The Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers fell back in the Big East football standings with losses on Saturday, Nov. 5. Pittsburgh lost a heartbreaker at home to No. 23 Cincinnati, 26-23, as Kevin Harper missed a game-tying 50-yard field goal try with 14 seconds to play. The loss sends Pittsburgh to 4-5 on the year and 2-2 in conference play.
West Virginia, which entered the week at No. 24 in the country, lost to the Louisville Cardinals in a 38-35 shootout. The Cardinals took a 31-21 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, when Andrew Johnson returned a blocked field goal 82 yards for a touchdown, but the Mountaineers rallied to bring themselves to within three points at the 43-second mark. However, Louisville recovered their onside kick attempt and killed the clock, dropping WVU to 6-3 (2-2 Big East) and out of the Top 25 for the first time all season.
Pittsburgh aims to climb back to .500 this Saturday, Nov. 12, as it visits Louisville. West Virginia, meanwhile, can make a statement and perhaps climb back into the Top 25 discussion when it visits Cincinnati, also on Nov. 12.
Here's a look at the complete Big East standings:
1 - Cincinnati Bearcats - 3-0 conference - 7-1 overall
2 - Louisville Cardinals - 3-1 - 5-4
3 - Rutgers Scarlet Knights - 3-2 - 6-3
T4 - West Virginia Mountaineers - 2-2 - 6-3
T4 - Pittsburgh Panthers - 2-2 - 4-5
T4 - Connecticut Huskies - 2-2 - 4-5
7 - Syracuse Orange - 1-3 - 5-4
8 - South Florida Bulls - 0-4 - 4-4
For more on the Big East, please visit Big East Coast Bias. For Pitt Panthers coverage, please visit Cardiac Hill. For WVU Mountaineers coverage, please visit The Smoking Musket.