On the field last week, Cincinnati lost Zach Collaros and their first Big East game and South Florida won their first Big East game. Munchie Legaux fill in for Collaros against West Virginia and turned in a respectable 43.9 Positive Impact Factor (what's this?). If the Bearcats are going to hang on to their Big East lead, they'll need him to play at least that well against Rutgers #1 ranked Big East PIF defense. Now we turn to the updated standings:
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Touches | Total TD | Neg Play | XNeg Play | XPos Play | PIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | B.J. Daniels | South Florida | 417 | 17 | 33.6 | 13.5 | 4.1 | 57 |
| 2. | Ryan Nassib | Syracuse | 393 | 22 | 38.7 | 13.3 | 5.6 | 53.6 |
| 3. | Zach Collaros | Cincinnati | 319 | 22 | 33.2 | 23.2 | 6.9 | 50.4 |
| 4. | Teddy Bridgewater | Louisville | 267 | 10 | 34.8 | 23.2 | 3.7 | 45.7 |
| 5. | Tino Sunseri | Pittsburgh | 407 | 13 | 38.3 | 21.8 | 3.2 | 43 |
| 6. | Chas Dodd | Rutgers | 184 | 9 | 47.3 | 15.2 | 4.9 | 42.4 |
| 7. | Geno Smith | West Virginia | 456 | 25 | 39.5 | 27.2 | 5.5 | 38.7 |
| 8. | Johnny McEntee | Connecticut | 284 | 9 | 52.1 | 27.5 | 3.2 | 23.5 |
| 9. | Gary Nova | Rutgers | 224 | 9 | 52.7 | 42.6 | 4 | 8.8 |
Welcome Chas Dodd back to the standings. Dodd only had a 27.9 PIF against Army but Rutgers still won against the Black Knights. Dodd's ability to produce touchdowns on nearly 5% of his touches without the turnovers of Gary Nova should keep him in the starting spot. Collaros is out for the rest of the regular season so it will now likely be a two-man race between B.J. Daniels and Ryan Nassib for first in the standings...if only their teams could say that. Geno Smith made a big move toward the top half of the standings with a PIF of 63 in a win over Cincinnati. Tino Sunseri continues to play better and put up a 80.6 PIF against Louisville in a win this past week.
Now for the defenses:
| Rank | Team | Touches | Total TD | Neg Play | XNeg Play | XPos Play | PIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rutgers | 375 | 10 | 43.2 | 31.4 | 2.7 | 28.1 |
| 2. | Cincinnati | 404 | 15 | 38.4 | 36.5 | 3.7 | 28.9 |
| 3. | South Florida | 405 | 16 | 44 | 26.2 | 4 | 33.8 |
| 4. | West Virginia | 387 | 14 | 40.6 | 29.1 | 3.6 | 34 |
| 5. | Connecticut | 398 | 17 | 40.7 | 26.5 | 4.3 | 37.1 |
| 6. | Syracuse | 452 | 21 | 36.3 | 21.3 | 4.6 | 47.1 |
| 7. | Louisville | 388 | 16 | 37.7 | 14.9 | 4.1 | 51.8 |
| 8. | Pittsburgh | 443 | 15 | 40.6 | 10.5 | 3.4 | 52.2 |
The race in the defensive standings is heating up as the season wraps up. Rutgers' big lead over Cincinnati is now paper thin. Interestingly enough, the two teams play Saturday. Dodd looks to be the starter again while Legaux will make his first collegiate start against the league's hardest team for a QB to score on. Louisville is looking to be bowl eligible on Saturday when they play UConn. Teddy Bridgewater might score on the Huskies' defense but maybe not without at least 1 turnover. South Florida isn't going anywhere in the conference this year but could help the league's battered image with a win over Miami on Saturday. Jacory Harris comes into the game having his best PIF season at Miami with a 53.9. Can the Bulls stop Harris who has only six turnovers and has produced a TD on 7.1% of his touches this year?
Check out previous weeks of the Big East Positive Impact Factor: