Presto's Picks--Beware the Big East Monster...

“Oscar winner Pauly Shore” was as likely to be uttered as “10th ranked Rutgers” even a few years ago. What an incredible job in Piscataway by coach Greg Schiano in bringing winning ways to a losing culture. And it’s ridiculous somebody didn’t do it sooner. Believe it or not, all the elements for success are there. First, New York City is just around the corner—even the 15th biggest story draws a lot of eyeballs in the number one media market. There’s no other Division I-A football in the area (Army has the luster but not the commitment, Connecticut’s too new to the scene). New Jersey is a major recruiting hotbed that Penn State cherry-picked for years. With the Nittany Lions’ recent problems over the last decade and Syracuse’s (the Orange also mine a lot of Garden State talent) decline this decade, there are a lot of local kids looking for someplace good to play. The Big East is a manageable conference even if you’re rebuilding; and the luxury of five non-league games gives you ample opportunity to pad the victory total. Question is, will Schiano continue to build a potential juggernaut or will he be lured away by the dollars and prestige of a name program? #17 VIRGINIA TECH vs North Carolina— ACC play finally begins for the Hokies (Miami the only other school yet to play a conference game) and the team still is looking for its offensive line to gel. The team ranks 11th in the league on offense and averages just 3.1 yards a carry. Even the insertion of a more mobile Tyrod Taylor at quarterback hasn’t yielded more from runningback Branden Ore—the sophomore is on a pace to gain less than have the yards he tallied last year. Thank goodness Virginia Tech’s league opener is rebuilding UNC--so far the Tar Heels have lost to East Carolina and South Florida; why isn’t West Texas on the slate? HOKIES handle the Tar Heels 33-14. MARYLAND at #10 Rutgers—the Terps’ 2006 run through the ACC was sparked by the Terps’ 20 point comeback against Virginia; how will a collapse from 21 points up at Wake Forest affect their 2007 hopes? Recently this team has had trouble protecting the passer (15 sacks allowed over three weeks) and the pass rush has dried up (two sacks in three games). Stopping Scarlet Knights runningback Ray Rice will be a priority: the junior averages 143 yards a game. Say what you will about Villanova and Florida International, but Rutgers’ schedule is downright embarrassing—how can you be impressed by wins over Norfolk State and Buffalo (they’ve already beaten Navy and play Army in November—who do they think they are, Notre Dame?)…TERPS tumble 34-16. VIRGINIA vs Pitt— One of the most egregious sins of recent time has been the de-branding of the Panthers. Back in the 70’s and 80’s no Eastern school was cooler to follow than Pitt—Tony Dorsett (pronounced ‘DOR-sitt’, not ‘Dor-SET’ like when he played for Dallas), Hugh Green, Dan Marino and Craig Heyward were too much fun to watch. The key, as always with sports, was the laundry—they had the coolest uniforms (PITT in huge letters on each side of the helmet). For some reason in the 90’s the school decided to refer to itself at “Pittsburgh” and have a panther’s head on the side of the helmet---sending the program into downward spiral, second worse to hiring Dave Wannstedt (great lieutenant, not-so-great captain). Did he have his NFL head coaching stops photo-shopped out of his resume? CAVALIERS cruise 21-13. Elsewhere—NAVY falls to Air Force, HOWARD slips to Winston-Salem, GEORGETOWN can’t compete with Holy Cross, JAMES MADISON gets by Villanova, RICHMOND tops New Hampshire. (6-2 last week, 20-7 this fall)