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The Big East’s football conference began play in 1991.  I wrote a bit about the conference last November {see this}.


The Big East’s football conference combines a few schools with storied pasts:  Pittsburgh,  Syracuse,  and West Virginia,  with some schools that never really had football programs to brag about,  but are now improving:  Cincinnati,  Connecticut,  Rutgers,  and South Florida.   Louisville is the other school in the conference,  and is sort of in both categories. 

Friday, the 101st edition of the Backyard Brawl will take place,  as the West Virginia Mountaineers visit the Pitt Panthers (who are #25 in the BCS)  {see this}.  Here is an article from USA Today on the 100th Backyard Brawl  {Click here}.

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South Florida has seen their average attendance rise from 30,222 in 2006;  to 53,170 last season.  That rise of nearly 23,000 vaulted them from 76th highest to 38th highest.  The nascent USF football program has only been in existence since 1997.

Thanks to http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/index.h.   Thanks to the contributors to the Big East football pages on Wikipedia.   Thanks to AP Poll Archive  {Click here}.  

Thanks to http://gobearcats.cstv.com/.   Thanks to http://www.scarletknights.com/football/history/first-game.asp  (Click on it and check out the nice illustration of what the first college football game looked like, in 1869: Princeton vs. Rutgers.)    Thanks to Ask-ville  {Click here}.   Thanks to The Sports Fanattic Shop {Click here}.

Thanks to Helmet Hut  {Click here};   The Helmet Project  {Click here};   Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Page  {Click here}.;   Logo Server  {Click here};   Logo Shak  {Click here}.

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The Big East Conference was founded in 1979, but did not begin playing football until 1991.  Before then, it had been primarily a stage for the basketball programs of it’s constituent schools.  Miami’s presence gave Big East football instant credibility, and the Hurricanes dominated, winning 9 titles in 13 years.  When Miami left (along with Virginia Tech) to join the ACC in 2004, there was a gaping hole, only partially filled by the additions of Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida.  Boston College also left to join the ACC, in 2005.  In 2005, West Virginia claimed the Big East title, and won the Sugar Bowl (over Georgia), finishing #5 nationwide, in the AP poll.  In 2006, Louisville won the title, which they sealed with a triple-overtime win over upstart Rutgers.  Louisville went on to win the Orange Bowl (over Wake Forest), and finished #6 in the AP poll.  West Virginia finished #10, and Rutgers were #12.   The state school of New Jersey, Rutgers were a perennial doormat in football up until 2006.  Their surprising success, along with the rise of Connecticut and South Florida as football powers, points to a promising future for Big East football.