams in the Big East last season but this season they will be very lucky to finish in the top 4 in the Big East after they lost some key players on both sides of the ball. Some key losses for Rutgers include their emotional leader and Captain FB Brian Leonard, All Big East TE Clark Harris and on Defense CB Derrick Roberson. Rutgers does return their starting QB Teal who will be very well protected by one of the best Offensive lines in College Football. Ray Rice is back at RB and he will once again have a huge year behind a great O-line. Rutgers also has a lot of speed at the WR position. Look for Rutgers weakness this season to be on defense after too many losses coming into this season but you better believe coach Schiano will have his team prepared physically and mentally.
West Virginia Mountaineers 2007 Preview:
I feel that West Virginia will be the team to beat in the Big East this season. The Mountaineers are happy to have their coach Rodriquez back after speculation that the Crimson Tide swallowed him up. West Virginia's Offense will be explosive and fun to watch once again this season with QB White and RB Slaton back at the helm of the offense even after losing their star WR. The Mountaineers had huge problems on Defense last year and you better believe that has been addressed and looked after by coach Rodriquez. Look for the Mountaineers to be a power house on both sides of the ball in the upcoming season and a BCS berth will come their way.
South Florida Bulls 2007 Preview:
The Bulls return 8 starters on Offense, 7 on Defense and they will make a run at the top 3 spots in the Big East this season under coach Leavitt. The Bulls have a lot of experience on defense and that will be their strength this season and they should have success running the ball on offense this season with Ford. QB Matt Grothe had some off field issues but that should not affect him mentally and I'am 100% sold that he will have the same success as he did last season. Some key losses for the Bulls are WR's Green and Randolph along with LB Nicholas but the Bulls will be just fine on both sides of the ball and facing WV at home in week 5 will be a test to see where this program is at this season.
Cincinnati Bearcats 2007 Preview:
I was able to see the Bearcats first hand in the International Bowl last season in a game where they should of put away Central Michigan but were unable to thanks to a defensive meltdown. In 2007 their new coach Kelly will make the game plan a bit more exciting utilizing the spread offense but without the talent this Bearcats team will be in for a long season. The Bearcats QB Grutza has experience but he is definitely not a star by any means and it will be the defense that will have to win games for them this season. The Bearcats lost a couple of key players C Reinstatler, K Lovell and mainly TE Celek who will be hard to replace. Look for the Bearcats to finish in the bottom of the Big East in what will be a transition year for them and the new coach.
Pittsburgh Panthers 2007 Preview:
Pittsburgh was an underachieving team last season in my opinion and this season they will be on the rise from the bottom of the Big East. Thanks to coach Wannstedt the recruiting class has been very successful and this will be a very talented Panthers team in 2007. This is going to be a very young team in 2007 but if they can grow and learn fast they will definitely have a winning season this year. The QB situation has not yet been addressed to fill the shoes of Palko and they did also lose LB Blades and CB Revis so they still have some questions to be answered coming into this season but from what I hear the answers will be there by the Panthers first game. Wannstedt is known for his defensive expertise and they will be fairly sound on defense this season. Look for Pitt to finish in the top 4 of the Big East this season if the young talent can learn fast.
Connecticut Huskies 2007 Preview:
The Huskies finished the 2006 season second from the bottom and they have been on a downward spiral the last few seasons. For 2007 the Huskies still have too many issues that need to be met to pull out of the Cellar in the Big East. The Huskies run defense was absolutely Brutal and could not possibly be worse this season allowing 180 rpg. The Huskies lost too much experience on defense and this will be a learning year for this team with all the new talent. The Huskies do start off the season against some teams that they should be able to beat so this should help the new guys gel as a team and get some experience before they play Pitt. Look for the Huskies to get 3 to 5 wins this season and remain in the bottom of the Big East.
Syracuse Orangemen 2007 Preview:
Syracuse could not possibly be as bad as they were last season, can they? No it would be almost impossible to be as bad as they were last season and now they have a new QB Robinson who looked great in spring training to man the Offense. Robinson has all the size and skills to turn this offense around in 2007 and he has an adequate receiving core to work with. The Orangemens main problem will be running the ball on Offense and without this form of attack it will not open up the receivers for Robinson. The Syracuse defense lost a lot of players but that can not possibly be a bad thing since the defense simply was not good. I have a lot of faith in this QB for Syracuse and I look for them to pull out of the basement of the Big East this season with possibly 5 to 6 wins.
Vernon Croy is the Owner/CEO of http://www.VernonCroy.com and he is one of the most reputable and respected professional sports handicappers in the world. Vernon Croy has won numerous handicapping awards and he is ranked as one of the top 10 handicappers in the world 100% documented by the Professional Handicappers League. Vernon Croy provides Free and Premium college football picks with expert analysis. You will find live scores, live odds and exclusive sports betting information at http://www.VernonCroy.com for people that want an advantage over the sportsbooks
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