Just two weeks ago, the Big East was basking in the glow of three teams undefeated in October.

That number is down to one. Barely.

Week 8 of the 2012 college football season is in the books and plenty of coaches saw the temperature on their seat increase by a few degrees. Kentucky's Joker Phillips and Boston College's Frank Spaziani continue to hold down the top two spots in the rankings. SEC coaches own three of the top four spots, as Auburn's Gene Chizik and Tennessee's Derek Dooley both join Phillips in the top tier of this list for the second week in a row.

The Big East race may still be between three teams, but the race lost its luster less than a week before one of the marquee games of the season for the league.

Thank Cincinnati for that.

Here’s the good news for the Big East for the second half of the season: The league has three nationally ranked, undefeated teams in Louisville, Rutgers and Cincinnati who will all face each other in the final month. For a conference struggling for national relevance, this round robin will be a breath of fresh air.

At the midpoint of the 2012 season, it's time to take a look at the first half and predict how the second half will turn out in the Big East.

First-Half Awards

The Big East favorites are well established with Cincinnati, Louisville and Rutgers are vying for the top spot.

The middle of the league is a different story. Syracuse’s 14-13 upset of Pittsburgh last week and Temple’s 37-28 upset of USF shook up the Big East’s second tier. This week may establish more clarity.

The Big East continues to battle uncertain times, but at least the league as a bona fide race for the title among three ranked teams. No. 16 Louisville, No. 19 Rutgers and No. 25 Cincinnati are all in the AP poll, giving the Big East three ranked teams for the first time since the end of the 2009 season.

Oddly enough, Big East play begins in earnest Friday when the two outgoing teams, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, face off in the Carrier Dome.

Thanks to some key non-conference games and the two Big East games in the month of September, the league has a pretty good idea of its top contenders (Louisville, Cincinnati and Rutgers), but conference play gives other teams a chance to reboot their seasons, perhaps as soon as this week.

National recognition for the Big East is starting to make a comeback -- if incrementally and only for the top three teams in the league.

Four weeks into the season, and it’s tough to figure what to make of the Big East in 2012. Last week was not good. That much is clear: Big East teams lost to two MAC programs. Syracuse dropped a winnable game against Minnesota and a backup quarterback. Temple’s best chance to upset Penn State in quite a while fizzled with a 24-13 loss.