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| Notre Dame's Gator Bowl bid drew the ire of West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images |
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Miami
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West Virginia
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Pittsburgh
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Virginia Tech
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Boston College
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Syracuse
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Temple
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Rutgers
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| 2,332,844 |
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2002 attendance figure for Big East games, a single-season record.
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"I may be the luckiest football coach in the world."
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Miami head coach Larry Coker, who has yet to lose a game during his two-year tenure.
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By Mitch Vingle, Special to CNNSI.com
Miami has completed its second straight unbeaten regular season and, carrying the No. 1 ranking, will meet No. 2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Half of the Big East teams are nationally ranked in the latest polls. And the league had so many bowl-eligible teams it had to peddle Boston College to the Motor City Bowl.
The league has experienced so much success, in fact, that from it has arisen controversy. Questions are being asked. Like is it necessary to have independent Notre Dame as a bowl partner?
Five years ago, when the Big East hooked up with the Fighting Irish, all involved agreed it was a good move. The league was struggling and the Gator Bowl wanted the option of choosing a higher-profile team. So commissioner Mike Tranghese signed on Notre Dame and its drawing power as a bowl partner and told the Irish they didn’t have to join the league nor share their bowl revenue.
But this season, for the second time in the five years of the agreement, the Fighting Irish bumped a Big East team from the New Year’s Day Gator Bowl. And the unrest is starting to show. First, the agreement was questioned in the Pittsburgh newspapers when it looked like the Panthers were about to get elbowed.
Then, when it turned out No. 15 West Virginia was shoved from the Gator to the Continental Tire Bowl, Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez took a swipe.
“I don’t understand why Notre Dame should get the best of both worlds," said Rodriguez. “To me, I think the Big East is a great league and we can stand on our own. And in my opinion, Notre Dame needs to get in or get out.
“Hey, be in the league. [Notre Dame] played three teams in the league and they were 2-1. I’m not sure they would have finished in second place had they played in the Big East because they didn’t play three of the top teams in Miami, Virginia Tech and West Virginia."
WVU, however, has a nice matchup in Charlotte against neighboring Virginia, 8-5. Ticket sales have been brisk and a sellout is not out of the question.
So which team really got the short end of the bowl stick? Ironically, Boston College, one of two teams to defeat the 10-2 Fighting Irish.
After placing their hearts in San Francisco, hoping for the Dec. 31 Diamond Walnut Bowl, the 8-4 Eagles were shipped to Detroit for a Dec. 26 contest with Mid-American Conference runner-up Toledo. BC won four of its last five games.
Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, meanwhile, seem content with their draws.
The 8-4 Panthers will take on Dennis Erickson’s 8-4 Oregon State Beavers.
“I’ve known coach [Walt] Harris for a long time," said Erickson. “He’s an offensive-minded coach and, in fact, Pittsburgh does a lot of the same things we do on offense."
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, will take on 8-4 Air Force in San Francisco. The Hokies are coming off a 56-45 loss at Miami.
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OK, so maybe Miami wide receiver Andre Johnson isn’t up-and-coming. He’s been there, done that.
But Johnson looks like a rising star. Again.
Check out the end of Miami’s championship run in 2001. See who shared the Rose Bowl’s Most Valuable Player award with quarterback Ken Dorsey? Yep, Johnson.
Now go back to the Hurricanes’ last regular season game, a wild 56-45 win over Virginia Tech. And look who made the big plays in the big game -- again. Johnson had six receptions for 193 yards.
So keep an eye on Johnson in the Fiesta Bowl.
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HOT:
Miami tailback Willis McGahee
Six touchdowns, 205 yards versus Virgnia Tech on Saturday. Heisman, anyone?
NOT:
Syracuse’s program
Coach Paul Pasqualoni will be back, but that 4-8 season stung.
HOT:
West Virginia’s program
Marked improvement: from 3-8 in 2001 to 9-3 in 2002.
NOT:
Rutgers’ offense
Finished 117th -- that's last in Division I-A -- in total and scoring offense.
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Miami was cruising into the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes were having their way with Virginia Tech. UM’s Quadtrine Hill blocked a Hokies punt at the Tech 14. Then the ‘Canes got a little too fancy -- even for them.
One a first-and-goal from the 1, Miami tried a halfback pass from Jarrett Payton to quarterback Ken Dorsey, which was intercepted by Virginia Tech’s Willie Pile and returned 96 yards for a touchdown.
The momentum took a U-turn.
After the game, UM offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski admitted the play shouldn’t have been called.
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Miami defensive end Jerome McDougle
He forced a fumble, recovered two and had 1 ½ sacks against Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall
He had 297 total yards versus UM, including 132 on the ground.
Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey
Another 300 passing yards and another win, improving his record as a starter to 38-1.
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Finally. Miami versus Ohio State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Let the chips fall where they may.
“It’s a dream matchup," said Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker. “No bowl could ever ask for more."
The national championship has the Big Ten champion Buckeyes, who rely on the running of star freshman Maurice Clarett, going against the nation’s defending champs.
And on paper there are some interesting matchups. Clarett, for instance, should be expected to gain yardage against Miami’s rush defense, ranked but 73rd in the country.
The Hurricanes, however, displayed their offensive wares by laying 56 on Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale.
“That game magnifies the fact of how quick-strike they are," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
UM quarterback Ken Dorsey has connected on 37-of-56 passes (66 percent) for 795 yards and five touchdowns in his last 10 quarters. Sophomore tailback Willis McGahee rushed for 205 yards and a whopping six TDs against Tech.
Miami ended the regular season at 12-0 and extended its win streak to 34.
“What I like about [the Hurricanes] on defense is they run so well," said Tressel. “On offense they have the type of balance we’d all like to have."
Within the Big East, the Hurricanes have now won 24 straight games, a league record. They scored 503 points, a school and league record. No other Big East school has topped the 500-point plateau.
Defensively, Ohio State is led by standout defensive left end Darrion Scott.
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Miami star tailback Willis McGahee told the Miami Touchdown Club he’d return next season. ... West Virginia is tied with Ohio State and California for the top turnarounds in the nation (plus 6) from a year ago. … Pittsburgh’s five league wins are the most ever. ... Boston College will be in a bowl game for the fourth straight year, a first in Eagles history. ... Notre Dame’s bowl agreement with the Big East runs through the 2005 regular season. ... Miami coach Larry Coker was an assistant to John Cooperat Ohio State in 1993 and 1994. ... BC running back Derrick Knight has 1,367 yards rushing, fourth-best in school history. … UM quarterback Ken Dorsey has nine 300-yard passing games, tying the Big East record held by Marc Bulger, formerly of WVU, and Gino Torretta, formerly of Miami. … Pitt wideout Larry Fitzgerald had 11 touchdowns this season, which ties ex-Panther Antonio Bryant for second in league history. … West Virginia sophomore Rasheed Marshall set a Big East single-season record for rushing yards (618) by a quarterback. That’s one more yard than Tech’s Michael Vick had in 2000.
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