Sportsbook Big East Gambling Preview | Betting Odds

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

NCAAF: Big East seeks respect

The Big East is still hurting from the defections of Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech a few years ago, but the Conference is not as bad off as you may think.



Sportsbook.com will be previewing all the major conferences leading up to the first college game of the year in late August. Note that Odds-to-Win the Big East are listed in parenthesis.

West Virginia Mountaineers (10:11)

2007 Record: 11-2, 5-2 Big East
2008 Over/Under in Wins: 9.5

West Virginia had a tremendous season last year at 11-2, but they weren’t taken seriously until their 48-28 thumping of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. That bowl win was with Bill Stewart as the interim coach after Rich Rodriguez departed for Michigan. Stewart signed a five-year contract right after the big win over the Sooners.

It’s hard to imagine that WVU was overlooked last year considering they had a Top 10 scoring offense and defense. Quarterback Pat White has returned for his senior season and the offense should thrive even without tailback Steve Slaton. The defense will likely take a step back with the majority of the starters gone, but they are still heavy favorites to win the conference.

South Florida Bulls (5:2)

2007 Record: 9-4, 4-3 Big East
2008 Over/Under in Wins: 9

South Florida is another Big East team that did the conference proud last year, producing nine wins including an overtime victory at SEC’s Auburn. They were even ranked number two in the nation at one point. Unfortunately, their lasting memory is a 56-21 blowout loss to Oregon in the Sun Bowl.

The Bulls return almost all their starters from the nation’s 43rd-ranked offense. The defense suffered big losses of linebacker Ben Moffitt and cornerback Mike Jenkins, but others are ready to fill the void. Throw in an underrated coach in Jim Leavitt, and an easy schedule up until the last game at West Virginia, and USF could crack the Top 10 again this season.

Pittsburgh Panthers (5:1)

2007 Record: 5-7, 3-4 Big East

Pittsburgh finished below .500 last year overall and in the conference, and fans are still waiting for coach Dave Wannstedt to show off some of that NFL pedigree. Considering how some of his teams fared in the pros though, maybe that’s not such a great thing.

The marquee name on Pittsburgh is running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy is a Heisman Trophy candidate after gaining over 1,300 yards last year, and Sportsbook.com has him at 10:1 odds to win the award. The defense looks great on paper, and they can surprise the conference if junior quarterback, Bill Stull plays well after last year’s thumb injury.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5:1)

2007 Record: 8-5, 3-4 Big East

Coach Greg Schiano remains one of the country’s hottest names. He turned down an offer from Michigan this past winter, a curious move that will look even worse if Rutgers has another below .500 season in the conference.

Quarterback Mike Teel is back to lead a solid passing attack, but it will suffer some with the loss of running back Ray Rice and three starters on the offensive line. The defense was ranked 17th nationally last year, and they could be slightly better this time around. Still, Pittsburgh has more value at 5:1 odds than the Scarlet Knights.

Cincinnati Bearcats (8:1)

2007 Record: 10-3, 4-3 Big East

It’s a little surprising that Cincinnati has better odds to win the conference than Connecticut, as some pre-season polls have those teams reversed. Part of the reason is that the Bearcats racked up 10 wins last year, going 6-0 in non-conference games including a Bowl win over Southern Miss.

Coach Brian Kelly’s offense was 16th in the nation in scoring last year. Quarterback Ben Mauk appears to be gone after trying to get another year of eligibility from the NCAA. Fortunately, they have another solid senior in Dustin Grutza. The defense has some holes to fill, but they’ll be fine if they continue to cause turnovers like they have.

Big East Field

Connecticut provides good value at 10:1 to win the Big East. Remember, they went 9-4 last year (5-2 in-conference) and they return the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball. Louisville lost quarterback Brian Brohm and many others, and 15:1 may be optimistic in a rebuilding year.

Syracuse coach Greg Robinson is 7-28 in three years at the helm, but they have nowhere to go but up after a 2-10 season. They are a 50:1 long shot.