Big East 2012 Schedule Quick Glance

The Big East is in a funky, transitional period. West Virginia sued to leave early for the Big East, while Syracuse and Pitt each have a foot out the door. Temple’s emergency addition earlier this month prevented a WAC-East scenario while commissioner John Marinatto awaits the cavalry, in the form of C-USA and Mountain West arrivals.

Big East football’s state of flux only compounds a national perception of the conference that is unfavorable, to put it kindly. When Pitt and Syracuse leave, the conference will have lost seven members in less than a decade (Virginia Tech, Miami, Temple, Boston College, and WVU joining them). An even more wildly revolving door of coaches has also made consistency an issue. Greg Schiano’s departure to the NFL in January leaves ‘Cuse’s Doug Marrone as the most tenured Big East coach with his current program. He took over for Greg Robinson in 2009.

Yet for all the criticisms to be leveled against it, the Big East was above .500 in bowl games last year, with WVU’s pasting of Clemson as the exclamation point. The conference has also produced some of the fiercest, in-league competition in recent seasons. Not every race is as memorable as the Rutgers-Louisville-WVU showdown triangle match in 2006, but each seasons proves that top-to-bottom, no conference regularly produces as many wild outcomes as the Big East.

Take last season: WVU escaped with the conference title and Orange Bowl bid on last season’s final week. The Mountaineers, Cincinnati, Rutgers and even Louisville were in the hunt heading into Thanksgiving weekend, and the upcoming campaign promises to be equally competitive.

Conference Games to Watch

Pitt at Cincinnati, Sept. 6

In the first league game of 2012, each team will have a feeling-out process to an extent perhaps greater than most. Pitt opens with Youngstown State five days prior, but will still be adjusting to new head coach Paul Chryst, the program’s fourth head coach since Dec. 2010. Cincinnati is opening the season and beginning Life After Pead. Do-everything back Isaiah Pead is NFL-bound, which will make Munchie Legaux’s reacclimation all the more challenging — assuming Legaux is the starting quarterback, that is.

Rutgers at USF, Sept. 15 (Thurs., Sept. 13 flex possibility)

USF has had a knack for starting strong but faltering down the stretch. Drawing one of the conference’s likely (and numerous) front runners in Week 3

USF at Temple, Oct. 9

Temple’s official return to Big East play kicks off against of the teams that arrived upon the Owls’ departure.

Cincinnati at Louisville, Oct. 26

The Battle for The Keg of Nails takes on greater significance when two teams likely to factor into the conference championship hunt tangle on a nationally televised tilt.

Louisville at Rugers, Nov. 29

The last time UL and RU met on a Thursday night was that unforgettable tangle in 2006, when a false start may have rewritten history — if UL wins that game, the Cardinals play for the BCS Championship.

Non-Conference Games to Watch

USC vs. Syracuse (in East Rutherford, N.J.), Sept. 8

The Orange’s “home-and-home” with USC is a little misleading. SU went to the Coliseum a year ago, but plays a decent trek from Syracuse for its home game. Given the Orange have a better record away from the Carrier Dome than it during Doug Marrone’s tenure, that might not be such a bad thing.

Connecticut at Maryland, Sept. 15

Two teams coming off a combined 7-17 season rarely ignite fireworks when they get together, but Connecticut’s draw of former head coach Randy Edsall is interest piquing. Signs point to an upswing for UConn, specifically via returning experience and a stout defense in Year 2 under Paul Pasqualoni. UM is mired in turmoil.

Temple at Penn State, Sept. 22

A goal line stand denied Temple from scoring its first win over Penn State in seven decades last year. This year, the Owls must travel to Beaver Stadium

Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech (in Landover, Md.), Sept. 29

Since 2007, Virginia Tech has lost four non-conference games and has a losing record (4-5) against non-BCS conference opponents. The Hokies will lose games they shouldn’t (East Carolina in 2008, James Madison in 2010). Perhaps Cincy is the team to catch Tech napping this season. Now, one of VT’s BCS wins is over Cincinnati, in the 2009 Orange Bowl. UC would love to exact some revenge and score a significant win for the Big East.