Big East Preview, Week 1

And we are back! The Big East opens the season with your usual jokes, and a few potential statement games. Must-wins for seven teams, and a potential conference attention-grabber for South Florida at Notre Dame. A perfect week for the Big East is not out of the question.

Last Week: 0-0

Overall: 0-0

Bye Week: None

Murray State at Louisville: After a solid season that ended in a bowl win, the Cardinals come in with a chip on their shoulder…still. The media won't believe that Louisville is back, but Charlie Strong and company are out to prove many wrong. They start the year against a very poor FCS team, which was blasted in its one game against an FBS opponent in 2010. Look for the Cards to try to get big time QB recruit, Teddy Bridgewater comfortable early on. There's a lot of pressure surrounding this kid, so building up the confidence early will be key. The Cardinals' defense has some new faces to break in as well, especially the secondary. Look for Victor Anderson to have a solid start to the campaign as Louisville rolls.

Prediction: 34-10 Louisville

Fordham at Connecticut: It hasn't been the best 2011 for the Huskies. It started with an embarrassing BCS appearance. Then Randy Edsell bounced. If that wasn't bad enough, UConn decided to hire Paul Pasqualoni. A few transfers here, and a couple ineligibles there and we have finally reached the season. The Huskies are ready to prove they will be competitive Fordham is most know for their Law School so don't expect much of a fight. UConn should easily roll, and try to get new starters at QB, RB, and WR comfortable before the schedule truly begins.

Prediction: 31-7 Connecticut

North Carolina Central at Rutgers: Greg Schiano just wants to put 2010 behind. He finally gets the chance this week, as the Knights host some team I've never heard of. The maturation of Chas Dodd is extremely important at the beginning of the season if Rutgers wants to compete. The receivers are solid, the rushing attack should be pretty good, but will Dodd keep up? The Knights will also have to get better on the lines, but shouldn't be tested by NCC. Rutgers rolls.

Prediction: 42-14 Rutgers

Austin Peay at Cincinnati: "Let's Go Peay! Let's Go Peay!" That is the best cheer in college sports. Sadly, they are not even the 150th best football team. Zach Collaros and the Bearcats will have a nice warmup to get ready for the rest of the season. The senior signal-caller will look to get off on the right track in the race for conference player of the year. This game will also show-off Isaiah Pead. Look for total ball control from Cincy as they housel the Peay-boys.

Prediction: 38-13 Cincinnati

Buffalo at Pittsburgh: The Panthers are out to show the world that they should be the conference favorite. Todd Graham's new offense should make the Panthers much more efficient if Tino Suneri is up to the task. The QB had a satisfactory first year as a starter, but that's not good enough. Sunseri won't have the experience at receiver like he had last season, so accuracy is a must. Look for Ray Graham to pick up where he left off on the ground last season. The Panther rusher had a breakout 2010, and is looking to do more this season…if he can hold onto the ball. Buffalo comes in with a former Big East QB at the helm with Grad-transfer, Chazz Anderson. The Bisons are coming off a dismal year, and won't enjoy the start of 2011. The Panther defense will hammer Anderson, and Graham should have a field day.

Prediction: 40-3 Pittsburgh

Wake Forest at Syracuse: Doug Marrone and the Orange probably can't wait any longer for Thursday night. With numerous injuries and arrests, training camp has been rather interesting in Central New York. The Orange open with a down ACC team in Wake Forest…a must-win game for Cuse and the conference. Ryan Nassib looks to build on a pretty solid 2010 campaign. The gunslinger will have plenty of targets to choose from even though Marcus Sales is too busy selling rock. Look for the Orange to use Antwon Bailey frequently to establish the ground attack. Wake is changing defensive philosophies so Syracuse will have an opportunity to take advantage of the growing pains. The Orange defense should also be up to the task, even if the offense is slow to get going. The Deacons starting QB, Tanner Price does return from last season, but did lose some of his most important receivers. The Orange have struggled against the ACC recently, but there is no reason they should lose to a floundering Wake Forest team. Plus, it's a home game for the Cuse. Could be a close game early, but too much from both sides from the Orange will lock it down in the second half.

Prediction: 27-17 Syracuse

Marshall at West Virginia: The debut of Dana Holgorsen is an interesting one as West Virginia hosts fake rival, Marshall. The Herd had the Mountaineers dead to rights last season before Geno Smith's heroics saved WVU. Now, Doc Holliday will have to keep his players in check. If the Herd show too much emotion early, they will be boat raced right back to Huntington. Smith and the offense will have the spotlight squarely on them, as the offense takes its first run under Holgs. Defensively, there are some questions as well. Can sack specialist, Bruce Irvin play every down? Will the linebacking unit be deep enough? However, the biggest question in this game will be is Marshall good enough to be a true test for the Mountaineers? Sure, it's the Herd's biggest game, but the talent difference is not even close. The full preview will be coming tomorrow.

Prediction: 35-14 West Virginia

Game of the Week: South Florirda at Notre Dame: A Holtz is finally back in South Bend. However, this time it's on the visiting side. Skip Holtz brings his Bulls up, and is looking to give the Big East some serious respect early on. B.J. Daniels will have to bring it early. The Notre Dame defense, while improving, will still be susceptible to a versatile QB. But, which Daniels will show up? If it's not the consistent one, then it's going to be a long day for USF. The Bulls have to be able to establish balance if they want to beat the Irish. Meanwhile, the linebacking unit will have to pace the USF defense. Brian Kelly will have Dayne Crist throwing all over the field, so look for the Bulls to mix blitzes. The Irish rushing attack may be the key factor in this game. If the passing game opens up just a little bit for Notre Dame, they'll control the majority of the game. The Bulls can't afford to get down by more than one score. Daniels and company are just not built for the major comeback. Look for Notre Dame to take an early lead, and control the majority of play.

Prediction: 28-20 Notre Dame

Former Mountaineers in the NFL, Preseason Week 3

Here's a look at the participation for the former Mountaineers in Week 3 of the NFL Preseason.

Jarrett Brown, QB, Browns: Had a productive night, going 4-4 for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Robert Sands, S, Bengals: Registered one tackle against the Panthers.

PacMan Jones, CB, Bengals: Will start season on PUP list.

Brandon Hogan, CB, Panthers: Still not back from ACL injury.

Selvish Capers, OL, Redskins: Continues to underperform in camp. Most likely will be cut today.

Chris Neild, DL, Redskins: FInished with one tackle against the Ravens

Pat McAfee, P, Colts: Had a busy night with eight punts for a 51 yard average.

Corey McIntyre, FB, Bills: One catch for six yards for Buffalo's starting fullback.

Sidney Glover, S, Bills: Didn't record ay stats in game three. Did survive the first major round of cuts.

Wes Lyons, WR, Steelers: Finished with one catch for 13 yards in game three. Survived cut day.

Ryan Mundy, FS, Steelers: Two tackles for the safety. Listed as the number two free safety.

Mortty Ivy, LB, Steelers: One tackle in game three, and continues to be on the bubble.

Jock Sanders, KR, Buccaneers: Two punt returns for 30 yards. However, Sanders was cut after the game.

Steve Slaton, RB, Texans: Still out with a hamstring. May not survive the final round of cuts.

Ellis Lankster, CB, Jets: Didn't register any stats in game three.

Darius Reynaud, KR, Giants: Still dealing with a hamstring.

Scooter Berry, DL, Texans: Didn't register any stats vs San Francisco.

Owen Schmitt, FB, Eagles: Didn't register any stats in game three. Is expected to be the starting fullback for the Eagles.

Anthony Becht, TE, Chiefs: Was just signed on Aug 25th.

J.T. Thomas, LB, Bears: Didn't register any stats in game three. Listed as the primary backup at OLB.

IT'S GAME WEEK: GAME ONE PRIMER

It's time folks. It's time to take a closer look at the first game of the season.

Matchup: West Virginia vs. Marshall

WHEN: Sunday, 3:30p, ESPN

LINE: -21 WVU

LAST YEAR'S GAME: 24-21 OT WVU

WVU PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Geno Smith, QB: 2,763 passing yards, 24 TDs, 7 INT

Tavon Austin, WR: 58 rec, 787 yards, 8 DS

Najee Goode, LB: 44 tackles, 1 forced fumble

Bruce Irvin, DE: 22 tackles, 14 sacks

MARSHALL PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Martin Ward, RB: 345 rushing yards, 1 TD

Aaron Dobson, WR: 44 rec, 689 yards, 5 TDs

Vinny Curry, DE: 94 tackles, 12 sacks

STORYLINES:

The Debut of Dana Holgorsen was supposed to be in 2012. However, the early exit of Bill Stewart sped up the process. The big question is how will this team respond? Holgorsen has been mildly satisfied with practice, but those are only practice. The big test will come against a team that WVU has never lost to. It took about 55 minutes for the Mountaineer offense to wake up last year in Huntington. There is no doubt that Holgorsen wants to put a number up early to show what this new offense is all about.

How will Marshall react? Yes, it's not the same exact team, but there are certainly enough players and coaches who remember the one that got away last season. Doc Holliday will have to keep his players grounded to make sure their emotions don't get the better of them. Marshall just needs to stay within striking distance to give themselves a chance...kind of like what WVU did last year.

Is the WVU Offense line ready? The boys better be, because Vinny Curry and company will be after it all game long. Marshall rushed and pounded Geno Smith last year, and will look to do the same in 2011. The Mountaineer line will have to play much better if they want to win comfortably.

Hey, is that beer in the stadium? Your'e damn right. Beer sales are now legal in Milan Puskar Stadium. What kind of impact will it make? Other than a few hundred thousand dollars going to the school each year, not much. People have blown it way out of proportion. Many collegiate stadiums sell it already, so it's nothing new.

Let's Realign the Conferences...Part Four, The Stadium Capacity Strategy

People love complaining about the conference structure in college football. Sure, there are some strange combinations, and long roadtrips, but it could be worse. And I'm here to show you how worse(or awesome) it could be.

Part 4: Stadium Size!

Enough with stadium diversity, it's time to line up the big boys with the big boys. I really have nothing else to say about this...it's pretty self-explanatory.

The Big Dog Conference: Now, this is a conference. All giant stadiums, and all solid programs. This is a dream conference fro college football fans everywhere.

Michigan (109,901)

Penn State (107,282)

Ohio State (102,329)

Tennessee (102,037)

Alabama (101,821)

Texas (100,119)

USC (93,607)

Georgia (92,746)

LSU (92,542)

UCLA (92,542)

Florida (88,548)

Auburn (87,451)

The Medium Dog Conference: This is a pretty damn good conference as well. A lot of national championships can be found with this group. Pretty dirty too.

Texas A&M (83,002)

Florida State (82,300)

Oklahoma (82,112)

Nebraska (81,067)

Notre Dame (80,795)

Wisconsin (80,321)

Clemson (80,301)

South Carolina (80,250)

Arkansas (76,000)

California (75,662)

Miami (75,504)

Michigan State (75,005)

The Pro-Stadium Conference: Yes, there's a reason why Tulane, Temple, and USF are this high on the list. The pro stadiums give the squads a bit of a boost in conference realignment, even though they should be nowhere near this.

Washington (72,500)

Arizona State (71,706)

UAB (71,594)

Missouri (71,004)

Iowa (70,585)

San Diego State (70,561)

Rice (70,000)

Tulane (69,703)

Temple (68,532)

Kentucky (67,606)

Virginia Tech (66,233)

USF (65,857)

The Rival Conference: Some good rivalries remain intact here. Pitt-WVU, UNC-NC STATE-UVA, Texas Tech-Oklahoma State, Purdue-Illinois, BYU-Ole Miss...well, maybe not that one.

Pittsburgh (65,050)

BYU (63,725)

Purdue (62,500)

Memphis (62,380)

Virginia (61,500)

Illinois (60,600)

Mississippi (60,580)

Texas Tech (60,454)

Oklahoma State (60,218)

West Virginia (60,000)

North Carolina (60,000)

NC State (57,583)

The Basketball Conference: Some solid basketball programs here, including numerous former National Champs. Now, all we need is Larry Eustachy and some Natty Ice.

Louisville (56,000)

Arizona (56,000)

Mississippi State (55,082)

Iowa State (55,000)

Georgia Tech (55,000)

Oregon (53,800)

Colorado (53,750)

Air Force (52,480)

Rutgers (52,454)

Indiana (52,180)

UTEP (52,000)

Maryland (51,500)

The One with the Trip to Hawaii Conference: Looks like tuition at Syracuse just skyrocketed.

Minnesota (50,805)

Kansas (50,300)

Kansas State (50,071)

Baylor (50,000)

East Carolina (50,000)

Hawaii (50,000)

Stanford (50,000)

Northwestern (49,256)

Syracuse (49,250)

TCU (46,000)

Oregon State (45,674)

UCF (45,301)

The All-American Travel Conference: We are going New England, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic, Northwest, Midwest...basically everywhere but the Southeast.

Utah (45,017)

Boston College (44,500)

New Mexico (42,000)

Vanderbilt (41,448)

Fresno State (41,031)

Army (40,000)

Connecticut (40,000)

Marshall (38,019)

UNLV (36,800)

Southern Miss (36,000)

Tulsa (35,542)

Washington State (35,117)

The Pathetic AQ School Conference: Cincy, Duke, and Wake should all be booted from AQ status. You can't even have a 40,000+ seat stadium? Pathetic!

Cincinnati (35,097)

Navy (35,000)

Colorado State (34,400)

Duke (33,941)

Boise (33,500)

Wyoming (32,580)

SMU (32,000)

Houston (32,000)

Wake Forest (31,500)

Louisiana-Lafayette (31,000)

Middle Tennessee State (31,000)

Arkansas State (30,964)

The Safety School Conference: So, you can't get into that reach school? Well, here are all your backups...all in one conference.

North Texas (30,850)

Louisiana Tech (30,600)

San Jose State (30,456)

Louisiana-Monroe (30,427)

New Mexico State (30,343)

Utah State (30,257)

Western Michigan (30,200)

Eastern Michigan (30,200)

Central Michigan (30,199)

Akron (30,000)

Troy (30,000)

Nevada (29,993)

The MAC Conference? Yeah, pretty much.

Buffalo (29,013)

Toledo (26,248)

Northern Illinois (25,500)

Kent (25,000)

Miami (OH) (24,286)

Ohio (24,000)

Bowling Green (23,724)

FIU (23,500)

Ball State (22,500)

Western Kentucky (22,000)

FAU (20,450)

Idaho (16,000)

Part 1 can be found here.

Part 2 can be found here.

Part 3 can be found here.

YouTube Time: The Greatest Pass Ever

This was easily the greatest play I ever saw in Mountaineer Field. It was also the loudest I ever heard that stadium. Simply remembered as the "Greatest Passing Play in the History of Life Itself." Rasheed Marshall goes deep to Travis Garvin for 93 yards against Virginia Tech.

The Mountaineers stumbled out of the gate in 2003, but after nearly beating Miami in the Orange Bowl, WVU was poised to turn things around. They certainly did with a proper-pounding of Virginia Tech, who was number three at the time.

Early in the third quarter, the Mountineers essentially locked it down when Marshall found a streaking Garvin wide open. Marshall put it right on Garvin's hands, and everything else was cream cheese. The Hokies did have nine guys in the box...the gamble didn't exactly pay off.

WVU went on to lose the Gator Bowl that year. Marshall would graduate in 2005 and played some Arena ball, and Garvin robbed a Foodland.

Deep Thoughts, WVU Style

Jabarie Hinds is heading to Morgantown after being cleared by the NCAA. The freshman point guard was highly recruited out of New York and will add not only depth at the position, but some significant minutes. He could push Truck to the 2-guard spot, and end up starting for this Mountaineer team. This may be a young team, but should be Huggy's first true athletic squad. Look for some running and gunning in the Colesium this season.

Should we be concerned with Dana Holgorsen's comments regarding Geno Smith? He has been very reserved to say anything positive about the kid, and continues to press that the job isn't safe. I'm probably overreacting. It's a new system, and every single player is under a serious microscope. I guess we should wait until the Marshall game to get a true idea of how Holgs feels about Smith. Let's be honest, it's been a longtime since we had a football coach who went the "tough love" route. Maybe Holgs and Huggins are long lost brothers.

Best of luck to both the Men's and Women's soccer teams in 2011. Each team heads into the season ranked in their respective Top-25s. And, each have top class coaches. There are many things I miss about living in Morgantown, especially Friday nights at the Dick cheering on our great soccer programs. Kick some ass, Guys!

We send out our very best to Pat Summitt, who revealed this week that she is facing a serious battle with Early Onset Dementia at the age of 59. Nobody has done more to build their respected sport over the last 30 than she has. Without Summit, nobody cares about the Women's game...and it sure as hell wouldn't be on ESPN. I have always said that she could have coached on the men's side and had the same success. Summitt will continue to coach, which means her tremendous footprint will continue to grow. I hope Dementia is ready for a serious ass-whooping.

Former Mountaineers in the NFL, Preseason Week Two

Jock Sanders, WR, Buccaneers: No catches, but did have one kick return for 25 yards, and two punt returns for 10 yards.

Wes Lyons, WR, Steelers: Had one catch for 15 yards. Should be noted that he also had a touchdown catch called back due to a penalty.

Mortty Ivy, LB, Steelers: Three total talkes, as he continues to battle for one of the last spots of the 53-man roster.

Ryan Mundy, S, Steelers: Finished with four tackles, one of them solo.

Owen Schmitt, FB, Eagles: Didn't register any stats in game two, but is expected to be the starting fullback.

Selvish Capers, OL, Redskins: Continues to struggle as a backup in camp.

Chris Neild, DL, Redskins: Two total takles in game two.

Pat McAfee, K/P, Colts: Finished with a 57.4 yard average on four kicks, with a long of 60 yards.

Jarrett Brown, QB, Browns: Another rough day for Brown, finishing with a passer rating of 39.6 passer rating.

Sydney Glover, S, Bills: Had a nice game with two takles, one for loss, and a pass-defensed.

Corey McIntyre, FB, Bills: Didn't register any stats, but is expected to be the starting fullback.

Steve Slaton, RB, Houston: Still dealing with a hamstring issue.

J.T. Thomas, LB, Bears: Registered two total tackles in his first career game.

Darius Reynaud, WR, Giants: Missed game two wit a hamstring.

Robert Sands, S, Bengals: FInished with three total tackles in game two.

PacMan Jones, CB, Bengals: COuld be removed from the PUP list this week.

Ellis Lankster, CB, Jets: Registered two total tackles against the Bengals.

Brandon Hogan, CB, Panthers: Still coming back from an ACL.