Much like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield would lament over the lack of love he received by virtually everyone he encountered, one of the six college football conferences that currently enjoy automatic-BCS qualifying status has been guilty of harping on the same. Actually, it's the fans that follow the teams that call it home who are the ones that bemoan the fact year after year. Of course we're referring to the Big East, and truth be told, it really shouldn't shock anyone that the league known more for its basketball prowess than gridiron glory has a ways to go before being regarded with the same reverence others around the country have.
Now, before you Big East backers start lighting your torches and sharpening those pitchforks, let's take a look at each school and see if there isn't at least a few things with which you might [reluctantly] agree.
Of the eight schools currently calling the conference home, which one elicits the same kind of national fervor that say a Florida, Texas, Ohio State, USC, Alabama, Florida State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Penn State or Notre Dame does? Well, that last one isn't really fair, but you get the point. Simply put, there isn't one team in the Big East that anyone outside of the league's borders can really sink their teeth into, at least not on a regular basis. Don't misunderstand, this isn't about bashing the on-field talent or competent, if relatively unknown coaches roaming the sidelines, but more about the overall perception of the league as it relates to the other conferences all clamoring for a shot at major college football's ultimate prize.
Let's start with West Virginia, clearly the benchmark against which all other Big East teams are measured. The Mountaineers have won nearly 700 games in their history, posting a pair of perfect regular seasons along the way. WVU has won six Big East Conference titles, but is the winningest college football team never to have won a national championship. Recent issues regarding leadership have many questioning the program's ability to focus on the task at hand, that of course being the 2011 season, but offensive-guru Dana Holgorsen is the man the school has entrusted to usher in a new era for West Virginia and its rabid fan base.
Pittsburgh has also had its share of turmoil this off-season, as coach Dave Wannstedt was forced out after another disappointing campaign. The administration thought it had found a new voice in former Miami-Ohio mentor Mike Haywood, but he was let go in quick fashion following his arrest on domestic abuse charges. A more thorough search resulted in the hiring of former Tulsa head man Todd Graham. No stranger to the Big East (West Virginia coaching staff 2001-02), Graham's teams at both Tulsa and Rice featured explosive offenses, and although his background is in defense and his personality isn't everyone's cup of tea, the belief is he will harness the current crop of talent on both sides of the ball and have the Panthers back on the prowl sooner rather than later.
South Florida doesn't have a whole lot of history on its side, having only fielded a football team since 1997, but the Bulls have suffered only two losing campaigns since then and have won at least eight games in each of the past five seasons. Second-year head coach Skip Holtz continues the work established by his predecessor, Jim Leavitt, but despite the overall success achieved by the program, the reality is that the Bulls aren't likely to earn many national headlines, and very few outside of Tampa are going to lend any support at all.
An interesting situation could develop in Syracuse if the Orange are able to continue the progress shown last year when, under second-year head coach Doug Marrone, they posted their first winning season (8-5) since 2001. Prior to that drought, the Orange logged an impressive 15 consecutive winning campaigns, and the hope is a dramatic turnaround could help SU be the one team outside of West Virginia to carry the Big East torch to regions that aren't sure that big-time college football is even played in the northeast.
At 10 years and counting, Rutgers' Greg Schiano is the longest-tenured coach in the Big East, and in fact, his reign at the State University of New Jersey is longer than the other seven coaches in the league combined. The Scarlet Knights logged five straight winning ledgers from 2005-09, picking up a bowl invite each time, but they are coming off a dismal 4-8 campaign, which included losses in their final six games. It will be interesting to see if RU can put together another magical run, but in the end, few folks outside of the Garden State are going to take notice.
Cincinnati had its heyday during the Sid Gillman era (1949-54), but saw a three-year resurgence under Brian Kelly (2008-10) in which the team won a pair of Big East crowns and went to two BCS games. Kelly has since moved on to Notre Dame, leaving the program to Butch Jones, and the Bearcats struggled in his first year (4-8). If UC is to bounce back and keep 2010 from being the first in a long line of sub-par campaigns, performing better on defense and showing more discipline is paramount.
Connecticut has been playing football for more than 110 years, but only has a decade or so of experience at the FBS level. The Huskies have been steadily climbing the Big East ladder, and under coach Randy Edsall they won a pair of conference championships (2007, 2010) and earned their first-ever bid to a BCS bowl (2011 Fiesta Bowl). With that kind of success, even in relative obscurity, it was only a matter of time before Edsall took his talents elsewhere. Maryland was his choice, and UConn has since turned to former Syracuse mentor Paul Pasqualoni to continue the program's development. Pasqualoni has a proven track record (107-59-1 in 14 seasons at SU) and his decision to keep several of Edsall's assistants assures the Huskies of some semblance of continuity as they make the transition.
Due to some pretty potent offenses, Louisville has captured the nation's attention in the past. Unfortunately, inconsistency has plagued the program of late and has kept the Cardinals from soaring high above the rest of the Big East. Second-year head coach Charlie Strong guided the team to a 7-6 record in 2010, which included a narrow win over Southern Miss in the ridiculously-named Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, and while he has the full support of the school's administration, his teams will need to win more often for the frenzied UofL fan base to remain in his corner.
Make no mistake, there is some very good football being played in the Big East, but perception is reality, and the reality is simple... there just isn't a whole lot of excitement that surrounds the conference from a national perspective. That could change next year as the competition ramps up considerably when TCU joins the fray, and while the Horned Frogs are being welcomed [publicly] with open arms, the rest of the Big East member schools can't be happy about the fact that one of the nation's most underrated teams will have a virtual monopoly on recruiting in one of the country's hotbeds of high school football talent.
Despite its flaws, the Big East is going to continue sending at least one team to a BCS bowl game. While there are plenty of people who will tell you the conference doesn't deserve that kind of recognition, and huge payday, they may change their tune in the future. TCU coming on board will help, but it might take something even more dramatic for the league to receive the respect it sorely lacks.
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