Big East Breakdown: Conference’s teams record trio of wins over ACC schools

With only one previous nonconference win, the Big East football members entered the third week…With only one previous nonconference victory over a BCS school, the Big East football members entered the third week of the season to an extremely high amount of criticism.

But they had opportunities to change that last weekend — three, to be exact.

In those three games, the Big East came out unscathed — a perfect 3-0 against Atlantic Coast Conference competition. Many argue that these results hurt the ACC’s national reputation, but the Big East executives surely celebrated a good weekend for the conference’s football schools.

No. 19 Louisville raced ahead of North Carolina early and held the Tar Heels off late for the 39-34 win. Connecticut got redemption from Temple and picked up a 24-21 win over Maryland. And in the biggest upset of the week, Pitt hosted No. 13 Virginia Tech and handed them a 35-17 whipping, making the Panthers the talk of the weekend.

The Big East has three more chances to prove itself this weekend, and the biggest opportunity will come with Rutgers at struggling, though talented, Arkansas. An SEC win would look good for one of the Big East’s premier teams.

With conference outlook slowly becoming clearer, here are my weekly rankings of the Big East’s eight football teams.

1. Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights (3-0, 1-0 Big East) took down South Florida, 23-13, in the only Big East matchup of the week.

Once again, the Rutgers defense looked phenomenal, forcing USF quarterback B.J. Daniels into three interceptions. Offensively, Rutgers struggled with ball movement and penalties but didn’t turn the ball over, and that proved key. Behind running back Jawan Jamison’s 151-yard performance, the Scarlet Knights scored enough to hold back the Bulls.

2. Louisville

Continuing to make a case for Big East Player of the Year, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was 23-of-28 for 279 yards and three touchdowns as No. 19 Louisville defeated North Carolina.

The sophomore continues to light up the Big East and has garnered some Heisman talk this week.

On defense, the Cardinals (3-0) looked uneasy after holding a 36-7 lead at halftime, as North Carolina came back to make it a five-point game. If Louisville could have put together a full game, the Cardinals would be in the top spot.

3. Cincinnati

Taking on Delaware State doesn’t say much about the Bearcats, but only winning by 16 points against such inferior opposition does.

The offense looked worse than it did in the opener against Pitt and raised some questions as Cincinnati turned the ball over six times. However, the Bearcats’ (2-0, 1-0 Big East) rushing attack still looked potent, tallying 259 yards.

Cincinnati now has the week off and time to prepare for what will be an angry Virginia Tech team.

4. South Florida

Daniels’ three interceptions hurt the Bulls (2-1, 0-1 Big East) but didn’t kill them.

South Florida still had a chance to drive for a game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Rutgers, but the offense couldn’t muster even one first down and turned the ball over to the Scarlet Knights.

The Bulls’ defense showed its worth in the defeat. But offensively, USF’s passing game is inconsistent, and its rushing attack doesn’t exist.

5. Connecticut

Maryland may be worse than a lot of non-BCS programs, but the Huskies (2-1) got a huge perception lift, taking down the Terrapins, 24-21.

Both teams struggled to move the ball on offense, as UConn led the yardage battle with only 223 yards gained. But Connecticut’s defense looked stout.

This week, the Huskies take on Mid-American Conference school Western Michigan, who played tight games against Illinois and Minnesota and could upset Connecticut.

6. Pittsburgh

Four takeaways for the Pitt defense paved the way for the Panthers (1-2, 0-1 Big East) to cruise through Virginia Tech, 35-17.

The Pitt rushing attack proved dangerous, as freshman stud Rushel Shell and senior Ray Graham combined for 251 yards. And forcing four turnovers, the defense appeared to be a much-improved unit, especially on the line, which pressured Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas all day.

More performances like Saturday’s win for the offensive and defensive linemen of Pitt, and the Panthers could get back into the Big East championship race.

7. Temple

The Owls (1-1) took the week off and dropped in my standings because their previous loss to Maryland looks worse with Connecticut’s win over the Terrapins.

But Temple can get some momentum back by taking down Penn State on the road this weekend.

While the Nittany Lions are down following the sanctions that the school’s football program received from the NCAA, many still perceive Penn State as a top-notch Big Ten school. The Owls have been close to beating their in-state rival both of the last two years.

8. Syracuse

A week after gaining praise as the best 0-2 team in the nation because of their 13-point loss to then-No. 2 Southern California, the Orange looked disinterested against FCS school Stony Brook last week.

Syracuse wound up beating Stony Brook, 28-17, but didn’t take the lead until well into the third quarter. The game was up for grabs until late in the fourth.

However, quarterback Ryan Nassib continued to light up the passing game — throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns — and he will hope to lead the Orange to a victory at Minnesota this Saturday night.