Around the Big East
by Matthew McKinley, 9/26/02

This season just gets better and better. I’ll admit, folks, I was thinking a 3-1, or 2-2 record coming out of the Texas A&M game, but I was wrong. While I’m not going to predict what will happen between now and December 7th I will say that it’s going to be one helluva year.

And with that being said, let’s move on Around the Big East.

Here we go, dude…..

Big East Standings

Team

Conf. W/L

Overall W/L

Miami

2-0

4-0

Pittsburgh

1-0

3-1

Virginia Tech

0-0

4-0

West Virginia

0-0

2-1

Syracuse

0-0

1-2

Boston College

0-1

2-1

Rutgers

0-1

1-3

Temple

0-1

1-3

Last Weekend’s Games

(#5) Virginia Tech 13, Texas A&M 3
The Hokies rolled into College Station and left with a win, on the strength of some solid running, efficient passing, and my orange and maroon shoes. Our fans were loud and decked out in orange, their fans were sorta loud and decked out in maroon, and a great time was had by all. Well, except for the aTm offensive coordinator, who got demoted two days later. And except for the aTm fans as well, who saw their 29 game non-conference home win streak snapped. But you wouldn’t know it by how nice they were after the game. What a weekend.

As far as the game went, the Wrecking Crew did hold the Untouchables to 99 total yards, but Randall’s 10-of-11, 119-yard effort was the difference, including a back-breaking 52 yard catch-and-run by Ernest Wilford in the 4th quarter. The Aggies never really could get their offense going, having only two series cross midfield, and never crossing the Tech 25 yard line. I guess we figured out who the REAL #1 defense was in that game.

Pittsburgh 23, Rutgers 3
Pitt(sburgh) got off to a great start in conference play by beating RUT[S]gers, 23-3. Does that really count as a great start? I mean, nobody really thought that RUT[S]gers could win, did they, so is doing the expected a great start? BAH! I don’t know.

South Carolina 42, Temple 21
Temple continues their woes against Division 1A opponents by losing to South Carolina at home. We caught up with Mike Trained-Geese after the game, and this is what he had to say: "Well, we really didn’t expect Temple to win this game. After all, it’s one of the reasons they’re being kicked out, that they can’t even beat teams that lose to UVa." ** No comment yet from Bill Cosby.
**Not an actual quote. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

Miami 38, Boston College 6
Boston College was clinging to an 11-point deficit at the beginning of the 4th when the Miami depth finally took its toll, with Miami exploding for 21 points in the 4th quarter. They showed how Miami can be beaten though: control the clock, keep their offense off the field, and hit the quarterback a lot. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea, does it? ;^)

This Weekend’s Games

(#5) Virginia Tech (4-0) @ Western Michigan (1-2), Saturday @ 12:00pm
"Well, you’ve just beaten Texas A&M. What are you going to do?" "We’re going to Kalamazoo!" Huh? Darnell promises to pass, and pass often. That’s good enough for me. Their defense will be on the field that much quicker, and tireder. "Don’t mess with the MAC." BWAAAHAHAHA!

Central Michigan (3-1) @ Boston College (2-1), Saturday @ 12:00pm
Hey, BC, can we trade directional Michigans with you?

Cincinnati (1-2) @ Temple (1-3), Saturday @ 12:00pm
This game should worry Temple. Cincinnati hung with OSU for the whole game (and should have won it, but a TD pass was dropped at the end). But then again, nothing scares Temple, because their expectations are so low. They’ll enjoy the game, though, because of the case of Jell-O Pudding beneath each seat. "MMMM…..more Jell-O PUDDING!"

East Carolina (1-2) @ West Virginia (2-1), Saturday @ 12:00pm
East Carolina is BAD this year. I mean REALLY BAD. As in LOSING TO DUKE BAD. (My God, I could probably get shot for that, it’s such an insult.) The ‘Eers should roll.

Toledo (3-1) @ Pittsburgh (3-1), Saturday @ 1:30pm
I really don’t know how good Toledo is, they’ve beaten Cal Poly, Eastern Michigan, and UNLV. Hey wait, UNLV is pretty good, aren’t they? Oh, never mind, that’s Nevada. Pitt(sburgh) goes to 4-1 on Saturday.

Rutgers (1-3) @ (#11) Tennessee (2-1), Saturday @ 7:00pm
Be afraid, be very afraid. Tennessee is coming off an UGLY home loss to Florida, and RUT[S]gers is, well, RUT[S]gers. It just doesn’t get any worse than this.

Syracuse (1-2) @ (#25) Auburn (3-1), Saturday @ 9:00pm
This should be a pretty interesting game. Syracuse started 0-2 last year, and who did they beat to jump-start their 8-game winning streak? Auburn. But that was at home. And Auburn looks a lot better this year, with Cadillac Williams in the backfield. If it was at the Dome, I’d pick Syracuse in this one, but at Auburn? I don’t know. Should be fun to watch.

Games to Watch from the Parking Lot

The fifth game of the season, and we FINALLY have a noon game on Saturday. I wonder how many years it's been since that has happened. This is actually good, since there are a few good games on at the 3:30pm slot. So let’s take a look at some of the national games this weekend.

(#4) Florida State (4-0) @ Louisville (2-2), Thursday @ 7:30pm, ESPN
Loserville. Hmmm, let’s see. They beat Duke. And they beat Army. That’s about it. Folks, I know, this ain’t gonna be much of a game, but it’s the only game in town at the timeslot. Just think of it as scouting out a possible BCS/MNC opponent. Naah, not the MNC. They won’t get past Miami.

Iowa (3-1) @ (#12) Penn State (3-0), Saturday @ 12:00pm, ESPN
FOR THOSE WITH 2 TVs ONLY! Iowa has not looked too bad this year, but Penn State has looked like world-beaters in the past two games. Let’s see how the Nittany Lions do in the start of Big T1e1n play.

(#19) Nebraska (3-1) @ (#21) Iowa State (4-1), Saturday @ 3:30pm, ABC Regional
Iowa State technically should be at 5-0, since I thought Seneca Wallace made it in the end zone at the end of the F$U game. But bad calls are part of college football (at least they seem to be when Big East refs are on the field), so they’re way down at #21 with a 4-1 record. I never thought I’d see the day when Iowa State is favored over Nebraska, but that day has come, and we really should watch it unfold.

Alabama (3-1) @ Arkansas (2-0), Saturday @ 7:45pm, ESPN
Nah, there’s really not much to this game. I just had to add this one in because (a) I’d love to hear Phyllis rant and rave [warning, profanity] when Alabama loses, and (b) it’s a filler game between the NU/ISU game and……

Syracuse (1-2) @ (#25) Auburn (3-1), Saturday @ 9:00pm, ESPN2
This one could go a LONG way towards the health of the conference. Syracuse can springboard this game into a decent season if they win, but continue the long spiral down if they lose. I see this as a make-or-break game for them.


          

Voice of the Fan Archives

TSL Home