With much of the Big East’s star power — both on the field and sidelines — having moved on the past few years, the conference has never started a season looking more up for grabs.

“It reminds me a lot of when I was in the NFL,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “Every week any team can beat any team.”
The Pat White era is over at West Virginia. Noel Devine is now the star of the Mountaineers’ spread offense and quarterback Jarrett Brown its point man.
Cincinnati has the league’s current coaching star in Brian Kelly, but the Bearcats will defend their first Big East championship with a rebuilt defense.
At Rutgers, a new and improved stadium will house a rebuilt offense.
Pittsburgh said an early goodbye to LeSean McCoy, but Dave Wannstedt’s team is still regarded as the conference’s preseason favorite because, well, somebody’s got to be.
“That’s nice for the program,” Wannstedt said.
The Big East’s most famous players go to South Florida. Quarterback Matt Grothe and defensive end George Selvie are two of the country’s best at their positions, but they have also been part of late-season swoons by the Bulls the past two years.
Connecticut has made a habit of surpassing expectations. The Huskies will have to do so this season without first-round draft pick Donald Brown carrying the offense.
Rebuilding Louisville is looking for its first winning record under third-year coach Steve Kragthorpe, who have tumbled from the league’s elite since being abandoned by coach Bobby Petrino.
Doug Marrone, the conference’s only new coach, is trying to lead Syracuse out of the darkness.
While the Orange have made a home at the bottom of the Big East standings in recent years, West Virginia has been entrenched at the top. The Mountaineers have finished first or second in the Big East each of the last seven seasons, but they struggled at the start of coach Bill Stewart’s first season as Rich Rodriguez’s replacement.
Brown, a fifth-year senior, has been patiently waiting behind White, the most prolific rushing quarterback in major college history.
At 6-foot-4, 220-pounds, Brown brings more power to West Virginia’s option attack, a good compliment to the speed and elusiveness of the 175-pound Devine.
“He’s got the arm. He’s got the speed. He’s got, obviously, the size,” West Virginia linebacker Reed Williams said. “So he can do anything for you.”
Grothe has been doing it all from South Florida for three seasons. He needs 288 yards to break White’s Big East record for career total yards (10,529).
An ankle injury caused Selvie’s production to drop from 14.5 sacks in 2007 to 5.5 last year.
“They are very aware this is it,” South Florida coach Jim Leavitt said of his senior stars. “They don’t win it this year, they’re not going to win a Big East championship.”
A capsule look at teams in predicted order of finish:
SOUTH FLORIDA — Key players: QB Matt Grothe, DE George Selvie, WR Carlton Mitchell, S Nate Allen. Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense.
Notes: Will play Florida State (Sept. 26 in Tallahassee) and Miami (Nov. 28 at home) for first time. ... Selvie is nation’s active leader with 60 career tackles for loss ... Mike Canales, promoted from passing game coordinator, is the Bulls’ third offensive coordinator in three seasons. ... USF has been ranked in the top 10 during each of last two seasons, but finished each unranked.
RUTGERS — Key players: WR Tim Brown, OT Anthony Davis, LB Ryan D’Imperio, CB Devin McCourty. Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 offense.
Notes: Scarlet Knights enter season with a seven-game winning streak ... Senior Domenic Natale is favorite to replace the departed Mike Teel as starting quarterback, but he’ll face competition from the mobile Jabu Lovelace and highly touted freshman Tom Savage. ... Play four Big East home games, all against league’s other top contenders (USF, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh).
PITTSBURGH — Key players: QB Bill Stull, DE Greg Romeus, CB Aaron Berry. Returning starters: 8 offense, 7 defense.
Notes: Panthers were picked No. 1 in the Big East’s preseason media poll for the first time since league started playing football in 1993. ... RB Shariff Harris had 13 carries last season, tops among returning players. He’ll have competition from redshirt freshman Chris Burns and incoming freshmen Dion Lewis and Ray Graham.
CINCINNATI — Key players: WR Mardy Gilyard, QB Tony Pike, CB Aaron Webster. Returning starters: 8 offense, 1 defense.
Notes: Pike passed for 2,407 yards and 19 touchdowns and missed time with a broken arm. ... Former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones was moved to linebacker and is expected to start. ... Top three rushers from last season return.
WEST VIRGINIA — Key players: QB Jarrett Brown, RB Noel Devine, LB Reed Williams, WR Jock Sanders. Returning starters: 5 offense, 7 defense.
Notes: Devine averaged 6.3 yards per carry and ran for 1,289 yards ... Play three Friday games during second half of schedule and face three contenders (USF, Cincinnati and Rutgers) on the road.
LOUISVILLE — Key players: RB Victor Anderson, WR Doug Beaumont, MLB Jon Dempsey. Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 defense.
Notes: Anderson ran for 1,047 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman ... Junior quarterbacks Adam Froman and Justin Burke will compete for the starting job.
CONNECTICUT — Key players: LB Scott Lutrus, LB Lawrence Wilson, RB Andre Dixon. Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense.
Notes: Dixon and RB Jordan Todman are being looked to as replacements for Brown, who ran for more than 2,000 yards last season. ... Zach Frazer and Cody Endres are competing for starting QB job.
SYRACUSE — Key players: WR Mike Williams, QB Greg Paulus, DT Arthur Jones. Returning starters: 7 offense, 7 defense.
Notes: Marrone played offensive line for Syracuse from 1983-85. He spent last seven seasons in the NFL. ... Paulus was a highly touted quarterback recruit coming out of high school in Syracuse, but decided to play basketball at Duke.