Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Only two games in the Big East this weekend, so our education hasn't substantially improved. But here are a couple of things we learned:
1. Cincinnati will be a formidable BCS opponent for somebody: The Bearcats likely will end up in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech or Boston College, but there's also a chance they could go to the Sugar Bowl. Wherever they end up, they will be tough to beat. Cincinnati's defense has been terrific the past five games, allowing an average of just 16.8 points. And its offense keeps getting better under the controls of Tony Pike. On Saturday, Syracuse tried to keep everything in front of the secondary with a soft zone, and Pike picked it apart on two consecutive 14-play drives. The Bearcats also have the ability to burn tight coverage with their speedy receiver duo of Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard, and they run the ball just enough to be dangerous. That's why Cincinnati won the Big East and why it will be tough to beat in a BCS game.
2. West Virginia needs an offensive overhaul: Eleven games into the season, it's still hard to tell what the Mountaineers' identity is. One week, they let quarterback Pat White run for 200 yards at Louisville. On Friday at Pittsburgh, they got away from that and tried to throw more, even in the red zone. The offense has been wildly inconsistent all year, especially in some of West Virginia's biggest games. A major revamp needs to happen after the season when White graduates, and the program will need to figure out what type of offense it wants to run in the future.
3. LeSean McCoy may be the Big East's MVP: When Pittsburgh decides to force feed the ball to McCoy, good things usually happen. He ran for 183 yards against West Virginia and controlled the fourth quarter as Pitt rallied back for the win. McCoy has surpassed 1,300 yards for the season and leads the conference (and the nation) in scoring with 20 touchdowns. His main competition for Big East offensive player of the year is Donald Brown of Connecticut. The two will square off this Saturday in East Hartford.
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.
