I prefer to be a messenger of positivity, not a writer/blogger/author/hack who revels in schadenfreude whilst lambasting the college football fortunes of 17-to-21 year olds.

Bearcat QB Tony Pike drives through a pass in the 2009 Orange Bowl (Icon SMI)

But the Big East crew of quarterbacks is a motley one indeed.

I have spent an inordinate amount tracking the Big East – I first blamed our new friends at CFFI (see Big East Mock Draft), but realized that this traditional fantasy powerhouse conference has many untried starters at the skill positions. All skill positions. So my glass-half-full nature feels that this should allow for some value opportunities in your draft.

Today I break down the quarterbacks in the Big East for the 2009 fantasy college football season.

Please remember that tops in the Big East =  all-120 QB2 at best.

1. Tony Pike, Cincinnati – Now here is a player with upside. Pike no longer must fight for his job with Ben Mauk failing on his sixth year of eligibility waiver and Demetrius Jones moved to LB. Give him targets like WR Mardy Gilyard and JUCO stud Jamar Howard, mis in some extra possessions due to a defense with just one returning starter and an average BE schedule and Pike could make a deep value QB1 or a solid QB2.

2. Matt Grothe, USF - here we have an average fantasy QB leading an underperforming team for the fourth straight year. If the rest of the Bulls play up to their potential, Grothe could easily emerge as a Top 20 fantasy QB – not as big a reach as you may think, given his total offense rankings the last three years as 21-30-17. His issues for fantasy players clearly reside with TD passes, with anemic rankings of 43-65-47 (Graham Harrell almost threw for as many TDs as Grothe was ranked!), and since it didn’t change in Years Two and Three I cannot fathom a change in Year Four. Read the rest of this entry →