Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

Cincinnati-Brian Kelly
One more season like last, and Brian Kelly will be moving to a bigger school! Regardless of how you feel about Kelly’s “commitment problem”, the guy can flat out coach. Landing the Bearcats in a BCS bowl was impressive, and has renewed the football program at UC. Much like OSU’s Mike Gundy, Kelly finds talent that’s under the radar and develops it. Look for UC to be bowl eligible again in 2009.
Stock: Sizzling

UConn-Randy Edsall
Hands down the most underrated coach in D-1 football! Edsall has guided the Huskies from the 1-AA ranks to the Big East with great success: three bowl games in five years, a conference co-championship, and four players taken on day one of the 2009 NFL draft. Edsall recruits players with great upside and will move kids if it benefits the good of the team. UConn is turning into the best team in the northeast.
Stock: Rising

Louisville-Steve Kragthorpe
Talk about roller-coaster rides! Three years ago, there was nobody hotter than Kragthorpe; now he’s fighting for his job. Kragthorpe and Louisville have struggled mightily. A 1-6 conference record in 2008 have Cardinal fans screaming for change. They just might get it if things don’t look “petrino-era-ish” after this season. The recruiting process has not been spectacular on paper, and Kragthorpe may not get the chance to see it materialize on the field.
Stock: Plummeting

Pitt-Dave Wannstedt
To Wannstedt’s credit, 2008’s 9-3 record was a major improvement and step in the right direction. On the other hand, it didn’t match the hype that many journalists had put on it. Wannstedt has had a mixed bag of results, but probably enough to keep his job safe for awhile. His recruiting on the other hand has been suspect. Much like Virginia, Pitt’s recruiting classes sometimes resemble a top-notch C-USA team in terms of talent. Regardless, last season was a success and perhaps something for Wannstedt to build upon.
Stock: Neutral

Rutgers-Greg Schiano
If you want to know how smart Schiano is, just look at the fact that he turned down the Michigan job! Schiano realizes that Rutgers is a gold mine in the waiting, and is starting to make the program visible nationally. Top 150 recruits and post season accolades are becoming the norm in New Brunswick, and so is winning. Four straight bowl games have created high expectations, which is welcomed by Schiano. 2009 will give fans a chance to see how well Schiano coaches as the Scarlet Knights lose a lot of offensive talent.
Stock:Rising

USF-Jim Leavitt
Leavitt can coach well enough, but it’s the other measurables that have USF fans scratching their heads. The Bulls have been inconsistent, often playing well in pre-conference play only to have a let down when conference action begins. Additionally, despite a lot of hype, the Bulls have never finished higher than third in either C-USA or the Big East. If Leavitt wants to move up in the standings he’s going to have to keep recruiting like a BCS school in Florida, not a non-BCS school that’s relatively new to D-1 football.
Stock: Dropping

Syracuse-Doug Marrone
Marrone has a terrific coaching pedigree, just not at the D-1 level. If Syracuse wants to compete, they have to become New York’s team again and stop losing market share to Buffalo, UConn and Rutgers on the recruiting trail. That’s a tall order considering all three of those programs are on the rise.
Stock: Neutral

West Virginia-Bill Stewart
No team may be more of a toss-up this off-season than West Virginia. After losing Pat White, most are not sure what to expect on the field for 2009. To Stewart’s credit, it appears that recruits have taken notice that the Mountaineers are still a team to be reckoned with and that he can hold his own. Many (including us) were surprised at the lack of recruiting drop-off caused by Rich Rodriguez’s departure. WVU has a tough non-conference schedule, and Stewart will need to coach the Mountaineers in some close finishes.
Stock: Steady

Rick Figurin
pigskinpress.com

A- Anderson, Victor- One of the few bright spots for the Louisville offense last season. Anderson should top 1,400 total yards on offense as the Cardinals lean on him more as a sophomore.

B- Berrys- Both Pittsburgh CB Aaron Berry (10 passes broken up) and West Virginia’s Scooter Berry (4 tackles for loss/3 sacks) know how to make the big play. Neither player gets their due credit, but both are solid college players. Aaron Berry will need a breakout season to have a chance at being drafted in the spring.

C- Cincinnati- How will 2009 play out for the Bearcats? Most would say it will be a rebuilding year with only one returning starter on defense. Brian Kelly is a fine coach, but too much firepower is gone from last season’s BCS squad; no bowling in 2009.

D- Devine, Noel- There are few players who are as fun to watch as #7! Devine will have to shoulder the load without Pat Hill until Jarrett Brown gets comfortable under center. The junior will not put up 1,289 on the ground again, but will see increased catches out of the backfield.

E- Edsall, Randy- Edsall is one of the coaches that we hold in high regard here at pigskinpress. He has shown that he can play up in a down cycle, recruit, and now, put kids in the NFL! UConn loses more individual talent than any Big East team in 2009, but Edsall will get the most from his kids.

F- Fan Support- Say what you will about Syracuse, but it’s a testament to their fan base that they still bring in 33,000+ per game. The bad news is 2009 is not looking much better…from a win perspective.

G- George Selvie- The South Florida senior is the best defensive player in the conference. Selvie will lead an underrated defense, as South Florida looks to be right in the mix for a conference championship.

H- Howard, Jasper- Howard had a breakout season last year, and will be the leader in the secondary with the graduation of Darrius Butler. Howard plays the ball in the air well, and rarely finds himself out of position. Look for 1st team Big-East honors.

I- Inexperienced QB’s- With the exception of USF, Pitt, and Cincinnati, every other team is dealing with largely inexperienced field generals. Louisville QB Justin Burke will have the roughest time adjusting (should he start) as Steve Kragthorpe’s offense can be a little tricky at times.

J- Jock Sanders- The West Virginia WR has been largely overshadowed by names like White, Slaton, and Devine the last couple of years. With Jarrett Brown taking over this season, it will be interesting if the offense looks to throw more or rely on Brown’s wheels.

K- Kentucky vs. Louisville- On paper, this game doesn’t mean much, but another loss would make three straight to the Wildcats. Steve Kragthorpe can’t afford another in-state loss and with their schedule, this loss could keep them from bowl eligibility, and cost Kragthorpe his job.

L- Leavitt, Jim- Has Jim Leavitt done all he can do at USF? Leavitt is a good coach, and is learning to not be afraid to play hard ball on the recruiting trail. Like Pat Hill at Fresno, maybe Leavitt would be well served to try his hand at another program and see what he can do.

M- Matt Grothe- Despite some pre-season Heisman hype, Grothe struggled at times in 2008. The senior QB will have plenty of targets back in 2009 and should cut down on his 14 interceptions from a year ago.

N- Non-Conference Schedule- A bit disappointing for a conference who needs to show many that they are more deserving than the Mountain West for an automatic BCS bid. With the exception of USF (Florida State, Miami) and West Virginia (Auburn, Colorado) the schedule is mediocre at best.

O- Oderick Turner- 2009 will be Turner’s breakout season. With Derrick Kinder graduating, look for the Pitt WR to put up 60 catches and double-digit TD’s.

P- Pass Defense- Big East pass defenses have been sluggish the past couple of years. Syracuse allowed 63% of all passes to be completed last season, while conference champ Cincinnati allowed 207 yards passing per game; this year they lose ten starters on defense! With the exception of Syracuse, Pitt and WVU, every team will replace at least two starters in the secondary.

Q- Quest For Fire- Terrible 1982 caveman movie with no speaking. Yet, another reason to keep an eye on the Big East.

R- Ryan Nassib- The Syracuse freshman will get first crack at the QB job this fall and all indications are that he’s shown some real potential thus far. Doug Marrone is in a great position to be able to turn back to talented QB Cameron Dantley if need be, but Nassib is the future at QB and needs to be broken in. There’s no better time than now, as Syracuse won’t be bowling this season.

S- Shamar Graves- The Rutgers TE has a prime opportunity to be a big target in the Scarlet Knights offense. Three of the top four receivers from last season are gone, and with a new QB, he could become a favorite target. Look for 500 yards and 8 TD’s as a junior this season.

T- Tony Pike- Say what you will about the way Pike plays, but he’s done quite well for a guy who had little hype coming out of HS. If Cincinnati gets off to a rougher than expected start (2-4), don’t be surprised if Brian Kelly shuffles his QB’s to gain experience and depth for next season. The good news is Pike has two terrific targets at WR.

U- Unsung Heroes- Some guys will have quietly solid seasons for their schools without the hype or accolades. Five guys to watch are Syracuse CB Kevyn Scott, Louiville LB Antwon Canady, West Virginia Safety Sidney Glover, UConn LB Greg Lloyd, and Rutgers LB Manny Abreu.

V- Vidal Hazleton- USC WR transfer who could do some nice things for the Cincy offense. If he’s eligible, this is a guy who could land on the All-conference team, and find himself being selected in the third or fourth round of next year’s NFL draft. Stay tuned…

W- Wannstedt- We’ve made it clear over the past four seasons, that were not drinking the Wannstedt Kool-Aid at pigskinpress.com. Last season was good for Pitt, but not where most thought it would be. The issue is that the 5th year coach is doing just enough to keep himself safe, but leaving the program in semi-limbo. Pitt should be a solid team in 2009, but the fear is that they’ll always be “O.K”-nothing more, nothing less. What do you do with a coach like that? Is he the guy that Pitt fans want capturing the hearts and minds of in-state kids when JoPa retires and doors open? Food for thought…

X- X-tra points- The Big East missed six extra points in 2008; that’s the lowest of any BCS conference. Rutgers kicker San San Te missed three of those.

Y- Young, Kordell- The Rutgers RB did well at times in his sophomore campaign, but if he can’t improve on his 3.9 ypc early, look for fewer carries. Local boy Joe Martinek may be a different style of rusher, but he put up good numbers (404 yards) in his 76 carries. Look for him to see an increased workload as well.

Z- Zach Fraser- Fraser wasn’t any worse than Tyler Lorenzen at QB for UConn last year, and will get first crack at the starter’s job in 2009. Fraser will have top target Kashif Moore back, and needs to make sure he’s cutting down on his interceptions if he hopes to remain the starter through December.