It is Thursday, so that means it is time for your weekly poll question. Today I ask:
Which team is most likely to disappoint in 2012?
Here are your choices:
Louisville. The Cardinals may have 15 returning starters, but only four of them are seniors. This still is a very, very young team led by a true sophomore quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater. It might take another year of maturing before the Cardinals win it all. Factor in the schedule, with back-to-back games against USF and Cincinnati, and the season finale at Rutgers, and there is a chance they fall short of expectations.
Pitt. Given the vote from a few weeks ago, many of you think the Panthers have the capability of surprising this season. How about disappointing? I guess it all depends on where the bar is set for Pitt, which went 6-7 a year ago. There are so many unknowns about this team right now it is hard to say which way the Panthers will go. If Tino Sunseri doesn't get better, if Ray Graham doesn't return to form, and if a young defense cannot find its identity, there could be problems.
Rutgers. Many believe this could be the year Rutgers wins its first Big East championship. The Scarlet Knights do return 15 starters, including nearly every player on the best defense in the league from a year ago. But there are many unknowns right now -- how is Kyle Flood going to fare as a head coach? What happens at quarterback? Which receiver emerges? Which running back emerges? How much better will the offensive line be?
USF. Many believe this could be the year USF wins its first Big East championship. Wait. I sound like a broken record. The Bulls return a large number of senior starters to a 5-7 team that underachieved a year ago. Teams with large senior classes and experienced starters tend to do well. But this is USF. Something always goes wrong for USF. Is this the year when everything finally goes right?
Other. Write in your own candidates, and let the debate begin.