Football: Cincinnati clear Big East favorites after first week

It looks like there’s a clear conference favorite in the Big East, but the rest of the league… It looks like there’s a clear conference favorite in the Big East, but the rest of the league still remains a murky mess.

The game of the week was Cincinnati’s 47-15 beatdown of Rutgers on Monday afternoon. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say even the most optimistic Cincinnati fan didn’t imagine this game would be such a blowout.

Bearcats quarterback Tony Pike was 20-of-25 for 286 yards and two scores, and that was by halftime. He finished with 362 yards and three touchdowns and was taken out after three quarters. Cincinnati’s defense, which lost 10 starters and switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base defense, forced three turnovers and held the Scarlet Knights to just 50 rushing yards for the game.

For a team that was many experts’ pre-season pick to win the conference, Rutgers didn’t exactly back up the expectations. Rutgers was forced to abandon its usually stellar running attack after it fell behind early in the game, but did show a flicker of its usual self after using 17 runs, including two fourth-down conversions, as part of a 78-yard opening drive that led to a touchdown.

After that, it was all Cincinnati, as it rattled off 38 unanswered points. It’s clear the best duo in the Big East is Pike and wide receiver Mardy Gilyard, who caught eight passes for 89 yards and a score. Both will contend for Big East Player of the Year.

Thanks to Cincinnati’s performance, the Big East has its first ranked team of the year. The Bearcats came in at No. 23 in the AP and USA Today polls this week.

Before Monday’s game, the rest of the Big East went 5-1 all in out-of-conference games. The lone loser was Syracuse, which lost 23-20 in overtime to Minnesota. Quarterback Greg Paulus didn’t look bad in his debut with the Orange, as the team scored 20 points in the first quarter, but he did throw an interception in overtime to open the door for Minnesota to win.

On to the awards:

Big East Player of the Week (Offensive)

Pike — Nobody had the type of game Pike did, and he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Big East Player of the Week (Defensive)

Nate Allen, South Florida — Allen had a team-high 10 tackles with a forced fumble in a 40-7 win against Wofford.

Best Debut

Dion Lewis, Pitt — The freshman running back scored three touchdowns and ran for 129 yards in the Panthers 38-3 victory over Youngstown State. Lesean McWho?

Worst Debut

Domenic Natale, Rutgers — The senior quarterback was expected to ease into a starting role this year, but threw three interceptions to shatter any chance of a comeback against Cincinnati. He was pulled by halftime in favor of freshman Tom Savage.

Rankings of Power – Week 1

Cincinnati — See above.

Pitt — Dominated despite underwhelming performances by its offense and defense.

South Florida — The Bulls bounced back from a lazy first half to blow out a talented team in Wofford.

West Virginia — The Mountaineers looked unsteady and needed five field goals to beat Liberty.

Connecticut — The Huskies looked OK in a 23-16 win over Ohio, but give them credit for playing a rare opening-week road game.

Rutgers — Not a good way to start, but remember last year’s seven-game winning streak after a 1-5 start?

Syracuse — Defense played well, as did the offense, but only for a half. And what kind of sick person thought of having the Orange play Penn State on the road this year? Prediction: pain.

Louisville — Looked less than impressive against Indiana State, hence the basement rank.

Week 2 Preview

East Carolina (1-0) at West Virginia (1-0): The Mountaineers are looking for revenge after their loss last year in Greenville.

No. 19 North Carolina (1-0) at Connecticut (1-0): It would be nice to see a Big East team take down a Top 25 team from the ACC, and the Huskies can do just that next weekend.

Syracuse (0-1) at No. 7 Penn State (1-0): Staying within three touchdowns would be a nice showing for the Orange.

Pittsburgh (1-0) at Buffalo (1-0): Pitt is not taking Buffalo lightly on the road. This could be a very competitive game.

South Florida (1-0) at Western Kentucky (0-1): The Hilltoppers, known for their NCAA Tournament surprises, host maybe their biggest football game ever. They’ll probably want to stick to basketball after this one.

Southeast Missouri State (1-0) at No. 23 Cincinnati (1-0): Southeast Missouri State beat Quincy 72-3 last week. Just a fun fact, Pike and the Bearcats should roll in their home opener.

Howard (0-0) at Rutgers (0-1): Who? Well, at least diehards will be able to see Rutgers bounce back after its embarrassment against Cincinnati.

Bye: Louisville