The Eagles had yet another successful 2002 season, winning eight games, going bowling again, and finishing tied for third in the Big East. Things look to be that good or better this season. Eight starters on each side of the ball return for BC this season. Although talented RB William Green left, he took with him a lot of extra baggage that may have held BC back last season. Both kickers also return for the Eagles, who have seven of their twelve games in Chestnut Hill. The non-conference slate has only two tough games, a home matchup with Stanford and a road trip to Notre Dame. QB Brian St. Pierre, who is a senior this year, returns after his second team All-Big East selection in 2001. Four of the five offensive linemen return to block for St. Pierre. One member each of the defensive linemen, linebackers, and secondary were lost after last season, making the BC defense one of the more experienced in the conference. If all the pieces come together as it appears they should, this could be the Eagles’ best season in a while. Miami may be too far ahead to catch, but eight wins should be a reasonable goal, and double-digit wins is not out of the question.

After being left out of the National Championship game in 2000, the Hurricanes came back strong in ’02 to advance to the Rose Bowl. The ‘Canes knocked off Nebraska to claim the National Title, but there’s not as much experience returning for the ’02 season. Only three offensive starters and six defensive starters return for UM. The most important of the three offensive returnees is QB Ken Dorsey, who has led Miami to twenty-two consecutive victories and holds the school record for touchdowns at 58 with still a full year ahead of him. Besides Dorsey, only center Brett Romberg and outstanding junior WR Andre Johnson return for the ‘Cane offense. The secondary will be the most inexperienced side of the defense since none of ‘02’s starters return. All four members of the defensive line return, including fabulous DT William Joseph. Both Miami kickers also return for the 2002 season. Although the experience is not there, this should be another great year for UM football. The non-conference schedule has tough contests at Florida and Tennessee as well as a home game against Florida State. I think the ‘Canes will come up short in two of these OOC games but finish the conference slate without a blemish.

The Panthers, who finished tied for third in the Big East, went 7-5 last season on their way to a bowl appearance in 2001. This season, eight starters from each side of the ball return for Pitt as they try to go bowling again this season. The biggest hole to fill on the offense will be the one left by All-America WR Antonio Bryant. Quarterback could also be a concern as those two positions have the least amount of returning experience on offense. The defense’s strongest point appears to be LB, where all three players from ’01 return for the ’02 season. Only one member of the defensive secondary returns, and three DL return. Punter Andy Lee also returns for Pitt; he averaged over 40 yards per kick last season. The non-conference schedule has a tough game at home with Texas A&M as well as a challenging contest on the road at Notre Dame. Four of the Panthers’ first five games are at home, which should help get them off to a good start. Past that, though, four of the last seven are away from Pittsburgh. With so much experience returning, I think Pitt will again achieve about an seven- or eight-win season and go bowling again in 2002.

The Scarlet Knights struggled through a tough 2-9 season last year, one in which they failed to win a Big East game and finished dead last in the conference. There are sixteen returning starters on this year’s club though, plus the two kickers. Seven of the returnees are offensive players while nine of them are defensive players. All but one OL returns for the Scarlet Knights. Both the RB and FB are gone, however, making the backfield the most inexperienced part of Rutgers’s offense. Sophomore QB Ryan Cubit returns for his second season as head of the offense. Defensively, the Knights look good. Only two members of the DL are gone; the entire rest of the defense returns, including all the LBs and defensive secondary. Although it won’t be as good as a lot of defenses in the conference, this may be the most experienced group of all. Both kickers return to provide the special teams with a boost. Although Rutgers has a lot of experience, it will still take a while for the Knights to climb up in the conference standings. I expect Rutgers to struggle again this season, winning fewer games than necessary for a .500 season.

The Orangemen surprised a lot of people by winning ten games last season and going bowling. After losing their first two games, Syracuse finished the 2001 season with a 10-1 record, the only loss coming to Miami in Coral Gables. Only eight starters return from last year’s team, two on offense and six on defense. The good news is that one of the two offensive returnees is junior QB R.J. Anderson, who won the starting job before the halfway mark last season. Syracuse will have to replace four of five OL, the RB, FB, TE, and both WRs. Defensively, the Orangemen are in better shape. Half of the DL returns, and two of the three LBs are back for the 2002 season. Two of the four members of the SU secondary are back. Looking at the special teams, both the kicker and the punter are back. The non-conference schedule is one of the tougher ones in the conference, with games at BYU, Auburn, and UCF, as well as a home contest with North Carolina. The Orangemen have only five games at the Carrier Dome, and they go more than a month (October 6 – November 8) between home games midway through the season. The tough schedule and lack of experience lead to a less-successful season in ’02 but still one in which SU will contend for a winning record.

The Temple Owls were supposed to step up in 2001 and go to a bowl game. That didn’t happen last year, as the Owls went 4-7 and finished in sixth place in the Big East. Nine offensive starters and six defensive starters return for the 2002 campaign. The only members departing from the 2001 team on offense are the TE and one WR. The Owls will spread the field and use QB Mike McGann to throw his receivers the ball early and often. On defense, the picture is not as clear. Two of the four members of the DL are back while neither LB returns for Temple. Four of the five members of the Temple secondary return for the 2002 season, giving the Owls experience in defending the pass. Senior kicker Cap Poklemba returns for the special teams. The non-conference schedule is one of the weaker ones in the conference, with two of the Owls’ tough OOC games in Philly against Oregon State and Cincinnati. The only tough OOC road contest is at South Carolina. The Owls have experience, but they will again be at the bottom of the Big East standings. A .500 record would be extremely surprsing; three to four wins is likely.

The Hokies continued their run at the top of the conference last season with an 8-4 record and tied-for-third place finish in the Big East. A bowl trip followed, and the Hokies return six offensive and five defensive starters from that team last season. Although RB Lee Suggs, the 2000 Big East offensive player of the year, did not play due to injury last season, he might as well be counted as a returning starter. Kevin Jones will challenge Suggs for playing time at RB. QB Grant Noel also returns, but he will be challenged by incoming-freshman Marcus Vick, the younger brother of former VT QB Michael Vick. Defensively, the Hokies return two starters on the DL, only one LB, and two members of the secondary. Junior DE Nathaniel Adibi and senior CB Roynell Whitaker are two stars on the defense. The non-conference schedule is one of the Big East’s toughest, including contests at home against LSU, Marshall, and Virginia. There are also road games at Texas A&M and Western Michigan. Eight of VT’s thirteen games are in Blacksburg, and they begin with the first three games at home. I expect VT to challenge Miami until the very end of the season but come up short, ending up with about ten wins overall, give or take one. Another successful season.

West Virginia was shut out of postseason play last season after going bowling in 2000. The Mountaineers went 3-8 in ’01 and finished in seventh place in the Big East. But with a total of fifteen starters returning, seven on offense and eight on defense, WVU could be the Big East’s surprise team. Two members of the OL will need to be replaced, as will the QB and a WR. Senior RB Avon Cobourne may be the best player in the conference by year’s end; he has rushed for 1,000+ yards in each of his first three seasons. Defensively, all three DL return for the 2002 season, and two of the three LBs are back. Three of the five members of the defensive secondary also return. The punter returns for the Mountaineers, whose non-conference schedule has a several tough games on it. Road games at Wisconsin and Cincinnati as well as home contests with East Carolina and Maryland will make or break the Mountaineers’ season. If they can pull out three of their five OOC games, WVU should be able to capture a .500 season, if not better.