The rule in college football states a conference must have 12 teams in order to stage a conference championship game.

Well, that’s not stopping the eight-team Big East.

It may be an unofficial battle for the conference crown, but when No. 17 Pittsburgh visits No. 1 Miami tomorrow, the Big East title will be at stake. The Panthers carry a 5-0 conference record into the Orange Bowl against Miami’s 4-0 mark.

‘It’s the Big East championship,’ Miami coach Larry Coker said. ‘If we don’t win this game, we’re probably not going to win the league. It’s come down to us and Pittsburgh right now.’

‘If we win, then we’re going to get a piece of the championship,’ Pitt coach Walt Harris said. ‘It’s a championship-type game.’

West Virginia still has a chance at the Big East championship, but it’s about as likely as George Steinbrenner being elected mayor of Boston. The Mountaineers must win the rest of their games — at Virginia Tech and Pitt — and hope Miami loses twice.

Despite West Virginia’s outside shot, all Thursday’s game is missing is an official sponsor. Either Miami will leave the field as three-time Big East champs, or Pitt will claim its first league trophy.

The contest is a classic matchup of one team trying build on tradition and the other trying to create one. Lined with Heisman-winning quarterbacks and national championships, Miami’s past helps sculpt college football’s history. On the other hand, Pitt’s minimal glory is defined by Dan Marino, a player who graduated in 1983. The Panthers spent much of the early ‘90s looking up at Rutgers, while the ‘Canes created a dynasty.

But that will be dismissed Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

‘I don’t talk about the football program with regards to the football team,’ Harris said. ‘What (a possible win over Miami) does for the program is great, but that’s not what the focus is. We’re playing against the best football team in America, and we’re going to measure ourselves after the ball game.’

Pitt will need that single-mindedness if it wishes to snap Miami’s winning streak at 31. The Hurricanes have their swagger back after dismantling Tennessee on the road two Saturdays ago, 26-3.

‘Miami is above everybody in the league from a talent standpoint,’ said Temple coach Bobby Wallace, who has faced both the ‘Canes and Panthers this season. ‘They’re going to be very difficult to beat.’

While Miami has played several big games this year — including against rivals Florida and Florida State — Pitt may be its toughest challenge yet. Pitt flaunts an offense capable of running down a defense’s throat with Brandon Miree. The Panthers also have one of the best quarterback-receiver tandems in the Big East in Rod Rutherford and Larry Fitzgerald.

‘We’ve got a tremendous challenge,’ Coker said. ‘(This is our biggest game of the year), no doubt about it.’

For all the firepower the two squads have in offense, the game will be a defensive battle. Pittsburgh, led by Gerald Hayes, has an extremely physical defense ranked eighth in the nation. Not to be outdone, Miami’s fleet defense is fifth.

Depending on which defensive unit shows up for Miami on Thursday, Miree’s power running might be the difference. The Hurricane’s rush defense — which has been the ire of Miami’s critics — is the one weakness the ‘Canes have shown. But, aside from a 74-yard play, Miami held Tennessee to 67 yards on the ground.

‘I don’t think they got enough respect for what they did when they went up to Tennessee,’ Harris said. ‘They completed dominated that football game.’

The Panthers — early 21-point underdogs — are hoping the Hurricanes don’t dominate tomorrow night’s game as well. Miami is third in the nation with 41.1 points per game thanks to two Heisman hopefuls in their backfield — Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee. Miami can blow a team out quickly.

‘When you break down the personnel, Miami’s going to have a lot more first-round draft choices than anybody else,’ Wallace said. ‘Miami’s going to have to help (Pitt) to give them a chance.’

Whatever the outcome, the Pitt-Miami showdown is a unique moment for the Big East.

‘This late in the season, for a televised Thursday night game, ESPN couldn’t have asked for a better matchup,’ Coker said. ‘We’re excited about it.’

***

Wednesday night football?

There was a time when Saturday in the fall meant college football, when fans could count on watching their team play after putting in a week’s work.

Those days are over, but how about kicking your feet back to some gridiron action tonight?

West Virginia travels to Virginia Tech tonight to play the first Wednesday night game in league history. Like most things today in college football, the decision to play on Wednesday was motivated by television execs.

Not that the coaches see anything wrong with that.

‘Everything is changed nowadays with TV,’ WVU coach Rich Rodriguez said. ‘A lot of games are dictated by TV as far as our times are concerned. Coaches and programs like the exposure.’

‘I kind of like it,’ Tech coach Frank Beamer said. ‘It’s a chance for both programs to be on TV. We’re the only game on. It’s a chance for both teams to make a statement about their program.’

As for on-field issues, coaches turn Wednesday night into Saturday afternoon for their preparation.

‘(Monday), I’ll tell (my players), ‘Today’s not Monday, it’s Thursday,’ ‘ Rodriguez said. ‘The only difference I can see is if you play in a Saturday night game you’ll be able watch a little football during the day. Now, the only thing you can watch is soap operas. I’m not sure I want our players watching soap operas all day before the game, so we might have another plan for them.’

While the tradition of all college games being played on Saturday has vanished, some things remain sacred.

‘I certainly don’t like Friday night games,’ Rodriguez said. ‘Most coaches would tell you that. You don’t want to conflict with high school games.’

That’s because the Friday night games would steal viewers from high school fields, and vice versa.

Speaking of stealing viewers, many testosterone-driven males may drift away from ESPN when they discover that CBS is broadcasting the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at the same hour tonight.

‘Is Victoria’s Secret on?’ Beamer said. ‘That’s gonna get our ratings, I can tell you.’

When asked which he would watch if in a barcalounger and not on the sidelines, Beamer gushed, ‘I better not answer that one.’

***

Looking sharp

When you’re cramming for finals in a few weeks, don’t complain about the strenuous workload.

You could be Tanardo Sharps.

Temple’s running back got his number called more often than an operator Saturday, toting the ball a Big East-record 48 times for 215 yards. The Owls came back from a 17-3 deficit for a 20-17 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday.

What’s more, Sharps suffered a thigh injury the previous weekend and had to be held out of practice on Thursday. Sharps then aggravated his thigh twice, once in the first half and once at the contest’s close. The pain kept Sharps out only two plays.

‘You can’t say enough about (Sharps’) effort,’ Wallace said. ‘We went into the game not sure how he was going to hold up, and he carries the ball 48 times.’

Sharps wasn’t supposed to endure the Herculean task, but the blustery winds in Piscataway, N.J., forced Wallace to go to the ground.

‘(Giving Sharps 48 carries) was not by design,’ Wallace said. ‘The weather dictated that, and he did a great job with it.’

Sharps’ record day shouldn’t come as too big a surprise. He has been a workhorse since his freshman season, starting all four years. This season, he leads the Big East with 293 carries and ranks third at 113.1 yards per game.

***

This and that

Sharps — who was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week with Boston College running back Derrick Knight — headlined a big week for Temple in the always-prestigious Big East Player of the Week department. Owls’ defensive back Terrance Leftwich shared defensive honors with BC’s Ralph Parent, and Temple kicker Cap Poklemba took the special team award for his game-winning field goal. … Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Rutgers and Miami all had byes on Saturday. … Miami is No. 1 in the BCS standings for the first time all season. All the ‘Canes had to do was take a week off to jump Ohio State, who defeated Illinois, 23-16, in overtime. … Weekly shot at Dorsey: This week, Coker referred to the gangly signal-caller as ‘a leader in the weight room.” Hey Larry, you sure you didn’t mean ‘obstacle’ or ‘laughing stock’ in the weight room?

Published on November 19, 2002 at 12:00 pm