Daily Links - It's Nassib Time

The Daily Orange - At last: After getting a taste of the quarterback job last season, this is finally Nassib’s turn
"Most definitely, we thought he should have been the guy starting against Minnesota since the spring," Davis said. "Coach Marrone wanted to do something different, I guess. He had different plans. Ryan was the better fit. He was ready to play. Greg — it wasn’t like he wasn’t good enough, but it was him coming on after not playing football for four years. Ryan had a clear advantage over him. Ryan was closer to the receivers and to the team, and he proved himself during the spring. I feel like he should have had the starting job."

The Daily Orange - Two of a kind: Both converted running backs, Hogue and Smith now anchor SU on the other side
"I’ve never seen (anybody) in person play that well in my life," Smith said. "It was crazy what he did."

The Daily Orange - The apprentice: A football life has prepared Nathaniel Hackett for a leading role in SU’s offense
For the second time in three days, Hackett finds himself in front of a television camera answering questions about fall camp and what led him to Syracuse. He’s visibly fatigued from a typical long day, but answering questions about his dual role as quarterbacks coach and offensive play caller in his first season at SU keeps his adrenaline pumping. The dog days of camp haven’t fazed him. Not after all these years.

Syracuse University Athletics - Americu Doug Marrone Show Premieres Wednesday
Second-year Orange head coach Doug Marrone and Voice of the Orange Matt Park will catch fans up on the program’s off-season proceedings and set the stage for Saturday’s opener at Akron.New quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will stop by tonight.

The Daily Orange - The rock: In midst of three defensive schemes in three seasons, Wagner is Akron's constant
New head coach Rob Ianello was hired over the winter, bringing with him a new defensive formation: a 4-3 scheme. That left Wagner to fill the all-important middle linebacker spot in the defense. On this first day of spring practice, Wagner and the rest of his teammates had to begin to learn Ianello’s new playbook. More than five months later, it is no longer the new defense, it is just the defense.

What to watch in the Big East: Week 1 - Big East Blog - ESPN
Marrone 2.0: It's Year2 of the Doug Marrone era in Syracuse, and the team should be ready to take a step forward. There's no time to really hold much back in the opener, since it's on the road against an Akron team that has played well against the Orange the last two years in the Carrier Dome. With Marrone taking over the offensive coordinator duties this year, it will be interesting to see what kind of new wrinkles he'll unveil. Don't be surprised to see some option, some Wildcat and other misdirection.

Big East stock report, Week 1 - Big East Blog - ESPN
The Doak Walker Award: Including Powell on the preseason watch list was nice. But excluding Delone Carter and Isaiah Pead? The award that inexplicably snubbed Donald Brown in 2008 got it wrong again.

Orange::44: 2010 Big East Prospectus Part 6: South Florida
Skip Holtz takes over a USF program that has only ever had one other coach since the inception of their program. Last season they earned eight wins, including their Bowl Game, but that seems about all they will ever be capable of at this point.

Orange::44: 2010 Big East Prospectus Part 5: Rutgers
Greg Schiano is back and will lead a very young Rutgers team in their latest campaign. One of the big surprises in the league was the success of QB Tom Savage (149/285, 2211yds, 14 TD, 7 INT, sacked 35 times) who had a pretty successful freshman year.

Scott Grodsky talks Syracuse offense: