Big East Football Standings 2012: Rutgers still on top despite loss to Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers may have smacked around the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, but the Scarlet Knights still kept their perch on top of the Big East standings.

Rutgers is 5-1 in the Big East and 9-2 overall as they head into a pivotal contest against the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday. Despite losing on Saturday, the Scarlet Knights clinched a share of the Big East title thanks to the Cardinals' stunning home loss to Connecticut. A win over the Cardinals would give the Scarlet Knights the Big East title outright.

There's a bit of a traffic jam in the standings behind Rutgers. The Syracuse Orange are 5-2 in Big East play, while both Louisville and Cincinnati are 4-2. If the Cardinals beat the Scarlet Knights on Thursday, there could potentially be a four-way tie and Louisville would get the Big East's BCS bid.

Pittsburgh and Connecticut moved to 2-4 in conference with their upset victories. Temple and South Florida bring up the rear.

Here are the full Big East standings: