Football: Tasser breaks down the Big East 10/1

Welcome to another depressing issue of the Big East Breakdown. I said last week that it was a… Welcome to another depressing issue of the Big East Breakdown. I said last week that it was a make-it-or-break-it week for the Big East — and they broke it. And then broke it again. And again. Into very tiny pieces.

This week, not a single Big East team was ranked in the top 25, giving the conference the dubious distinction of being the only BCS Conference without a ranked member.

Last week’s showing was abysmal. There were high hopes in the four big games — Miami at Pittsburgh, Oklahoma at Cincinnati, North Carolina at Rutgers and West Virginia at LSU — and the Big East managed to lose them all. Let’s hope that this is rock bottom, because I can’t imagine it getting any worse. Now you’re about to get a heavy dose of controlled rant for this week’s power rankings.

1. West Virginia — The Mountaineers showed they have some holes, specifically on special teams, during their six-point loss, but lucky for them the rest of the conference is awful. I did not expect them to win at LSU — I thought they had a chance — but the Tigers knocked Noel Devine out of the game early and made Geno Smith look like the first-year starter that he is.

2. Nobody – Honestly, who deserves to be here?

3. Cincinnati — The Bearcats played much better than expected in their two-point defeat at the hands of Oklahoma, but they still played very inconsistently, turning the ball over four times. Cincinnati’s offense clicked for the first time all year and QB Zach Collaros threw for 305 yards and three TDs, but it was more of Oklahoma making mistakes that made this game close.

t-4. Syracuse — The Orange are tied for the best record in the conference at 3-1 after beating Colgate 42-7 this past week, but they have beaten a bunch of nobodies. But at least they managed that and are off to their best start in seven years.

t-4. Connecticut — Coach Randy Edsall made a good decision in replacing inefficient QB Zach Frazier with Cody Endres at halftime Saturday, jump-starting an offense that was already without top running back Jordan Todman in a 45-21 victory over Buffalo. Now we will see if Endres can continue to be effective in a tough nonconference game this week against Vanderbilt.

t-4. Rutgers — Their defense is the class of the Big East right now and their special teams aren’t too shabby either, but the offense is absolutely anemic. Tom Savage just looks lost out there. Like, really lost. Think deserted island lost. They easily could have beaten UNC with just a bit of offense.

t-7. South Florida — I feel bad that I have them tied with Pitt after that Thursday night performance, but Skip Holtz needs to overcome their lack of receiver depth somehow. And throwing only 11 times a game is not the answer — as shown by their putrid 12-point win over Western Kentucky, who has lost 24 games straight.

t-7. Pittsburgh — I really don’t know what to say. The play-calling was awful and the play was uninspiring — on national TV of all places. It was downright embarrassing. This team has many more issues than I — or anybody, for that matter — could have envisioned at the beginning of the season. Technically, it is still possible for them to reach a BCS Bowl game, but they better start improving — now.

8. Louisville — The Cards are still in the basement because they are simply not good. Picture Rudy, “five foot nuthin’, a hundred an’ nuthin’ with barely a speck of athletic ability,” and that’s Louisville. They play hard, but not necessarily well. Some of the other, more talented teams above them could learn a thing or two.

Now, since this week’s Big East games all — for lack of a better word — suck, I will go through a short list of Pitt’s issues that need to be addressed come conference time.

1. Find a leader, and quickly. Whether it’s Max Gruder, Jabaal Sheard or the reincarnated form of Pop Warner, the Panthers desperately need someone to step up. The team’s discipline — both on and off the field — needs work. I think The U smacked some sense into the upperclassmen, and they are not about to let a very talented team underachieve like this.

2. Less conservative play-calling. I think I speak for most people when I scream, “Stop running the ball every first down!” It’s very predictable, and given the offensive line problems, it’s impractical as well. Pitt needs more deep shots to Baldwin and downfield throws to Shanahan. The Panthers need to stop throwing dump-off passes. This is probably more Tino Sunseri’s fault than offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s but — as a coach — he needs to either fix it or bench him.

3. Fix the O-line. This has been addressed this week already, with starting right tackle Lucas Nix moving down to right guard and installing Jordan Gibbs at right tackle. I know the line depth is weak and Pitt can only work with what it has, but then the play-calling needs to change. This will likely get better as the season progresses. Teams will start focusing more on Ray Graham — instead of Dion Lewis — and both players will do well. If that doesn’t happen, then Pitt is in for a long conference season.

Now, to end the column on a good note, I will once again hand out my coveted hardware.

Offensive Player of the Week: Zach Collaros, Cincinnati QB.

Collaros went 23-of-38 for 305 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception against Oklahoma.

Defensive Player of the Week: Jerome Junior, Connecticut safety.

Junior intercepted two passes, one of which he returned 27 yards for a touchdown against Buffalo.

Play of the Week: Jarred Holley’s acrobatic, one-handed interception against Miami. This SportsCenter #1 play was literally the only positive memory that Pitt brought away from Thursday night’s game.

So now that the Big East has officially hit rock bottom, the only way they can go from here is up … right?