The Big East has accomplished much during its short existence, but it's never been considered among the best conferences in the country.

Until now.

An argument can be made that the top half of the Big East performed as well or better as any other conference in college football this season.

	QB Ken Dorsey and Miami top the underrrated Big East.

Sure, there's Miami, which has separated itself from the 116 other Division I-A schools.

But West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and, even, Boston College proved themselves worthy this season and added punch to a league that, not long ago, was derisively referred to as the Big Least.

The league had four teams ranked in the Top 25 for much of the season's second half and five of the eight conference members qualified for the postseason.

The Big East was one of three (Big 12, SEC) conferences that had at least five teams with eight wins. Both the Big 12 and SEC have 12 members.

The league's strength wasn't expected. The season began with only the Hurricanes and Hokies ranked in the Top 25. Miami remained No. 1 for most of the year while Virginia Tech rose to as high as No. 3 before slumping in the second half.

While the Hokies were descending, West Virginia and Pittsburgh were ascending. Each enjoyed its best season in years.

It was also a great season for Big East running backs.

Six teams produced 1,000-yard backs, including West Virginia's Avon Cobourne, who capped a sensational career by setting a new league record for rushing yards. Miami tailback Willis McGahee, who broke several school records, may yet win the Heisman Trophy.

Fans noticed and responded to the Big East's emergence. The conference set a single-season record for attendance, drawing 2,332,844 fans to its games.

MVP: Tailback Willis McGahee may have been Miami's best player this season, but no one was more important to the top-ranked Hurricanes' success than quarterback Ken Dorsey. Statistically, Dorsey didn't have his best season, but the numbers were still solid and he played well when Miami needed him most. A strong argument could also be made for West Virginia's Avon Cobourne.

Coach of the Year: A year ago, some wondered whether West Virginia's decision to hire Rich Rodriguez to replace Don Nehlen was the right one. There's no doubting Rodriguez now. The Mountaineers won six of their last seven games and finished second in the conference by beating Pittsburgh on the road in the regular season's final game. Miami's Larry Coker and Pitt's Walt Harris would have been worthy choices, but Rodriguez turned in the year's best coaching job.

Newcomer of the Year: The departure of former Biletnikoff Award winner Antonio Bryant was hardly felt by Pittsburgh thanks to the emergence of freshman Larry Fitzgerald, who led the Big East in receptions (64) and touchdowns (11).

Biggest Surprise: West Virginia was not only the biggest surprise in the Big East, but maybe the nation. The Mountaineers, 3-8 in 2001, were picked to finish sixth in the conference. Instead, they ended up second to Miami thanks to tailback Avon Cobourne and an improved defense. The second-place finish was West Virginia's best since it won the conference in 1993.

Biggest Disappointment: After the success of the Donovan McNabb era, one might reasonably expect that Syracuse could avoid the type of debacle it suffered through this season. The first losing season in 16 years produced eight defeats, a total unsurpassed in two decades. The Orangemen were picked to finish third in the Big East. They were seventh, ahead of only Rutgers.

Boston College
Boston College (8-4, 3-4) won eight games and can ring up nine victories for the first time since 1986 by winning a bowl game. Still, that record is a little misleading. Among the eight wins, only the upset of Notre Dame came against an opponent with a winning record. The other seven victories came against teams with a combined 22-60 mark. Not exactly a murderers' row. Quarterback Brian St. Pierre struggled, throwing more interceptions (17) than touchdown passes (15). In 2001, St. Pierre led the Big East with 25 TDs and was picked off only 10 times.

MVP: The Eagles hardly missed William Green thanks to the work of tailback Derrick Knight. Knight started the season on the bench, but ended up finishing third in the Big East with 1,367 yards.

Biggest disappointment: BC should have beaten No. 3 Virginia Tech, but fumbled the game away and lost to the Hokies for the seventh consecutive time, 28-23.

Did you know: The 14-7 victory over Notre Dame snapped BC's streak of 23 consecutive regular-season defeats to ranked teams.

Miami
Miami (12-0, 7-0) may not be as good as it was last year, but the Hurricanes are still the best team in college football. By far. Miami's depth of talent is scary. The Hurricanes lost tailback Clinton Portis and replaced him with Willis McGahee, who had the best season ever by a Miami runner. They lost Jeremy Shockey and replaced him with Kellen Winslow, who posted more receptions than his predecessor. The entire secondary departed and was replaced by a group that led the nation in pass defense.

MVP: Bottom line is that Miami wouldn't be No. 1 and playing for the national championship without either Ken Dorsey or Willis McGahee. But, Dorsey's 38-1 career record proves he can win no matter who he's hands the ball to.

Biggest disappointment: Miami had trouble against the run all year. That was surprising considering the Hurricanes were thought to have the nation's best front seven prior to the season.

Did you know: The Hurricanes' 34-game win streak is tied with Pennsylvania (1894-96) for the sixth longest all-time.

Pittsburgh
A breakthrough season for Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-2) ended in some disappointment with close losses to No. 1 Miami and rival West Virginia. Nevertheless, there were more positives than negatives. The Panthers won eight games for the first time since 1989 and made their first appearance in the national polls since 1991. The victory on the road against No. 3 Virginia Tech was Pittsburgh's most impressive in a couple of decades. The development of junior quarterback Rod Rutherford and the return of sensational freshman receiver Larry Fitzgerald should make coach Walt Harris' team a contender for the league title next season.

MVP: Quarterback Rod Rutherford made plenty of mistakes, but he was the best quarterback in the conference not named Ken Dorsey. Rutherford finished first in the Big East in total offense (251.0 ypg) and second in touchdown passes with 21.

Biggest disappointment: Take your pick. The Panthers could have beaten Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Miami or West Virginia, but fell short each time.

Did you know: Pittsburgh has earned a postseason berth for the third consecutive season. The Panthers had not managed that feat since a nine-year bowl run from 1975-83.

Rutgers
Success at Rutgers isn't necessarily measured in wins and losses. The Scarlet Knights (1-11, 0-7) couldn't match the two victories coach Greg Schiano won in his first season, but they were more competitive than in 2001. Of course, that's relative. Rutgers' average margin-of-defeat this season in conference games was 24.2 points, compared to 41.2 points last year. The biggest problem at Rutgers may be a general lack of interest in the program. The Knights averaged a league-low 19,818 for six home games.

MVP: Not a lot to choose from, but cornerback Nate Jones had a solid season. The junior led the Big East in kickoff returns with a 28.3-yard average and two touchdowns. He was the Knights' third-leading tackler and intercepted two passes, blocked two kicks and recovered a pair of fumbles.

Biggest disappointment: For the second year in a row, the offense was just horrible, finishing last nationally in scoring offense (13.92 ppg).

Did you know: Rutgers has yet to win a Big East game during the 21st century. The Scarlet Knights have lost 21 straight conference games dating back to a victory against Syracuse during the 1999 season.

Syracuse
This was expected to be a rebuilding season for Syracuse, but a 4-8 record and seventh-place finish in the Big East was a far bigger drop than anyone could have forseen. The big problem was defense, or a lack of it. The Orange defense started out bad and got worse, giving up more than 500 yards in the team's final four games. The 50-42 triple overtime win against Virginia Tech was a highlight, but there were very few of those this season for coach Paul Pasqualoni's crew.

MVP: Sophomore tailback Walter Reyes was one of the Orangemen's few consistent performers. Reyes finished sixth in the Big East with 1,135 yards and broke the school record with 17 rushing touchdowns.

Biggest disappointment: Quarterback R.J. Anderson, who played so well in 2001, never got untracked and eventually lost his starting job. He threw twice as many interceptions (8) as touchdowns (4).

Did you know: Syracuse's losing season was the school's first in 16 years. The Orangemen were last under .500 in 1986.

Temple
The Big East may not admit it, but it's got to be a little embarrassing that lameduck Temple (4-8, 2-5) finished sixth in the conference ahead of Syracuse and Rutgers. The Owls won four games, giving them 12 victories over the last three seasons. It's a modest total, but one Temple has not surpassed in any three-year period since the school won 14 games from 1983-85.

MVP: Tailback Tanardo Sharps rushed for 1,276 yards and finished his career as Temple's second all-time leading rusher behind Paul Palmer.

Biggest disappointment: The Owls completely outplayed Pittsburgh, but turnovers proved crucial in a 29-22 loss. That cost Temple a chance for five victories for the first time since 1990.

Did you know: Sophomore quarterback Mike McGann led Division I-A quarterbacks with 22 interceptions.

Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (9-4, 3-4) began the season ranked 16th, but raised its followers' hopes after opening with eight straight wins while moving up to No. 3. The Hokies couldn't keep it up thanks to a defense that couldn't hold up. In Virginia Tech's nine wins, the defense allowed 93 points. In its four losses, the Hokies gave up 155 points. You do the math.

MVP: Senior tailback Lee Suggs bounced back from major knee surgery in a big way, gaining 1,255 yards and giving Virginia Tech one of the nation's best backfield tandems along with Kevin Jones.

Biggest disappointment: During a 50-42 triple overtime loss to Syracuse, the Hokies missed potential game-winning field goals at the end of regulation and the first overtime.

Did you know: Virginia Tech lost three consecutive games in the regular season for the first time since 1992.

West Virginia
West Virginia (9-3, 6-1) saw major improvements in all areas over the 2001 season, particularly on run defense and in turnover margin. But the key to the Mountaineers' six-win improvement was a running game that ranked among the nation's finest all season. West Virginia couldn't throw the ball, but that hardly mattered thanks to the play of Avon Cobourne and company. A bowl win would give the Mountaineers double-digit wins for only the fifth time in school history.

MVP: Tailback Avon Cobourne capped a sensational career by becoming the all-time leading rusher in Big East and West Virginia history. Opponents knew Cobourne was coming and still couldn't stop him.

Biggest disappointment: West Virginia had No. 1 Miami on the ropes at home, but failed to finish the job during a 40-23 defeat.

Did you know: The Mountaineers' six-win improvement over last season tied Ohio State and California for the biggest turnaround in Division I-A.

Jorge Milian covers college football for the Palm Beach Post.