For a week that shouldn’t mean much within the Big East, there is much going on.

First, there are five games after last week’s three-game schedule. There’s also the jostling for bowl positioning. That jostling became a bit more interesting after Connecticut gave Notre Dame its fifth loss of the season. If the Fighting Irish lose on the road to Stanford this weekend, a Big East team will definitely play in the Gator Bowl. (The Irish are bowl partners with the Big East and, at 6-6, would not be an option for the Gator.)

Also, while no league game this weekend has bearing on the Big East title chase between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, there’s the 102nd edition of the Backyard Brawl, one of college football’s fiercest rivalries.

On Friday night, Pitt, ranked ninth in the latest BCS rankings, visits 7-3 West Virginia for a nationally televised game.

“This is always an exciting time of year when we play West Virginia,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt. “Both teams are excellent. And I can remember the series back to my playing years in the ’70s. There are so many great stories on both sides.

“We’ve played West Virginia even longer than we have Penn State. It’s a true tradition.”

Lately, it’s been a true red-letter day for the Panthers, now 9-1. Last season, tailback LeSean McCoy had 183 yards and two touchdowns to lead Pitt to a 19-15 win. The season before, WVU was set to play in the national championship and was a 28-point favorite but lost in Morgantown by 13-9.

“We’re looking forward to another Backyard Brawl,” said WVU coach Bill Stewart. “It will be intense. It’s one of the greatest rivalries in football... I expect another hard-hitting game.”

Both teams had byes last week. That might have helped with some Mountaineer injuries, including those to tailback Noel Devine, who is second in the Big East in rushing to Pitt’s Dion Lewis.

The Panthers are a slight favorite. Perhaps that’s because, while both offenses average over 180 yards on the ground, Pitt’s rush defense is 16th nationally, allowing an average of 102.7. WVU is No. 35, allowing 121.

Scoreboard

South Florida 34, Louisville 22
Connecticut 33, Notre Dame 30, 2 OT
Syracuse 31, Rutgers 13

One for Jazz

While Connecticut’s thrilling double-overtime victory against Notre Dame helped the Big East in regard to the Gator Bowl, it had a higher meaning. It was the first Husky win since the death of Jasper Howard. And the game ball is being sent to the fallen player’s family.

“It’s a situation where we’ve been working hard to get the win for Jazz and his family,” said UConn coach Randy Edsall. “What better place to express the emotion than (Notre Dame)?”

As for the Gator Bowl angle, Edsall said he knew about the cause, but “didn’t want to put any more pressure” on his team. (“Everybody in the Big East benefited,” said the coach.)

Connecticut, now 5-5, hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

A league win... finally

When Syracuse defeated Rutgers last weekend it was the first for the Orange over a ranked opponent since Sept. 22, 2007. It was also their first Big East victory of the season.

“We’re excited to get the win, especially in-conference,” said Syracuse coach Doug Marrone. “It’s one we’ve been working for... Now we want to get our second one and end the season on a good note.”

Greg Paulus threw for 142 yards in his second senior day (the other was as a basketball player at Duke).

Facing the Big Ten with 10 wins

Cincinnati, ranked fifth in the latest BCS standings, will attempt to keep its dimming national title hopes alive when it hosts 3-7 Illinois at noon on Friday. The Bearcats will do so with their biggest star, quarterback Tony Pike, behind center after missing action because of an arm injury.

Pike, who has thrown for 1,649 yards and 17 touchdowns with just three interceptions, played sparingly in a win over West Virginia.

“It’s going to be Tony Pike (starting) unless something happens in practice,” said UC coach Brian Kelly. “It’s been six weeks since the injury and that’s allowed his bone time to heal. He’s anxious to play and will be our starter.”

Trying to make it the Big Four

South Florida made a mark for itself early in the season by defeating Florida State. Now, at 7-3, it will try to do so in a game against the 8-3 Miami Hurricanes in Tampa.

It will be only the second meeting between the programs. Miami won 27-7 in the Orange Bowl in 2005.

USF coach Jim Leavitt said scheduling the Big Three Florida schools is part of an attempt to join them in the eyes of Sunshine State fans.

“We’ve never been part of that,” Leavitt said. “We’ve only been Division I-A for eight years. I thought if we could play these schools we could build... We’ve got to compete though.”

USF will try to build off freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels, who made a name for himself against Florida State. Last week, he became the first Big East player ever to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100. He accounted for 445 yards of total offense in a win over Louisville. This week, though, the Bulls will have to stop Miami QB Jacory Harris, who has thrown for 3,003 yards and 21 touchdowns, but with 17 picks.

Quick outs

• Three of this week’s five Big East games will be held on Friday: Rutgers at Louisville (11 a.m.), Illinois at Cincinnati (noon) and Pitt at West Virginia (7 p.m.). “I remember in 2004 we played Connecticut at 10 a.m.,” shrugged Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “We’ll adjust our schedule and play. We’re good with it.”

• Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said tailback Victor Anderson will have surgery on his clavicle and miss the Rutgers game.

• Illinois head coach Ron Zook served as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati from 1981-82. Illini defensive line coach Keith Gilmore was also on the UC staff in 2007-08.

• The Pitt-WVU series dates back to Oct. 26, 1895. The Panthers have a 61-37-3 advantage. The teams have met every year since 1943.

• Syracuse has just one league win, but leads the Big East and is ninth nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of just 92.5 yards per game.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds