Big East Breakdown: Three teams can win championship

After an unpredictable season, the state of the Big East football championship race is finally a… After an unpredictable season, the state of the Big East football championship race is finally a little more clear.

Only three teams still have a chance of earning the conference’s BCS bowl berth. The Louisville Cardinals are in the clubhouse at 5-2, while both West Virginia and Cincinnati sit at 4-2 and need to win their final games this Saturday to stay in the race.

With just one crucial week of football left to play, here are my power rankings of the eight Big East teams and a breakdown of what the three schools in contention need to do in order to earn a trip to a BCS game.

1. Louisville: The Cardinals (7-5, 5-2 Big East) earn the top spot in my rankings for the first time this season. This team — which has won five of its last six games including a 34-24 victory at South Florida last Friday — got hot down the stretch and took advantage of another weak year in the Big East to clinch at least a share of the conference title. Head coach Charlie Strong has a lot of young talent on his hands and will probably win Big East Coach of the Year for his team’s surprising performance this season. Louisville’s scenario to earn Big East’s BCS bid: Cincinnati loses to Connecticut.

2. West Virginia: It wasn’t pretty, but the Mountaineers (8-3, 4-2 Big East) managed to overcome three turnovers to come back from 14-0 deficit and defeat their rival Pitt 21-20 in what could be the last Backyard Brawl. The victory keeps West Virginia’s title hopes very much alive, although the Mountaineers still don’t control their own destiny. Quarterback Geno Smith and his team will need to play smarter football if they want to win at South Florida this week and clinch a share of the title. West Virginia’s scenario to earn Big East’s BCS bid: The Mountaineers win at South Florida and a Cincinnati loss to Connecticut — causing a three-way tie. The Mountaineers would earn the BCS bid based on their higher computer ranking.

3. Cincinnati: Star quarterback Zach Collaros’ season-ending injury didn’t keep the Bearcats (8-3, 4-2 Big East) from keeping their title hopes alive, as backup quarterback Munchie Legaux — yes, that is his name — led Cincinnati to a crucial win over Syracuse. Bearcats fans will be considering a lot of what-ifs should their team not go to the BCS this year, but for one more week Cincinnati still has a chance. Cincinnati’s scenario to earn Big East’s BCS Bowl bid: The Bearcats win over Connecticut and a West Virginia loses to South Florida.

4. Rutgers: After being picked to finish last in the Big East preseason poll, Greg Schiano’s team fell just short of clinching a share of the Big East title as the Scarlet Knights (8-4, 4-3 Big East) finished their season with a loss at Connecticut. All things considered, it was still a successful season for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights will most likely play in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City, which will practically be a home game for them. That’s not a bad way to finish off a season.

5. Pittsburgh: The Panthers (5-6, 3-3 Big East) just can’t hold onto a lead. For the fourth time this season, Pitt blew a double-digit lead in its devastating one-point loss at West Virginia. Playing four quarters has been a problem for head coach Todd Graham’s team all season, and the Backyard Brawl — when quarterback Tino Sunseri was sacked 10 times — was the tipping point for many Panther fans. The future might look bright, with promising recruits such as quarterback Chad Voytik and running back Rushel Shell coming into the fold next season, but this year certainly has been disappointing for Pitt.

6. Connecticut: There’s no quit in this Connecticut (5-6, 3-3 Big East) team. With only a slim possibility of earning a bowl berth to play for, UConn stole Rutgers’ BCS hopes in an impressive 40-22 win. The defending conference champion didn’t have the season it was hoping for, but if the Huskies can upset Cincinnati this weekend and cause further havoc in the conference, they could at least take solace in the fact that they had another winning season in the Big East.

7. South Florida: By falling for the sixth time in seven games against Louisville, the Bulls (5-6, 1-5 Big East) essentially ended their hopes of reaching a bowl game this season. South Florida started 4-0 with high hopes of actually winning the conference, but since its spanking at Pitt on a Thursday night at the end of September, this team just hasn’t gotten its mojo back. South Florida is just another team whose fans will be scratching their heads and thinking about what-ifs heading into the off-season.

8. Syracuse: The Orange (5-6, 1-5 Big East) fell in their fourth consecutive defeat at home against Cincinnati last week, and this looks like a team that has just given up. Hopes were high for Syracuse after it blew out West Virginia in its only conference win, but the Orange have just fallen apart down the stretch. The team will finish up its season at Pitt this Saturday in a battle of two teams that each need a sixth win to earn bowl eligibility.

Offensive Player of the Week: Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville, quarterback – The freshman is a big reason why the Louisville team is where it is. His talent is unquestionable, but it’s been his composure and leadership that has led the Cardinals to 5-2 in conference play. Down 17-3 in the second quarter last week, Bridgewater responded by throwing three touchdowns as the Cardinals stormed back against the Bulls to cement their share of the Big East title.

Defensive Player of the Week: Julian Miller, West Virginia, defensive end – Coming into the Backyard Brawl with only two sacks all season, Miller decided he wanted to take advantage of Pitt’s tendency to give up plenty of sacks. He did just that. The senior defender was all over Panther quarterback Sunseri in Friday’s Mountaineer victory, and he tallied four sacks as Sunseri went down a total of 10 times.

Coach of the Week: Charlie Strong, Louisville – Winning on the road is never easy, especially with a young team, but that is just what Strong and his Cardinals did at Connecticut and South Florida over the last two weeks. After a lackluster performance against Pitt at home three weeks ago, Louisville clinched at least a share of the Big East following those impressive back-to-back road victories.

What to watch for in Week 14: Race for the BCS – As it does almost every year in the Big East, determining a conference champion has come down to the last weekend. West Virginia will travel to South Florida and Cincinnati hosts Connecticut in the two games that will determine the Big East champion. Unless of course the Mountaineers and Bearcats both win, in which case the BCS computers will use math to determine which team presumably earns a berth in the Orange Bowl and which will have to settle for the Champs Sports and Belk bowls.