Regaining respect
Non-conference wins could re-establish Big East's power
Posted: Monday August 31, 1998 04:49 PM
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Orange Bowl: Donovan McNabb and Syracuse will be tested early by 10th-ranked Tennessee AP |
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) -- Victories over tough non-conference
opponents early in the season would help the Big East re-establish
itself as one of college football's power conferences, league
coaches said Monday.
For the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, they hope to turn around a
winless 1997 when the team opens its season Saturday against
Division I-AA Richmond.
Rutgers coach Terry Shea is trying to keep his team competitive
with only 86 players on the roster and 73 scholarship players.
"We've tried to learn from our past season and march on from
there," Shea said. "We are more mature. I think we've got it
going in the right direction."
Also on Saturday, top-ranked Ohio State of the Big Ten travels to No. 11 West Virginia and No. 10 Tennessee of the SEC plays at No. 17 Syracuse.
The Big East was criticized as a weak football conference in
1997 after the league went 0-4 in bowls and only Syracuse made the
final AP Top 25 poll. West Virginia and Syracuse are the only Big
East teams currently ranked.
"Last year we didn't do quite as well as we would have liked,"
said West Virginia coach Don Nehlen. "Some of us need to win for
the league [to recover]."
Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni agreed but said a victory
Saturday would be a result of his team's goals as opposed to trying
to win for the conference.
"It certainly would be great. At this point it would certainly help the perception of our conference," Pasqualoni said. "We have to be focused on ourselves and what we have to do."
Should Syracuse beat Tennessee, the schedule gets no easier. The
Orangemen travel to defending national champion and No. 5 Michigan
next week.
"The one thing I think playing Tennessee does to you in the
first game of the season, it forces coaches and players to maximize
every day," Pasqualoni said. "It becomes a sense of urgency in
terms of preparation. In the end, you're a better team down the
road, regardless of what happens."
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said the Big East has the
foundation to win outside of the league and play well in bowl games
this season.
Beamer's Hokies have a tough early road of their own. After
opening at home against East Carolina, Virginia Tech travels to
Clemson and then to Miami to open its conference season.
"I believe the conference will come around," Beamer said.
"The coaches are solid and the programs are solid in this league.
When you've got that, they're going to be back. We can re-establish
ourselves as a conference to be dealt with."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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