Week five was, perhaps, the most damaging week that the Big East has had during the past two seasons. The two highest and most well-positioned teams in the conference, West Virginia and Rutgers, took losses. And, while the West Virginia loss was to a very good USF team, the ugly play in the game, in front of a national audience, did little to enhance the image of the conference. Rutgers loss to Maryland was far more damaging, as the Scarlet Knights had been looked upon as a top tier team in the Big East, and losing to mid-level ACC team, at home by 10 points, was very damaging to the credibility of both Rutgers and the BE. Pittsburgh was also humiliated by another middle tier ACC team, getting destroyed by Virginia. On top of that, Syracuse took one on the chin to a MAC team, losing to Akron. The four Big East teams that won their games last week (USF, Louisville, Cincy, and UConn) have only been in the Big East for a combined nine full seasons.

This week, we have a light schedule, featuring two conference matchups and just two out of conference games, as UConn and Pitt take the weekend off:

Utah at Louisville (Fri. 8:00 PM EST — ESPN) — This is a very dangerous game for Louisville. Utah has been up and down this season, but they are a very adept passing team, which has been an area of weakness for the Louisville defense. The Utes are only 2-3, but one of those victories came, in a dominating manner, over UCLA. This is an absolute must-win for the Cardinals, as they still have enough season ahead of them to recover from their early season swoon and put together a top 20 or top 15 season, BUT they must get their defensive problems resolved before they get back into conference play next week. Behind another huge Brian Brohm game and using their strong home-field advantage, I suspect they will begin to get things back in order in this game. Louisville 44, Utah 24

West Virginia at Syracuse (Sat. 12:00 PM EST — ESPN Gameplan) — On paper, West Virginia should bulldoze through Syracuse, but there are some pretty strong parallels between this game and the Orange’s victory over Louisville two weeks ago, as both the Mountaineers and Cardinals were coming off brutal losses. However, West Virginia’s defense looks to be much improved over its counterpart from a season ago. Mountaineer quarterback, Patrick White, is questionable for this game, but back up Jarrett Brown is capable of moving the ball effectively and will give the WVU the added dimension of throwing the ball downfield. I think the Mountaineers may come out a bit sluggish, but should be able to win handily. West Virginia 48, Syracuse 7

South Florida at Florida Atlantic (Sat. 3:30 PM EST — ESPNU) — I suppose there is a chance that this could turn into a hangover game for the Bulls, but they got some assistance in remaining focused and an additional rallying point this week, from out of leftfield, when Alabama head coach Nick Saban was quoted as saying, “There are a significant amount of players who don’t qualify and they end up being pretty good players at some other schools,” Saban said in an interview with the Birmingham News. “I think there are six guys starting on the South Florida defense who probably would have gone to Florida or Florida State, but Florida and FSU couldn’t take them.” USF head coach Jim Leavitt and his team are, if nothing else, fighters and Saban’s comments gives the Bulls an opportunity to continue to be motivated by the “lack of respect” and underdog card. I suspect that Leavitt, although personally angry at Saban’s quote, is probably also pleased to have some bulletin board material to keep his team from getting too big headed, following their biggest ever victory and receiving their highest ever poll ranking. And, I also suspect that the FAU staff will not be sending Saban any kind regards due to his timing. USF 30, FAU 6

Cincinnati at Rutgers (Sat. 8:00 PM EST — ESPN2) — This is one of our ITB Operation Pick Em games of the week, as well as one of the games we discussed on our weekly podcast, so I will keep it short. I think the big factors in this game will be how well Rutgers recovers from their traumatic loss to Maryland a week ago. The Knights, quietly, had the expectation that they could again remain undefeated late into the season and, perhaps, sneak into the national title picture. So, the upset loss to Maryland could, potentially, be a big emotional setback for the team. They will quickly need to refocus their goals on the Big East title. Cincinnati has been cruising along this season, without much challenge from their first five opponents, so it will be interesting to see how they fare against a tough, physical defense and a hearty, ball-control offense for the first time this season. I think this game will be determined by how well Cincy is able to spread the field/get their guys into open space and how well Rutgers is able to control possession and the clock. I believe it will be a close game, and for the Big East’s sake, I hope it is a fundamentally sound, well-played game that makes the conference look good. I like Cincy in a minor upset. Cincinnati 27, Rutgers 24

Last Week Record (4-3); Season Record (28-7)