It was just two years ago that people were calling for the Big East’s BCS classification to be taken away. My, how far they have come since then. It may not seem incredibly significant on the surface- nothing more than a slight upset- but last night’s 34-3 strong-arming of Oregon State by the Cincinnati Bearcats may indicate that the Big East Conference is here to stay and will not be taken lightly.

Just looking at the stats, you’d be hard-pressed to figure out how the Bearcats dominated. Cincinnati’s leading rusher, running back Butler Benton, had only 15 yards on the ground. The passing game racked up only 199 yards. However, Ben Mauk ran the no-huddle offense effeciently. Despite being constantly harrassed by an Oregon State defensive line that seemed to walk right into the backfield, Mauk kept his composure and on many occasions was able to elude the rush and find an open receiver. The Cincinnati offense still has some work to do, though, because they can’t get away with a porous o-line, botched snaps (which occured multiple times), and an invisible ground game if they want to consistently win games.

So how did Cincinnati win this game? Multiple reasons: great special teams play, strong defense, and an Oregon State offense that stalled with two inexperienced quarterbacks.

The Cincinnati defense intercepted six passes and flew all over the field. Yvenson Bernard is no slouch, but was held to only 30 yards rushing. OSU didn’t do much to help themselves, as they dropped a number of passes and couldn’t seem to get anything going. The offensive line gave the quarterbacks plenty of time to throw, but Sean Canfield (who played the first three quarters) couldn’t find open receivers and made a number of bad decisions and bad throws. Sammie Stroughter was a non-factor all game, except for when he muffed a punt and allowed Cincinnati to recover the ball on the Oregon State two-yard line. The Bearcat special teams followed that up by kicking a 55-yard field goal and recovering a blocked punt for a touchdown.

The bottom line: Cincinnati came to play, and Oregon State didn’t.

So what does the future hold for these two teams? The Beavers were picked by many, including myself, to be a surprise in the Pac-10 and nationally. That may be in question unless they can figure out an answer at quarterback. Oregon State fans leaving the stadium seemed hopeless and don’t seem to think that Sean Canfield or Lyle Moevao is the answer. The pieces are in place surrounding them, but it’s unclear whether Canfield or Moevao will be able to step up, or even whether they are being given the opportunity to step up. Without picking a single QB and going with him, the team can’t rally around a leader, and neither player has a chance to build confidence and learn as much as possible. The Beavers may become the second team in their state to underachieve because they can’t find a solid option at quarterback.

I think the future is bright for the Bearcats with Brian Kelly at the helm. While the offense is still settling in, it’s clear that the players have completely bought into his system. Kelly said it’s his goal to win a Big East championship, and while that isn’t likely to happen this season, I don’t think it’s out of the question down the line. A lot of people thought of the Big East as a four-deep league (West Virginia, Lousiville, Rutgers, South Florida), but the University of Cincinnati may add a team to that list.

Games to watch this weekend:

There are so many good games in this second week of the season, but here are a few that stand out to me.

Miami at Oklahoma- One team at the top and the other trying to get back there. This will probably come down to Miami’s defense vs. Oklahoma’s offense. If Calais Campbell and the Cane’s pass-rush can get after Sam Bradford, it could ruffle the QB’s feathers enough to force some bad decisions (this is Bradford’s second college game ever). In order to have an effective pass-rush, Miami is going to have to stop Oklahoma’s running game, and that may prove to be too much to ask. Allen Patrick will be back for the Sooners after missing game one, and super-freshman DeMarco Murray showed what he can do in his first college game (rushing for 5 touchdowns). I’m not sure that the Canes are ready to beat the elite just yet.

TCU at Texas- Upset special? That depends on two things- namely Tommy Blake and Aaron Brown. Will they play? There has been mystery surrounding Blake since the off-season, and no announcement has been made about whether he will play this weekend or not. Chase Ortiz is great at one end of the defensive line, but the bookends of Ortiz and Blake is what makes this team so dangerous. Running back Aaron Brown injured his knee in week one, and although there is no structural damage, it’s unclear whether he’ll be ready to go against Texas. With a new quarterback running the offense this year, it is important that TCU has a strong ground game to support the offense. Texas is obviously a talented team, but looked vulnerable against Arkansas State. Does that game mean much? Probably not a whole lot, but this team is beatable. If both Blake and Ortiz play and are effective for TCU, I think the Horned Frogs can pull off a close win. If that duo is missing, I think Texas could be a little too much for the Frogs to handle.

South Florida at Auburn- South Florida is the sleeper team everyone is talking about. Auburn isn’t as good as they have been in past years, and they barely beat Kansas State last week. The Tigers look to still be without starting running back Brad Lester. That all leaves the door open for the South Florida Bulls. The USF defense is strong, led by one of the most talented cornerback tandems in the country. The offense is led by dual-threat quarterback Matt Grothe, who was the Big East Rookie of the Year last season. True freshman running back arrived to a lot of fanfare, and he didn’t disappoint in rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns last week with only six rushing attempts. Granted, that was against a lesser defense, but the talent is still there. However, the Bulls aren’t under-the-radar anymore and Auburn knows what they are getting in to. This game could come down to whichever coach best gets his team prepared mentally…Something that USF head coach Jim Leavitt is well known for.

Virginia Tech at LSU- How long have we been anticipating this game? After week one, LSU looks like the better team, but there is often big improvement from week one to week two, and this is college football, where anything can happen. Regardless, this figures to be a low-scoring, hard-fought game. These are two of the best defenses in the country. The key could be the Virginia Tech offensive line and Sean Glennon. If the o-line can open some holes for Brandon Ore and Glennon makes solid decisions, Tech has a chance. If LSU’s Glenn Dorsey ravages the Tech line the way he does so many offensive lines, it could be a very long night for the Hokies. The winner of this game gets pushed into the spotlight of the national championship chase, while the loser could be shoved out of the picture all together. As a VT fan, it saddens me to say LSU looks like the superior team, and LSU could take control of this game. This game will really test Frank Beamer’s ability to repair the problems from last week’s subpar performance versus East Carolina.

Those are my big games of the week. Sorry Notre Dame fans. I know a lot of eyes will be on the Irish’s matchup with Penn State, but that will most likely end up being a lopsided affair. Jimmy Clausen may be the future for Notre Dame, but he’s not the present, and there’s no way he will be able to handle the Penn State defense in a hostile environment.

This is college football and that means an off-the-radar game (perhaps Cal-Colorado State) could end up being a classic, so enjoy a great weekend of action.

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