I tried to stick as many acronyms in that subject line as I could!  Bornakk had this to say about the situation of item progression with the new expansion.

Players and items will have an increase in their stats/items that goes along with leveling to 80, it will just be a little more consistent when compared to The Burning Crusade. What I mean by this is the way items are working right now will be closer to the new items you get in Wrath of the Lich King and it isn't like you will see an item with double the usual amount of stamina from your first quest.

Our own poster, Jordster, has started a discussion on this in our forums, so join in with your thoughts!