CFI PREVIEW: THE BIG EAST

BY CHRISTOPHER J. MOGOLLON
BIG EAST INSIDER

12:00 * ESPN Regional * West Virginia 4-1 (0-1) @ Syracuse 1-4 (0-1): It's the battle for the Schwartzwalder Trophy at the Carrier Dome but don't expect the trophy to leave the West Virginia sideline. Syracuse's offense has been terrible, with no rushing attack to speak of and they hardly ever giving any protection for the quarterback, which is why their offense is in the bottom ten of the nation. The offensive line for Syracuse is in trouble again, having already allowed 22 sacks – the worst in conference and now they face the conference leader in sacks with 17 this year lead by Johnny Dingle and Marc Magro. Heisman hopeful Steve Slaton should have another big rushing performance at the Dome. Syracuse has not beaten West Virginia since 2001.

Key Match Up: Pat White vs. Syracuse linebackers - Last year when these two schools met, it was the Patrick White show. White rushed for a whopping 247 yards and four touchdowns single handily scoring more than the 'Cuse. White averaged 16.5 yards a carry including touchdown runs of 69 yards and 50 yards. South Florida's speed on defense forced White to make tough throws, this week White can just tuck it and run. He is a game time decision.

3:30 * ESPNU * South Florida 4-0 (1-0) @ Florida Atlantic 3-2 (2-0): Last week it was pandemonium in Tampa after a huge victory over West Virginia which put the Bulls 6th in the AP poll, now they have a test of not looking ahead. Florida Atlantic is having a good year so far -- they are over five hundred and have victories over Minnesota and road win over North Texas. FAU is a passing team that has not developed a running game and they have struggled avoiding big runs as well. Keep an eye on South Florida running back Mike Ford who has rushed 212 yards averaging 5.6 yards per carry. This freshman has big play written all over him.

Key Match Up: Rusty Smith vs. South Florida Pass Defense - The Owls pass the ball, sophomore quarterback Rusty Smith has thrown nine touchdowns and only two interceptions, a big improvement over last years numbers. Smith threw for 466 yards in their victory over the Gophers. Now he has to face by far his toughest test, the speed and quickness of a Bulls defense that has only allowed three touchdowns through the air. If that’s not enough they put tremendous pressure on their opponents led by George Selvie who leads the conference with nine sacks already.

8:00 * ESPN2 * Cincinnati 5-0 (0-0) @ Rutgers 3-1 (0-0): This is the Big East opener for each school and could be a swing game for both teams to maybe a conference championship. Rutgers were heavy favorites if you would have looked at this game in the summer but after a disappointing home loss to Maryland and the surge of the Cincinnati passing game -- the match up has a whole new flavor. Last week, Rutgers struggled to stop the run and hold on to the football (three turnovers). Ray Rice was held to his season low of 97 rushing yards and one touchdown -- he will be facing a tough run defense, who held Oregon State to only 36 rushing yards. Linebacker Andre Revels leads the team in tackles. Keep your eye on Tiquan Underwood, who leads the team in receptions and yards, he has big play capability and could make the Piscataway crowd go crazy.

Key Match up: Ben Mauk vs. Rutgers Secondary - It is no secret that the Bearcats rely on their passing game for big chunks of yardage. Ben Mauk leads the charge with nine touchdowns in four games, he is also second in conference in pass efficiency completing 70.0 percent of his passes. Marcus Barnett has been the go to receiver for the team with 22 receptions and five touchdowns. In addition, watch for tight end Connor Barwin, the junior has 14 receptions for 196 yards with two touchdowns. Rutgers does have some players on defense like linebacker Kevin Malast with 34 tackles this season, he is very aggressive and can drop back to help the secondary too. Defensive back Courtney Greene is a tremendous tackler, you could see some huge hits come from this junior.