Friday Night Showdown On ESPN For The Keg of Nails
The rivalry between Cincinnati and Louisville is one of the BIG EAST’s best – the schools annually play for the Keg of Nails and their series dates to the 1922 season. This year’s matchup (Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN) will put more than just the wooden bucket on the line. Louisville comes in at 7-0 overall, 2-0 in BIG EAST play and No. 16 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, while Cincinnati is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference. The Bearcats look to regroup after seeing an eight-game winning streak end last Saturday, while the Cardinals look to extend their winning streak to eight games.
Unbeaten Rutgers Returns Home
Rutgers is enjoying just its third 7-0 start in program history and, as the winner of eight in a row, has the nation’s fourth-longest active winning streak. The Scarlet Knights, who are ranked No. 15 in the BCS standings, face a tough test at High Point Solutions Stadium Saturday when they face a 6-1 Kent State squad. Rutgers brings a stout defense that is ranked third nationally in scoring (11.3 ppg) against a Golden Flash team that has scored at least 41 points five times in seven games.
Syracuse’s Nassib At The Top Of His Class
Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib has been one of the nation’s top passers this season – he’s ranked ninth nationally in passing yards. He was recognized this week as one of college football’s elite student-athletes with his selection to the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class. One of just 15 players chosen, Nassib will receive an $18,000 scholarship and is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which goes to the top scholar-athlete in the nation. The last BIG EAST player to receive the Campbell Trophy was Rutgers’ Brian Leonard, who won in 2006.
Semifinal Stage For National Awards
We’re past the midpoint of the 2012 season, which means that many of the presenters of many national awards have whittled their lists of candidates to a select few. Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been named as a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top signal-caller, while Rutgers’ Steve Beauharnais was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award as the country’s top linebacker.
