Dashette Presenter -- Elsa Benitez.

Motto -- "It's basketball season!"

Coach of the Year -- Brian Kelly (15), Cincinnati. Won the league handily despite major quarterback issues. Has a chance to be the best coach in Cincy history -- or to be the next coach at a more established program. The choice will be his.

Player of the Year -- Donald Brown (16), Connecticut. Leads the nation in rushing yards per game and provided the bulk of the Huskies' offense, despite the fact that every opponent loaded its defense to stop him. (Honorable mention to Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard.)

Freshman of the Year -- Victor Anderson (17), Louisville. He's a 1,000-yard rusher with a game to go. Might not have Steve Slaton's breakaway speed, but he's got his shiftiness and deceptive power -- which is fitting, because he nearly went to West Virginia before deciding to stay home.

Disappointment of the Year -- Goes to the loser of Saturday's game between West Virginia and South Florida. They were supposed to be playing for the Big East title this weekend; instead they're playing to avoid 7-5.

Game of the Year -- Cincinnati 26, West Virginia 23, OT. The Bearcats' win in Morgantown at night was probably the defining moment of their breakthrough season -- especially after blowing a 13-point lead in the final 71 seconds of regulation.

Bragging Point -- Talk about smart expansion: If Louisville beats Rutgers on Thursday, the three football schools swiped from Conference USA (Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida) will have gone .500 or better for the regular season in 11 out of 12 tries since joining the league.

Don't Mention -- Closest thing the Big East has to a marquee nonconference win is Pitt over Iowa.

Dash Moment of the Year -- Cincinnati kick returner Gilyard, who predicted before the Bearcats played West Virginia that he'd run a kickoff back for a touchdown and told his blockers, "I'll run until I puke." True to every word, Gilyard ran back the opening kick for six, then missed the next offensive series because he was losing his lunch on the sidelines.