Big East Notebook For 09-29-2006 - College Football News And Picks

Big East Notebook For 09-29-2006
By Jeff Zell
Posted: 7:00 am PDT 2006-09-29

Thirty years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays were created, the Olympics were in Austria, Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford to win the presidential race, and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights were ranked.

The birthplace of college football is ranked again.

"I'm not going to downplay it. It is significant considering where we started," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano told the Associated Press. "It shows we're making progress in the right direction."

The Knights have benefited from a weak schedule so far -- three I-A opponents with a combined 4-8 record and a I-AA team, but it wasn't too long ago that they couldn't beat anyone.

Much of the success can be credited to Schiano and RB Ray Rice, who ranks fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game (151) and T-3rd in scoring (13.5 ppg).

The opportunistic defense can also be attributed to the Scarlet Knights' success. Rutgers has forced turnovers on 13 different occasions -- good for second in the nation.

Recap: It was another good week for the Big East. The conference's teams went 6-2 overall, which has jolted their non-conference record to 22-7. The only losing team in the conference is Cincinnati (1-3), which has lost to a pair of ranked teams -- Ohio State and Virginia Tech.

Defensive Cardinals: With Brian Brohm and Michael Bush going down with injuries, it has been the defense that has answered the call for Louisville. Through four games, the Cardinals have allowed an average of 52 yards per game on the ground -- sixth in the nation. The two ranked opponents that remain on Coach Bobby Petrino's schedule are run-happy Rutgers and West Virginia. West Virginia's squad ranks No. 3 in rushing offense, averaging 300 yards per game.

New Beginnings: Syracuse ended its 11-game losing streak two weeks ago with a 31-21 win over Illinois. The Orange began a winning streak Saturday after knocking off Miami of Ohio 34-14. Greg Robinson's squad has been stellar putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Orange have sacked opponents 19 times, tying them for first in the nation with Arizona State.

A Look Ahead: Rutgers opens conference play this week at South Florida (Rutgers is -4 at WagerWeb.com). The Scarlet Knights look to keep their Top 25 ranking and seek revenge against a Bulls team that beat the Knights 45-31 last year. ... The Big East and MAC have a pair of matchups as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati host Toledo and Miami of Ohio, respectively. ... Could Syracuse win a third straight game, this time against a Wyoming team that is 1-3? The Orange are -5 at WagerWeb.com

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