From the desk of Jim Snyder
The Big East and the Bowls
The Big East Conference is now 4-0 in bowl play this year. No other BCS conference can catch the Big East in won-loss percentage in the bowls this year regardless of how Cincinnati does this weekend in the International Bowl. I would like the Bearcats’ chances a little better if they were not in the middle of a coaching change.
Here is how the BCS Conferences stand in bowl play going with just a few games left to play.
Big East 4-0 (1.000)
SEC 5-3 (.625)
ACC 4-4 (.500)
PAC 10 3-3 (.500)
Big 12 3-5 (.375)
Big 10 2-4 (.333)
The Big East Conference finished the year by going 7-3 against the Atlantic Coast Conference. There is more than a little irony over both the Orange Bowl and the Gator Bowl trying to stiff arm the Big East recently only to find the Big East winning both of their games. The Orange Bowl sold out thanks largely to the 40,000 fans that Louisville brought to the party. The Gator Bowl did not sellout (67,714) but it was predominantly a West Virginia crowd. In short it was the ACC that did not travel well this time around.
In non-conference games (including bowls) this year the Big East is 36-8 for a winning percentage of 81.8%. The best percentage in the conference’s history. They are also 14-7 against teams from others BCS conference for a 66.7% winning percentage. The Big East has more than held its own this year.
Let’s look at next year
It is really too early to accurately project next year. You must first see which players declare for the NFL draft. However, it is not impossible that the Big East could open the year with four teams in the Top 25.
West Virginia (11-2) figures to return quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. They could return 7 starters on offense and 7 on defense plus both kickers. Fresh of a Gator Bowl win they could be ranked in the Top 10. Rich Rod knew what he had coming back when he turned down Alabama.
Louisville (12-1) could return quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush. The Cardinals could have 8 returning starters on offensive and 6 on defense. If Brohm and Bush return they could open the season in the Top 5 coming off their Orange Bowl win. If both Bush and Brohm leave I don’t think the Cardinals will fall very far. They played a number of games without both players this year and did just fine.
Rutgers (11-2) will return quarterback Mike Teel and their sensational running back Ray Rice back. The Scarlet Knights had a veteran team this past year so their experience level could drop off a bit. They have been recruiting better in recent years so the talent level could actually go up. Greg Schiano knew what was in the pipeline when he turned down Miami. Rutgers hammered Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. The Scarlet Knights should open the year in the Top 25.
South Florida (9-4) finished very strong this past year winning 6 of their last 8 including a bowl win over East Carolina. The Bulls return a very good young quarterback in Matt Grothe. They will have 9 back on offense after starting three sophomores up front. The Bulls lose a couple of good linebackers but they have 8 back on defense. This is definitely a program on the upswing. They could be ranked in the Top 25 to start the year.
The All-American games
There are three All-American games this week. One was held last night in Ft. Lauderdale. I caught bits and pieces last night around the Pitt-Syracuse basketball game. This game did not feature any players that Pitt has been recruiting so it was of limited interest to our readers.
Saturday at 1:00 pm EST they will play the U.S. Army All-American game from San Antonio. Pitt commit Chris Jacobson is scheduled to play as is Stefen Wisniewski (Penn State) from Pittsburgh Central Catholic. This game will be televised on the NBC network.
Later that day they play the East Meets West All-American Bowl in Orlando. This one should hold the most interest to our readers. It starts at 3:00 pm EST and will be carried on ESPNU. This game features Pitt commit Pat Bostick at quarterback. Hopefully you have seen our report that Pat Bostick has tendonitis which is affecting his throwing motion.
It will also feature two players that have made official visits to Pitt in defensive end Tony Tucker and offensive tackle Branden Curry. In addition there are a couple of players of local interest. Wide receiver Toney Clemons (Michigan) from Valley High school and tight end Rob Gronkowski from Woodland Hills. There are also a few future Big East players in Vince Harris (West Virginia), Junius Lewis (West Virginia) and Nick Provo (Syracuse). It also has a few players that Pitt offered but who have committed elsewhere. Safety Jordan Bernstine (Iowa), linebacker Kevin Rouse (Wisconsin) and safety C.J. Peake (Wisconsin) are all scheduled to play.
Hopefully you saw the article from Rivals on the Ticker yesterday on Tony Tucker. He will announce on Saturday on ESPNU between Pitt and Virginia Tech. I like the Panthers chance in this one. He has told me he likes Pitt and that his mother and father like Pitt too. You never know for sure, I guess, but the ball should bounce the Panthers way this time around.
So with three All-American games featuring about 80 players each does that mean they pretty well have the Top 250 covered. Not necessarily. We spoke to Averin Collier this week and his school district in the state of New York had classes this past week. Many players like Dom DeCicco, Moe Williams and Derek Moye also play basketball. Myles Caragein wrestles. There are any number of personal reasons why a player might decline to play in these events.
Miami Dolphin coaches
This week Alabama hired Nick Saban as their head coach. The Tide reportedly paid Saban $32 million over eight years. All of the money is apparently guaranteed. In two years with the Dolphins Nick Saban was 15-17. He won 46.9% of his games with the Dolphins.
When Dave Wannstedt coached the Miami Dolphins he was 43-33 as head coach. Coach Wannstedt won 56.5% of his games. If you throw out his only losing season when Ricky Williams took off he won 65.2 % of his games.
So just how did his predecessor Jimmy Johnson do as head coach of the Dolphins? Jimmy Johnson won 55.1% of his games as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
When the legendary Don Shula coached the Dolphins he won 65.8% of his games.
On the surface it looks like Nick Saban’s agent made a very good deal. There must be something about West Virginia that they like in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban is from Fairmont, West Virginia. He gets the job after WVU’s Rich Rod turns it down.
Hooping it up
It was a very nice road win over Syracuse last night in front of a crowd 21,045 at the Carrier Dome. The No. 10 ranked Panthers are now 13-2 on the year. Early in the game Pitt struggled a little with free throws bouncing off the back of the rim and not securing loose balls. Sophomore Levance Fields put on a show by scoring a career-high 24 points. Ronald Ramon also stepped up at the end with a big 3-pointer and by hitting a pair of free throws. Levance Fields gets the Pantherlair’s Player of the Game Award for guiding the Panthers in a tough place to play. He played well early and eventually the others followed.
I got to watch junior video of Pitt commit Darnell Dodson this week. He looked to be about 6’ 6” tall and played primarily on the perimeter. Not sure who to compare him to. Maybe Larry Harris who played for Pitt in the late 70’s. Hopefully Rivals will dig out of their holiday backlog and you will get to see some highlights with the next week or two.
Recruiting Recap
We spoke to Kevin Collier over the New Year’s weekend in our attempt to reach his younger brother Averin Collier. Kevin was scheduled to return to Pitt earlier this week with wide receiver Derek Kinder. He said that he was anxious to get back to work. He said, “We have a new conditioning coach. He will be working our asxxx off. I am anxious to get at it. We have to get this thing turned around.” Kevin Collier said he had troubles with one math course this past semester but has a 2.5+ GPA so he looks to be a good shape academically. He said the older players have told him the game will slow down for him this year and that he was anxious for that to happen. He was very upbeat about Pitt and very anxious to get back to Pittsburgh.
We have an article today on Averin Collier who will visit next weekend. Pitt will have a number of senior players in when Pitt plays Georgetown. I suspect they will be surrounded by a lot of juniors from the local area. Dom DeCicco, John Fieger, Max Gruder, LeSean McCoy, Henry Hynoski and Aundre Wright are expected that weekend. Pitt gets a big break with ESPN doing their Game Day from the Petersen Events Center as a part of their coverage of the Pitt-Georgetown game. It will help create a little buzz on campus.
To the best of our knowledge on Rochester’s Derek Moye is the only visitor this weekend. Moye has indicated that he has narrowed his choices to Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia. His older brother went to West Virginia and it did not workout. He is now playing at California (Pa). You have to assume the Mountaineers are not at the top of his top three. Moye participates in four sports. He needs to be redshirted so he can spend time in the weightroom. He is tall and fast so he could be a difference maker for someone long-term.
We are just coming out of a Dead Period. The next few weeks will allow the Pitt coaches more time to spend contacting recruits. This will include circling back on the 20 that have already committed to insure there are no poachers out there and to ease any last minute doubts.
News this week that Xavier Stinson has posted an ACT test that should put him in a position to qualify is good news. Pitt has verbal commitments from three running backs in Chaminade-Madonna’s Xavier Stinson, St Peter’s Shariff Harris and Barron Collier’s Greg Williams. On the assumption that all three will qualify it gives Pitt options and probably takes the pressure off landing LeSean McCoy. They have put a lot of calories into McCoy so we don’t expect Pitt to back off but the news on Stinson mitigates the landing of McCoy to some degree.
Yesterday Pitt received a verbal commitment from Erie’s Maurice Williams. I have felt that he was very close to committing a number of times. I was glad to see him pull the trigger. There are some that feel he is the best senior “athlete” in the state this year. We told Maurice Williams the story about Pitt changing his nickname name from “Mo” to “Moe”. We asked which one he preferred. He said either way was fine with him. We then felt it was only a matter of time until he committed. Pitt now has 20 verbal commitments for the Class of 2007.
Pitt has now has commits from Moe Williams and Greg Williams. Will they also get Valley Forge’sBryan Williams and make things easy for Bill Hillgrove? I am still a little concerned that Bryan Williams is scheduled to come in for his visit the weekend of January 19th and not the weekend of January 12th.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
The Big East and the Bowls
The Big East Conference is now 4-0 in bowl play this year. No other BCS conference can catch the Big East in won-loss percentage in the bowls this year regardless of how Cincinnati does this weekend in the International Bowl. I would like the Bearcats’ chances a little better if they were not in the middle of a coaching change.
Here is how the BCS Conferences stand in bowl play going with just a few games left to play.
Big East 4-0 (1.000)
SEC 5-3 (.625)
ACC 4-4 (.500)
PAC 10 3-3 (.500)
Big 12 3-5 (.375)
Big 10 2-4 (.333)
The Big East Conference finished the year by going 7-3 against the Atlantic Coast Conference. There is more than a little irony over both the Orange Bowl and the Gator Bowl trying to stiff arm the Big East recently only to find the Big East winning both of their games. The Orange Bowl sold out thanks largely to the 40,000 fans that Louisville brought to the party. The Gator Bowl did not sellout (67,714) but it was predominantly a West Virginia crowd. In short it was the ACC that did not travel well this time around.
In non-conference games (including bowls) this year the Big East is 36-8 for a winning percentage of 81.8%. The best percentage in the conference’s history. They are also 14-7 against teams from others BCS conference for a 66.7% winning percentage. The Big East has more than held its own this year.
Let’s look at next year
It is really too early to accurately project next year. You must first see which players declare for the NFL draft. However, it is not impossible that the Big East could open the year with four teams in the Top 25.
West Virginia (11-2) figures to return quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. They could return 7 starters on offense and 7 on defense plus both kickers. Fresh of a Gator Bowl win they could be ranked in the Top 10. Rich Rod knew what he had coming back when he turned down Alabama.
Louisville (12-1) could return quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush. The Cardinals could have 8 returning starters on offensive and 6 on defense. If Brohm and Bush return they could open the season in the Top 5 coming off their Orange Bowl win. If both Bush and Brohm leave I don’t think the Cardinals will fall very far. They played a number of games without both players this year and did just fine.
Rutgers (11-2) will return quarterback Mike Teel and their sensational running back Ray Rice back. The Scarlet Knights had a veteran team this past year so their experience level could drop off a bit. They have been recruiting better in recent years so the talent level could actually go up. Greg Schiano knew what was in the pipeline when he turned down Miami. Rutgers hammered Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. The Scarlet Knights should open the year in the Top 25.
South Florida (9-4) finished very strong this past year winning 6 of their last 8 including a bowl win over East Carolina. The Bulls return a very good young quarterback in Matt Grothe. They will have 9 back on offense after starting three sophomores up front. The Bulls lose a couple of good linebackers but they have 8 back on defense. This is definitely a program on the upswing. They could be ranked in the Top 25 to start the year.
The All-American games
There are three All-American games this week. One was held last night in Ft. Lauderdale. I caught bits and pieces last night around the Pitt-Syracuse basketball game. This game did not feature any players that Pitt has been recruiting so it was of limited interest to our readers.
Saturday at 1:00 pm EST they will play the U.S. Army All-American game from San Antonio. Pitt commit Chris Jacobson is scheduled to play as is Stefen Wisniewski (Penn State) from Pittsburgh Central Catholic. This game will be televised on the NBC network.
Later that day they play the East Meets West All-American Bowl in Orlando. This one should hold the most interest to our readers. It starts at 3:00 pm EST and will be carried on ESPNU. This game features Pitt commit Pat Bostick at quarterback. Hopefully you have seen our report that Pat Bostick has tendonitis which is affecting his throwing motion.
It will also feature two players that have made official visits to Pitt in defensive end Tony Tucker and offensive tackle Branden Curry. In addition there are a couple of players of local interest. Wide receiver Toney Clemons (Michigan) from Valley High school and tight end Rob Gronkowski from Woodland Hills. There are also a few future Big East players in Vince Harris (West Virginia), Junius Lewis (West Virginia) and Nick Provo (Syracuse). It also has a few players that Pitt offered but who have committed elsewhere. Safety Jordan Bernstine (Iowa), linebacker Kevin Rouse (Wisconsin) and safety C.J. Peake (Wisconsin) are all scheduled to play.
Hopefully you saw the article from Rivals on the Ticker yesterday on Tony Tucker. He will announce on Saturday on ESPNU between Pitt and Virginia Tech. I like the Panthers chance in this one. He has told me he likes Pitt and that his mother and father like Pitt too. You never know for sure, I guess, but the ball should bounce the Panthers way this time around.
So with three All-American games featuring about 80 players each does that mean they pretty well have the Top 250 covered. Not necessarily. We spoke to Averin Collier this week and his school district in the state of New York had classes this past week. Many players like Dom DeCicco, Moe Williams and Derek Moye also play basketball. Myles Caragein wrestles. There are any number of personal reasons why a player might decline to play in these events.
Miami Dolphin coaches
This week Alabama hired Nick Saban as their head coach. The Tide reportedly paid Saban $32 million over eight years. All of the money is apparently guaranteed. In two years with the Dolphins Nick Saban was 15-17. He won 46.9% of his games with the Dolphins.
When Dave Wannstedt coached the Miami Dolphins he was 43-33 as head coach. Coach Wannstedt won 56.5% of his games. If you throw out his only losing season when Ricky Williams took off he won 65.2 % of his games.
So just how did his predecessor Jimmy Johnson do as head coach of the Dolphins? Jimmy Johnson won 55.1% of his games as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
When the legendary Don Shula coached the Dolphins he won 65.8% of his games.
On the surface it looks like Nick Saban’s agent made a very good deal. There must be something about West Virginia that they like in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban is from Fairmont, West Virginia. He gets the job after WVU’s Rich Rod turns it down.
Hooping it up
It was a very nice road win over Syracuse last night in front of a crowd 21,045 at the Carrier Dome. The No. 10 ranked Panthers are now 13-2 on the year. Early in the game Pitt struggled a little with free throws bouncing off the back of the rim and not securing loose balls. Sophomore Levance Fields put on a show by scoring a career-high 24 points. Ronald Ramon also stepped up at the end with a big 3-pointer and by hitting a pair of free throws. Levance Fields gets the Pantherlair’s Player of the Game Award for guiding the Panthers in a tough place to play. He played well early and eventually the others followed.
I got to watch junior video of Pitt commit Darnell Dodson this week. He looked to be about 6’ 6” tall and played primarily on the perimeter. Not sure who to compare him to. Maybe Larry Harris who played for Pitt in the late 70’s. Hopefully Rivals will dig out of their holiday backlog and you will get to see some highlights with the next week or two.
Recruiting Recap
We spoke to Kevin Collier over the New Year’s weekend in our attempt to reach his younger brother Averin Collier. Kevin was scheduled to return to Pitt earlier this week with wide receiver Derek Kinder. He said that he was anxious to get back to work. He said, “We have a new conditioning coach. He will be working our asxxx off. I am anxious to get at it. We have to get this thing turned around.” Kevin Collier said he had troubles with one math course this past semester but has a 2.5+ GPA so he looks to be a good shape academically. He said the older players have told him the game will slow down for him this year and that he was anxious for that to happen. He was very upbeat about Pitt and very anxious to get back to Pittsburgh.
We have an article today on Averin Collier who will visit next weekend. Pitt will have a number of senior players in when Pitt plays Georgetown. I suspect they will be surrounded by a lot of juniors from the local area. Dom DeCicco, John Fieger, Max Gruder, LeSean McCoy, Henry Hynoski and Aundre Wright are expected that weekend. Pitt gets a big break with ESPN doing their Game Day from the Petersen Events Center as a part of their coverage of the Pitt-Georgetown game. It will help create a little buzz on campus.
To the best of our knowledge on Rochester’s Derek Moye is the only visitor this weekend. Moye has indicated that he has narrowed his choices to Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia. His older brother went to West Virginia and it did not workout. He is now playing at California (Pa). You have to assume the Mountaineers are not at the top of his top three. Moye participates in four sports. He needs to be redshirted so he can spend time in the weightroom. He is tall and fast so he could be a difference maker for someone long-term.
We are just coming out of a Dead Period. The next few weeks will allow the Pitt coaches more time to spend contacting recruits. This will include circling back on the 20 that have already committed to insure there are no poachers out there and to ease any last minute doubts.
News this week that Xavier Stinson has posted an ACT test that should put him in a position to qualify is good news. Pitt has verbal commitments from three running backs in Chaminade-Madonna’s Xavier Stinson, St Peter’s Shariff Harris and Barron Collier’s Greg Williams. On the assumption that all three will qualify it gives Pitt options and probably takes the pressure off landing LeSean McCoy. They have put a lot of calories into McCoy so we don’t expect Pitt to back off but the news on Stinson mitigates the landing of McCoy to some degree.
Yesterday Pitt received a verbal commitment from Erie’s Maurice Williams. I have felt that he was very close to committing a number of times. I was glad to see him pull the trigger. There are some that feel he is the best senior “athlete” in the state this year. We told Maurice Williams the story about Pitt changing his nickname name from “Mo” to “Moe”. We asked which one he preferred. He said either way was fine with him. We then felt it was only a matter of time until he committed. Pitt now has 20 verbal commitments for the Class of 2007.
Pitt has now has commits from Moe Williams and Greg Williams. Will they also get Valley Forge’sBryan Williams and make things easy for Bill Hillgrove? I am still a little concerned that Bryan Williams is scheduled to come in for his visit the weekend of January 19th and not the weekend of January 12th.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
