Wide receiver Mark Harrison and Rutgers look to make a play for the Big East title this season. 1. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VS. SYRACUSE (MetLife Stadium), Sept. 8
Trojans make a rare trip East looking to bolster their case for No. 1 while getting an early start on QB Matt Barkley’s Heisman Trophy campaign. Syracuse will need to play inspired football to stay close.
2. RUTGERS AT SOUTH FLORIDA, Sept. 13
This Thursday night ESPN game will be an immediate tone-setter for two teams looking to establish themselves as Big East contenders. Can Bulls QB B.J. Daniels finally solve the Scarlet Knights' defense?
3. FLORIDA STATE AT SOUTH FLORIDA, Sept. 29
The Seminoles, with top-5 potential, are still stinging from the 17-7 loss authored by USF and Daniels in Tallahassee, Fla. in 2009. September and early October is when the Bulls are at their best.
4. PITTSBURGH AT NOTRE DAME, Nov. 3
Last year's 15-12 victory by the Irish was the latest in a series of close — often entertaining — games between the teams. Added intrigue: the game matches a school leaving the league against one that steadfastly refuses to join it.
5. LOUISVILLE AT RUTGERS, Nov. 29
Big East schedule-makers have often tried to save the best for last, and this Thursday game — the regular-season finale for both programs — could decide the league title. Knights have to navigate a tough September first.
First-place votes in parentheses
1. LOUISVILLE (24)
219 points
Picked seventh last year, the Cardinals finished in a three-way tie for first with a true freshman quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater). With a league-high 17 returning starters, they're the team to beat now.
2. USF (4)
176 points
Typical Bulls: They opened 4-0 last year and finished 5-7 (1-6 and last in the league). Everything hinges on talented senior QB B.J. Daniels shedding his mistake-prone ways.
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3. RUTGERS
155 points
Knights' defense can carry them a long way this year, but they need solid play — at quarterback and on the offensive line — to win the Big East for the first time. The potential is there for both to happen.
4. CINCINNATI
139 points
Coach Butch Jones did a nice job holding things together with so many key injuries last year, but questions abound on offense now — starting with QB Munchie Legaux and his unpolished passing skills.
5. PITTSBURGH
131 points
Career assistant Paul Chryst gets his first crack at being a head coach and how he fares depends on how healthy RB Ray Graham is following ACL knee surgery. Graham may not be 100 percent to start the season.
6. CONNECTICUT
77 points
Dependable quarterback play is the main thing keeping the Huskies from being a contender for the league title. Defensively, they should be among the league's best and 1,151-yard rusher Lyle McCombs returns.
7. SYRACUSE
70 points
How much can the league's worst defensive team improve in one year — especially without a proven running back to grind things out while controlling the clock? QB Ryan Nassib is solid.
8. TEMPLE
41 points
Owls should benefit from the late transfer of RB Montel Harris — the country's active career rushing leader — but this looks like a rebuilding year for a team with 10 returning starters (a league-low).
MARK HARRISON, WIDE RECEIVER
Harrison, a senior from Stratford, Conn., hinted at star potential as a sophomore with 44 catches and 829 receiving yards before a disappointing, drop-filled junior season (14 catches for 274 yards). NFL scouts will love his combination of size (6-3, 230), speed and big-play potential.
1. Are you the most-likely receiver to replace Mohamed Sanu's production (a school-record 115 catches last year)?
"I really want to slide into my own role. I'm not looking to replace Mo and do exactly what he did. I want to do exactly what I can do — to the best of my ability."
2. How important a year is this for you personally?
"It's a big year. You think about the NFL and playing at that level. It's what you want to do. It's a big season for me. I've got a son to take care of now (6-month-old Jordan) and that's something I have passion about. I want him growing up having a father that's successful."
3. How much of your struggles last year was mental?
"All of it was mental. The first drop at North Carolina, it really took its toll on me. I let it get the best of me. Now I feel I'm a mature player. I know the system. I know what I'm doing. It's about holding your chin up and not looking at the past."
4. So have you tried to forget about last season?
"The struggles I had are something that really pushes me. I'm still not ready to look past them. I want to remember where I came from. At the same time, I do want to look forward and stay focused and stay hungry."
5. Are you feeling pressure to return to your sophomore form since this is your senior year?
"I don't feel any pressure to perform at all. I feel more of a hunger, a want-to, and knowing what I'm fighting for. That's motivating me now."