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There's nothing to update you about on the Big East expansion front or the dueling lawsuits of the Big East and West Virginia. Cincinnati survived on the football field as the only team unbeaten in Big East play this past week. Louisville has made a run during the last three weeks and is now in second place at 3-1 in conference. The Positive Impact Factor (what's this?) has been updated and there is a new number one, although the race between the top three guys is nearly dead even now.
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Touches | Total TD | Neg Play | XNeg Play | XPos Play | PIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | B.J. Daniels | South Florida | 362 | 16 | 35.6 | 15.5 | 4.4 | 53.2 |
| 2. | Zach Collaros | Cincinnati | 304 | 22 | 32.9 | 21.6 | 7.2 | 52.7 |
| 3. | Ryan Nassib | Syracuse | 340 | 20 | 37.1 | 16.3 | 5.9 | 52.5 |
| 4. | Teddy Bridgewater | Louisville | 231 | 9 | 35.5 | 23 | 3.9 | 45.4 |
| 5. | Tino Sunseri | Pittsburgh | 371 | 11 | 39.6 | 23.7 | 3 | 39.6 |
| 6. | Geno Smith | West Virginia | 406 | 24 | 39.4 | 32.5 | 5.9 | 34 |
| 7. | Johnny McEntee | Connecticut | 284 | 9 | 52.1 | 27.5 | 3.2 | 23.5 |
| 8. | Gary Nova | Rutgers | 224 | 9 | 52.7 | 42.6 | 4 | 8.8 |
Daniels moved back into first place even though his team lost to Rutgers and he played below his season average. Gary Nova's -29.6 was one of the worst performances of the season but Chas Dodd gave Rutgers a chance to win with a key touchdown. It's not really that Daniels moved up so much as it was that Collaros and Nassib moved down. They both played under their average and turned games that did not need to be close into hotly contested ones. Collaros escaped his game with a win. Sunseri turned in a little better PIF than Collaros but it was not enough to lift Pitt over Cincy. In Syracuse's case, their defense was great against McEntee but couldn't stop Scott McCommings whose PIF of 76.9 was the best in the Big East in Week 10. He scored a touchdown on 15.4% of his touches. The Orange offense did nothing with the 4 turnovers they forced from UConn QBs. From Bridgewater on down, the standings didn't change. Despite the difference in TDs and yards, Bridgewater outplayed Geno Smith from a PIF standpoint. Although, there is no doubt questionable playcalling from West Virginia helped the Cards win their third in a row.
Now for the defenses:
| Rank | Team | Touches | Total TD | Neg Play | XNeg Play | XPos Play | PIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rutgers | 330 | 10 | 46.1 | 35.5 | 3 | 21.5 |
| 2. | Cincinnati | 354 | 14 | 38.1 | 40.9 | 4 | 24.9 |
| 3. | South Florida | 349 | 14 | 43.6 | 31.1 | 4 | 29.3 |
| 4. | West Virginia | 343 | 13 | 40.5 | 28.6 | 3.8 | 34.7 |
| 5. | Connecticut | 398 | 17 | 40.7 | 26.5 | 4.3 | 37.1 |
| 6. | Syracuse | 397 | 20 | 38.5 | 24.5 | 5 | 42 |
| 7. | Louisville | 352 | 14 | 38.6 | 16.1 | 4 | 49.2 |
| 8. | Pittsburgh | 407 | 14 | 41.5 | 9.9 | 3.4 | 52.1 |
The Rutgers defense has been taking some lumps over the past few weeks but remains the #1 ranked PIF defense in the league. Cincinnati is creeping back into the picture after losing the top spot in Week Five. South Florida moved ahead of West Virginia this week. From UConn on down, the standings remained the same although Syracuse made a substantial jump in overall PIF despite being the only team to give up a TD to an opposing QB on 5% of their touches.
Cincinnati's defense vs. Geno Smith this weekend should make for an interesting matchup. Smith shouldn't have any problem moving the ball in the air, but will he avoid turnovers against a team that has been great at inducing them? West Virginia's inconsistent defense may either shutdown Collaros or make him look amazing. Syracuse and South Florida have two of the top PIF performers in the league at QB this season, but will they play like it tonight? If Pittsburgh is going to put an end to Louisville's Big East win streak, they'll need their defense to force errors from Teddy Bridgewater. If the Panthers could keep Tino Sunseri upright (he's been sacked 12.2% of the time he drops back to throw in 2011), that would also help their chances. The top PIF ranked Rutgers defense gets to play another option team in Army this week. They did a good job against Navy in a win. The Scarlet Knights might get a break and have to face Trent Steelman's backup Max Jenkins.
Check out previous weeks of the Big East Positive Impact Factor: