The Big East will not know its BCS representative until the games end on Saturday, which is fitting for a conference that has prided itself on competitiveness from top to bottom. Louisville, West Virginia and Cincinnati all have a chance to get into the BCS game. Louisville needs Cincinnati to lose to UConn; Cincinnati needs to win AND for West Virginia to lose to South Florida; and West Virginia needs to win AND have Cincinnati win, then finish as the highest-ranked team in the final BCS standings.
That is about as simple as I can paint the picture.
As for the rest of the bowl outlook, either Pitt or Syracuse will be bowl eligible after Saturday. Both teams, at 5-6, play each other so only one gets to six wins. USF (5-6) needs a win over West Virginia, and UConn (5-6) needs a win over Cincinnati to become bowl eligible, too. So the Big East could have seven teams with six wins or more, and would have more eligible teams than tie-ins. If that happens, the Big East would have to work to find an open bowl game to place an at-large team.
Discover Orange Bowl, Jan. 4: West Virginia
Champs Sports Bowl, Dec. 29: Notre Dame
Belk Bowl, Dec. 27: Louisville
New Era Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 30: Rutgers
BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 7: Cincinnati
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, Dec. 20: Pitt