Written by Jon Lee
Follow @thejonlee

It is a season of transition for the Big East with just eight teams contending for the conference title before the league expands from coast to coast. That leaves the race wide open for a potential BCS berth with just about every team having at least a shot at finishing first in the league.

The story of the talent level in this conference is easily told by looking at the projected FBS records for each team. Every Big East member is projected for at least 4 losses in FBS games meaning too much parity in conference play could leave most teams on the bowl bubble.

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One of those teams could be Pitt even though it begins the season as AccuScore’s conference favorite. The Panthers finish with the best record nearly 25 percent of the time, but by winning just 62 percent of the time. Suffice it to say there is no dominant team this season, at least on paper. New coach Paul Chryst will try to bring some of the consistency of performance that was a hallmark of his previous school, Wisconsin.

Louisville is perhaps the most talented team in the league as coach Charlie Strong has recruited well. The Cardinals will be led by sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who is surrounded by some young talent at the skill positions and on the lines. The program has a big opportunity to build on a successful 2011 season, and is 24 percent likely to finish first.

South Florida and Cincinnati are both real threats to the top two teams as well. USF’s hopes rest on a big season from inconsistent quarterback B.J. Daniels while Cincy needs a young roster to mature quickly.

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