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.
Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten previews the weekend's action, even when the truth is ugly.
It was a bad week for vowels.
The seven Big Ten schools whose names start with consonants played anywhere from OK to brilliantly this past weekend. The four that start with vowels -- Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio State -- all dropped a pantload on the field.
Illinois gets a partial pass because Missouri has been on a nice run lately. Ohio State played a Navy team that usually goes bowling. Indiana struggled with a Division I-AA FCS school, but they're Indiana; you kind of expect these things from them after a while.
That leaves one school. Iowa. And if I was an Iowa fan ... wait. I am an Iowa fan. Make the jump and see what has me feeling punchy. I promise I'll get around to the games eventually.
For at least the next 25 days, Cincinnati is the Beast of the East. Everyone in the Big East is now officially chasing the Bearcats following Monday's 47-15 seal clubbing of Rutgers.
The Bearcats and Scarlet Knights opened the Big East season Monday and now there is a 25-day break until the next conference game is played.
The way the Bearcats looked Monday, they may not only stay on top of the Big East standings for 25 days, but for the entire season. The Bearcats made a strong statement in defending last year's Big East title.
The Minnesota Gophers have expectations. Those expectations run higher than "escape in overtime against downtrodden Syracuse."
Syracuse has expectations, too. However, first-year head coach Doug Marrone has a lot of work to do before even a "bowl game" can be a serious thought for Orange fans. What happened Saturday at the Carrier Dome was a long-time coming for this one-time power. It was a step in the right direction, even though the Gophers won the game in overtime, 23-20.
This point guard will definitely play football. And he won't be coming off the bench either.
Greg Paulus, who grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., and was a star quarterback at Christian Brothers Academy, was named the Orange's starting quarterback Monday night by head coach Doug Marrone.
Paulus, the former Duke guard who finished with more than 1,000 career points for the Blue Devils over the past four years, beat out sophomore Ryan Nassib, senior Cam Dantley and freshman Charley Loeb for the starting role. Paulus, who joined the program in July, recently said one of the most difficult tasks in the transition from hoops to football was remembering the names of teammates.
Greg Paulus has chosen to go from being the focus of verbal abuse and scorn as a guard for Duke basketball to physical abuse as the quarterback of Syracuse. The senior has one year of eligibility remaining, and was one of the top quarterback prospects in the country before opting for basketball at Duke.
Paulus made the decision quite a saga, as he traveled from working out with the Green Bay Packers to a flirtation with Michigan before narrowing the field to Nebraska or Syracuse. He ultimately chose Syracuse, his hometown team and the one he originally scorned in favor of Duke.
The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.
Day 5 of a long podcasting week arrives and we're pleased to bring on ESPN's own Qadry Ismael -- an especially relevant guest considering all the news about wide receivers in this year's draft (ahem, Percy Harvin) and Qadry's own first-hand knowledge and ensuing analysis of the draft process.
After the jump, we talk to Qadry about Harvin's chances, Darrius Heyward-Bey's draft stock, who the Giants need to fill Plaxico Burress' shoes (and whether it could be Braylon Edwards) and how Qadry would feel if he came back to campus at Syracuse for his senior season to find out Greg Paulus was throwing balls his way.
The few weeks after the NCAA Basketball season concludes are traditionally chock full of player movement announcements -- new recruits, transfers, entry entrants into the NBA draft, etc. This year has been no exception, but there is a trend gaining more steam. Having a collegiate basketball player become a football player isn't a new thing. Antonio Gates is an All-Pro tight end who didn't play a snap of college football, for example.
Still, the movement from football to basketball seems to be increasing in recent weeks. It makes sense, considering the speed, quickness and agility needed in both. For post players in basketball, they've become accustomed to a physical game anyway, and have the necessary strength-athleticism combo for a position like tight end. Here are four currently considering the shift:
It's barely spring here in the Midwest but spring football is well under way, and there's abundant intrigue in the Big Ten conference. Coming off what seems like the 46th consecutive disappointing bowl season, including a Rose Bowl where Penn State's Daryll Clark (right) did his best but the Nittany Lions still couldn't beat Southern Cal, nobody will be expecting much from the conference or its teams when fall rolls around. Somebody has to win it, however, and now is when the jockeying for position really begins.
The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.
Clay Travis returns in Part 2 of our epic "ClayCast" (if you missed part one you can check it out right here) to talk more about writing, the process of actually getting a book published, Greg Paulus, which is more hateable: Notre Dame's quarterback or Duke's point guard, really irrational sports fans, Gregg Doyel, purposeful vitriol, and everyone's favorite standby: the blogosphere versus the mainstream media. Whew. Listen or download after the jump.
Each Friday, FanHouse's Brett McMurphy will preview the Big East and make his weekly predictions.
Every Thursday, 
For at least the next 25 days, Cincinnati is the Beast of the East. Everyone in the Big East is now officially chasing the Bearcats following Monday's 47-15 seal clubbing of Rutgers.
The Minnesota Gophers have expectations. Those expectations run higher than "escape in overtime against downtrodden Syracuse."
This point guard will definitely play football. And he won't be coming off the bench either. 
The few weeks after the NCAA Basketball season concludes are traditionally chock full of player movement announcements -- new recruits, transfers, entry entrants into the NBA draft, etc. This year has been no exception, but there is a trend gaining more steam. Having a collegiate basketball player become a football player isn't a new thing. 
It's barely spring here in the Midwest but spring football is well under way, and there's abundant intrigue in the Big Ten conference. Coming off what seems like the 46th consecutive disappointing bowl season, including a Rose Bowl where Penn State's 
