The Big East Tournament is in many ways like a mini-NCAA Tournament, considering the talent and depth of teams involved. It is by far the most prestigious of the conference tournaments, as well as the toughest. This year that last part has been well emphasized, as many top teams have already fallen. In the first round perennial powerhouse UConn was throughly beaten by St. Johns. The second round saw last year’s winner Louisville, lose a close game to Cincinnati. Yesterday though was filled with upsets, with three of the top four seeds losing in their first game. Top ranked Syracuse lost to 8th seed Georgetown, while Pittsburgh got knocked off by 7th seed Notre Dame, and Villanova lost to Marquette. The lone top four seed to advance, was 3rd seed West Virginia who needed a last second shot to hold off Cincinnati.

Now because of yesterday’s massacre of top seeds, people will begin to question the Big East Tournament format and whether or not it should be changed. Because of it’s 16 team size the Big East Tournament has a unique format, where in which the top 8 teams receive a bye, and the top four teams get a double bye. In the last two seasons with the double bye format, those teams with the extra rest are 3-5 in their first round game. Now people are already calling for a change in format. I feel that is well premature. While it is disturbing that the double bye teams are falling so early, a few things should be remembered. One, these games for the most part have been very close, that number could have been worse, but it also could have easily been 6-2 or 7-1, in favor of the double bye teams. Two, we are only talking about two years here. If this was a trend over 5-6 years, I’d maybe say you have a problem, but if the top four seeds sweep the next two years (which is not out of the question) then that number is 11-5, quite a difference in opinion. The last thing that should be remembered is that this is the Big East we are talking about. They are by definition a super conference.

The Big East has more talent and parity then we’ve ever seen in college basketball before. Last season they had THREE number 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, despite the fact that two of those teams, UConn and Pitt lost their opening game in the Big East Tournament. This year the Big East isn’t as talented, but they will still send 8 teams tournament bound, and still have some of the top teams to watch. Teams like Marquette, Georgetown, and Louisville would have probably finished 3rd or 4th in most conferences. And teams like South Florida, Cincinnati, Seton Hall and even Connecticut, would have likely been top 8 seeds in another conference. My guess is if you broke up the Big East and spread them around the other conferences, you’d probably have a good 10-12 teams make the NCAA tournament each year, with at least two receiving number 1 seeds. That is how deep and talented this conference is.

Now I’m not saying this as a pity party for the Big East, just pointing out that all conference’s aren’t created equal. You can’t compare how the top four seeds in the Big East do, compared to the Big Ten or Pac-10 (honestly couldn’t just about any team in the Big East win the Pac-10 this season?). Or even compare them to two of the better conferences Big-12 and ACC. Those other ‘powerhouse’ conferences might run 7 or 8 teams deep, but the Big East runs a good 12 teams deep.

I think it would be too much of a knee-jerk reaction to change the format of the Big East Tournament. I don’t think they could go back to the way it was 3 years ago when only the top 12 teams made it. And while its feasible, I’m not sure if teams would want to do a tournament bracket system,where 1 seed plays 16, ect. Since that would negate any team from getting a bye. Hopefully wiser heads will prevail and they will keep the tournament as is for the next couple years before they make any changes. Maybe the double bye is harmful to those teams, but I’m not sold yet, and in the meantime I’ll just keep enjoying the best postseason basketball in the country.

At the beginning of the season if you told the Pitt Panthers that they’d end up in the Meineke Car Care Bowl (MCC from now on) they’d probably be pretty satisfied. Going in to the year Pitt would have been happy with a solid mid-range bowl, they were losing their best playmaker (LeSean McCoy) to the NFL and had serious questions at quarterback. By the end of the season, the MCC Bowl represents a major disappointment after last second losses to West Virginia and Cincinnati knocked them out of major bowl consideration.

The Tar Heels are a bit of the opposite of the Panthers, at the beginning of the season they would have been a bit disappointed to go (return) to the MCC Bowl. Despite losing their top three receivers, UNC looked like a team on the rise. With a good quarterback T.J. Yates and a top notch defense, they could have maybe made a run at the ACC title. After a disappointing season which saw them lose to both UVA and NC State (two of the ACC’s weaker teams), the Tar Heels should be pretty happy they ended up with roughly a home bowl game.

So who comes out ahead when these to teams meet on the field today? I think it will be close but I see Pitt squeaking it out in the end. Both teams have very good defenses, with UNC’s the more dominate of the two (and balanced). But Pitt has the offensive weapons to go along with their defense. Bill Stull has really come on this season to be a pretty good quarterback for the Panthers. Pittsburgh has possibly the best running back-wide receiver combo in college football with Dion Lewis and Jonathan Baldwin. Lewis has filled McCoy’s shoes and is one of the best running backs in the country despite being a true freshman. Lewis had 98 more rushing yards this season than Heisman winner Mark Ingram (despite playing in one fewer game this season). Baldwin is one of the best receivers in the nation who is overlooked because Pittsburgh is a balanced offense, with a strong running game. Baldwin was third in the nation among receivers with 1,000 or more yards in yards per catch (20.0). In addition with Baldwin and Lewis the Panthers have a number of other quality weapons who would be top receivers or running backs on most other teams. One other player that did stand out is TE Dorin Dickerson, who had 10 touchdowns this year and was named first team All-American.

Given Pitt’s offensive weapons, I think they get by the stellar Tar Heels defense, 21-17.

By contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

(10) Iowa at (11) Ohio State

The tenth-ranked Hawkeyes took their first loss of the season last week, which nearly destroyed any national championship hopes Iowa once had. Should they win at Ohio State this weekend, the BCS rankings will be very interesting.

Ohio State, on the other hand, is coming off their best win of the season, and it had major Big 10 implication, as they broke the two-way tie for second in the conference against Penn State, and now they have an opportunity to take down the first-place Hawkeyes, and earn a BCS bid.

Ohio State is a superior team in talent. Iowa has no offensive threat equal to Terrelle Pryor. Iowa is a sound football team that makes few mistakes. They have had a great run this season, but it seems unlikely that they will pick where they left off without their starting quarterback – Ricky Stanzi. Iowa will be starting redshirt freshman James Vandenberg on what could not be a bigger stage: at the Horseshoe – the third biggest college football stadium in the country – vying for a Big 10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Iowa is a major underdog in this came, and rightfully so. Vandenberg will have to step in and play the game of his life, and Ohio State will have to make a few mistakes. This is where Pryor comes in. Pryor is electrifying, and he seems to either win or lose the game for the Buckeyes. Unfortunately for Iowa, though, it seems that both Pryor and Ohio State are finally hitting their stride.

Ohio State will take down Iowa, and they will do so convincingly. At the end of the season, Ohio State will be surprisingly high in the BCS rankings after what seemed like a down season. Final Score: Ohio State 34 Iowa 17.

Notre Dame at (12) Pittsburgh

Notre Dame is coming off their worst loss of the season to a Navy team that should not have been able to keep the game close, let alone win it. Not only did they lose, but Charlie Weis’ is now ostensibly on the hot seat. Notre Dame will respond in one of two ways: they will come out motivated and fired up to salvage their season and their coach’s job, or they will pack it in because they have nothing left to play for, as they are officially out of the BCS hunt.

Unfortunately for the Irish, they are going up against a Pittsburgh team that hasn’t loss since September 26^th. This could very well be Weis’ last season in South Bend.

Pittsburgh is beatable, though, and their schedule reflects that, as they do not have a win against a ranked opponent on their resume – and Notre Dame doesn’t either. These are too evenly matched teams, but at this point in the season, they have greatly differing incentives to win football games, and that could ultimately decide this game.

Pittsburgh has relied on their balanced offensive attack this season, which is lead by senior quarterback Bill Stull and freshman running back Dion Lewis. Lewis has been one of the top rushers in the nation this season, and Stull has complemented the run game with a steady, effective air attack. The Panthers are hard to stop on offense because they can beat a team in a number of ways.

Notre Dame, similarly, is also an offensive-minded program, and junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen was considered a Heisman hopeful earlier this season. Notre Dame is a pass-first offense, and Clausen has thrown the ball almost 100 times more than Stull this season, which may be a disadvantage because it shows that Notre Dame is a bit more one-dimensional.

Pittsburgh is better than Notre Dame at this juncture of the season, and they will be more intense than the Fighting Irish. Both teams will score points, but Pittsburgh will be more focused and more determined. Final score: Pitt 37 Notre Dame 28

1. Pittsburgh Panthers

Why They Will Contend: The Panthers return 14 starters this year including one of the best defensive line’s in college football. DE’s Jabaal Sheard and Greg Romeus should spend a lot of time in opposing team’s backfields. The linebacking corps is pretty new, but is filled with some talented prospects. CB Aaron Berry leads a very good secondary, and should be an all-conference selection. On offense Soph. WR Jonathan Baldwin is poised to become one of the nation’s leading receivers. He’s joined by a pair of seniors at WR (Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee) and TE (Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson) that give the Panthers the most formidable passing weapons in the conference. The Panthers will have a running back by committee approach led by three interesting prospects. True Freshmen Dion Lewis and Ray Graham, along with redshirted freshman Chris Burns, should give the Panthers plenty of fresh legs this year.

Why They Won’t Contend: The Panthers lost their best offensive playmaker, RB LeSean McCoy, and their leading tackler, MLB Scott McKillop to the draft. They have three talented prospects to replace McCoy, but those are big shoes to fill. He would singlehandily win games for the Panthers last year. Its easier to replace McKillop’s on the field production, but it may not be so easy to replace the leadership he brought to the team every day. The biggest returning question is at QB. Highly touted Pat Bostick has been a bust so far and will move to 3rd on the depth chart (he will likely be redshirted as well). Senior Bill Stull remains as the starter, but he was ineffective last year especially when the game was put in his hands. If he doesn’t rebound this year don’t be surprised to see redshirted freshman Tino Sunseri lining up behind center.

Offensive Player to Watch: WR Jonathan Baldwin. The comparisons to Larry Fitzgerald are starting and they might not be too far off the mark. A bit raw at wideout Baldwin has freakish athletic ability that should allow him to dominate the Big East.

Defensive Player to Watch: DE Greg Romeus. There is talent up and down the def. line, but Romeus is the best of the bunch. He had 7.5 sacks last year and will cause havok among offensive coordinators trying to find a way to stop him this year.

2. West Virginia Mountaineers

Why They Will Contend: The Mountaineers run one of the most dynamic offenses in college football. Led by Junior running back Noel Devine. Devine led the Mountaineers last season with over 1,200 rushing yards with a 6.3 ypc average. At wide receiver WVU has some playmakers as well. Junior Jock Sanders and redshirt sophomore Bradley Starks have established themselves as quality targets. Incoming freshman Logan Heastie gives the Mountaineers a big target to add balance to their receiving corps. WVU returns an experienced defense to run their 3-3-5 alignment. Junior CB Brandon Hogan is an excellent coverage corner and isn’t afraid of contact as well.

Why They Won’t Contend: The Mountaineers lost the heart of their offense in quarterback Pat White. White athleticism was off the charts and his presence on the field made every other player better. 5th year senior Jarrett Brown will take White’s spot behind center. While he offers the same running ability as White, Brown lacks White’s elusiveness and quickness that made him so dangerous. Brown will need to find a way to beat opponents through the air if the Mountaineers are going to contend this year. WVU needs a true number 1 receiver to step up to take their offense to the next level. They have a lot of ability among their wideouts, but no true go to guy. WVU could use a power running back to help them convert short yardage situations. On defense the Mountaineers need to get a better pass rush to neutralize some of the other Big East offenses.

Offensive Player to Watch: RB Noel Devine. Devine is one of the fastest running backs in the NCAA, and if he sees daylight in front of him no one will catch him. Finding ways to get the ball to Devine in space is a key for the WVU offense and a nightmare scenario for defensive coordinators.

Defensive Player to Watch: CB Brandon Hogan. Hogan is a ball hawk defensive back, and has shutdown corner defensive ability. Hogan is a big hitter for a corner and should be an all conference selection when the season is over.

3. Cincinnati Bearcats

Why They Will Contend: The returning Big East Champs will be one of the favorites to win it again entering the 2009 season. Cincinnati returns one of the Big East’s best quarterbacks in senior Tony Pike. Pike is a big strong armed quarterback, who knows how to make plays. Pike has a solid receiving corps overall, but his favorite target, senior Marshawn Gilyard, is anything but solid or average. Gilyard is one of the best playmakers in the nation and a sure fire first round pick next April. At running back the Bearcats return junior John Goebel who had over 600 yards last season while in a backup role. Goebel isn’t a game breaker, but he can keep the chains moving with his 4.6 yards per carry average.

Why They Won’t Contend: Cincinnati’s biggest problem is their defense. While they have plenty of athletic talent they return just one starter, senior FS Aaron Webster. Webster is a good player, but with that kind of turnover a number of players will need to step up to keep the Bearcats in contention. Another issue with the defense is the transition to a 3-4 system, which is going to cause a learning curve for their new starters. The Bearcats will need another play maker on offense to step up as well if they hope to compete with the Panthers and Mountaineers.

Offensive Player to Watch: WR/KR Marshawn Gilyard. Gilyard is a home run hitter and a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. He’s one of the best kick returners in the nation, in addition to his production on offense. Gilyard will create match up problems for corners around the Big East.

Defensive Player to Watch: FS Aaron Webster. Webster is the lone returning starter on this defense, and one of its biggest leaders. He is a hard hitter, but is a very good coverage safety as well. His presence in the defensive backfield will allow the front 7 to get after the quarterback more.

4. South Florida Bulls

Offensive Player to Watch: QB Matt Grothe. Grothe is the best and most experienced quarterback in the conference. He’s a dual threat quarterback that can keep plays alive with his feet.

Defensive Player to Watch: DE George Selvie. Selvie is one of the elite pass rusher’s in the nation. He lives in opponents backfields and is very difficult to block one-on-one.

5. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Offensive Player to Watch: RB Jourdan Brooks. The redshirted sophomore had 516 yards last year and 6 touchdowns in just 100 carries. He is a power back who can make some moves in the open field.

Defensive Player to Watch: MLB Ryan D’Imperio. D’Imperio is one of the best linebackers in the Big East. He’s a sure tackler and extremely instinctive. He’s always around the ball and makes the big plays when needed.

6. Louisville Cardinals

Offensive Player to Watch: RB Victor Anderson. As a true freshman Anderson rushed for over 1,000 yards with a 5.7 ypc average. He is in line for a breakout year this year, and should be accounted for on every play by opposing defenses.

Defensive Player to Watch: LB Jon Dempsey. Dempsey led the Cardinals in tackles last year and is one of their defensive leaders. He is an extremely sure tackler and is adept at making plays in the backfield.

7. Conneticut Huskies

Offensive Player to Watch: RB Andre Dixon. Dixon didn’t get much of an opportunity last season with Donald Brown rushing his way to 2,000 yards, but Dixon is a quality ball carrier. In 2007 he had over 800 yards rushing and should get plenty of chances to top that this season.

Defensive Player to Watch: LB Scott Lutrus. Lutrus led the Huskies with over a 100 tackles last season and is the team’s defensive captain. In addition to being a sure tackler, Lutrus is a good coverage linebacker that can limit TE’s and RB’s catches.

8. Syracuse Orange

Offensive Player to Watch: QB Greg Paulus. Paulus was a top QB recruit but elected to play college basketball instead at Duke. Now with one year of eligibility remaining Paulus will be Syracuse’s quarterback. If he has a solid year he could help put the Orange back on the map.

Defensive Player to Watch: DT Arthur Jones. Jones has lived in the offensive backfield during his time at Syracuse with 31.5 career tackles for a loss. He is by far the Orange’s best player and defensive leader.