Big East vs ACC In 2012

Which conference is stronger, the Big East or the ACC? Thousands of fans across the nation have thousands of differing opinions. That goes with any sport and any type of comparison between teams, divisions or conferences. So right here lets take a look at the games coming up this fall that match up Big East squads against ACC teams. There is a total of eight games, with the Big East being the home team for six of those match ups.

Maryland @ Temple Sept. 8

This one isn’t even a game. Temple is a growing program and getting better. They are adding better opponents to their schedule and that can only help them. But in the future, not right now. Maryland wins this game 30-10.

NC State @ Uconn Sept.8

Uconn rolls out the red carpet for the Wolfpack to come in and spank them in this one. The Huskies are not a good football school and if it were not for their exceptionally strong basketball program, they probably wouldn’t be in the Big East. That’s not to say that NC State is a powerhouse. But they are better than Connecticut and take this one 24-3.

Virginia Tech @ Pitt Sept.15

This could be a good game depending on how strong the Panthers come out this season. The Hokies always have a strong team and can play with anyone in the nation. This will be a good game for 3 quarters but Virginia Tech is much deeper and takes this one 28-17.

Uconn @ Maryland Sept. 15

Randy Edsall faces the program he cultivated from its FBS roots all the way to a Fiesta Bowl appearance. The Huskies will give Maryland a better game than Temple will, but they still drop this game on the road 17-13.

North Carolina @ Louisville Sept. 15

The Tar Heels have a lot of questions this season while Louisville plays extremely good ball at home. The Papa Johns Stadium crowd will be rocking the house as they watch their Cardinals come away with a 31-14 victory.

Virginia Tech @ Cincinnati Sept. 29

This one could be a great game. As previously stated the Hokies are always ready to play and can play with anyone. The Bearcats are tough at home and will field a strong team this year. They are a Top 15 program at least, this fall, and the home fans go home happy after a 41-38 double overtime win for Cincinnati.

FSU @ USF Sept. 29

This one could be ugly. USF went up to Doak Campbell Stadium a few years ago and came out with a win. But this years Seminole squad is much better than that one was. The Bulls should have a better team than last years 1-7 finish, but they are no match for this falls FSU squad. The Seminoles come out top in this one 42-3.

USF @ Miami Nov. 17

This is an interesting game. USF has always played the Hurricanes tough, every time they have met. Two years ago the Bulls pulled out an overtime win down in Miami and last season the Canes won 6-3 in Tampa. Both teams will face adversity this season but I think USF will handle it better. It pains me to say that I’ll have to go with the Bulls in this one 20-17.

So out of the 8 games this fall the ACC should win 5 games at least. They could win 6 if the Hokies can hold off Cincinnati on the road. A 6-2 record or 5-3  in head to head games would show the ACC is stronger than the Big East. Now the ACC is definately not on the same level as the SEC, but they are a much stronger conference than the Big East. And when you take a look at the recruiting factor, what high school kid has dreams of going to play football for Temple, Syracuse, Uconn, Pittsburgh or USF? Not too many. Even though Miami is in some down years just the name alone is a recruiting tool, along with Florida State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.

As long as the Big East continues to have members in it that are not top notch programs, they will not be able to compete with the other BCS conferences. This was just a comparison on Big East vs ACC. If we were to match up the Big East with some of the other conferences in the BCS, the differences would be much wider. There always has to be a top conference and a bottom conference. That’s just the way it is. And right now, unfortunately for Big East fans, they are at the bottom of the BCS conferences.

Ray Blanchette covers the Big East for the Saturday Blitz. . He also writes for Outside The Redzone. Follow along at www.outsidetheredzone.com. Blanchette is the owner of Blanchette Sports Holdings. Follow along with them at www.blanchettesh.elementfx.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003521034703&sk=wall or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/BlanchettSports. BE SURE TO FOLLOW US SUNDAY AS WE WILL BE AUCTIONING OFF SEASON TICKETS, FREE PARKING, $25 OF CONCESSIONS PER GAME, AND AN AUTOGRAPHED PICTURE OF OUR MODEL CARRIE, ALL IN THE SAME PACKAGE!! DON’T MISS OUT!!