The Emergence of the Big East Conference as a Football Powerhouse

In college football, there are elite conferences that everyone knows like the Pac 10, big Ten, ACC and SEC. Add one more conference to that lofty list: The Big East. Known almost exclusively as a conference with major basketball teams that challenge yearly for the championship, Big East teams in football gained ground on their competition this year. Rutgers, Louisville, West Virginia and Cincinnati all had Bowl games and the Big East went 4-0 in Bowl games, the only conference to go undefeated.

The Big East was given no respect this past year. Last year West Virginia emerged as they won their bowl game and were expected to be first in their conference this year. However, under coach Bobby Patrino, Louisville went 12-1 in the regular season and was ranked for several weeks in the top 5.

That was until fellow big East team Rutgers beat Louisville in New Jersey where the Scarlet Knights had a huge upset victory over Louisville. Fans stormed the field in jubilation and players were thrown onto shoulders and in the air. The Rutgers victory over Louisville was one of the biggest wins in the history of Rutgers football. Rutgers went undefeated as they beat Louisville until they lost 2 of their remaining games including a big loss to West Virginia, a team that still showed it was one of the best in the nation. The West Virginia coach was also rumored to be taking the Miami Hurricanes and Alabama tide head coaching vacancy but he declined. However, the day after Rutgers upset Louisville, Rutgers vaulted into the top 10 poll.

Cincinnati is also a team that seemed to come out of nowhere. Cincinnati quietly had a very good season and no one really talked about them until they snuck up on their competition.

The Big East is no longer a basketball conference and now as tougher opponents are being scheduled, the big East will soon have a team contending to play in the national championship game.

Fans in the Big East are flocking to games and are recalling memories when Syracuse had some of the best recruits in the nation like quarterback Donavan McNabb leading the way. Syracuse has still not regained its lofty status but its program is definitely on the way up to the top. One thing is for sure though, the Big East teams all play tough defense and are an imposing challenge for teams in other conferences.