By: John Mamola

USF Head Coach Skip Holtz defending the Big East Conference at Tuesday’s Big East media days.  With multiple teams leaving the conference, no permanent commissioner and additions of Boise State and five other teams joining the conference next season, Holtz was open and honest about the image of the conference on a national scale.

"I think we've been the punching bag for everybody," South Florida coach Skip Holtz said.

It’s been a rough off season for the conference.  Syracuse, one of the eight original Big East members, will leave next season and take Pittsburgh with it to the Atlantic Coast Conference. West Virginia bounced too, paying a higher exit fee to join the Big 12 this fall. TCU accepted a late invitation from the Big 12 rather than make good on its agreement to join the Big East this season.

Of the remaining Big East teams, there's a sense that more would leave if they had the opportunity.

In the end however, Holtz spoke only to defend the conference in which the USF Bulls were pick by the media to finish second in the conference this coming season.

"Time is the only thing that's going to create our stability — with the commissioner, with the television contract and the new teams coming in — but I think it's a strong league."

The Bulls have nonconference games against Florida State and Miami. Rutgers, picked third, will travel to Arkansas. Cincinnati (and outgoing Pittsburgh) will face Virginia Tech.

Since 2006, the Big East ranks third behind the SEC and the Big 12 in nonconference winning percentage at .712. Since the BCS began in 1998, the Big East has the best postseason winning percentage (.614) of any conference.

"It's easy to pick on us with probably the lack of stability we have," Holtz said. "I think right now the image is not what we all want it to be, but I think the product is exactly what we want. I would much rather have the product than the image, because the image will catch the product."