Following a seven game winning streak to close the 2008 season, a stellar recruiting class and a newly expanded stadium capable of holding 52,474 screaming fans, hopes are high entering the 2009 season. However, there are more then few questions to address between now and the September 7th opener against Cincinnati. Here are a few:

5. Which member of the most heralded recruiting class in Rutgers history will be the first to be an impact starter?

Mohamed Sanu showed promise and versatility in the spring game as a wide receiver. Darrell Givens has the chance to challenge immediately at the corner back position. Lock down defenders Logan Ryan and Abdul Smith should also receive plenty of reps during camp. At tight end, both Paul Carrezola and Malcolm Bush have a shot to challenge hybrid WR/TE Shamar Graves for playing time. And then there's that Savage guy...

4. How quickly will the quarterback situation be sorted out?

After three seasons as a starter and team leader, Mike Teel has departed for the NFL. Coach Schiano said on Monday that he needs a QB capable of "managing" the offense likely in much the same way that Teel did during his sophomore campaign in 2006. While 5th year seniors Dom Natale and Jabu Lovelace have both the maturity to lead this team, they combined for a mere 11 pass attempts in 2008. The three other quarterbacks on the roster have a total of zero minutes of experience playing at the college level.

3. Does this offensive line have the potential to be the best ever at Rutgers?

There have been plenty comparisons already between this squad (Ranked # 8 in Phil Steele's College Football Preview) and the squad which allowed only 8 sacs during the 2006 season. Ryan Blaszczyk is the anchor at center. Anthony Davis is the star and Art Forst, the "human eclipse" is the star in waiting. Only time will tell and barring injury, the 2009 0-line should pave the way for the running game and produce similar results to the '06 edition.

2. Just how good is this defense?

Like the O-line, there have been many comparisons made to the 11 win team from three years ago. However, there is one key difference between this squad and the 2006 edition. This team has more talent and more depth at just about every position which will keep players fresh and rested through the long grind of the Big East season.

1. How will this team manage expectations?

Several media publications (excluding our own Big East Media who picked us to finish 5th) have picked Rutgers to win the conference and represent the Big East in a BCS Bowl Game. Perhaps the biggest challenge for coaches of top flight programs is managing the lofty expectations thrust upon the program each year by the media. Greg Schiano flipped a 1-5 start into seven consecutive wins following and finished the season by winning to papajohns.com bowl in come back fashion against NC State.

In a move that has been widely anticipated for the past week, Darrell Givens officially became a Scarlet Knight this afternoon as announced by the Rutgers Athletic Department and is immediately eligible to participate in practices when the team opens camp on Tuesday. The team also announced several other surprising personnel changes this afternoon:

• OL Keith Newell has transferred to FCS Delaware State
• DB Davon Smart has transferred to FCS Norfolk State
• DE Gary Watts has given up football due to a reaggrevated knee injury

Promising red shirt freshman Marquis Hamm has given up football all together to pursue his degree. Coach Greg Schiano also announced that true freshman Paul Carrezola (TE) and Mohamad Sanu (WR) will be limited at the start of camp due to separate hamstring and mild head injuries suffered during summer workouts. Kordell Young who it was announced had reaggrevated a knee surgery from 2008, will be limited as well and is hoped to return to full contact for the second scheduled scrimmage.

Now that media day is behind us, and training camp begins next week (or today for West Virginia) we thought it was about time to release this year’s Big East Preview. Besides, you could probably use a break from the David Ortiz circus. On then, to the 2009 Big East Football Preview.

8. Louisville Cardinals – This may come as a shock to some people, but the Cardinals find themselves on the bottom of the pile this year. The departures of quarterbacks Hunter Cantwell and Matt Simms certainly leave a hole in the offense. The much maligned Steve Kragthorpe is on the hot seat. The University of Kentucky has even passed Louisville. The pressure is great and it’s entirely possible that they whole team could fold after a few early season losses. Don’t forget, this is the team that lost to Syracuse each of the past two seasons.



7. South Florida Bulls – This team may very well have the most talent in the Big East this year, returning All-American candidates Matt Grothe and George Selvie. Unfortunately for Bulls fans, they will fall victim to the same intangibles that have plagued them in years past. Head coach Jim Leavitt is not the right man to lead a major college football program trying to get to the next level. No one will argue the success that he has realized in building a program from scratch and getting it to this level. He is not the man to lead a program of this caliber, however. He lashes out at officials and the media. His rants are getting old, and more importantly, are teaching his players how to shirk responsibility. They have been in a downward spiral since their 2007 Sun Bowl appearance and will continue to slide as long as Leavitt captains the ship.



6. Syracuse Orange – Orange fans are excited for first year head coach Doug Marrone. They should be – Estelle Getty would have been an upgrade over the dreadful Greg Robinson. They also have a difficult non-conference schedule against some tough Big 10 teams early on. They will be battle-tested before they get into the heart of the conference schedule, but alas, this is not enough to propel the Orange into the top half of the Big East Standings.



5. Pittsburgh Panthers – Pros – Another solid recruitung class, Bill Stull, Pat Bostick, etc. etc. Cons – Dave Wannestedt. Any questions?



4. Cincinnati Bearcats – Bearcats fans should be excited this year for the team that Brian Kelly has assembled. Tony Pike and Marty Gilyard and definitely playmakers who can change the game with one play. The Bearcats are building a program, but may have peaked too early last year as evidenced by their performance at the Orange Bowl last year. This year should see them slip to the middle of the pack, but still on track.



3. Connecticut Huskies – The Huskies lose four players to the NFL (highlighted by 1st Round Selection Donald Brown) but will benefit from what is shaping up to be a down year in the Big East. Randy Edsall’s squad will easily earn another bowl berth.



2. Rutgers Scarlet Knights – How do you replace QB Mike Teel and NFL 1st Round Draft Pick Kenny Britt? You do it with a solid defense, great runnings backs, capable wide receivers and one of the best offensive lines in the country. While Kenny Britt leaves a large void, incoming freshman Mohamed Sanu may be able to fill it. The QB situation is not easy to fix with 5th year senior Dom Natale expected to be given a run for his money from incoming freshman Tom Savage, neither of whom has been tested at the college level. With enough talent surrounding them however, they may just have to play well enough “not to lose”. Yep, that and the weakest schecdule the Scarlet Knights have seen in over 30 years.



1. West Virginia Mountaineers - I know. I know. Replacing Pat White with anyone is like replacing Johnny Unitas with Troy Nunes. But Jarrett Brown has shown signs of gretaness and Noel Devine should provide plenty of offensive firepower. The Mountaineers toughest test this year will be the last two games of the season – at home for the Backyard Brawl on 11/27 and a trip to Piscatway on 12/5.

• Greg Schiano will appear on NBC's Mike'd Up tomorrow night at 11:30PM. He'll sit down with Bruce Beck, who'll be filling in for Mike Francesca. One has to wonder if Schiano would still be scheduled to do the show if Francesca, a perennial Rutgers hater, was going to be around tomorrow.
• Former Rutgers quarterback and fan favorite Ray Lucas returns to the radio this fall. He replaces Tim Pernetti (who is also becoming a fan favorite) as the colorman and will work alongside Chris Carlin. Last year, Lucas worked as a studio analyst for SNY.
• The Big East did not land any teams in the Preseason USATody/Coaches Poll, although five teams received votes. The winner of the Cincinnati-Rutgers game is poised to crack the Top 25, if not the Top 20, as it is one of the most competitive games of the weekend.
• Tom Savage is learning about New Jersey traffic patterns as well as the Rutgers playbook. His bid to supplant Dom Natale as the starting QB begins when camp opens this Tuesday.

For all intents and purposes, the highly controversial seven year football series between UConn and Notre Dame is dead. The deal, which did not provide any home games for the Huskies, has been rendered irrelevant with the signing of home and home deals with Michigan and Tenessee. The Big East's resurgence in recent years has been bolstered by the fact that the tradtional "Blue Blood Programs" are now willing to play in Big East stadiums. In addition to the UConn series' listed above, Rutgers has also inked deals with UCLA, Miami and Penn State. Sorry Charlie. Your program has lost its clout. The Scarlet Knights turned down a similar deal with the Irish in the Spring of 2008.