Big East Breakdown: West Virginia ends regular season on top

Poor quality football might have plagued the Big East Conference this season, but there’s no… Poor quality football might have plagued the Big East Conference this season, but there’s no denying that the conference also had its fair share of drama.

For the second straight season, three teams shared the conference title with a 5-2 record in Big East play.

But only one team could earn the conference’s coveted BCS bowl bid. This year, West Virginia came out on top after the final BCS standings had the Mountaineers ranked above fellow co-champions Louisville and Cincinnati.

So with the regular season over and the Big East about to undergo major changes with five new teams entering the Conference and Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia finding new homes with the ACC and the Big 12, respectively,, here are my final rankings of 2011.

1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers (9-3, 5-2 Big East) needed a last-second field goal to defeat South Florida, but it was enough to clinch the school its first BCS bid since the 2007 season. Dana Holgorsen’s team was picked to win the conference in the coach’s pre-season poll, and it did just that in his first year. A showdown with ACC champion Clemson in the Orange Bowl awaits West Virginia and star quarterback Geno Smith on Jan. 4.

2. Louisville: The Cardinals (7-5, 5-2 Big East) are the most surprising co-champions. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and his team took awhile to get going, but the Cardinals now look like a team that will contend for years to come. Unexpected road wins over rivals Kentucky and West Virginia will make this season live long in the memory of Louisville fans. The Cardinals will finish their season in Charlotte when they face North Carolina State in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 27.

3. Cincinnati: Had West Virginia lost at South Florida last Thursday, the Bearcats (9-3, 5-2 Big East) would’ve received a bid to the Orange Bowl. But it was not to be this season for Butch Jones’ team. After jumping out to a two-game lead in the Big East, Cincinnati lost quarterback Zach Collaros for the season to an injury and failed to earn its third BCS bid in four years. Instead, the Bearcats will face SEC opponent Vanderbilt in the Liberty Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

4. Rutgers: Maybe the most surprising of this year’s Big East teams, the Scarlet Knights (8-4, 4-3 Big East) proved the coaches who voted them last in the pre-season poll wrong by winning eight games and making a run at the conference title. Rutgers’ defense — which was one of the best in the country in both points allowed and turnovers forced — carried the team all season as the offense endured a quarterback controversy with two quarterbacks competing for the starting spot. The Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa State on Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium in New York is a nice reward for coach Greg Schiano’s team.

5. Pittsburgh: Todd Graham’s first year as Pitt head coach wasn’t as successful as he would’ve liked, but with recruits Rushel Shell and Chad Voytik coming in, this team should have a bright future. The Panthers (6-6, 4-3 Big East) started 2-0, but never won back-to-back games after that and needed a win against Syracuse on Senior Day just to earn a bowl bid. Pitt will play in the BBVA Compass Bowl for the second straight year on Jan. 7 against the Southern Methodist Mustangs.

6. Connecticut: The defending conference champion wasn’t able to repeat its 2010 heroics. The Huskies (5-7, 3-4 Big East) seemed to lack talent all season and only won a single game away from home. Connecticut suffered some growing pains while transitioning to new coach Paul Pasqualoni’s system. Unless he manages to put together a few good recruiting years in a row, I don’t see Connecticut reaching a BCS game again any time soon.

7. South Florida: The Bulls (5-7, 1-6 Big East) fell just short of potentially making a bowl game after West Virginia’s last-second field goal handed South Florida its seventh loss. Missing out on a bowl seemed impossible for Skip Holtz’s team after its 4-0 start, but after losing seven of its last eight games, South Florida must now begin preparations for next season.

8. Syracuse: If South Florida’s finish to the season is the bad of Big East football in 2011, then Syracuse’s must be the ugly. The Orange (5-7, 1-6 Big East) closed their campaign with six consecutive defeats, which is all the more head-scratching considering their last win was what should have been a confidence-building, 49-23 blowout win over West Virginia in mid-October. Syracuse fans should hope for more in 2012 as the team prepares for its move to the ACC.

Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Geno Smith, quarterback, West Virginia and Mohamed Sanu, wide receiver, Rutgers — These two were so good that they both earned the award. Smith led the Mountaineers to the Big East title and needs 47 yards in the Orange Bowl to break the conference’s all-time mark for passing yards in a season. Sanu, meanwhile, had the best season a Big East receiver has had since former Pitt wideout Larry Fitzgerald. Sanu broke Fitzgerald’s conference record for catches in a season with 109, which is even more impressive considering Rutgers’ inconsistent quarterback play all season.

Defensive Player of the Year: Khaseem Greene, linebacker, Rutgers — As the best player on the best defense in the Big East, Greene is a deserved winner of the conference’s defensive player of the year. Greene — Pitt running back Ray Graham’s half-brother — showed his talent and versatility by leading the Big East in tackles during his first season playing the linebacker position after switching from safety.

Coach of the Year: Charlie Strong, Louisville — This award probably would’ve gone to Butch Jones if Cincinnati had hung onto the outright conference title, but instead Coach of the Year should go to Louisville’s Charlie Strong. Nobody predicted the Cardinals would win the conference coming into 2011, and with the young core of talent Strong will have at his disposal next season, his team might just be the Big East pre-season favorite in 2012.

What to watch for in the bowls: Can the Big East compete? — With all the flack the Big East takes every season about being a sub-par football conference, it’s always interesting to see how Big East teams do in post-season play. West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers and Pitt will all represent the conference in this season’s bowl games as a reward for their successful regular seasons.