Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
The Big East week still isn't quite over -- UConn is at South Florida tonight -- but here's what we learned from Saturday's games:
1. Brian Kelly should get national coach of the year consideration: The Cincinnati coach is a lock to win the Big East award if his team takes care of business next week against Syracuse and clinches a BCS bid. The work he's done getting the Bearcats through all their quarterback issues -- and developing Tony Pike into a star -- should have Kelly's name on national coach of the year lists as well.
2. Syracuse should re-hire Greg Robinson and then fire him again this week: Inspired to send their pink-slipped coach out on a high note, the Orange came up with the best win of Robinson's four-year tenure on Saturday by nipping Notre Dame at South Bend. It's the kind of feel-good moment that's been lacking around Syracuse for years. So why not try to recreate that magic this week and give the team some motivation heading into Cincinnati? We're kidding, of course, but if the Orange plays with confidence and focus this week, the Bearcats won't just walk away with the BCS bid.
3. Running Pat White is still West Virginia's best option: White is completing 65 percent of his passes this season, but the Mountaineers are still at their most dangerous when he's on the run. He burned Louisville for 200 yards rushing on Saturday, becoming the NCAA's all-time leading runner among quarterbacks in the process. His big day also opened up things for Noel Devine, who added 154 yards on 13 carries. White will have to put West Virginia on his back -- er, legs -- the final two games of this season.
4. Pittsburgh's season is at a crossroads: The loss to Cincinnati means that the Panthers (7-3, 3-2) have little chance of winning the league's BCS bid. They still have two difficult games left, with West Virginia this week and the finale at Connecticut. Win both, and Pitt could still get to a good postseason game, perhaps even the Gator Bowl. Lose both, and a 7-5 season would seem like a disappointment after such a promising start. These next two games will go a long way to defining this season for Dave Wannstedt's team.
5. Rutgers could end up in a good (for the Big East) bowl: With the Gator/Sun bowl slots apparently back in play thanks to Notre Dame's loss, the Meineke Car Care Bowl could become the Big East's No. 3 bowl. And the Charlotte game is interested in Rutgers, which has won five straight to get to 6-5. The Scarlet Knights still need to win their finale against Louisville, but Meineke officials were in attendance at Saturday's game against Army to watch the league's hottest team. The trip to Charlotte is better than the International Bowl, at least.
Bennett joined ESPN.com in August 2008 after nine years at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., where he covered college sports and the University of Louisville beat. He lives in Louisville.
