Pollsters: No Pitt, WVU, PSU + Big East stinks
October 6, 2010 by Mike Casazza
How about this: Not only are USC, Texas and Virginia Tech out of the top 25 while Boise State, TCU, Arizona and Utah are in the top 10, but WVU, Penn State and Pitt are all unranked for the first time since 2005.
Of course, things turned out well for the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers that year — Nos. 3 and 5, respectively, in the final poll — but this seems different. WVU has very little strength of schedule remaining. Saturday is the final game of non-conference play and, well, the Big East won’t offer much in the eyes of others.
The Post-Gazette canvassed the voters in the AP poll. The combination of the mid-major conference success stories of recent years and an all-time negative rating of the Big East has factored into the voting process.
“It probably is the lowest the Big East has gone in my estimation, but I didn’t think it was going to be this bad,” said Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, who has the lone AP poll vote in Massachusetts. “I had both Pitt and Connecticut in the preseason Top 25. The fact that it has gone down the tubes this year is a bit of a surprise. And, yes, I am giving non-BCS schools stronger consideration because of the recent track record of teams like Boise State and Utah.”
“I can’t recall ever having a lower opinion of the Big East,” said Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News. “This is only my second year as a voter, so it is hard to say if I am voting for more non-BCS teams. Teams like Boise State, Utah and TCU have opened the door for others, but I still vote based on the merits of a team each season.”