Big East bashers should heed Hurricane warning

Sporting News, The, May 31, 1999 by Mark Blaudschun

Big East football. Surely, you have heard of it and know the schools: Virginia Tech, Syracuse, West Virginia, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Boston College and, of course, Temple.

But the Big East really hasn't been all that big--or good--in its short life span.

When the Big East has been discussed, it has been in the context of, "Which league will take which team" when it finally collapses. But as we move toward the final season of the century, the Big East's image is improving.

Oh, it's no SEC or Big Ten, but it does have a pulse. Check out Virginia Tech, which has gone to six straight bowls. But, more important, the Big East has Miami, which is showing signs of returning to the form it displayed earlier this decade, when the Hurricanes traditionally were a top five team.

"Having Miami being competitive, being back as a top 20 team, is vital for us," says Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, who presided over league meetings this week in Jacksonville, Fla.

Tranghese, as much as anyone, knows the value of a top five team, which Miami was after winning four national titles from 1983 to '91. As much as Virginia Tech has been competitive, earning berths in the Orange and Sugar bowls this decade, the Hokies don't have a national image. Miami does. Butch Davis slowly has brought the Hurricanes back from the depths of probation to the brink of big things.

The bad news for Hurricanes fans is that the early-season schedule may be too tough--Ohio State, Penn State and Florida State--for first-year starting quarterback Kenny Kelly. Still, look for Miami, loaded on defense, to win the Big East.

"People ask me what's wrong with the league," Tranghese says. "I tell them absolutely nothing."

That might be stretching it. Temple is still a long way from being consistently competitive, and there are lingering questions about whether Rutgers can improve on last year's 5-6 mark. But the league may get a boost from Pittsburgh, which is showing promise under Walt Hams, and Boston College, where coach Tom O'Brien will begin to mold what many consider to be one of the school's best recruiting hauls.

The Big East, formed for football in 1991, was assembled from a group of Eastern independents that originally came together as a made-for-TV basketball league. The conference had a chance to get Penn State early but blew it. Imagine a Big East that featured Penn State-Pittsburgh, Penn State-Miami and Penn State-Syracuse matchups each year. Still, life is getting better in the Big East.

RELATED ARTICLE: recruiting dish

Coaches continue traveling the country and scouting players. A recent Nike Football Training Camp at USC drew some of southern California's top prospects, including QB Matt Casell of Chatsworth High (Van Nuys), RB Chris Howard of Banning High (Wilmington), OL Joe McGuire of Servite High (Anaheim) and RB/LB Matt Grootegoed of Mater Dei (Santa Ana). The best will be invited to participate in schools' summer camps for further evaluation.... A player who is on every school's wish list is Saginaw (Mich.) High WR Charles Rogers, who runs a 10.4 100 meters. According to Rivalnet, some project Rogers (6-4) as the top prospect in the nation.... A player on the rise in the South is Dublin (Ga.) High LB Dreak Pooler. He sheds blocks and accelerates well. He also does a great job in pass coverage. Pooler (6-2, 220) says he would prefer to play in the SEC.... Ohio State recently received a verbal commitment from stud OL Alex Stepanovich, who also considered Michigan and Michigan State. --Tom Dienhart

RELATED ARTICLE: inside dish

Talk of receiver Peter Warrick declaring for the NFL's supplemental draft has folks in Tallahassee, Fla., worried. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden doesn't need anything to detract from a dub that has big-time national title hopes. Still, should Warrick bolt, FSU has many weapons--tailback Travis Minor, quarterback Chris Weinke and wideout Ron Dugans.... The BCS folks are talking about adding a fifth bowl to their four-bowl rotation (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange) as a way of avoiding the stink created last year when Kansas State was shuffled off to the mid-major Alamo Bowl after closing the regular season with only one loss. But are there 10 elite teams worthy of filling spots in five BCS bowls every season? It's doubtful; 1998 may have been an aberration.... Quincy Carter's freshman success has caused four Georgia quarterbacks to leave. Nate Hybl is at Oklahoma, Daniel Cobb transferred to a junior college, Michael Usry is at South Florida and Jon England will coach high school football. Walk-on Cory Phillips and freshman Regan Torbert are the reserves.... Michigan fans should be concerned that hotshot quarterback Drew Henson has opted to spend the summer playing in the Yankees' system at Class A Tampa in the Florida State League. A summer spent in Ann Arbor honing his passing skills would have gone a long way toward helping Henson beat pedestrian Tom Brady for the starting job.... The Liberty Bowl is flexing its muscles now that it has struck a deal to match the Conference USA champ against the Mountain West titlist. The Big East is working on a deal to send its No. 4 team to Hawaii (for the Aloha or Oahu bowls) or the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.... Lou Holtz's rebuilding got easier when it was announced running back Troy Hambrick, South Carolina's top rusher, has his school work in order He was excused from spring ball so he could shape up his grades.