Well we are progressing quite nicely to the start of this season.  As of this writing we are just 11 days away from the home opener versus Minnesota!  And after reading a few of Brian Bennett’s Big East position rankings, it’s clear we suck, really suck. And I’ll boldy predict how we will fair with the rest of the ratings, we will suck, suck and suck some more.  Speaking of “giant sucking sounds”, here’s our poster boy from 1992 – H Ross Perot (I just love those charts!)

So while sadly the world of pundits would like to move quickly to Florida vs USC, the rest of us that actually want to see some games have to figure out something to do in the meantime.  I figured it was time to look at our various positions and rank them from least concerning to most pressing heading into the season.

1. Running back.  Such is the life of the Syracuse Orangemen fan that we list a position of least concern as one that must replace a 1000 yard rusher.  Yes Curtis Brinkley, last season’s workhorse is gone, but he as left the position in the great hands or should I say “tremendous biceps” of Delone Carter.  Carter has had a great camp and is looking to return to the promise of his freshman campaign where he rushed for over 700 yards.  Joining Carter is Antwon Bailey, last year’s hero in the Notre Dame game.  These two will garner the majority of the carries and they have fellow runners Averin Collier and Mike Jones behind them.  Jones has even caught the eye of Coach Marrone and will likely be a kick returner this season.  On a scale from one to ten, I rate my concern for this unit a one.

2. Punting .  Junior Rob Long entered the program two years ago and has handled the punting duties like a seasoned veteran, demonstrating a strong durable leg.  Now an actual veteran, he is listed in many circles as a possible first team All BE kicker.  If he needs to work on anything, it is his ability to place kicks inside the 20.  All in all, this is not an area of concern in my mind, I give it a .5 rating.

3. WRs.  Ok here is where the rankings start to get interesting.  Coach Marrone has been imploring the overall unit to produce a worthy #2 to compliment Mike Williams.  Alec Lemon has shown promise, but he’s a true frosh.  Donte Davis, Marcus Sales, Da’Mon Merkerson, Van Chew and Lavar Lobdell are all in the mix.  Still when I evaluate our team, at least we have Mike Williams.  Look how lost we were last season with NO go to receiver.  I know things will have to get better, but at least we got Mike.  So on the concern o meter, give this one a 2.

4. CB/S.  An area of concern in the spring has quietly looked like it has been upgraded this fall.  Mike Holmes is turning heads at Safety.  Max Suter is the other safety and he played well as the nickel against spread teams last year.  Nico and Kevyn Scott are holding their own at corner.  Yes the loss of Dorian Graham is a concern, but it sounds like we have some playmakers in Philip Thomas, Shamarko Thomas and Rishard Anderson who all look like they will see the field.  If they all must be pressed into action then it will be an issue, but right now the top 4 seem to be set.  On the concern o meter, I put this unit at 5.

5. Coaching staff – yeah I went ahead and listed the staff here, because ultimately it will be the coaches whose game management will be key to whatever success we have this season.  So far there is reason for optimism, but the reality is that DM has no head coaching experience.  It remains to be seen if the staff will have any issues like getting plays called in a timely manner or have trouble in making adjustments.  I think we are all anxious to see what kind of product we get.  On my concern level, I’d put it at a 4.5.

On to the real big problems after the jump…

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The hoops gods have been kind enough to give us a welcome break from the seemingly never-ending college basketball offseason. The Boost Mobile Elite 24 tips this Friday night at Rucker Park and will air Saturday night at 7:00 (EST) on ESPNU. On the East roster are three valuable pieces to SU’s basketball future: 2010 commit Dion Waiters, 2010 prospect Tobias Harris and 2012 prospect DaJuan Coleman.

While Waiters is already committed to the ‘Cuse, Coleman is still just a rising sophomore,one of two such players participating in the exhibition (Perry Ellis from Wichita is the other), and Harris has a slew of in-home visits lined up for next month, including Syracuse, before paring down his list. The game is also a chance to see other talented underclassmen like Josh Selby, Doron Lamb and Cory Joseph.

I also want to point you to Damon Amendolara’s recent podcast. There’s some very informative material on there, as the Fizzcast crew talks Fab Melo, DaJuan Coleman, and the shift in CNY high school basketball power from Christian Brothers Academy to Jamesville-Dewitt.

Well I do say it has been a most interesting morning here in Cuse Nation.  I figured that there would be a blog post today but not for this reason.  As a father of 4, I’ve come to expect that some things just don’t go as planned, so why should this be any exception?  Let’s pause to rewind my last twelve hours or so.

I got home yesterday to find a nice suprise waiting for me in my mailbox.  The NCAA was kind enough to tell me that my application for Final 4 tickets has been approved!  So now, all I need is my beloved Orange to follow through on the extremely early predictions to be true.  You know the ones that led me to fill out AND PAY in advance for.  Come on Wes and Brandon!!  Or maybe, being in the bluegrass, I could always wait it out and triple my investment in the hope of UK fulfilling its fans fervor.  While the cash would be nice, I don’t think I could stomach a season of UK Fan feeling all high and mighty.  I’ve started to enjoy hearing more than just Big Blue and Little Red during college basketball season.

So while I’m prepping my brood for their first day of school, Coach Marrone goes and gets all trigger happy and makes the call to the media that Greg Paulus is the starter.  So I totally miss the news until I’m riding into work after dropping off my happy K schoolers when who breaks it to me than Joe B. Hall, who tag teams with Denny Crum for one of the most difficult am talk shows to endure in the history of mankind.  There’s nothing worse for a transplanted NY’er to endure than waiting 10 minutes for a slow talking Southerner to weave their story.  Fortunately I knew the moment he started blabbering about Paulus that he must have been named the starter.  I even got notified via email too!  Why it took twelve hours to paste in the Paulus to starter with the plea for ticket purchasing, I don’t know.

Well of course the national news cycle is all over this and with good reason.  You can get a feel for it in Syracuse, in BE cities, nationally and in the blogosphere.  I’m sure by now we’ve all looked around to see what everyone thinks.  It’s probably one of many reasons why Paulus has been chosen.  It’s news.   And that news is either positive or negative depending on the take you have from it.

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Well I was dangerously close to blowing off UConn, but I felt this immense sense of guilt and so I figured I might as well do this thing.  So let’s get right at it.

What we know

The Huskies wrapped up last season ranked 5th in the Big East with an 8-5 (3-4) record.  The season started off great (and really what BCS team doesn’t start well, considering all the creampuffs – on second thought don’t answer that) reeling off their first 5 games.  Wins were to Hofstra, Temple, Virginia, Baylor, Louisville, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Buffalo in the International Bowl.   Losses were to North Carolina, Rutgers, West Virginia, South Florida and Pittsburgh.

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The Post Standard got its shorts in a bunch this past two days at the sight of Greg Paulus.  The opening practice came and went and no one at the PS was able to see the local boy throw a football.  Not that they couldn’t see him all summer during the informal players 7 on 7 workouts.  Just listening to Dave Rahme describe his angst at only seeing Greg chuck a medicine ball was like listening to a bunch pre-schoolers get denied a Bakugan at the Toys R Us.  Check out the whining at the 2:30 left mark.

Now fast forward to the excitement of seeing Greg hurl the ol pigskin yesterday.  The reaction was so off the chart that they showed it in almost Zapruder like slow motion!

Now the funny thing in all this is that Paulus may not even be starting for the Cuse. Check out the praise for “destined to be backup” Ryan Nassib by Doug Marrone:

“I’m impressed with Ryan Nassib, now,” Marrone said. “He’s worked extremely hard. He looks good. He looks much better than he did in the spring. And Greg looks good for a guy that hasn’t played. “This is going to be an interesting situation.”

Indeed it is Coach.  And while I understand it is news to see how Greg looks at QB, its quite another to go ga-ga like a tween at the sight of Nick Jonas.  For now let’s see if the PS can keep a lid on that tent it’s pitched for Paulus.  If he is the one that gives us a chance to win this year, fine that will be a great story.   If he merely pushes Nassib to greater heights, and so far that may be more likely, the Greg Paulus experiment will be deemed a success.

As we inch ever closer to the start of fall practice, its time to finish off the “off season” opponent previews before they become “in season” previews.  So let’s get to today’s look in – Rutgers.

What We Know:

Last year was a tale of two seasons for the Scarlet Knights.  Chapter one was a miserable 1-5 start that had their emerging fan base cringing and plenty of infighting.   Does anyone remember QB Mike Teel slugging Glen Lee? Refresh yourself:

Then the Knights found their stride and finished with 7 straight wins to cap off a 8-5 (5-2) record good for a 2nd place tie in the Big East.  For the record the wins were to Morgan St, UConn, Pitt, Syracuse, South Florida, Army, Louisville and NC St in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.  The losses were to Fresno St, North Carolina, Navy, West Virginia and Cincinnati.

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Ok, the Big East Media Day is now in the rear view mirror.  If you train your eye around the league, the prevailing theme was this – We got dissed!  Whether it was coaches, players or the commissioner, in some form or fashion everyone was slighted.  You think I’m kidding?  It’s like shooting fish in a barrel to get quotes from the downtrodden.  Hell here at CuseOrange and for most of Cuse Nation, the day was upstaged by the verbal commit of Fab Melo.

It’s obvious that the conference’s bottomfeeders would feel under appreciated.   Our own HC Doug Marrone:

Those are perceptions.  I’m not going to sit here and defend them. Like everything else that comes out from a negative standpoint, it motivates me.

Louisville’s Steve Kragthorpe:

It’s where you finish; it’s not where you start…

UConn’s Randy Edsall:

We haven’t gotten any respect since we’ve been in the league.  I mean, really. And that’s fine.  They think, ‘Oh, it’s just a flash in the pan. They can’t keep doing it.’ So sixth is perfect.

You’d think last year’s champions would be happy, but look at UC’s Brian Kelly when he talks about opening at Rutgers:

I screamed.  I yelled. It did no good.

Ok, so what about those at the top of the conference.  Anyone feel good about things?  Isn’t it great Dave Wannstedt that your team is picked first in the media poll?

Let’s wait and see where we’re at in November.

Even Rutgers’ Greg Schiano chimed the same thing:

I looked at it. But it’s all preseason. Come to me in November.

Hey Jim Leavitt, don’t ya think the conference bowl record is a farce because the Big East mostly beats up on cupcakes?

I guess West Virginia beating North Carolina (in last year’s Meineke Car Care Bowl) was not a good matchup.  I think that’s a bunch of baloney.

Now Bill Stewart at WV, he must be feeling some relief about not being picked to win the  Big East right?

Let’s just say it’s a different year.

So that leaves new commish John Marinatto, is the status quo with bowl contracts good enough?

We want an exclusive deal and we’ve remained firm. And if (a deal) is not going to be with the Gator Bowl, then it will be with someone else.

So are you feeling the love yet?

The day didn’t progress as smoothly as suggested by Mike McClusky’s tweet on Monday night, but Orange fans will take the end result just the same, thank you very much:

Fab Melo is coming to Syracuse.

The morning came and went with no announcement, but late in the afternoon, Melo’s decision was confirmed. His commitment is huge for a few reasons:

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Matt McClusky of WNER 1410, the Watertown-based ESPN Radio affiliate, is reporting on his Twitter feed that Fabricio de Melo, one of Syracuse’s most talented prospects since Carmelo Anthony, will give his verbal commitment at 10:00 a.m. EST Tuesday at a press conference. More to come after the announcement, however it pans out.

Louisville and Syracuse are reported to be neck-and-neck for Melo’s services, with Miami and Florida completing his final list. Should he don the Orange hat, Melo would instantly become the crown jewel of an already-stellar 2010 class that includes CJ Fair, Baye Moussa Keita and Dion Waiters.

With the Big East Media Day set for Tuesday, I figured I need to get out ahead with my predictions for the upcoming season.  At least when these picks go totally south, I won’t be able to blame the coaches for influencing my picks.

As everyone knows, this season is going to be a wide open one with likely 6 teams in the mix for the conference title.  Alot of teams need some aspect of their roster to fall into place in order for them to rise to the top.  Also even though I have to rate everyone 1-8, the reality is that it likely could be a whole bunch of ties up top as teams jockey for position in the final standings.

So without further adieu, let’s reveal.

#1 Pittsburgh – The Panthers here really?  Yes, really.  I have to convince myself of this even as I type this.  I really like their defense and they just need Bill Stull to be serviceable.  The schedule favors them as well, as Cincy and USF must travel to Pitt.  Toughest road test will be at Rutgers; they’ve already proven to be able to go to Morgantown and that game will be a war.

#2 Cincinnati – Last year’s champs were picked 5th in the media poll last year.  I think they catch a break getting Rutgers in Week One.   They will be very good offensively with Tony Pike chucking to Mardy Gilyard.    The defense needs to retool and will suffer with road tests at USF and Pitt.  Still I expect another solid year out of Brian Kelly’s crew.

#3 South Florida – Matt Grothe’s final run will give the Bulls a chance to run at the title.   What may hold them back is their offensive line.  Defense will not be an issue either with George Selvie leading the front 4.  Still landmine games at Pitt, Rutgers and even UConn in December will make a title run difficult.

#4 Rutgers – Now here is a team with a favorable schedule.   Their road games are UConn, Syracuse and Louisville, likely the bottom 3 teams in the league.  The problem is that we have no idea who is running the show.  Domenic Natale looks the Day One starter (unless Tom Savage really excels once camp opens), but Day One is against Cincy and that could be a problem.  Still they have a stellar line and a good chunk of defense returning.  Some sites have reached for Rutgers to win.  I’m tepid at this point, but they have a real shot.

#5  West Virginia – I know that some ‘eer fans will be screaming over this.  But not since Tee Martin and the Volunteers has a team lost a qb with the stature of Pat White and gotten better.  Jarrett Brown does have experience and the defense will be formidable, but in the end the final 3 games at Cincy, home to Pitt, and at Rutgers could end 0-3.  And if the Oline struggles with some of these top defenses like USF and Pitt, a 3-4 conference mark is possible.

#6 Connecticut -  Replacing First team AA Donald Brown and QB Tyler Lorenzen will be key to the Huskies season.  They will have a great defense led by the best LB unit in the BE.  Still road games against Pitt, WV and Cincy is not the recipe for challenging in Big East this season.  Throw in some tough OOC games vs NC, Baylor and ND and this team may struggle to reach .500.

#7 Syracuse - Doug Marrone has his hands full in season one.  First off is the QB spot where Redshirt frosh Ryan Nassib will be pressed by Greg Paulus.   Mike Williams return will help the passing game.  The deck chairs were shuffled a bit at LB.  And while the schedule sets up nicely, this team will be more concerned with leaving the triple digits in offensive and defensive rankings versus securing Ws.  Look for improved play, but a lot of work to do.

#8 Louisville – The Cards appear to be in real trouble.  No QB was named starter out of spring, how long before Steve Kragthorpe announces a winner.   If a qb is found and can play, the offense could be good with Victor Anderson running and Scott Long/Doug Beaumont receiving.  The defense is in shambles.  If they cannot find a way to gel it will be a long season.  Road games against UConn, Cincy, WV and USF will make wins hard to come by.

So there you have it.  Anyone brave enough to lay their picks out here?  We will take a look back and see who came closest – maybe I’ll throw in a guest spot in the blogger chair or interview to the winner.

Thanks to Rivals for the logos.