When the Big East joined the BCS coalition, they had a special rule that said conference winners had to average in the Top 12 over four years. It was called the Big East rule, because they weren't deemed as good as the other NCAA major conferences.

Well, not it looks like the Big East is finally starting to get some respect. Miami and Virginia Tech were the perennial favorites, but now teams like Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Boston College aren't looking so bad. Pittsburgh is in contention with Miami for the conference championship, WVU is 7-3, and BC knocked off a Top 5 Notre Dame team.

As of right now, the Big East has three teams in the Top 16, which is a far cry from where they used to be when they formed in 1992.