Who's afraid of the big, bad Big East?
Coming off a banner season, the Big East no longer can be dismissed as the little league that couldn't. And even better things could be on the horizon for the conference this year.
To what heights the league can soar, though, is debatable. Tom Dienhart says not one, but two Big East teams, West Virginia and Louisville, could win the national title this season. The Mountaineers might have the best shot: "Whoa, brother: Their offense will be potent. No one Xs or Os better than Rich Rodriguez. And his Xs and Os work even better with guys like quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slaton."
SN member wvmilo seconds that notion: "I do not see any defense stopping the Mountaineers with the high-octane offense that Coach Rod can bring every Saturday."
But not everybody thinks a Big East team is ready to wear the title crown. Matt Hayes harkens to the old adage, defense wins championships. "In this decade, no BCS champion has finished worse than eighth in the nation in scoring defense. Those fun Big East teams? Not seeing it."
There's more to talk about out East than national titles, though. Dienhart has been getting the ground-level scoop at the conference media days. Fans of schools outside the Big East shouldn't fret: SN will bring you coverage of other conferences' media days soon.
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