It's still not even Labor Day yet and West Virginia coach Don Nehlen is already mid-season cranky. The reason? Nehlen isn't thrilled with the Big East schedule-makers. Instead of opening with Cupcake State, the Mountaineers get Boston College and kick off the conference season Saturday in Morgantown, a game that will be televised on ESPN (noon).

As a point of reference, the Big East didn't open up league play until September 25 last season. By that date this fall, Nehlen will have already played two Big East teams that appeared in bowl games in 1999 -- Boston College (Insight.com Bowl) and Miami (Gator Bowl).

"I'd rather play a league game later in the season," Nehlen said. "That first league game ... Heavens, we play BC and Miami two of the first three weeks, and I don't think anybody else in league has been asked to do that."

The main reason for Nehlen's concern is his rebuilt defense, which will sport a number of new faces. That's not a good sign, considering the Mountaineers ranked 98th out of 114 teams last year in total defense.

"We were terrible on defense last year," said Nehlen. "We couldn't stop the run or the pass. And here comes Boston College into town with eight starters back on offense, including a big, physical line, a talented tailback and a very experienced quarterback. They're going to come in here thinking that they can just run it down our throats and throw it over our heads. We have to get some stops early in the game to build up our confidence on defense against what is a very balanced BC offense."

	Cedric Washington is averaging nearly five yards a carry.

Job One for the Mountaineers will be holding up at the line of scrimmage against a gigantic BC offensive line which will try to open holes for stellar 5-10 senior running back Cedric Washington (1,122 yards rushing in 1999). The BC line is led by super-sized returning starters Michael Cook (6-5, 318), Paul LaQuerre (6-3, 290) and Paul Zukauskas (6-6, 310). However, if West Virginia puts too many guys in the box to slow down the run, then senior quarterback Tim Hasselbeck (1,940 yards passing, 11 TDs) is experienced enough to make them pay.

"It's a tough opener," said Nehlen. "We'll need to establish our own ground game with Avon Cobourne to keep the ball away from them."

Nehlen makes a good point. With hot weather expected in Morgantown, the team which establishes its ground game best might be able to wear down the opposing defense. Cobourne led the Big East and was 16th nationally in rushing last season (113.9 ypg). He'll try to post big numbers against a completely rebuilt Boston College front seven, which returns just one full-time starter in junior outside linebacker Scott Bradley (57 tackles in '99). That's why Boston College coach Tom O'Brien is also concerned about Saturday's earlier-than-usual league tilt.

"In talking with alumni, BC has always had problems winning in Morgantown, so it'll be a big test," said O'Brien. "You worry about opening with a conference game because of guys getting banged up. But it's an opportunity for us to play a national TV game and with our program where it is right now I think you have to play this game."

Quarterback questions
Their respective season openings are only hours from kicking off and yet both Pittsburgh and Syracuse still aren't sure who will be under center. Both programs return two proven signal callers apiece, guys who can spearhead charges downfield during two-minute drills. A nice dilemma for Pittsburgh's Walt Harris and Syracuse's Paul Pasqualoni to deal with, except that, using last season as a reminder, both should know better than to let their quarterback controversies linger for this long.

Keeping a cloud of mystery hanging over a quarterback controversy often does little more than provide unnecessary fodder for distractions, ones potential postseason programs would do well to avoid at all costs. Yet here is Syracuse again, only this time Pasqualoni is picking from a litter of four quarterbacks. Although sophomore Troy Nunes, the likely starter, has outplayed the other three competitors -- including last year's co-starter Madei Williams -- through four preseason scrimmages, the Orangemen coach is still keeping his choice a secret.

"I have a gut feeling of which way we're going to go," said Pasqualoni, whose team finished a disappointing 7-5 last season and opens with lowly Buffalo Saturday. "First of all, it keeps the kids really going through the week. Second of all, still casts an element of doubt in preparation as for who our opponent will get ready for.

"It's not a distraction for the team simply because we've got to get ready. The kids have got to get ready. We give our team as many reps in practice as we can. We actually need quite a few quarterbacks to work in practice just to get through practice."

In Western Pennsylvania, Harris is only deciding between two candidates, senior John Turman and junior David Priestley. They split starts in 1999, both throwing for just over 1,300 yards. Although Turman threw for more touchdowns (10-6), Priestley was far more accurate (58.2 percent to 47.9). However, Priestley is coming off of shoulder surgery and has mostly been outplayed by Turman this spring.

Yet Harris speaks with the same indecisiveness as Pasqualoni. Perhaps this is justified caution since the Panthers are otherwise loaded on offense, with the wideout tandem of senior Latef Grim and sophomore Antonio Bryant ranking among the nation's best. Even so, Saturday's opener against Kent beckons and the receivers still don't know whose spiral they will be catching. After all, splitting time between Priestley and Turman only left the Panthers with a 5-6 record in '99 -- or in the big picture, a game short of a bowl invite.

"It's up in the air," Harris said. "I haven't really gotten a consistent feeling. One has not separated from the other. I don't want to ordain anyone and neither has performed like a second year player. I'm going to go as long as I need to go. I want to have one guy be the starter, but until he materializes, I don't want to force-feed it."

Tech-nical knockout
For the first time since the Miami-Temple game was postponed because Hurricane Floyd was threatening South Florida last season, a major college football game fell prey to Mother Nature when Sunday night's Black Coaches Association Classic between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech was stopped due to incessant lightning.

For a Hokies' team scheduled to play three games in 12 days, the cancellation might have been a blessing. The night off leaves them fresh for Saturday's game against Akron and enables them to come back a few days later for a tough Thursday night game on ESPN2 at East Carolina, a team that went 9-3 a year ago. Included in East Carolina's nine wins a year ago were triumphs over Big East members Miami and West Virginia.

"That was going to be a concern, there's no question about it," Beamer said, talking about playing three games in 12 days before Sunday's lightning storms. "Whenever a game is scheduled, you just work your practice routine in there. That's what I think we do now. I do think we should be very ready to play an opening ballgame. Once you prepare like we did for a month for Georgia Tech, a lot of different formations, you're ready to play."

So the Hokies will now play Akron Saturday, a tough East Carolina team next Thursday on ESPN2 and then Rutgers on Sept. 16 in Blacksburg, Va. As for the game against Georgia Tech, it looks like it'll be rescheduled December 1 in Blacksburg -- despite the balking by Georgia Tech. Why are the Yellow Jackets dragging their feet? If they play the Hokies on December 1, it'll mean that Georgia Tech's defense could ultimately decide the Heisman Trophy winner themselves. They'll face both Virginia Tech's Michael Vick and Georgia's Quincy Carter (the in-state rivals meet on November 25) in less than a week's time. Ouch.

Extra points
Rutgers coach Terry Shea is a glass-is-half-full guy by nature, but he was nearly giddy as his team prepared for this Saturday's 6 p.m. season opener vs. I-AA Villanova. For once, Rutgers heads into a season almost completely healthy. Junior ILB Tarell Freeney (elbow, hip) and WRs Errol Johnson (left shoulder) and Walter King (back) are all slated to start against Villanova. Speaking of the Scarlet Knights, Shea said he thinks that senior QB Mike McMahon "could be the surprise of college football this season." Shea cited the fact the fact that McMahon is in the best physical condition of his career, showing no ill-effects of last year's shoulder injury and having been clocked at a remarkable 4.43 in the 40. ... The tug-of-war between the Miami offensive and defensive coaches over prize recruit D.J. Williams has been won by the offense. The 6-2, 235-pound Williams, everybody's prep All-American in 1999, made 123 tackles last year and rushed 1,974 yards at prep powerhouse De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif. "We felt it was the best place for D.J. to contribute right away," said Miami coach Butch Davis, whose team opens with I-AA McNeese State this Thursday night. "We've tried to expand the role of the fullback since I've been here. They've been used as pass catchers, but D.J. gives a ball-carrying fullback too. That will allow us to expand the fullback's role in our offense." Adding the gifted Williams to the Canes' offensive mix is a scary thought, considering that Miami already had one of the nation's most impressive collections of playmaking skill people in Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, James Jackson, Clinton Portis and Najeh Davenport....Temple players are uttering the words "bowl bid" since it has six home games for the first time since 1984. In order to make that dream a reality, the Owls will have to go 3-1 against a softer-than-usual non-conference schedule (Navy, Maryland, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan). Owls coach Bobby Wallace prepared his team for the 2000 season with a boot camp-tough summer camp. "It was the hardest camp that I've ever had in my 12 years as a head coach," said Wallace. "We did lose one quality player (promising 6-6 tight end Jordan Witzel from British Columbia) to a broken leg, but I felt we needed to set the tone for this season with a rough, rough camp." The two things to watch this weekend against Navy are whether the Owls' ground game has improved any (they averaged a measly 59.7 yards per game last season) and whether linebackers Taylor Suman (129 stops in 1999) and Levar Talley (131 tackles in 1999) -- Temple's two players on the Butkus Award watch list and no, that's not a misprint -- can stop Navy's vaunted ground attack. "Navy offers unique challenges for any defense because they are so disciplined and execute their option attack so well," Wallace said. "But we've had the luxury of a month to prepare for Navy's option rather than a week to get ready for it."

Bill Doherty covers Big East football for ESPN.com.