Big East Stretch Run
(October 13, 2008)

Many thought that West Virginia, South Florida and Pittsburgh would be the top teams in the Big East Conference this season. There is no reason to believe that these three will not be battling it out, but Cincinnati and Connecticut are definately in the hunt. There is plenty of football to be played, but Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse may be out of it already. Here is a team by team look.

Pittsburgh (2-0 Big East, 4-1 overall) - After an opening loss to Bowling Green, the Panthers have won four straight, including wins at Syracuse and USF. Games remain at Cincinnati and Connecticut and at home against Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia. Pitt still has two non-conference games at Navy and at Notre Dame. If the Panthers are for real, and they have a recent history of self-destructing, the game with West Virginia will be key. The Mountaineers will be looking for revenge for last year's upset.

West Virginia (2-0, 4-2) - The Mountaineers have posted home victories over Rutgers and Syracuse, with Cincinnati and USF still coming to Morgantown. They have to travel to Connecticut, Louisville and Pittsburgh. If West Virginia can get on a roll, their next game is against Auburn, many believe the season finale against USF could decide the conference crown.

Cincinnati (1-0, 5-1) - The Bearcats loss came at Oklahoma and they have a home win over Rutgers. Contenders USF and Pittsburgh come to town, but Cincinnati still has games at Connecticut, West Virginia, Louisville and Syracuse. The Bearcats also have a game at Hawaii to close out the season.

Connecticut (1-0, 5-1) The Huskies have posted a home victory over Louisville with Cincinnati, West Virginia and Pittsburgh still to come in East Hartford. UConn travels to Rutgers, Syracuse and USF. The Huskies and West Virginia shared the Big East crown last season, so that game will be huge, along with the Pitt game and the trip to USF.

South Florida (0-1, 5-1) - USF rolled through the non-conference schedule including a big win over Kansas. With tough games at Cincinnati and at West Virginia remaining, a home loss to Pittsburgh was not the way the Bulls wanted to open the Big East slate. USF also travels to Louisville and has home games with Syracuse, Rutgers and Connecticut.

Louisville (0-1, 3-2) - The Cardinals have lost at Connecticut and still have trips to Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. Some of the better teams will be coming to town: USF, Cincinnati and West Virginia.

Rutgers (0-2, 1-5) - With two conference losses already, and games at Pittsburgh and at USF still to play, it is hard to imagine the Scarlet Knights being a contender. There were close losses at West Virginia and Cincinnati, but Rutgers only victory so far has been against Morgan State.

Syracuse (0-2, 1-5) - The Orange has had home losses to Pittsburgh and West Virginia and have only posted a victory over Northeastern. Games at USF, Rutger and Cincinnati, along with home games against Louisville and Connecticut, will play out the string.

With the exception of Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse, it is easy to make an argument for anyone to win the Big East. Pittsburgh's win over USF is the only match up between the contenders so far, so Pitt has a leg up and the Bulls have a hill to climb. It should be an exciting couple of months with almost 80 percent of the conference schedule remaining. It is really hard to make predictions right now.