Big East Sports Blog

The Big East Conference’s first bowl game will pit Rutgers against an athletic Central Florida squad.  Conference runner-up Pitt will face Butch Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels on December 26th.  Legendary Head Coach Bobby Bowden, in his last game, will face his old squad as West Virginia battles Bowden’s Seminoles on January 1st in the Gator Bowl.  The conference’s only BCS game features Cincinnati vs. Florida.  The Bearcats will not have Brian Kelly on the sidelines as they battle Tim Tebow and the Gators on January 1st in the Sugar Bowl.  South Florida faces Northern Illinois and South Carolina faces UCONN on January 2nd to wrap up the bowl schedule for the Big East in 2009-2010.

The Cincinnati Bearcats defeated the Pitt Panthers in Pittsburgh on Saturday in what was a thrilling comeback. The Bearcats trailed by 21 points before storming back for a 45-44 victory in the de facto Big East Championship Game.  The Panthers scored a touchdown to take the lead late in the 4th Quarter but missed an extra point which turned out to be the difference.  Bearcat WR Mardy Gilyard was phenomenal in the return game scoring on a 99 yard kickoff return and equally astonishing in the passing game hauling in 5 passes for 118 yards and a score.  Tony Pike shrugged off a rough start finishing with 302 yards and 3 touchdown passes.  Pitt freshmen RB Dion Lewis was unstoppable rushing for 194 yards and 3 scores.  The loss sent the Panthers to Charlotte where they will face North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.  Quite possibly the biggest victory in the history of Bearcat football sent them to the Sugar Bowl on January 1st where they will face the defending National Champion Florida Gators. Fans can find the entire college bowl schedule online to see when and where each Big East bowl team is playing.

The Cincinnati Bearcat defense looked bad once again but their offense was superb.  Tony Pike returned to the field in impressive fashion throwing six touchdowns. The #5 Bearcats will have their toughest test of the season as they travel to Pittsburgh for the Big East Championship.  The Panthers had nothing to gain or lose in the back yard brawl against West Virginia.  Their lack of focus was on full display as the Mountaineers held on for a 19-16 victory.  The loss dropped Pitt down six spots to #15 which truly means nothing as a victory over Cincinnati will send Pitt to a BCS game.  West Virginia climbed back into the Top 25 rankings at #23 with the win over Pitt as WVU shirts & apparel continue to fly off the shelves along with the new WVU Snuggies.

The Cincinnati Bearcats remained at #5 on their bye week.  They will face an athletic Illinois team on November 27th on national television.  The Pitt Panthers also stayed put on their bye week.  The #9 Panthers will face arch rival West Virginia on the 27th.  The Panthers and Bearcats will square off on December 5th in Heinz Field. The latest bowl predictions have Pitt playing in the Sugar Bowl against Florida with Cincinnati facing Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl on January 1st.

The Cincinnati Bearcats survived again last week, escaping with a 24-21 victory over West Virginia.  The victory held the Bearcats at #5.  Cincinnati will have a week off before hosting Illinois on November 27th.  The Pitt Panthers defeated Notre Dame in thrilling fashion 27-22 in front of a national primetime crowd.  The win moved Pitt up 3 slots to # 9.  The Panthers will have a week off before hosting West Virginia in the back yard brawl on the 27th. Meanwhile, fans can celebrate Pitt’s 2009 success with Pitt Panthers Snuggie blankets which make great holiday gifts.

The Cincinnati Bearcats, behind QB Zach Collaros’ record day, escaped with a 47-45 victory in primtetime against UConn.  Although the Bearcats got the victory, it wasn’t impressive which left the Cats at #5 despite the Iowa loss.  UC will have a tough test on November 13th when they host #25 West Virginia.  The Pitt Panthers moved up 1 slot to #12 in the college football rankings with a dominating performance against Syracuse.  QB Bill Stull and the Panthers host Notre Dame on a Saturday night national game November 14th.  South Florida moved up one slot to #24 while on their bye week.  They will have a tough test when they resume action at Rutgers on November 12th in front of a national ESPN audience.  West Virginia entered the rankings at #25 with a lackluster 17-9 victory over Louisville.  Their toughest test awaits when they travel to Cincinnati with the winner likely representing the Big East in a BCS Bowl game.

The Cincinnati Bearcats moved up 3 spots to #5 in the BCS Top 25 rankings after lambasting Syracuse 28-7.  Backup QB Zach Collaros has been very productive in his stint as Tony Pike continues to recover from an arm injury.  The Bearcats may have Pike back when they face Connecticut in front of a national audience on November 7th.  The Pitt Panthers moved from #15 to #13 while on their bye week.  QB Bill Stull will return to action on November 7th when Pitt hosts Syracuse.  South Florida entered the rankings at #25 after an impressive victory over West Virginia.  The Bulls will have their bye week before returning to action on November 12th against Rutgers.

The Cincinnati Bearcats slid from #5 to #8 in the BCS Top 25 football rankings with their victory over Louisville.  Backup QB Zach Collaros was very impressive in the 41-10 victory.  UC travels to Syracuse on October 31st, however the Bearcats are not currently picked to represent the Big East in the Orange Bowl based on the latest bowl projections.  The Pitt Panthers moved up from #20 to # 15 with an impressive annihilation of South Florida 41-14.  Panther QB Bill Stull is having a very good season while flying under the radar.  RB Dion Lewis is a also have a very good season.  The Panthers will have a bye week before resuming action on November 7th against Syracuse.  West Virginia moved up from #23 to #21 with a hard fought 28-24 victory over UCONN.  The Mountaineers travel to South Florida on October 30th.

Despite their relatively weak schedule, the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats debut at #5 in the BCS Top 25.  UC had a big victory over South Florida in Tampa despite being without starting QB Tony Pike for the entire second half.  The severity of Pike’s injury is still unknown but backup Zach Collaros played very well in the victory.  Pittsburgh comes in at #20 after an impressive victory at Rutgers.  Pitt will have a difficult task when they host South Florida on October 24th.  The 5-1 West Virginia Mountaineers come in at #23 as Noel Devine and WVU will host UCONN on October 24th as the Mountaineers join the crowd of Big East teams in contention for the conference’s BCS Bowl game berth.

The Cincinnati Bearcats defeated in-state rival Miami 37-13 as the Bearcats continue to dominate all competition and are now ranked #8 in the nation in this week’s Top 25 poll.  The Bearcats will face their toughest test of the season as they travel to #23 South Florida on October 15th.  The Bulls defeated Syracuse in the Carrier Dome 34-20 and will be off until the 15th of October.  Pittsburgh and West Virginia also received votes this week as 5 Big East teams are lined up for postseason play in the latest bowl projections.