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2003 College Football Preview Ranking the Big East July 3, 2003
Welcome to the Big East, where it's just one big dysfunctional family! This season is the climax to what has been an extremely predictable football conference, Miami & Virginia Tech have won or tied for the championship nine out of the 12 years the conference has existed. Now, the parents are leaving town after 2003. Party at Pittsburgh's!
1. Pittsburgh 2. Miami 3. Virginia Tech 4. West Virginia 5. Boston College 6. Syracuse 7. Temple 8. Rutgers
I know, how can Miami not be #1 in their own conference? And even if they are, how did they fall behind Pittsburgh? Well call it a preemptive strike by the Panthers, the future football Kings of the new Big East, but 2003 is when they finally catch up to the 'Canes and Hokies. Too bad it took 12 years and them both to leave until somebody caught up.
The Panthers aren't quite as talented as Miami, but they do have two things that the Hurricanes don't in 2003, a veteran starting quarterback and key conference games at home. Rod Rutherford showed what he can do last season with 2,783 yards and 22 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions. Oh, and he rushed for 398 yards and six touchdowns last season as well.
Transfer Running Back Brandon Miree rushed for 943 yards in just eight starts and is primed for a great year in 2003. And with all apologies to fans at Texas, Oklahoma State, Washington, and USC the best receiver in America is Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald. He's a 6-3, 210 lb. monster that caught 69 passes for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns in his freshman season.
Miami, as the cliché goes, doesn't rebuild they reload. However, it's one thing to reload around a great college quarterback and quite another (ask Oklahoma) to do the opposite. Brock Berlin has been named the starter in the spring to make the decision seem firm through the summer but make no mistake, if he struggles Derrick Crudup will enter.
The Canes didn't exactly annihilate everyone last year, they were taken to the wire by Florida State in Miami, West Virginia was in the game deep into the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh was a dropped pass from overtime in Miami, and Virginia Tech scored 45 points in Miami in a 56-45 Canes victory. Think the schedule is a little tough? An opener at Louisiana Tech should be a victory, but won't be ridiculous then Florida at home, at Boston College, at Florida State, at Virginia Tech, Tennessee at home, and the season finale at Pittsburgh.
The third team with a legit claim to preseason favorite is Virginia Tech. The Hokies have a great race at quarterback between the erratic Bryan Randall and the little brother of the Magician Michael Vick, Marcus Vick. Marcus has the speed and arm strength of his brother and will have a Heisman-caliber running back in Kevin Jones. Don't forget about the always reliable Hokie special teams and defense that, oh by the way, returns nine starters.
The other two teams that will be bowl eligible are West Virginia and Boston College. Boston College will be its usual conservative, but successful team that could finish that upset of Miami that they nearly had in 2001. West Virginia is the other program on the rise, Head Coach Rich Rodriguez took the Mountaineers to a 9-4 bowl season in 2002 and could be even better in 2003.
For those of you who still don't buy into Pittsburgh being the pick to win the Big East for you need I remind you they've beaten Virginia Tech in back-to-back seasons and took Miami as far as anybody before the Buckeyes finally took them down. The main differences are without a doubt the fact that Pitt has the proven starting quarterback as well as the 'Canes and Hokies at home.
"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it." - George Bernard Shaw
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