ACC | Big East | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-10 | SEC | UWIRE Top 10
Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia
Conventional wisdom: The conference that went 5-0 in bowl games — including Louisville’s Orange Bowl win against Wake Forest — is back to show 2006 wasn’t an aberration. … Brian Brohm is a pretty good quarterback. … With fellow Heisman candidates Steve Slaton, Pat White and Ray Rice also leading the charge, the best teams — Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers — can score with anybody. What about defense?
Least effective name recognition: Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh; Greg Robinson, Syracuse
Are these NFL coaching retreads ever going to do anything with these once-proud programs? There’s only so long Wannstedt can keep coasting on his Super Bowl rings and his omnipotent mustache. … OK, that went too far. I shouldn’t demean the mustache. That’ll always be funny.
Most British name: Noel Devine, West Virginia
As if the Mountaineers needed another great running back, they’ve got a hugely talented freshman to put alongside Slaton. Plus, his name harkens back to the days when Englishmen named Noel won Academy Awards and white guys were named Tyrone.
Most felonious: Willie Williams, Louisville
Yeah, it’s the former Miami recruit whose criminal background — 11 arrests before age 19 — eventually became too toxic for even the Hurricanes to handle. Booted from Donna Shalala’s dance party, Williams hit the juco ranks and now is a Cardinals linebacker. We’ll see how that goes.
Sexiest pick to be the new Rutgers: South Florida
They beat Louisville and WVU in the past two years, and won at Auburn in Week 2. They have Matt Grothe, a slippery quarterback whose name makes him sound like something out of Beowulf. Or possibly Lewis Carroll. So clearly, the Bulls are everyone choice to be this season’s Big East breakthrough. One thing, though: Rutgers has superfan alum James Gandolfini. USF needs to give this man a call, even if, technically, he is only a “former student,” not an alumnus. (I know, shocking.)
Most important quarterback: Mike Teel, Rutgers
He’s got a great running game (Rice) and defense (Eric Foster, et al.), and after finishing strong in winning the Texas Bowl, Teel could take a big step forward in his junior season. No doubt opponents will respect Rice even more than they did last year, so Teel needs to keep them honest.
Most likely to hit a curveball: White, West Virginia
One of the nation’s best dual-threat quarterbacks was also drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2004 and again this spring. Scouts noted he had “streamlined lower half” and compared him to former Royals speedster Tom Goodwin. Tom Goodwin? I haven’t thought about Tom Goodwin in years. I love baseball scouts.
Least essential new columnist: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
The coach who made Central Michigan a winner — and clearly the strongest Directional Michigan — filed several preseason “diary entries” for the Enquirer. Highlights included such gems as “I feel pretty good about what we accomplished here” and “I wanted to come out here and get our identity and know who we are.” Thanks for stopping by, coach.
Best stiff arm: Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
The W.Va. native was basically out the door to Alabama when the Mountaineers finally made it worth his while to follow his heart and stay home. Then we had the fun of watching Nick Saban lie and squirm and lie some more about his plans before dumping the Miami Dolphins for the Tide, just as he dumped LSU for the Dolphins just two years earlier. Always fun, as a reporter, when a head coach farts in your general direction.
Best summer transfer: Zach Frazier, Connecticut
UConn coach Randy Edsall expended significant energy recruiting his fellow Pennsylvania native, but the kid chose Charlie Weis and Notre Dame. With the Irish QB depth chart looking a mite crowded these days, Frazier thought again and went with the Huskies. He’ll have three years of eligibility, starting in 2008. And you know you can’t go wrong with a Pennsylvania quarterback — even if this one is from central PA, not the western lands famous for birthing Marino, Montana, Namath and Unitas.
Best toe: Art Carmody, Louisville
Horrible name, great leg. The reigning Lou Groza Award winner is statistically the most accurate kicker in the history of college football (95.7 percent on field goals and extra points). He could be particularly important in a conference sure to be filled with high-scoring, last-possession-wins games.