Tasser: Big East games set to begin this weekend

Well, the Big East didn’t do too poorly this past week, but the teams didn’t play anybody… Well, the Big East didn’t do too poorly this past week, but the teams didn’t play anybody notable. West Virginia, Cincinnati and Syracuse were off, Pitt looked shaky until the fourth quarter, Louisville looked shaky in the fourth quarter, and Connecticut and South Florida dominated. Oh, and Rutgers still can’t score — which it showed in its disappointing loss to Tulane, of all teams.

That’s the rundown, so here are this week’s power rankings.

1. West Virginia — The Mountaineers have done nothing to remove themselves from the top of the class. It has been the most consistent team — scratch that, the only consistent team — in the conference thus far. Noel Devine has a foot injury that could hamper him, but nobody right now is in a position to challenge WVU.

2. Connecticut — Its running game has been solid, but its quarterback play has been anything but. The Huskies haven’t beaten any good teams, but with Cody Endres now under center, their offense looks much better than it did at the beginning of the year.

3. South Florida — The Bulls are 3-1, but at times have struggled to find their groove on offense. They played well last week, as B.J. Daniels was 14 for 19 for 155 yards and a touchdown and the defense allowed only 1.8 yards per rush in a blowout win over a bad Florida Atlantic team.

4. Cincinnati — The Bearcats are at No. 4 after a bye week, only because they played much better in a loss to Oklahoma than they had all season. This week they look to carry momentum in what should be an easy victory against Miami (OH). At 1-3, they need a win to get back on track.

5. Pittsburgh — Florida International is not that good of a team, and Pitt led only 16-10 at the start of the fourth quarter. But the line looked much improved — as evidenced by Ray Graham’s monster performance of 277 rushing yards and three touchdowns — but the passing game still needs to find its groove. Tino Sunseri and Jon Baldwin need to get in sync with each other before the Panthers start conference play.

6. Syracuse — The Orange are 3-1, but have beaten some pretty poor opponents, so I’m still not sold on them. They play South Florida this week, and a win could show that they are for real. But I’m not convinced they are.

7. Rutgers — Its defense and special teams are the class of the conference, but its offense is absolutely terrible. Now Tom Savage is hurt, which means it might only get worse — or perhaps it could be a blessing in disguise. I think it should just run the Wildcat every play with Mohamed Sanu, as he is its only real offensive threat.

8. Louisville — Behind starting quarterback Adam Froman — who leads the conference in total offense — the Cardinals are playing better at this point than anyone expected. But they remain in the basement because I still don’t think they could beat another Big East team.

This week, conference play gets under way with Connecticut facing off with Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J., and Syracuse traveling to South Florida to play the Bulls. Pitt, WVU, Cincinnati and Louisville all have non-conference games, so every Big East team is in action this weekend.

Connecticut at Rutgers — This should be as thrilling as they come, at least for the Big East this year. UConn’s ground game — led by the Big East’s leading rusher Jordan Todman — will face off with a tough Rutgers defense led by safety Joe Lefeged. Rutgers will remain in this game by virtue of its defense, but its putrid offense is going to have to make a play if it wants to win. I just can’t see the Rutgers offensive line — which is horrendous — being able to come through. Defense always gives you a chance, but this game should go to the Huskies by a touchdown.

Pitt at Notre Dame — This is a big non-conference game for the Big East. If Pitt can pull this one off and get revenge on former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, it could do wonders for the conference. The shuffling of the offensive line was effective against FIU, but will it be against the Irish? Maybe, but with Graham getting extra attention after his big game last week, Dion Lewis might find some space to run. The defense will once again be presented with its kryptonite — the spread offense — but I think it will do better now that safety Dom DeCicco is playing linebacker. His coverage skills will help to take away the underneath passes, which have killed the Panthers this year. I’m saying that Pitt will win a tight one, which has been the trend with these two teams of late.

Offensive Player of the Week: Ray Graham, Pitt RB

Graham had a career day starting in place of the injured Dion Lewis. His final stat line read 277 yards rushing on 29 carries with three touchdowns, and he also caught three passes for 19 yards.

Defensive Player of the Week: Blidi Wreh-Wilson, UConn CB

Wreh-Wilson notched a 44-yard interception return for a TD for his second-straight week with a pick six. He also recovered a fumble.

That’s it for another edition of the Big East Breakdown. Now that October is starting, we can all forget about that horrendous month of September.