Each week as I await the ballots for this poll I know I'll see three things. Everyone will agree on a top team or two, a giant mushy middle will swallow most of the conference, and On the Banks and Voodoo Five will strongly disagree. This week did not disappoint.
Let's start with the top, where Syracuse's destruction of Cincinnati (along with UConn's upset of West Virginia) solidified the top two spots in the conference. Pittsburgh once again collected every first place vote, and Syracuse now has a firm hold on the second spot, with every ballot slotting the Orange right behind the Panthers.
The middle of the conference is a huge mess though. Louisville, West Virginia, Rutgers and South Florida are all within two points of each other, and even lowly UConn is knocking on the door of mediocrity after their aforementioned win.
Finally, there is the bottom. Cincinnati is sitting in last in the poll, but as always, the individual ballots are where the fun is. Thanks to UConn's win, On The Banks was able to return to early-season form by dropping South Florida into eighth. Any guesses as to who is last on the Voodoo Five ballot? Yup, it's Rutgers.
Despite what they say, life goes on in the Big East conference.
1. Pittsburgh (6) (5-3, 3-0): 48 points -- vs. Louisville W 20-3 -- Last Week: 1
2. Syracuse (6-2, 3-1): 42 points -- @ Cincinnati W 31-7 -- Last Week: 2
3 (Tie). Louisville (4-4, 1-2): 26 points -- @ Pittsburgh L 20-3 -- Last Week: T-4
3 (Tie). West Virginia (5-3, 1-2): 26 points -- @ UConn L 16-13 (OT) -- Last Week: 3
5 (Tie). Rutgers (4-3, 1-1): 24 points -- BYE -- Last Week: 7
5 (Tie). South Florida (4-3, 1-2): 24 points -- BYE -- Last Week: T-4
7. UConn (4-4, 1-2): 17 points -- vs. West Virginia W 16-13 (OT) -- Last Week: 8
8. Cincinnati (3-5, 1-2): 11 points -- vs. Syracuse L 31-7 -- Last Week: 6
Past rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
Individual ballots after the jump.
Card Chronicle:1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. West Virginia
4. South Florida
5. Cincinnati
6. Louisville
7. Rutgers
8. UConn
Cardiac Hill:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. Rutgers
4. West Virginia
5. Louisville
6. UConn
7. South Florida
8. Cincinnati
On The Banks:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. West Virginia
4. Rutgers
5. Louisville
6. UConn
7. Cincinnati
8. South Florida
Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. Rutgers
4. Louisville
5. UConn
6. West Virginia
7. South Florida
8. Cincinnati
TheUConnBlog:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. South Florida
4. Louisville
5. Rutgers
6. UConn
7. West Virginia
8. Cincinnati
Voodoo Five:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. South Florida
4. Louisville
5. West Virginia
6. UConn
7. Cincinnati
8. Rutgers