The gap between the Big East and the other five BCS conferences is not nearly as cavernous as most expected when four of its top members spun off to the ACC not long ago. How narrow that gap is now will not be debated here, at least not now. But with a 5-0 bowl season and two straight BCS bowl wins, the Big East has proven that it can be, at the very least, competitive with the other BCS conferences.
Many felt that the access that the remaining eight Big East schools had to top bowls and BCS money would allow for the conference to eventually catch up with its BCS counterparts. That has happened, perhaps faster than expected, but the question is why. The answer is clear, coaching.
The Big East recruited very modestly this past season. The only program to crack Rival's top 25 recruiting classes was Pittsburgh at 25 and they were one of three programs left out of the bowls a season ago. With the rise of Rutgers this season, much was made of how they are in fertile New Jersey recruiting ground and Greg Schiano has good connections in south Florida. However, their class was rated at 36 by Rivals, far below their achievement on the gridiron this past Autumn. Similarly, South Florida's class ranked 58 despite its location and success. Clearly the Big East is playing way over its head relative to how it recruits.
Big East programs with rising profiles have been able to do a better job of retaining and attracting coaches. Programs that may have been treated as stepping stone jobs were treated more as end destination jobs this past off season. Schiano may have felt that he'll have a better chance to build a legacy at Rutgers than at Miami. The depth of his commitment may still be tested when Joe Pa finally steps down, but nonetheless, he could be elsewhere right now. Similarly, Rich Rodriguez opted to stay in the Big East and his alma mater in favor of lots of cash and the reins to the South's proudest program. UConn's Randy Edsall has had opportunities. Jim Leavitt now feels that he'll be able to build an elite program at South Florida, a feeling that he most likely wouldn't have if the Bulls remained an independent or became a mid-major.
The Big East did have two coaches jump ship. Bobby Petrino opted for the NFL and Mark Dantonio stone stepped his way to Michigan State. But both of those programs rebounded better than anticipated. Louisville was able to - in short order - snag one of college football's "it" coaches in Tulsa's Steve Kragthorpe. Meanwhile, Cincinnati was able to lure the MAC's biggest name, Central Michigan's Brian Kelley, in a move that may have been considered a parallel one a few years ago.
The Big East is now deserving of its BCS birth and it has everything to do with the guys standing on the sidelines.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
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2 comments:
I go to USF and I'm from Western PA- I've played against and with some great D-1 players who are ranked pretty highly (Mitchum at Ohio State and Dre Mathis at Tennessee were both 4 stars...and we lost both games). However, those guys were 3-4 year starters and celebrities on the news. Down here, guys like George Selvie (Freshman All-America) start only as seniors due to the talent above them. As athletes, Selvie or Stephen Nicolas are just as good as Dre Mathis (or Bob Sanders, 4 years ahead of Dre), they just don't have the same exposure. Also, there are great D-1 players on losing teams here, especially in the big school divisions. Generally, a 2-star guy down here is just as good as a 4-star guy up north. So even though we don't get the established stars down here, we still get damn good athletes. And then coach them right :) Good column, I'll check in from time to time
Oh yea, Scout.com had a very different view on recruiting classes from the Big East- 3 in top 25. Rivals downgraded early signees to Pitt like Bostick. Had Bostick gone to Ohio State, he would've been 5*.
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