By Gavin Lapaille
Three seasons ago, competing in a Bowl Championship Series conference was only a dream for the University of Louisville football team.
Now, that dream has become a reality.
No. 18 U of L will open their Big East regular season against Syracuse University Saturday at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
Since jumping from Conference USA in 2004, the Cards have an 11-3 record in Big East play. Last season, Louisville won the conference championship and earned the school’s first ever BCS bowl win, defeating Wake Forrest University 24-13 in the Orange Bowl.
The competition this season figures to be as tough as ever.
“I look at this league from top to bottom, and I challenge you to find a league that has as good an amount of parity as we have right now,” U of L head coach Steve Kragthorpe said. “I think this is going to be a very competitive league.”
Big East teams went a perfect 5-0 in Bowl Games last season, highlighted by the Cards’ win in the Orange Bowl.
U of L, West Virginia University, and Rutgers University all started this season ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation.
Brohm, West Virginia quarterback Pat White, running back Steve Slaton, and Rutgers running back Ray Rice give the Big East four legitimate Heisman candidates.
“We’re tired of being talked about as ‘Cinderella,'” Big East Commissioner Michael Tranghese said. “We’re one of the six conferences with an automatic berth in the BCS. We’re competing for the national championship.”
Syracuse however, may be the ugly duckling in a flock of swans.
The Orange has finished last in the Big East the previous two seasons with a combined record of just 1-13 in conference play.
This season hasn’t started any better. Syracuse was the only Big East school not to start the season 2-0 after losses to the University of Washington and the University of Iowa.
Making matters worse, junior running back Delone Carter, the team’s leading rusher last season, is lost for the season with a hip injury. His replacement, sophomore Daniel Bailey, still has not fully recovered from off-season knee surgery.
The early struggles have left head coach Greg Robinson’s job in question. Since taking over in 2004, Robinson is just 5-20.
“Things aren’t always linear in progress,” Syracuse Athletic Director Daryl Gross said. “Sometimes you take three steps back before you move forward.”
“We’re working and trying to eliminate all the mistakes we have so we have a chance to (win).”
Syracuse does have talent. Senior defensive end Jameel McClain led the Big East in sacks last season and the Orange has experienced players at wide receiver, tight end, and the offensive line.
“We want to get ourselves back up to the prestige that Syracuse was carried at and should still be carried at,” McClain said. “That is going to be our job to make ourselves better and make the program better.”
Kickoff is scheduled at noon and will be shown live as the ESPN Regional Big East game of the week. Locally, the game will be televised by WHAS11-TV.
