Big East Preview, Week 13

It's a holiday edition of the picks, so I don't have a ton of time to get in depth. Hope everyone out there has a wonderful Thanksgiving! To the picks...

Last Week: 2-1

Overall: 38-23

Bye Week: None

Rutgers at Connecticut: The Knights are still holding on to BCS hopes after a great win last week over Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Huskies are fading back into oblivion with no quarterback, and an inconsistent defense. Expect the Knights to have much success through the air, which should open the run just a bit. Rutgers should be able to score enough to keep ahead of the Huskies, who will probably make enough mistakes to take them out of the game.

Prediction: 23-16 Rutgers

Cincinnati at Syracuse: This is a dangerous time for the Bearcats. The offense was awful with Munchie Legaux, and one more loss will surely kill their BCS hopes. Fortunately for them they play a Syracuse team that hasn't one since Oct 21st. The Orange have been wretched the last month, and nothing truly tells you that it will turn around. This game will be ugly.

Prediction: 17-14 Cincinnati

Louisville at South Florida: The Cardinals should win their final game of the season, which will put them in the best spot for the BCS bid. B.J. Daniels is probably out this week, which means Bobby Eveld takes the starting responsibilities for the Bulls. Look for Louisville to bring some serious pressure. This will burn USF, as the Cards finish up a good regular season with a big win.

Prediction: 28-20 Louisville

Game of the Week: Pittsburgh at West Virginia: The Mountaineers will look to dismantle their rival in what could possibly be the final Backyard Brawl. Expect some serious points going up in this one. However, the Panthers just don't have the firepower to stay with WVU. Full preview tomorrow.

Prediction: 34-24 West Virginia

Flying Dub-V Top 25, Week 12

Here is this week's Top-25

1. LSU (11-0)

2. Alabama (10-1)

3. Arkansas (10-1)

4. Oklahoma State (10-1)

5. Stanford (10-1)

6. Boise State (10-1)

7. Virginia Tech (10-1)

8. Houston (11-0)

9. Oregon (9-2)

10. Michigan State (9-2)

11. USC (9-2)

12. Georgia (9-2)

13. Oklahoma (9-2)

14. South Carolina (9-2)

15. Kansas State (9-2)

16. Michigan (9-2)

17. Wisconsin (9-2)

18. Baylor (7-3)

19. Clemson (9-2)

20. Penn State (9-2)

21. TCU (9-2)

22. Nebraska (8-3)

23. Notre Dame (8-3)

24. Georgia Tech (8-3)

25. West Virginia (7-3)

Big East Power Rankings, Week 12

1. West Virginia (7-3, 3-2 in conference): Two must-wins left if they want to be BCS bowling. Next Step...Backyard Brawl on Friday.

2. Louisville (6-5, 4-2): The Cards still have a great chance to get the BCS bid, and have the tiebreaker over WVU in a head-to-head macthup. Next Step...on the road to South Florida

3. Rutgers (8-3, 3-2): A great win over Cincinnati still has the Knights believing in winning the conference. Next Step...Road game in Storrs.

4. Cincinnati (8-3, 4-2): Need to find ways to win with new quarterback, Munchie Legaux, or BCS chances disappear. Next Step...In the Dome taking on Syracuse.

5. Pittsburgh (5-5, 3-2): The Panthers have been playing better, and still have a shot at the BCS. Next Step...In Morgantown for the Backyard Brawl.

6. Connecticut (4-6, 1-4): The Huskies have no consistency, and need to find an offense heading in to the offseason. Next Step...Looking to spoil Rutgers' season.

7. South Florida (5-5, 1-4): The Bulls are just looking to finish the season at this point...especially after losing to Miami 6-3 last week. Next Step...Looking to spoil Louisville's BCS hopes.

8. Syracuse (5-5, 1-4): A very disappointing season continues for the Orange, who haven't won since the big game over WVU. Next Step...Facing a vulnerable Cincinnati team.

Records Be Falling

In Year One of the new offensive scheme that Dana Holgrosen brought with him, the Mountaineers have performed well. Yes, there have been some hiccups, mistakes, a few too many turnovers. But, considering where they were at this time last year, it's night and day. Actually this season has been so productive through the air that passing and receiving records are going to be broken all over the place. Here are just a few of the major ones that should be changing hands over the next few weeks.

(records courtesy of wvustats.com)

Geno Smith

Total Yards

Record: 3,515 yards (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 3,413 yards

Passing yards

Record: 3,607 yards (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 3,497 yards

Pass Completions

Record: 274 (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 269

Pass Attempts

Record: 419 (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 417

Passing Touchdowns

Record: 31 (Marc Bulger, 1998)

2011 Geno: 25

Tavon Austin

All-Purpose Yards

Record: 2,104 (Steve Slaton, 2006)

2011 Tavon: 1,964

Receptions

Record: 77 (David Saunders, 1998 and Shawn Foreman, 1997)

2011 Tavon: 72

Stedman Bailey

Receiving Yards

Record: 1,043 (David Saunders, 1996)

2011 Stedman: 1,037

Receiving Touchdowns

Record: 12 (Darius Reynaud, 2007 and Chris Henry, 2004)

2011 Stedman: 10

Former Mountaineers in the NFL, Week 11

Anthony Becht, TE, Chiefs: Inactive in loss to the New England Patriots.

PacMan Jones, CB, Bengals: Led the team with seven tackles in loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Brandon Hogan: Was inactive for the Panthers, but taken off the injured list and should be seeing the field soon.

Mortty Ivy, LB, Steelers: Bye Week for the Steelers.

Ellis Lankster, CB, Jets: Didn't register any stats in loss to the Denver Broncos.

Pat McAfee, P, Colts: Bye Week for the Colts.

Corey McIntyre, FB, Bills: Started, ut didn't register any stats in Buffalo's loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Ryan Mundy, FS, Steelers: Bye Week for the Steelers.

Chris Neild, NT, Redskins: Registered one tack and half a sack in loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Robert Sands, FS, Bengals: Inactive again for the Bengals. has yet to suit up this year.

Owen Schmitt, FB, Eagles: Was targeted once in win over the New York Giants.

Steve Slaton, RB, Dolphins: Was inactive this week for the Dolphins,

Injuries:

J.T. Thomas: Injured Reserve

It's Gameweek! Week 12 Primer

Matchup: West Virginia v Pittsburgh

When: Friday, 7pm, ESPN

Line: WVU -7.5

West Virginia Players to Watch:

Geno Smith, QB: 3,497 yards, 24 TD, 5 INT

Dustin Garrison, RB: 600 rushing yards, 5 TD

Tavon Austin, WR: 1,964 all-purpose yards, 6 total TD

Stedman Bailey, WR: 57 rec, 1,037 yards, 10 TD

Pittsburgh Players to Watch:

Tino Sunseri, QB: 2037 yards, 9 TD, 8 INT

Zach Brown, RB: 269 rushing yards, 4 TD

Devin Street, WR: 39 rec, 572 yards, 2 TD

Aaron Donald, DL, 33 total tackles, 9 sacks, 12.5 TFL

Storylines:

Bye Week Blues? That's what happened last time for the Mountaineers coming off a bye. They were just hammered by Syracuse. They were slow, soft, sluggish, uninspired etc... They were just flat out awful. If they can't get up for the Backyard Brawl then stick a knife into this season. There is no doubt Pitt will be ready to play, considering they still have a chance at the BCS bid as well.

Can WVU find a balanced game? If it isn't one thing, its another. That has been the story all year. If all three units did find a way to play cohesively, you would see a team that would have rolled through the Big East. Instead it has been an uphill battle.

Can Tino Sunseri manage this team in a hostile environment? Good question. Pitt has struggled against above-.500 teams this season, and will have to deal with a packed house. Sunseri can't make mistakes or Pitt won't last in this game. WVU will certainly put points on the board. Can the Panthers keep up?

Is this one of the last Backyard Brawls? With both teams leaving the Big East, it makes you wonder. I hope the series continues. It's one of the best rivalries in college sports, and would be a shame if schools that close to one-another stop playing. Hell, it's pathetic now that both don't play Penn State every year as well. So, here's to another 100+ years of the Backyard Brawl.

Big East Preview, Week 12

This is the busiest week of my year on the actual work side, so the blog has taken a significant hit. I don't really have that much time to write a preview, so here are my quick picks for this week.

Last Week: 1-3 (blah)

Overall: 36-22

Bye Week: West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh

Louisville at Connecticut: The Cardinals really blew a great opportunity to get in the BCS mix last week with a loss to Pitt. They still have an outside shot and it starts with a win at UConn. The Huskies won't make it easy. They continue to play tough. Look for Louisville to take advantage of UConn's offensive mistakes and win a tight game.

Prediction: 27-24 Louisville

Miami at South Florida: The Bulls finally won a game for the first time since September last week, and look to jump on a wounded animal. Miami has been inconsistent all year, but will not make it easy for South Florida. Expect the Bulls to go with a balanced attack, and play aggressively on defense. If they follow the gameplan, then they shouldn't lose.

Prediction: 30-21 South Florida

Cincinnati at Rutgers: Huge game for both teams. The Bearcats need Munchie to play mistake-free or Rutgers will be all over them. Meanwhile the Knights need to find more than just Mohamed Sanu on offense. So, which offense will step up? I'll take Rutgers in close battle. The Knights understand the enormity of the game, and have stepped up when needed this year. The Bearcats may be a bit punch drunk following last week's loss, and the loss of starting quarterback, Zach Collaros. Turnovers will be the difference in this one.

Prediction: 24-17 Rutgers