Big East Week 1 Breakdown
The Big East is a conference that many people write off as an easy conference. It is felt to be a weak conference, especially for an automatic BCS qualifier. This year the Big East is looking to prove that they are a strong and competitive conference. And it all starts in week one.
Lock of the Week: #19 West Virginia over Marshall
The Mountaineers kick off their season by hosting Marshall. This will provide the first glance at new Head Coach, Dana Holgorsen’s offense. West Virginia’s old high octane offense has faded away. However, just because that is gone, it doesn’t mean West Virginia is abandoning their rushing attack, but now the rush will mainly be used to set up the passing game which is the main offensive goal. Look for West Virginia to dominate early with an emphasis on pounding the football. After they loosen up the Marshall defense with their ground game they will open the flood gates through the air. Look for a high scoring, one sided affair.
West Virginia 31 Marshall 17
Upset Alert: South Florida over #25 Notre Dame
South Florida is an up and coming program. They have many good athletes on both sides of the ball, which could cause problems for Notre Dame. Running backs Demetris Murray, Darrell Scott and the explosive B.J. Daniels could be extremely dangerous and hard to stop. If South Florida can use their three headed rushing attack to full force they will be extremely difficult to defend. They could really shorten the game with their rushing attack which is how an upset can brew. This could be a very interesting game.
Game of the week: Wake Forest at Syracuse
This game should be a very interesting game to watch. It pits two teams from power conferences, but both teams are in the middle of the pack in their respective conferences. Syracuse’s defense was the focal point of their team last year. This year the roles may be flipped. With star quarterback Ryan Nassib back, the offense looks locked and loaded. Syracuse is going to need Nassib, along with WR Van Chew, to have a big game if the Orangemen want to walk away victorious from this one. This will be our first look at Syracuse’s defense, which lost eight starters from last year’s dominate team. How they hold up may be the key to this game. However, I am going to give ‘Cuse the edge in this one, as their offense will just be too much to overcome. The defense may take some time to fully live up to their potential but the offense will be able to do enough until that time comes.
Syracuse 31 Wake Forest 27
Best of the Rest
Murray State at Louisville:
Louisville aims to be a not so welcoming host to visiting Murray State Thursday night. The Cardinals defense has been a focus all off season, and this will be our first glance into their improvement. It is imperative that their defense plays better than it did last year if they want to remain competitive in the Big East. On Offensive look for Louisville to struggle a little bit, especially early as they try to break in a few new starters including quarterback Will Stein. Louisville struggled to protect their quarterback last year so do not be surprised if Murray State comes out and blitzes anyone from any direction to try to create havoc. Louisville will still have enough fire power and talent to win this game.
Louisville 37 Murray State 20
North Carolina Central at Rutgers:
In short, Rutgers skill players are too talented to lose this game, starting with wide-out Mark Harrison. Harrison should hook up with sophomore starting quarterback Chas Dodd. This is a dangerous combination that will likely be utilized all season long. Dodd had an impressive freshman year and has shown tons of potential. This year he is looking to take his game to the next level and the first opponent is North Carolina Central. Look for Rutgers to get off to a fast start and cruise into victory lane.
Rutgers 49 North Carolina Central 21
Fordham at Connecticut
The Huskies break into their 2011 season without many expectations. Many predict they will struggle to get into a bowl but new head coach, Paul Pasqualoni, has other plans for them. Connecticut will be leaning on its defense throughout the entire season, so expect a shutdown performance out of them tonight. Watch out for Jesse Joseph, who notched 8.5 sacks a year ago, as he will be turned lose in this matchup. Connecticut’s defense is too good to allow them to lose this game.
Connecticut 31 Fordham 10
Buffalo at Pittsburgh
The Panthers lost some big names last year particularly on offense. But returning signal caller Tino Sunseri is not worried about it. He had an outstanding year last season and is looking to be even better this season. The offense is tailored to him. The front seven of Pittsburgh is loaded and it may be one of the best in the nation. That will make it tough for Buffalo to do much of anything on offense. Their strong rushing defense, combined with their aerial assault, will make this a one sided affair.
Pittsburgh 42 Buffalo 17
Austin Peay At Cincinnati:
The Bearcats open up 2011 at home and look to get off to a fast start. Senior quarterback Zach Collaros needs a bounce back year, as he made too many mistakes last year resulting in 14 interceptions. On the defensive side of the ball watch out for Brandon Mills who tallied six sacks a year ago. Cincinnati will roll all over Austin Peay.
Cincinnati 38 Austin Peay 10
