I think this season should demonstrate the return of Eastern Football with Pitt returning to their glory days, Louisville the former Eastern Independent reunited with more traditional opponents begins its assault on the top of college football. Rutgers finally gets over the hump and surpasses Penn State as the old man racks up another losing season in unhappy valley. Syracuse shows glimpses of the past I mean future under Robinson. Connecticut becomes the de facto power in New England D-1A football and assimilates into Eastern Football. Cincinnati rebuilds but is playing far more traditional opponents especially in Syracuse and Rutgers. South Florida steps up into a BCS conference and lets everyone know why the Florida Big 3 will become the Big 4. West Virginia rebuilds but still is fairly dominant and reiterates the theme of the return of Eastern Football. My guess for the Lambert winner this year is Pitt as it should have been last year. The eligible teams for the Lambert Trophy include:
RUTGERS, Penn State, Army, Navy, PITT, WEST VIRGINIA, SYRACUSE, CONNECTICUT, Boston College, SOUTH FLORIDA, Temple, CINCINNATI, Buffalo
IIRC, the rules state that a school must be located in NY, NJ, PA, or a New England state. If a team plays half of its games against teams eligible for the award they are also eligible. Notable exceptions are West Virginia and Navy who have been eligible for decades granted they've always played half their games against eligible teams anyway.
South Florida will be eligible as it plays RU, PSU, WVU, Pitt, SU, and Connecticut this year which comprise 6 of 11 games. Cinncinnati will also be eligible as it plays RU, PSU, WVU, Pitt, SU, and Connecticut. The two teams also play each other which likely counts.
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