ACC teams lost to two smaller division schools – Virginia lost to William and Mary (ironic since they are often the “insert joke team here”) 26-14 and Duke lost to Richmond 24-16.

Greg Paulus inspired the Orange faithful - except for the first and last play. (Icon SMI)

Did I mention also that NC State set back offensive football 30 years in their 7-3 loss to South Carolina? Poor Jeremy Story, can’t wait to read his ACC recap.

But this is a time to celebrate the Big East, one of the most topsy-turvy of conferences. In general, a pretty good show across the board, even in defeat during the upstate NY Paulus-Palooza Festival.

This week Big East Rewind includes quick recaps, look ahead and free agents to watch for the Big East (don’t you think they should add Notre Dame and Appalachian State?)

Minnesota 23, Syracuse 20

Greg Paulus looks like he might be worth a look if not for that dreaded schedule. After he threw that horrific pick in OT, I waited for him to get in a defensive crouch and slap the floor but it didnt happen WR Mike Williams looks like he did in 2007 and is a legit WR3 right now with upside. RB Delone Carter ran with power and passion (23-88T), I was impressed. But the Orange face two of the better defenses in the nation at Penn State and hosting Northwestern so temper your expectations all around.

UConn 23, Ohio 16

I had this as an “Cats over Dogs” upset special as a new Husky offense travels to Athens to face a decent Ohio defense, but the UConn ground game was just too much. One of my sleeper RBs, Andre Dixon, had 19 touches for 100 yards but the top back looks like Jordan Todman who scored twice and rambled for 150 and a TD. QB Zach Fraser was inefficient but did have 2 TD passes to go with his three picks. A better Bobcat offense likely would have won the game.

Dixon looks like a RB4 at best for fantasy, Todman is looking good early. Two tough ones on the horizon as they host North Carolina and then travel to a tough looking Baylor the next two weeks. Todman the only playable option.

USF 40, Wofford 7

Wofford is who I thought they were…a lower division team that could hang for a little while until the athleticism of the Bulls took over. Wofford is no slouch having hit the FCS playoffs the last two years running a Paul-Johnson-like flexbone offense, but the second half was all Bulls. RB Moise Plancher will be a nice pickup in all leagues as Mike Ford is suspended and the next two weeks are Western Kentucky and Charleston Southern (as the bucs continue their Treasure Accumulation tour through Florida). QB Matt Grothe is about to take over the career Big East total offense mark over fantasy-deity WVU Patrick White, but as you imagine there is nowhere near the TDs (71 to 103)

Louisville 30, Indiana State 10

Sycamores were led by Larry Legend who was 4-6 shooting (two 3-pt)…Cardinal RB Victor Anderson should continue to be the focal point of the offense as new QB Justin Burke did not perform like a D1 starter. Anderson continues to look like RB1-2 material to me. Bye week then road trips to an impressive Kentucky and to Utah could choke down fantasy upside and also make it hard for Coach Kragthorpe to remain seated. WR Josh Chichester no where on the stat sheet, a bit of a surprise to me.

West Virginia 33, Liberty 20

New QB Jarrett Brown may be Tebow-lite, but the Mountaineers’ flaccid performance causes a lot of concern. His stat line looked OK (almst 10 ypa, ran for 70 and a TD) but this was Liberty, last season a Top 20 FCS team. Noel Devine has 20 touches which should be the norm for him, which produced one trip to the paint and 121 yfs). WR Jock Sanders stayed out of trouble long enough to snag 95 yards, likely a spot WR starter. If this offense continues to sputter, K Tyler Bitancourt should be a steal. ECU and a trip to Auburn are up before a Week Four bye, a tougher thean average slate.

Pitt 38, Youngstown State 3

The freshman RB Dion Lewis did a number on the FCS top tier program, with 22 touches and touchdowns running (2) and receiving (1). If nothing else, his plugin to the LeSean McCoy slot looks for real since no other back got 6 carries so if you can acquire him give it a shot. WR Jonathan Baldwin is back and makes a nice squad with Oderick Turner - likely both are available if the ADP reports have been accurate. Perhaps FCF nation also is concerned with QB Bill Stull getting him the ball. That may not be a concern for long as rFr QB Tino Sunseri took most reps in Q4 and led the Panthers to a TD. Next up is a short trip to Buffalo, home vs Navy then off to NC State (you know, since Wolfpack rarely leave town this year). The schedule should not deter you from looking at Panther options except the QBs.

Cincinnati 45, Rutgers 17 UPDATE

What a butt-kicking…to paraphrase Dennis Miller, “Rutgers made Walter Mondale look like William the Conqueror.” Tony Pike moved himself up a lot of NFL Draft boards with that display, and Mardy Gilyard solidified his spot in the WR1 Tier. Good to see Marcus Barnett back on offense if only for a little bit. WR Armon Binns (whom Drew and I are high on) was MIA, the real breakout star ws RB Isaiah Pead who scored from other area codes. The next four weeks show no defense tougher than Fresno St., so keep filling your rosters with Bearcats.

I invested heavily in the Rutgers D and that hurt a lot on Monday, but I point you to the next few games – Howard, FIU, at Maryland, idle then host Texas Southern (late schedule change, real bye week is 10-3). Mohammed Sanu at WR was a very active pickup on U-Sports, And I know Tom Savage has everyone excited – if you have a keeper league he should be an excellent pickup since the staff could use the next copuple weeks as extended spring training of sorts.

Related posts:

1. Big East Bookends: Bulls on Parade?
2. ACC Bookends: Week 3
3. Big East Bookends – REW/FF thru the spotlight games
4. ACC Bookends for Week 1
5. ACC Bookends Week 2: The Duke Spirit