We gave you our Preseason All-Big East Team yesterday, (Head on over to The Big East Coast Bias for the first team) and today we release our first Big East Power Poll off the season. We'll have some comments after the ballot.
1. USF
2. West Virginia
3. Pittsburgh
4. Syracuse
5. Louisville
6. Cincinnati
7. Rutgers
8. UConn
- After declaring that USF would win the conference earlier this year, we're sticking with it even though West Virginia is probably the true favorite now that they got Bill Stewart out of their way. Still, the Bulls get the Mountaineers at home this year, and you all know what happens then. (In Big East blogger circles, sticking to our guns in the face of what looks like clear evidence to the contrary is known a "Pulling A The UConn Blog." Actually, that's a terrible phrase. We should come up with something better.)
- We wanted to keep our "Rutgers is 8th" streak going, but UConn's lack of anything resembling a skill player in the greater Storrs area forced our hand. The Huskies are in the basement. But no one in this conference is truly horrible.
- Syracuse and Louisville are interchangeable at 4 and 5. Both are replacing workhorse running backs (Delone Carter for the Orange and Bilal Powell for the Cardinals), but both teams are extremely well-coached and disciplined on both sides of the ball. Syracuse got the nod because of bologna power, probably.
- If Cincinnati can figure things out on defense, they will surprise a lot of people this year. We already know they score points by the fistful.
- Pittsburgh is definitely the X-factor. They could win the league, or just stink on ice. Come to think of it, this isn't that much different than when Wannstache was around.
So how did we do? Anything you would change on your ballot? Be sure to head on over to BECB for the official rankings later today.