Big East Picks: Tough Week for Orange

Each Friday, FanHouse's Brett McMurphy will preview the Big East and make his weekly predictions.

So how was your week? Much better than Syracuse's, I hope.

Let's quickly recap the past few days for Syracuse.

Saturday afternoon, the Orange lost to Cincinnati 28-7 as the home crowd booed quarterback Greg Paulus.

Sunday morning at 5:30, four players, including star wide receiver Mike Williams, were involved in a car accident.

Monday, Williams quit the team and the other three players were suspended. That day in an emotional press conference, Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, fighting back tears, defends Paulus. The school announces that defensive end Jarred Kimmel will undergo season-ending knee surgery.

Also, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports that cornerback JohnMark Henderson left the team. Henderson was the 21st player to leave the team since Marrone was hired in December.

And then things really got interesting.

Larry Elin, an associate professor at Syracuse, E-mailed the Post-Standard calling Syracuse fans "boorish" and "boobs."

Here's part of Elin's e-mail:

"Can I say something that's obvious to me, and anybody who has ever been a fan elsewhere for another team?

"Orange fans -- not all of them, but the loud ones -- are boorish. I've lived in NYC, LA, San Diego, Denver, Ann Arbor, and now here. I was a fan of USC, UCLA, San Diego Padres, Chargers, Denver Broncos and Nuggets, Colorado Buffalo, and the Big Blue at Michigan. The only place I've ever heard the home crowd boo an opposing team when it entered the stadium is here.

"At other stadiums, they actually politely applaud the opponent, and then watch as their team dismantles them on the field. Here, it's the opposite. After our boobs boo, they pound down beers during the National Anthem, boo the home team if it's losing, stock up on beer at halftime, and leave with four minutes left in the third quarter. I can't stand going to the games because of the fans, not because the team is on a losing streak. I don't want to live next to people like that, why would I want to sit right next to them for three hours?"

Syracuse might be headed for another losing season, but according to Elin, at last beer sales are steady.

Poor Marrone. If he had stayed with the New Orleans Saints, where he was offensive coordinator last season, his biggest worry right now would be if his Saints were ever going to lose a game. Instead, he's now wondering if he'll ever win another game this season – yes, I know Louisville is up next week.

Player defections, his star WR quits, car accidents, his own fans booing the team, a school professor blasting the fans in the local newspaper: Can it get any worse for Marrone?

Actually, yes. The Orange visits smokin' hot Pittsburgh Saturday. Pitt's offense and defense is on a major roll. The Panthers lead the nation in sacks, which doesn't bode well for Paulus. Hopefully SU's offensive line can defend Paulus as well as Marrone.

The chances that Team Turmoil beats Pitt are about as likely as Syracuse's nationally-ranked men's basketball team losing to a Division II team. Oops, bad analogy. Still, Pitt covers the three TDs.
UConn at Cincinnati: The Huskies have experienced more adversity on and off the field than any team in the country this season. After the tragic death of Jasper Howard, UConn has lost in the past two weeks in the final minutes (against West Virginia) and seconds (against Rutgers). Now, they venture to Cincinnati, where starting QB Tony Pike is expected to return for the first time since injuring his left arm on Oct. 15. Cincinnati also is seeking revenge from last year's 40-16 loss to the Huskies. It would be understandable if the Huskies were emotionally zapped after the past few weeks, but don't underestimate the Huskies. Cincinnati remains undefeated, but UConn keeps it within 17.

Louisville at West Virginia: These days, Cardinals fans are reduced to reminiscing about the good old days when playing West Virginia actually meant something. Like in 2006 when No. 5 Louisville beat No. 3 West Virginia on its way to the Big East title. Back to the reality: UL has lost eight consecutive Big East games and visits the Mountaineers, who have had eight days to stew over another loss to South Florida. Earlier this week, Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe was in a jovial mood, joking about Jon Gruden, rumored to be the No. 1 candidate to replace Kragthorpe. I don't recall Sean Penn cracking jokes with Susan Sarandon "In Dead Man Walking," but maybe Kragthorpe believes laughter really is the best medicine. Don't laugh: the Cards hang within the 19½ as the Mountaineers peek ahead to next week's game with Cincinnati.

Last Week: 2-2 (straight up); 2-2 (against the spread)
Season: 41-9 (82 percent) (straight up); 17-22-1 (43.6 percent) (against the spread)