Thanks to NCAA 14, the Big East has football again this year! Come take a look!

With the college football season kicking off (get it?) tonight, we here at Big East Coast Bias are a bit sad. We're the only major conference blog without Division I football.

How did we cure that sadness? Video games, of course! The solution to all of life's problems.

We took a journey to an alternate reality where the Big East still had football. Here's how the 2015-16 season played out.

NOTE: This is on NCAA 14, the last NCAA Football game made. There's no College Football Playoff. I'm bummed, too. But at least I have 2015-16 rosters!

Also when you move teams into different conferences, you can't change their schedules, so the schedules ended up kind of wonky here. Regardless, this is how 2015-16 Big East football would play out.

Preseason

After a couple changes (unfortunately, you can't change the name of the conference), we were ready to make this happen.

Coming into the season, all eight teams are unranked. Also, yes, I picked UConn as the team to control. It's a sim, so I'm not actually "controlling" them, but I had to pick a team and I love me some Bob Diaco. Also this conference has zero first or second team All-Americans.

Week 1

FCS East 35, UConn 17

The FCS East team is technically Villanova, if we're going by authentic 2015-16 schedules, but this is still a rough loss for UConn to take. This FCS team doesn't have John "Pinball" Robertson playing quarterback.

Rutgers 41, Fresno State 14

That's more like it. Rutgers was aided by a 3 TD performance from QB Chris Laviano. The defense also held Fresno State scoreless in the second half.

Cincinnati 14, Purdue 7

BIG TEN FOOTBALL AT IT'S ABSOLUTE FINEST. Purdue scored first, in the first quarter. Cincy scored in the second and third. That's about all there is to say about this one.

Temple 10, (13) Notre Dame 27

That'll happen. Temple had a chance, with a 10-10 tie at the game, but the Irish proved to be too tough, scoring 17 unanswered.

Louisville 44, Ohio 17

Louisville is probably this conference's best hope at making any noise in the postseason, and they began the season with a bang by putting the boots to the Bobcats.

Week 2

North Carolina 38, Pittsburgh 24

One of only two games this week (thanks computer scheduling), saw the Big East take yet another loss as the Tar Heels took care of business in Pittsburgh. That's Pitt Football, for ya.

Cincinnati 31, Illinois 14

Cincy keeps rolling right along as they knock off the DePaul of college football, Illinois. This game was 14-14 at the half before Cincy turned on the jets and pulled away. As they should, really. No team should lose to Illinois this year.

Week 3

Seven games the week after having only two. This scheduling is wild, man.

Maryland 17, UConn 16 (0-2)

An absolutely crushing loss for the Huskies. After scoring the first 16 points of the game, and holding Maryland without a point until 5:40 in the third quarter, UConn managed to blow it. This is the most painful loss we've seen so far.

Temple 28 (1-1), FCS East 3

Temple rebounds nicely from their loss against Notre Dame with a win over FCS East. Never in doubt here, as Temple scored 28 points, then blew the shutout with a minute to go.

New Mexico 31, Pitt 19 (0-2)

Pitt Football remains Pitt Football. Sure, New Mexico improved to 3-0 with the victory, but this is still probably a game Pitt should have won.

Louisville 24 (2-0), Kentucky 21

GOVERNOR'S CUP ACTION! This one was a nice back and forth tilt that saw Kentucky winning with two minutes to go. Fear not, though, Cardinals fans, Will Gardner saved the day.

Rutgers 35 (2-0), Eastern Michigan 9

Through two games, Rutgers is averaging a shade over 35 points per game, while allowing 12 per game. That's a ratio that'll win you some football games.

Syracuse 35 (1-0), FCS West 17

Nice of you to finally join us, Cuse. Though I must say, I expect more out of a team that had back to back weeks off to open the year than 35 points against an FCS squad.

Florida Atlantic 24, USF 23 (0-1)

If I expected more out of Cuse, and they still won, what do you think I'm going to say to you, USF? YOU HAD TWO WEEKS OFF TO OPEN THE YEAR AND STILL LOST TO FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT HOME.

Week 4

Michigan 41, UConn 24 (0-3)

Well, UConn, that's what you get when you don't win your cupcake games. Eventually you play real competition and you can't beat them either. There's been a lot of Big East/Big Ten action so far. It's like a football version of the Gavitt Games!

Syracuse 20 (2-0), Tulane 17

The most well rested team in the conference took care of business for a second straight week, albeit in very pedestrian fashion again.

Pitt 31 (0-3), Duke 34

Oh boy. The post-Paul Chryst Era is off to a dreadful start for Pittsburgh. Two pick-sixes: one with a minute to go in the first half, one a minute into the second half, gave Duke 14 points. Pitt Football.

Rutgers 30 (3-0), (14) Arkansas 17

Our first big upset of the year! Rutgers came out and hung 24 unanswered on Arkansas to start the game and continue their undefeated season.

Cincinnati 35 (3-0), Miami (Ohio) 31

VICTORY BELL ACTION! Cincy rolls to 3-0 after an early scare during which Miami took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.

Louisville 24 (3-0), FIU 12

The Cardinals keep rolling right along. Nothing to see here.

Through four weeks, five of the eight teams in the conference are either 3-0 or 0-3.

Week 5

Buffalo 42, UConn 31 (0-4)

I've started to feel bad for UConn at this point. They've scored over 20 points in each of the last two weeks, and had their defense totally let them down by giving up 40+. They actually had the game in hand here before giving up two touchdowns in the final five minutes.

Maryland 16, Syracuse 3 (2-1)

Maryland has outscored the Big East 33-19 this year. That's quite enough of you, Maryland.

Temple 31 (2-1), Idaho 24

This one was a thriller. Tied in the closing seconds, Temple decided to run one more play to the endzone instead of settling for a longer field goal. They scored a TD on the centering play. I don't blame them for doing it, who trusts #COLLEGEKICKERS?

PItt 41 (1-3), Virginia 17

Looks like Pitt got a little angry about me making fun of them for the last three weeks! Welcome to the win column, Pitt. Glad to have ya.

Miami 41, USF 15 (0-2)

Well, if you can't beat Florida Atlantic at home, you're certainly not gonna beat Miami on the road. Good job, good effort, USF.

Week 6

Louisville 31 (4-0, 1-0), Temple 17 (2-2, 0-1)

Hey! Conference play finally started! Louisville keeps rolling right along as they take care of business, yet again. Will they be ranked next week?

Cincinnati 21 (4-0, 1-0), USF 7 (0-3, 0-1)

Cincy's defense comes to play again as they shut USF out for the final three quarters of this one. USF is very bad.

Syracuse 28 (3-1, 0-0), (19) Clemson 13

The second biggest upset the Big East has seen this year behind Rutgers' drubbing of Arkansas. Big win for the Orange following their loss to Maryland last week.

(25) Rutgers 24 (4-0), SMU 17

Rutgers came out and hung 17 points in the first quarter, before giving the entire lead back in the second. The third quarter was scoreless and Rutgers scored the deciding TD early in the fourth.

Week 7

UConn 31 (1-4, 1-0), USF 23 (0-4, 0-2)

UConn finally won a game! Granted it was against the one team in the conference they're better than, but a win's a win. Related: USF is bad.

(22) Rutgers 24 (5-0, 1-0), Louisville 17 (4-1, 1-1)

The same week in which the two worst teams in the conference faced off, the two best teams did as well. Rutgers continues their magical run and looks to become bowl-eligible next week.

Temple 24 (3-2, 1-1), Cincinnati 7 (4-1, 1-1)

Certainly wasn't expecting this. Cincy's been so good this season, I expected them to roll right over Temple. I couldn't have been more wrong as Temple had a 24-0 lead at the half. Rutgers is the conference's only undefeated team left.

Syracuse 31 (4-1, 0-0), (10) FSU 17

Look at Syracuse! Back to back wins against top 20 teams. Impressive, even though this isn't the FSU team of the past.

(5) Notre Dame 31, Pitt 10 (1-4, 0-0)

This year's been an absolute disaster for Pitt so far. That wasn't changing this week as the Irish beat the Panthers pretty easily.

Week 8

Cincinnati 34 (5-1, 2-1), UConn 21 (1-5, 1-1)

Bouncing off a bad loss last week against Temple, Cincy gets back on track with a win against UConn. They'll look to become bowl-eligible next week.

Temple 34 (4-2, 1-1), Memphis 10

Cincy bounced back from a bad loss at Temple, Temple kept rolling after a great win against Cincy. No emotional hangover here. What was a 14-10 game going into the 4th quarter quickly got out of hand.

SMU 34, USF 17 (0-5, 0-2)

USF isn't going to win a game this year, are they?

Week 9

BCS Rankings (LOL Remember those?)

(9) Rutgers

(19) Syracuse

Temple 26 (5-2, 1-1), UCF 23 OT

Temple keeps rolling! They'll look to clinch their spot in a bowl game next week.

Pittsburgh 28 (2-4, 1-0), (10) Rutgers 14 (5-1, 1-1)

We can't ever have nice things, thanks to Rutgers. They get a top 10 ranking for the first time in a while, and promptly blow it to one of the worst teams in the conference. Never change, Scarlet Knights.

Louisville 45 (5-1, 2-1), USF 24 (0-6, 0-3)

Nothing to see here. It was 31-0 at the half. USF isn't winning a game this season.

(16) Syracuse (5-1, 1-0) 41, Cincinnati 13 (5-2, 2-2)

Wow. Cuse is for real. Devante McFarlane rushed for three touchdowns and the Orange led the whole way.

Week 10

BCS Rankings

(16) Syracuse

(20) Rutgers

(23) Louisville

SMU 41, UConn 35 (1-6, 1-1)

Pretty nightmarish first year for Bob Diaco at UConn. Husky fans have to be hoping art doesn't imitate life.

(20) Rutgers 24 (6-1, 2-1), Temple 17 (5-3, 1-2)

Rutgers is going bowling! If they run the table and their only loss of the year is to Pitt, of all schools, I'll laugh.

(16) Syracuse 24 (6-1, 2-0), USF 14 (0-7, 0-4)

USF was actually winning this 14-9 going into the fourth before Syracuse got their heads on straight and took care of business.

(23) Louisville 36 (6-1, 2-1), Memphis 22

Louisville keeps taking care of business. They're going bowling.

Pitt 45 (3-4, 2-0), Cincy 19 (5-3, 2-3)

Oh you thought the River City Rivalry was dead till 2023? NOT HERE! What a tailspin for Cincy. What a rebound for Pitt after they looked dead in the water. Back to back wins over Rutgers and Cincy. 

Week 11

BCS Rankings

(13) Syracuse

(20) Rutgers

(22) Louisville

(22) Louisville 20 (7-1, 3-1), UConn 10 (UConn 1-7, 1-2)

Business as usual, here. Louisville keeps rolling, UConn keeps falling.

Pitt 28 (4-4, 3-0). USF 7 (0-8, 0-5)

It's a shame there's no conference championship game, or Pitt would be right in the running. What a turnaround for them.

Cincy 27 (6-3, 2-3), SMU 10

This one was over before it started, as Cincy hung 21 in the first quarter. They'd be really good if they didn't have to ever play conference games.

(20) Rutgers 35 (7-1, 3-1), (13) Syracuse 21 (6-2, 2-1)

Our game of the week saw the clock strike midnight for Syracuse, as they jumped out to an early 21-13 leads, but led Rutgers score 22 unanswered to win the game.

Week 12

BCS Rankings

(13) Rutgers

(18) Syracuse

(22) Louisville

UConn 24 (6-3, 2-2), (18) Syracuse (6-3, 2-2) 17

UConn with a massive upset! Syracuse is in full-blown meltdown mode.

Cincy 41 (7-3, 3-3), (13) Rutgers 17 (7-2, 3-2)

Brilliant strategy by every ranked team in the conference to lose. Let's see how that works out for them.

Pitt 31 (5-4, 4-0), (22) Louisville 28 (7-2, 3-2)

Seriously. Bang up job, you three. Three ranked teams coming into this week. They all lose. Props to Pitt for doing a full 180 on their season, I must say.

USF 30 (1-8, 1-5), Temple 24 (5-4, 1-3) OT

This is officially the weirdest week we've had yet, by far. USF is winning games now? Get to your fallout shelters.

Week 13

Bowl Projections:

Beef O'Brady's Bowl: Syracuse vs. Tulane

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Rutgers vs. Bowling Green

AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Louisville vs. Boston College

Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia vs. Pitt

BBVA Compass Bowl: Tennessee vs. Cincinnati

BCS Rankings

(19) Rutgers

Temple 35 (6-4, 2-3), UConn 10 (2-8, 2-3)

Bob Diaco's first year can't end soon enough as Temple becomes bowl eligible.

UCF 35, (19) Rutgers 34 (7-3, 3-2)

Everything was going right for Rutgers in this game. They led 31-7 at the half, and 31-14 going into the fourth quarter. Then they bottomed out. We're probably looking at a BCS rankings with zero Big East teams next week.

Louisville 27 (8-2, 3-2). Houston 23

Not so fast with that statement. Louisville should work their way back into the BCS rankings thanks to a touchdown in the final seconds of this one.

Memphis 20, USF 17 (1-9, 1-5)

Come on. You didn't think USF would win two in a row, did you?

Syracuse 24 (7-3, 3-2), Pitt 21 (5-5, 4-1)

Pitt's first conference loss really couldn't have come at a worse time. A win would have virtually locked them into that Fiesta Bowl spot. Now things get interesting.

Week 14

Bowl Projections:

New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico vs. Temple

AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Syracuse vs. Ole Miss

Russell Athletic Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Clemson

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Louisville

Sugar Bowl: South Carolina vs. Pittsburgh

BBVA Compass Bowl: Tennessee vs. Rutgers

UConn 31 (3-8, 3-3), Rutgers 21 (7-4, 3-3)

A season that started off so promising for Rutgers has now gone entirely off the rails.

UCF 21, USF 17 (1-10, 1-5)

Nothing to see here.

Cincinnati 31 (8-3, 3-3), Houston 10

Dominating game from start to finish for the Bearcats who led 24-0 at the half.

Temple 31 (7-4, 3-3), Pitt 28 (5-6, 4-2) OT

There needs to be a case study done on Pitt, who has the best record in conference play, still, but aren't bowl eligible at the moment.

Louisville 28 (9-2, 4-2), Syracuse 13 (7-4, 3-3)

Louisville likely will have jumped Pitt for that BCS bowl spot with this victory.

Week 15

Bowl Projections:

Beef O'Brady's Bowl: Temple vs. Tulane

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Louisville vs. Bowling Green

AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Syracuse vs. Army

Russell Athletic Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Clemson

Fiesta Bowl: Iowa State vs. Pitt (who, at this point in time, is still not bowl eligible at 5-6)

BBVA Compass Bowl: Arizona State vs. Rutgers

BCS Rankings

(23) Louisville

Pittsburgh 31 (6-6, 5-2), UConn 12 (3-9, 3-4)

Well, at least Pitt is finally bowl eligible. They scored 21 in the first to put UConn out of their misery with a 3-9 finish.

(23) Louisville 27 (10-2, 5-2), Cincy 3 (8-4, 3-4)

Double digit wins for the Cardinals, but we have to wonder what might have been had they not gakked away games to Pitt and Rutgers.

Temple 12 (8-4, 4-3), Syracuse 7 (7-5, 3-4)

What an ugly game. It was 7-3 Cuse at the half before Temple came storming back to win with nine fourth quarter points.

Rutgers 29 (8-4, 4-3), USF 10 (1-11, 1-6)

Rutgers salvaged their season by beating one of the worst teams i've ever seen in my years playing this game.

BOWL SEASON

All-Americans (Second Team): Rutgers HB Paul James: 227 Carries, 1363 yards, 15 TDs

Final BCS Rankings

(20) Louisville

Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State (8-5) vs. Cincinnati (8-4)

Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols had an absolute field day with Cincy's defense, carrying the ball 43 times for 217 yards and FIVE touchdowns. Boise wins easily by a 42-7 margin over Cincinnati.

Belk Bowl: NC State (7-5) vs. Syracuse (7-5)

Cuse was in the house in Charlotte as the Orange held off the Wolfpack's late surge for a 24-17 victory.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Louisville (10-2) vs. Utah (6-6)

You think Louisville felt they should be in a better bowl game? Running back Brandon Radcliff ran for three touchdowns in a game that was never particularly close. Louisville wins 38-9.

AdvoCare V100 Bowl: Temple (8-4) vs. Arizona State (6-6)

Temple had some really good games this season, and Temple had some really bad games this season. This one was the latter as ASU rolled to a 29-6 victory.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Texas (10-2) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)

One of the biggest mismatches on paper led to one of the biggest upsets of all of bowl season. Texas got on the board first with a field goal on their field drive, and Pitt HELD THEM SCORELESS FOR THE REST OF THE GAME! Pitt wins 31-3.

BBVA Compass Bowl: Rutgers (8-4) vs. Arkansas State (8-4)

The Big East's final bowl game of the year saw Rutgers salvage their season which had been going off the rails. Chris Laviano threw for four touchdowns as the Scarlet Knights carved up Arkansas State, 41-3.

Final Standings

Place	Team	W-L	Conf. W-L	PF	PA
1	Pittsburgh	7-6	5-2	368	289
2	Louisville	11-2	5-2	389	226
3	Rutgers	9-4	4-3	369	264
4	Temple	8-5	4-3	295	253
5	Cincinnati	8-5	3-4	283	293
6	UConn	3-9	3-4	262	357
7	Syracuse	8-5	3-4	291	252
8	USF	1-11	1-6	204	342

Conclusion

If you're a football fan pining for the old Big East, I hope we've quenched your thirst. If nothing else, this made me realize how archaic college football was before they (finally) adopted a playoff.

Enjoy the season, everyone!