Big East’s most underrated/overrated

Posted Aug 5, 2009 by Brett McMurphy

Updated Aug 5, 2009 at 10:19 AM

It’s pretty obvious for any fan of the Big East that since the new Big East formed in 2005, the league’s most underrated team the past four seasons has been Cincinnati, the defending 2008 Big East champions.

But who’s been the most league’s overrated team? It’s a tie between Pittsburgh and Louisville, according to the league’s media poll.

Based on the composite media poll rankings for the past four seasons and the actual win-loss records in Big East play, Cincinnati and Rutgers have been the most underrated teams and Pitt and Louisville the most overrated.

Cincinnati has the league’s third-best record, but its composite preseason ranking was only seventh. Rutgers has the league’s second best-record despite a preseason ranking of fourth.

Louisville and Pitt have a composite preseason ranking of second and third, respectively, but the Cardinals and Panthers’ actual league records rank only fourth and fifth, respectively.

West Virginia, USF, UConn and Syracuse have all pretty much lived up – or lived down – to their preseason media rankings.

Composite media poll rankings 2005-08
1. West Virginia 30 points
2. Louisville 24 points
3. Pittsburgh 22 points
4. Rutgers 19 points
5. USF 18 points
6. UConn 12 points
7. Cincinnati 11 points
8. Syracuse 8 points

League win-loss records since 2005
1. West Virginia 22-6
2. Rutgers 17-11
3. Cincinnati 16-12
4. Louisville 15-13
5. Pittsburgh 14-14
(tie) USF 14-14
7. UConn 11-17
8. Syracuse 3-25