Cinci bringing up the rear? First of all, they still bring back a lot of talent. 2nd, they bring in a coach who is a lot like Brian Kelly, in fact is a Brian Kelly disciple. 3rd, Brian Kelly's teams have done very well after he has left them.
And 4th, there is a school named Syracuse that is way worse. Also, Louisville sucked last year, fired their coach and won't be as good this year, even with new coach Charlie Strong. South FL self-destructed last year, fired their coach and have major question marks. The jury is still out on Rutgers as well.
I'm in the camp with others that responded who said that Cinci will be a good team next year. Not great, but certainly not a last place team. What the TE said was stupid, but that doesn't mean they'll suck. Eventually, I wouldn't be surprised if they sucked again unless they continue to put more money in the program like they started doing under BK. But next year, with their returning QB and offensive talent and the continuity that Coach Butch brings, they'll be good.
Oh, and UCONN isn't favored to win the Big East next year, it's Pitt. Even the coaches voted Pitt as the favorite.