1. Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0 Big East): Pitt's loss to West Virginia means the Bearcats are assured of being at least co-champions in the Big East this year. Of course, that doesn't mean much without the BCS bid.
2. Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1): A 10-win regular season now hangs on whether the Panthers can defeat Cincinnati at home. If not, a 9-3 mark will seem kind of disappointing.
3. West Virginia (8-3, 4-2): Speaking of 10-win campaigns, the Mountaineers have a chance to get there by beating Rutgers and then winning a bowl game. Funny how one big win can change the outlook of an entire season.
4. Connecticut (6-5, 2-4): If the Huskies beat South Florida at home, they'll finish with the exact same record they had last year in the regular season. Yet I think this UConn team is better than last year's, even though they lost four NFL draft picks off the 2008 squad.
5. Rutgers (8-3, 3-3): Can the Scarlet Knights break through and actually beat West Virginia at home? This seems like one of their best chances, and it would be the highlight of their season so far.
6. South Florida (7-4, 3-3): Throw out the wins over two FCS teams and Western Kentucky, and the Bulls are 4-4 against opponents who could fog a mirror. And half of those victories came against Syracuse and Louisville.
7. Louisville (4-8, 1-6): Looking back, there were two games the Cardinals easily could have won -- at Kentucky and at West Virginia. But they also could have easily lost games against Southern Miss and Syracuse. In the end, 4-8 seems about right.
8. Syracuse (4-8, 1-6): A 4-8 record got Steve Kragthorpe fired but represents slight progress for Doug Marrone. The Orange seem better positioned going forward in the immediate future than the Cardinals, who will go through another coaching transition next year.