Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. South Florida is back in the national picture: Here we go again with the Bulls. Another undefeated September, another marquee nonconference win. It remains to be seen whether South Florida can get through the grind of a Big East season. But with young players like quarterback B.J. Daniels and receiver Sterling Griffin, this team has a lot of room to grow offensively. And if the defense plays the way it did in a suffocating 17-7 win at Florida State, South Florida can beat just about anybody.

2. Pitt has a major defensive crisis: The one thing that seemed sure about Pittsburgh is that the defense would be strong. Not so much. Two weeks after Buffalo raised red flags about the secondary, NC State shredded the Panthers for 530 yards in a 38-31 victory, doing almost equal damage on the ground as through the air. The ballyhooed defensive line isn't getting enough pressure and the secondary is making average quarterbacks look great. "I would have never thought if we scored 31 points we would lose," head coach Dave Wannstedt said. "But it happened." Pitt needs to figure out why this is happening.

3. Cincinnati scores too quickly: OK, that's not really a problem. But after Fresno State limited the Bearcats to just 16 minutes of possession and lost by eight points at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, future opponents certainly took note. One way to try and beat Cincinnati could be to run the ball as much as possible, control the clock and keep Tony Pike and Co. on the sidelines. Of course, Fresno State did that with the nation's leading rusher (Ryan Mathews) and still couldn't win. So good luck with that.

4. Connecticut could have a quarterback controversy: Zach Frazer won the starting job through the spring and fall before hurting his knee in the second game against North Carolina. Cody Endres has been solid in his absence, helping guide the Huskies to a win at Baylor and throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns in a rout of Rhode Island. Endres has been more accurate and less turnover-prone than Frazer, who may or may not be ready by the time UConn plays Pitt in two weeks. "That's the least of my worries right now," Huskies coach Randy Edsall said.

5. Rutgers is getting its defensive mojo back: Maryland won't be confused for a good team any time soon. Still, it was encouraging to see the Scarlet Knights get back to their hard-hitting ways, create five turnovers and two defensive scores in a 34-13 victory. This team's winning formula always starts with defense, particularly now with the limitations in the passing game. Rutgers isn't on the same level as the top Big East contenders yet, but it can cause a lot of problems by playing that kind of defense.