2010 College Football: Connecticut Huskies, Big East's Darkest Dark Horse

Prior to every college football season, hordes of analysts set out to predict the entire season; conference by conference, game by game. At these heavily-secured prognosticating round tables, teams and players are dissected down to the most minute details.

The smartest sports fans in the world, Vegas odds-makers, choose the most likely teams in each conference to win their respective conferences and set gambling lines based on their evaluations of each team to win their conference.

The media has their picks, usually based off of Vegas' odds, and these usually end up being the teams talked about all year until Saban, Tressel, et al. fulfill the conference championship expectations set forth by about 30 percent of America's arm-chair quarterbacks.

Well, I'm going to go against the grain.

I'm offering predictions for the winners of each BCS conference, should all hell break loose, and Tim Tebow is nowhere around to save the children. These aren't the teams that will be whipping posts week-in and week-out (re: Washington St.). These are the teams that, if they play their hearts out on the right Saturdays this season, just could stumble upon a conference championship.

Now: The Big East

Head coach Randy Edsall enters his 12th season at the helm of the Connecticut Huskies' football program with a squad that resembles cold-weather football as we once knew it.

A stout defense and a smash-mouth running game, along with eight returning starters on both sides of the ball, should make the Huskies formidable opponents for all Big East foes, while their schedule is very, very favorable for a team trying to make an unexpected run at the conference championship.

The star of the Huskies' offense is, without a doubt, junior running back Jordan Todman.

The 5'9'' back burst onto the national scene last season with 1,188 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Short and explosive, Todman will be running behind an offensive line that returns four starters from last season which has many analysts predicting another stellar year for the UCONN tailback.

On the O-Line, the Huskies will start four upperclassmen who have previous starting experience, and one sophomore in Jimmy Bennett.

Senior right guard Zach Hurd was a first-team All-Big East honoree last season, while junior left tackle Mike Ryan, who weighed in at 332 lbs. earlier this off-season, will pose problems for defensive lines due to his sheer size. As is customary with an Edsall-coached team, the running game is expected to be the Huskies strength on offense.

Though it may not be as dynamic as Todman's lightning fast running, UCONN's passing attack is expected to be improved from a season ago.

Senior Zach Frazer will be the starting quarterback after Cody Endres, who started seven games last fall, was indefinitely suspended from the team. Frazer finished last season on a hot streak, throwing eight touchdowns versus two interception in the final five games of 2009. During that span, the Huskies posted a 4-1 record, the only loss being a 47-45 heart-breaker at conference champion Cincinnati's home field.

Frazer will need to be able to locate open receivers down field to keep defenses honest, but there is not exactly a big-time threat out wide...not yet at least.

Last year's leading receiver, Marcus Easley, was a walk-on for three years before making the most of his one year as a starter, leading the team with 48 catches, 893 yards and eight touchdowns. Though he graduated and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, his transformation from walk-on to star gives UCONN fans hope that another receiver might be able to step up just as big this season.

Juniors Kashif and Isiah Moore (no relation) are expected to start out wide, though the Huskies will likely feature several receivers in their rotation. Kashif led the team in receptions in 2008 and had another solid season in 2009, but his 49 career receptions are not enough to keep defensive backs nervous. Isiah saw limited action last season, starting just three games, but the first touchdown of his collegiate career came in the regular season finale against South Florida and should have given him some momentum heading into the off-season.

These two receivers, in addition to sophomore tight end Ryan Griffin, will need to get open and make plays for Frazer's aerial attack to be strong enough to keep defenses honest and not just stack up against the run.

The defense is highlighted by senior outside linebacker Lawrence Wilson who led the Big East in tackles last season (140) on his way to being named a first-team All-Big East player. Senior linebacker Scott Lutrus was moved to the middle linebacker position this offseason where he is expected to have a solid season, barring any injuries, and will be the captain of the team's defense for the second straight year.

Senior Greg Lloyd, who was the team's second-leading tackler as a linebacker last season, was moved to defensive end to replace the gaping hole created by Lindsey Witten's graduation. Lloyd has more speed and agility than you would expect from a defensive lineman, while the other three linemen are all returning starters. Junior Tywon Martin posted 8.5 sacks last season from the defensive tackle position, helping to make the D-Line one of the Huskies' strengths.

Behind the linebackers is a bit of a concern for UCONN, as three sophomores will team up with a senior who has one career start.

Though sophomores Blidi Wreh-Wilson (corner back) and Jerome Junior (safety) started last season as freshmen, the secondary will need to play about as well as they possibly can week-in and week-out to stop high-flying offenses, such as Cincinnati's aerial display.

The coaching staff is hoping that the experience on defense will allow the Huskies to improve from last season when they ranked 62nd in the nation in total defense.

As for the Huskies' schedule, Coach Edsall probably could not have drawn up a better one himself.

UCONN will benefit from getting to play all of their toughest opponents at home and all of their easier foes on the road. Though this could pose a problem if they were to be upset on the road, the Huskies should be able to take care of business if they can remain focused when playing away from home. 

The Huskies will open the season with five non-conference games, highlighted by their season opener at Michigan.

A win at The Big House, which is as doable these days as it has ever been, could spring board UCONN onto the national stage before taking on four opponents it should be able to defeat, the last of whom is a home game against Vanderbilt to close out its non-conference schedule.

Again, these games will not impact the Huskies' standings in the Big East, but could serve as a momentum booster heading into their conference schedule.

UCONN will play host to West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, each of whom have been picked by several analysts to finish ahead of the Huskies in the Big East standings. If the fans at Rentschler Field can get loud enough, and if the home-standing Huskies are able to rise to the occasion, they could find themselves victors in at least two of these games.

They will also travel to Rutgers, Louisville, Syracuse and South Florida for conference showdowns in games that should be manageable for UCONN barring any injuries. The Huskies beat each of these teams last season, except for a four-point loss to Rutgers, and should like their chances in all four of these games this season as long as they can maintain their composure on the road.

With only eight teams in the Big East, UCONN will have to win the conference during the regular season as there will not be a conference championship game. To do so they would likely need to go 7-1, probably able to drop one game because there is not a stand-out team in the conference such as Cincinnati in 2009, who went undefeated in league play.

After riding an emotional high to the Papajohns.com Bowl following the murder of a teammate in 2009, the Huskies will look to improve on their 8-5 record from last season.

Most importantly, however, they will try to improve their 3-4 conference record from a season ago. If UCONN can win its conference road games, which the Huskies are wholly capable of, and win two of three games against teams who will likely be favored over them at home, then a 7-1 conference record should be enough to send the Huskies to their first BCS Bowl in school history.

While you might not want to bet the ranch on the Huskies winning the Big East, you could at least bet the (navy) blue cheese. You never know how things might turn out.