Big East Breakdown: West Virginia, South Florida impress in first week

The Big East Conference, which often lacks respect on the gridiron, went a perfect 8-0 on… The Big East Conference, which often lacks respect on the gridiron, went a perfect 8-0 on opening weekend and combined to outscore opponents 304-100. Sure, four of the wins came against Football Championship Subdivision opponents, but the wins over Notre Dame and Wake Forest still count for something.

Here are my rankings of the eight undefeated Big East teams:

West Virginia – Lightning shortened the Mountaineers’ 34-13 victory over in-state rival Marshall, but it was enough to keep West Virginia at the top of the standings. It took a while for new head coach Dana Holgorsen’s offense to get going, but when it did, quarterback Geno Smith and his deep core of wide receivers all looked impressive.

South Florida – My sleeper pick to win the conference started its season with one of the upsets of the weekend, hanging on to win at Notre Dame 23-20. The Bulls made the most of the Irish’s five turnovers, including three in the red zone, and quarterback B.J. Daniels put in a composed performance to give Skip Holtz’s team a win that placed the Bulls in the top 25 nationally.

Pittsburgh – Head coach Todd Graham’s debut will be placed under the “a win is a win” category. The Panthers’ new offense put up a mere seven points in the first half before running back Ray Graham exploded in the second half to end fears of an upset to Buffalo. With FCS team Maine on the schedule this week, it’ll be hard to judge how good Pitt is until after the Panthers face Iowa in week three.

Syracuse – The Orange put their home struggles from last year behind them as they rallied from 15 down to beat Wake Forest in overtime in their opener. Quarterback Ryan Nassib performed in the clutch, and that will be important all season as Syracuse looked like a team built to play in a lot of close games.

Cincinnati – The Bearcats put up the most lopsided victory of the weekend as they cruised to a 72-10 victory. In the process, they also managed to record one of the most ridiculous stats in football history as 12 — yes, a dozen — players recorded double-digit rushing yards as the team totaled an impressive 387 yards on the ground against FCS Austin Peay.

Rutgers – The team the media picked to finish last in the conference this year showed that it has the talent to potentially make a bowl push this season with a 48-0 shutout of North Carolina Central. Highly touted freshman running back Savon Huggins picked up his first two career touchdowns and the Scarlet Knights’ defense also scored twice in the blowout win.

Connecticut – The Huskies showed they have an exciting freshman running back of their own in their 35-3 opening-day win over Fordham. Lyle McCombs put up 141 yards and four touchdowns in his collegiate debut. It looks like maybe Connecticut found its Jordan Todman replacement for this season.

Louisville – Louisville rounded out week one’s standings after the Cardinals managed to beat FCS Murray State 21-9. The Cardinals jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead, but turnovers prevented them from making it a blowout. They’ll need a better performance this Friday night if they want to avoid a potential upset against Florida International.

Offensive Player of the Week: Ray Graham, Running Back, Pittsburgh – The Panthers’ junior ball-carrier got off to a big start this season by recording his second career 200-yard game and adding three touchdowns in Pitt’s win over Buffalo. With the new spread system giving Graham more space, the shifty back could be in for a huge season with the Panthers.

Defensive Player of the Week: Jerrell Young, Safety, South Florida – The Bulls’ defense had a big day against Notre Dame as it forced five turnovers.  Young had a say in two of them. He stripped the ball on the Irish’s opening drive, allowing teammate Kayvon Webster to run for 96 yards for a touchdown. Young also recorded a key interception in the fourth quarter, ending any chance of a comeback for the opponents.

Coach of the Week: Skip Holtz, South Florida – Holtz, a former player at Notre Dame, began his second season at USF with a huge win for both the Bulls and the Big East against his alma mater.

What to watch for in week two: Away Tests – Cincinnati, Connecticut and Rutgers will all be carrying the Big East flag this weekend as they make trips to Tennessee, Vanderbilt and North Carolina respectively. Since each team is coming off easy wins against FCS opposition, these games will be very telling of just how deep the Big East will or won’t be this season.