Offensive Player of the Midseason
Donald Brown, RB Connecticut

Defensive Player of the Midseason
Scott McKillop, LB Pittsburgh

Ten best Big East players in the first half of the season
1. Donald Brown, RB Connecticut
2. Scott McKillop, LB Pittsburgh
3. LeSean McCoy, RB Pittsburgh
4. Matt Grothe, QB South Florida
5. Pat White, QB West Virginia
6. Victor Anderson, RB Louisville
7. Mardy Gilyard, WR Cincinnati
8. Mike Mickens, CB Cincinnati
9. Mortty Ivy, LB West Virginia
10. Scott Lutrus, LB Connecticut

Biggest Surprise – Pittsburgh
Sure, the Panthers were the trendy offseason choice to surprise in the Big East, but deep down, didn’t you expect them to underachieve again this year? It sure looked that way after Pitt flubbed the opener at home versus Bowling Green. However, it’s done a nice job of rebounding with four straight wins, including a potential springboard at South Florida. We’re halfway through the season, and the Panthers are right in the mix for the conference crown. That, in itself, is a reason to be surprised.

Biggest Disappointment – Rutgers
No, no one expected the Scarlet Knights to win the Big East the year after Ray Rice left for the NFL, but raise your hand if you expected them to be this bad. One of the darlings of the league not long ago, Rutgers has slid to second-division status, while looking bad doing it. The program is off to its worst start since 2002, needing an immediate about-face in order to qualify for a fourth consecutive bowl game. The most fight the Knights showed in the first half was when QB Mike Teel took a swipe at a teammate after throwing the game-ending pick in a loss to Navy.

The Big East Champion will be ... West Virginia
The Mountaineers are as vulnerable as they been in years and are, by no means, a prohibitive favorite to defend their Big East title. Pittsburgh, South Florida, and Connecticut, in that order, will make sure that this race won’t be decided until the first Saturday of December. Still, West Virginia appears to have weathered an unusually rocky September, and have gradually stopped the bleeding with three wins in-a-row over inferior opponents. As long as Pat White is healthy, the offense remains dangerous, and the defense has gelled over the past month. Tiebreakers and the final two games with the Panthers and Bulls could eventually decide who represents the league in a BCS bowl game.   

Best Game So Far

South Florida 37 ... Kansas 34
South Florida's Nate Allen picked off a Todd Reesing pass to set 43-yard Maikon Bonani field goal as time expired to give the Bulls the thrilling win. Kansas dominated for most of the first half with Reesing running for a four-yard score and connecting with Jonathan Wilson for a 36-yard touchdown on the way to a 20-3 lead. And then USF got hot reeling off 31-straight points highlighted by a 21-yard Taurus Johnson juggling scoring catch, but KU rallied. Reesing marched the Jayhawks to a 78-yard drive finishing with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Wilson, and tied the game on a 14-yard pass to Angus Quigley. Reesing appeared to be on his way to a game-winning score before throwing the pick to Allen. The loss overshadowed a great game from KU's James Holt, who made 12.5 tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and forced two fumbles.

Worst Game So Far

South Florida 56 ... UT Martin 7
 It was an ugly mismatch. USF outgained UTM 520 yards to 97 and jumped out to a 28-0 first quarter lead with Mike Ford running for two scores, and Jessie Hester catching the first of his two touchdown passes. Moise Plancher added two touchdown runs in the second half, and Theo Wilson returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown. Everything worked perfectly for the Bulls except for a fumble late in the third quarter returned 64 yards for a touchdown, but that was a blip. This was ugly from the start.
 
Coach of the Midseason – Brian Kelly, Cincinnati
While Dave Wannstedt and Randy Edsall also warrant strong consideration, Kelly continues to keep Cincinnati on the brink of relevance despite a harrowing situation at quarterback. First, Ben Mauk was denied an additional year of eligibility. Then, Dustin Grutza suffered a broken leg in the Bearcats’ lone loss to Oklahoma. And just when Tony Pike was getting comfortable as the starter, he broke his arm and was done for the year. Yet, with freshmen Chazz Anderson and Zach Collaros now taking snaps, the 5-1 ‘Cats just keep finding ways to win games and stay in the Big East race, a credit to Kelly and his staff.     

Player who'll step up in the second half – South Florida DE George Selvie
Double-teams and a bad ankle have prevented Selvie from matching last year’s All-America production, making last week’s bye a timely event. The hope around Tampa is that the time off will allow him to approach 100%, setting the stage for a monster second-half of the season. He’s played through the pain to collect 19 tackles, five tackles for loss, and a couple of sacks, but can do so much more when he’s able to plant, pivot, and explode of that foot. Selvie is like a caged animal these days, itching for the opportunity to dominate the way he did throughout 2007.   

Best performance so far – No outcome was more meaningful for a program or a coach than when Pittsburgh went to Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 2 and stunned unbeaten South Florida. Even more than last December’s upset of West Virginia, it was the biggest win in the Dave Wannstedt era and the type of game that could propel the Panthers to a Big East championship. Always tough at night and in Tampa, the Bulls couldn’t stop RB LeSean McCoy or convert when they needed it most. If this winds up being a special season for Pitt, it’ll point to this game as the turning point of the year.   

Top Freshman – Louisville RB Victor Anderson
Bilal Powell, maybe. Brock Bolen, probably. Victor Anderson? Although Louisville knew it had a good thing when it recruited Anderson, the redshirt freshman opened the season No. 3 on the depth chart and with modest expectations. It wasn’t long before he forced his way into the lineup, rushing for more than 100 yards in three games, while averaging almost seven yards a carry. A big-play complement to Powell and Bolen in the running game, he’s well on his way to a 1,000-yard season. A 250-pound battering ram, Jourdan Brooks has rushed for 305 yards and five touchdowns, answering Rutgers’ call for an every-down back who can move the chains.      

Coach who needs to have a big second half – Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe
Even an epic turnaround isn’t likely to save Syracuse’s Greg Robinson, so he doesn’t belong in the discussion. Although Kragthorpe probably won’t get the boot after just two seasons, he can avoid some tenuous moments and another dreadful offseason by getting the Cardinals to a postseason game. Any postseason game. Landing defensive coordinator Ron English has already proven to be a coup, and the program is developing some nice young playmakers, like RB Victor Anderson and WR Doug Beaumont. If Kragthorpe is going to have long-term success at Louisville, he needs a bowl game to keep the fans and the administration quiet as he works through the rebuilding process.  

Player who needs to have a big second half – Connecticut QB Zach Frazer
Although Connecticut hasn’t needed the quarterback to be great to win, it does need someone who can keep defenses from stacking the box on prolific RB Donald Brown. Tyler Lorenzen did that before breaking his foot in a win over Louisville a few weeks ago. Now it’s up to Frazer, the former Notre Dame transfer with the physical ability to be best thing in Storrs since Dan Orlovsky graduated. The early returns, however, have not been encouraging. In his first career start at North Carolina, he looked overwhelmed, going 24-of-44 for 210 yards and three interceptions.            

Best remaining conference game – West Virginia at Pittsburgh, Nov. 28
The 2008 edition of the Backyard Brawl could set a new standard for intensity and electricity in this heated rivalry. Not only did the Panthers ruin the Mountaineers’ national title run last December, but they also set in motion the eventual resignation of then-popular coach Rich Rodriguez. With both programs firmly in the hunt for a Big East championship, this year’s match up will have much more than just regional bragging rights hanging on the outcome.

Team Mid-Season MVPs & Predictions

Cincinnati – CB Mike Mickens
predicted wins: Pittsburgh, Syracuse, at Hawaii
predicted losses: at Connecticut, South Florida, at West Virginia, at Louisville
predicted record: 8-5

Connecticut – RB Donald Brown
predicted wins: Cincinnati, Syracuse, Pittsburgh 
predicted losses: West Virginia, at South Florida 
predicted record: 8-4

Louisville – RB Victor Anderson
predicted wins: at Syracuse, Cincinnati
predicted losses: South Florida, at Pittsburgh, West Virginia, at Rutgers    
predicted record: 6-6

Pittsburgh – RB LeSean McCoy
predicted wins: Rutgers, Louisville, West Virginia
predicted losses: at Notre Dame, at Cincinnati, at Connecticut   
predicted record: 8-4

Rutgers - RB Jourdan Brooks
predicted wins: Syracuse, Army, Louisville    
predicted losses: at Pittsburgh, at South Florida
predicted record: 5-7

South Florida – QB Matt Grothe
predicted wins: at Louisville, at Cincinnati, Rutgers, Connecticut
predicted losses: at West Virginia
predicted record: 10-2

Syracuse – RB Curtis Brinkley
predicted wins: None
predicted losses: Louisville, at Rutgers, Connecticut, at Notre Dame, at Cincinnati
predicted record: 1-11 

West Virginia – QB Pat White
predicted wins: at Connecticut, Cincinnati, at Louisville, South Florida  
predicted losses: Auburn, at Pittsburgh  
predicted record: 8-4