After another perfect week of picks in the Big East, I'll try to do it all over again.  Plenty of conference match ups this weekend, but only one stands out as worthy of any national attention.

Game of the Week

West Virginia @ South Florida 8:00pm October 30  ESPN2

The game time question for West Virginia:

Are we still competing for a conference championship or should we start preparing for a mid December bowl?

It has taken 9 weeks, but finally things are taking shape in the Big East.  Obviously, Cincinnati is the team to beat, but Pittsburgh and West Virginia both stand ready to make a run at the conference championship.  For the Mountaineers, it all starts tonight in Tampa, FL.  A win over South Florida would have them past their first conference challenge of the season and they can continue to consider themselves a Big East contender.  No team likes to find themselves in a position where they need help to win the conference, and a victory over the Bulls can avoid any such situation... at least for another week.

The key to a win tonight will be the play of running back Noel Devine.  Devine ranks #3 nationally in rushing yards per game, and he carries the ball for nearly 7 yards per attempt.  With 10 TDs overall, he rushed for 3 touchdowns against a softer than usual Auburn defense, but 3 TDs against a SEC opponent is nothing to scoff at.  The play of Jarett Brown will be the other half of a winning recipe.  Brown has over 1600 yards total offense, and 11 TDs.  Problems arise when Brown has to go to the air more than he's comfortable with as he has thrown 6 INTs on the season.  Turnovers are what caused the loss to Auburn, and if the Mountaineers fail to protect the ball it will be another long game.

For the Bulls to have any chance of slowing down this West Virginia ground attack, linebackers Kion Wilson and Chris Robinson will have to step up and make a few plays.  The top two linebackers, Wilson and Robinson only have 2 combined sacks, and 6 tackles for a loss.  While the defense line of South Florida may be one of the toughest in the nation, the linebacker corps doesn't seem to be pulling its weight.

The game time question for South Florida:

How realistic is a conference championship NEXT year?

It really is unfortunate for Jim Levitt.  After their 6-0 start two years ago, South Florida has been considered to be the dark horse of the Big East and the BCS, and this year with Matt Grothe and George Selvie back to lead the team, the Bulls were supposed to make a run at a BCS bowl bid.  Sadly, the fragile nature of human joints will keep the Bulls from reach their goal of a conference title and playing on January 1st.  While it is easy for all hope to be lost and forget about the remaining season at hand, the future still looks bright for South Florida.  I'm just pretty certain that the future is next season and not here in 2009. 

B.J. Daniels is flying under the radar this season and it is great for him.  He is a freshman after all and he doesn't need the national spotlight distracting.  All of Daniels' stat averages are spread across all 7 games because he took snaps in every game this season.  This doesn't capture just how good he is and if you look at the averages for just the games he started he would rank #28 nationally in total offense.  Not bad for a freshman quarterback.  He has struggled with trying to do too much and has turned over the ball, but with South Florida only having an outside shot at the conference, turnovers are okay right now.  In this game against West Virginia, Levitt has to figure out some way to involve the entire offense if they want to steal a win. Running backs Moise Planchard and Lindsey Lamar are #2 and #3 in team rushing and must carry the ball more than usual to take the pressure off Daniels.  Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell must be a player maker having been shut down in both of South Florida's losses.

For the West Virginia defense, the key will be attacking QB B.J. Daniels.  This responsibility will fall to linebacker Ovid Goulbourne who leads the team with 4 sacks this season.  Daniels is a freshman and will make a few mistakes when pressured.  The problem is his ability to run when flushed out of the pocket.  The line will have to work hard to contain on the outsides of the pocket, and the rest will fall to Goulbourne who will have to attack down hill right through the line.  If Daniels goes down for sacks twice or more, I'd expect West Virginia to come away with this one.

When the Dust Settles:

If Matt Grothe were still playing, I'd be the first to tell everyone not to count out South Florida, but this is not the case.  West Virginia should leave Tampa with a win looking ahead to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.  South Florida will then have to start looking at an early bowl and next year.

Prediction:

West Virginia 27  -  South Florida  20


The Little Guy to look out for:

South Florida Fr. Wide Receiver Sterling Griffin.  At 6'1 180 he won't be considered the biggest threat on the field, but he averages 25 yards per reception and has 1 big reception per game.  On third and long, I'd tell my Mountaineers to know where Griffin is on the field.


The Undercards

Rutgers @ Connecticut

Last week's match up against West Virginia proved to be too much for Connecticut to make a statement about how their team has healed since to loss of Jasper Howard.  Coming back home for their first game since Howard's death will amp this team up and Rutgers just doesn't have enough to stop them.  I'm expecting 280 yards on the ground for Connecticut, and 2 INTs thrown by Rutger's Savage.

Connecticut 31  -  Rutgers 17

Cincinnati @ Syracuse

I wish Syracuse was better and would at least try to make covering their games interesting.  Cincinnati will likely start the back up again this week since Pike won't be need to beat up on a still floundering Orangemen team. 

Cincinnati 38  -  Syracuse  16

Arkansas State @ Lousiville

Alright Cards this is your gimme game.  Arkansas State is having another sub par Sun Belt year which means they are once again below .500 in conference.  Louisville may be struggling this year as well, but they have an offense that can generally score points.  Arkansas won't be able to keep pace and Louisville will pick up a less than impressive win over the Red Wolves.

Louisville 24  -  Arkansas State 17