In today's JI

Here is today's Desi Cullen story. He has to be the most honest person in sports.

You know what's amazing about that? How does one player block three punts? How does a team make a bowl game getting six punts blocked? The more I look at last year, with the talent, the more I think they underachieved.

Some other notes from yesterday that I never go to. An interesting thing Jeff Hathaway said about the schedule that North Carolina contract was signed in 2000 and Baylor shortly thereafter.

UNC wasn't exactly a powerhouse and it probably seemed like a good game for UConn as it builds its program. Go figure that they hire Butch Davis and are in the top 20. Then, Baylor looks like an easy road win but now they have Robert Griffin and a vastly improved program.

You just never know.

As far as scheduling around the same time. Randy Edsall likes having out of conference out of the way before conference games. If the Huskies didn't fill these dates with teams the Big East is within their rights to mandate a conference game in the opening weeks. That is why Cincinnati and Rutgers kicked off the season. I don't think that did Rutgers any good.

As for Rutgers, I hate to say I told ya'll so, but, perhaps the Scarlet Knights should stop trying to be a "national program" and start worrying about winning games.

Rutgers is the opposite of UConn. Huskies don't hype and market to their detriment in my opinion (Donald Brown tragedy a year ago a prime example). Rutgers overdoes it that when they don't deliver they look like fools. Seriosuly folks, Schiano has done a great job building up that team -- it's almost a miracle -- but people end up dismissing them as overhyped, well, because they are.

I have talked about this before, but Rutgers fans have an inferiority complex. Rutgers isn't comfortable in its own shoes. Why can't they just build upon what they already have done? That should be encouraging enough. They have tremendous potential and were a door mat for 100 years and now a bowl caliber team. What more do they want?

The national hype Rutgers got -- which wasn't shared by Big East media I will point out -- was that Rutgers is ready to explode. I don't know on what planet they were talking about. Rutgers essentially is without a starting QB, top 2 WRs, and no proven running backs. In fact, Rutgers has accomplished about as much as UConn has. Rutgers had a great season, and then two medicore ones. UConn had a great year and then had a medicore one. Huskies are 2-1 in bowls overall...Rutgers 3-0. Rutgers never got the chance in 2006 to play a team in a bowl game that was any good. That's sad. That was the only team I saw that was really a top level team (better than any team UConn has had). Last year's team got hot, but they were a Tony C FG off the upright in October from being elimininated from bowl contention. 

So let's be honest...I think they have ridden that one win against Louisville in 2006 long enough. They need another one. Or better yet, how about an entire year of winning games? If Rutgers went 10-2 this year and brought back everyone for 2010, let the media hype begin. But for 2009? After losing Teel, Britt and Underwood? Premature.

Trust the local media people. Not a single Big East writer (24 who voted) picked Rutgers to win the conference. What does that tell you?

I would say Cincinnati is clearly the best team followed by Pitt, West Virginia and perhaps USF (not neccesarily in taht order). I think Rutgers and UConn are a step behind. Rutgers because skill position players are too young. UConn because the roster is too young.