ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams gets excited thinking about what would happen if his team could beat South Florida on Saturday.

"We've never been No. 1 in the Big East," he said.

Technically, the Orange were tied for first place in the league in 2007 after beating Louisville in their conference opener. But you can forgive Williams for not remembering that, since that team went on to finish 2-10.

This year's team (2-2) is at .500 and boasting back-to-back victories for the first time since early 2006. After winning just 10 total games the previous four years, success and Syracuse are no longer strangers in the same sentence.

"Any time you get a victory, your confidence goes up and you believe you can beat anybody," linebacker Derrell Smith said. "And I believe that we can."

The Orange will put Smith's theory to the test against another team that's feeling mighty good about itself. South Florida (4-0) comes to the Carrier Dome after last week's monumental 17-7 win at Florida State.

The Bulls have never lost to Syracuse since joining the Big East and have taken their four previous meetings by 26.8 points. And this could be South Florida's best team yet.

"This is a really good challenge for us and one where we can find out where we are," Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus.

Where Paulus will be is the crosshairs. South Florida's defensive line sliced through FSU's offensive front at will and made quarterback Christian Ponder run for his life most of the game. Now they'll be coming after a guy who's only played in four college football games.

"These will be the most talented defensive ends that we play against," Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said. "I think their inside players are underrated. They can play now, the kids inside. The linebackers are big, they can run. The defensive backs are athletic, they can run. Everyone knows it's not a secret that Florida State has tremendous athletes. You watch that South Florida-Florida State game, and South Florida's athletes are just as good, if not better."

Paulus has proven to be a very accurate passer this season, completing 68.4 percent of his throws. But he knows he's not going to have a lot of time to get rid of the ball on Saturday, and the Bulls' defensive speed means he'll have to be even more precise with his throws.

"They close gaps really quick," Paulus said. "So if I throw a ball thinking this guy might have a few yards or steps on him, it closes really fast with the speed and athleticism South Florida has."

Defensively, Syracuse will have to try and contain new Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels. Nose tackle Arthur Jones said Daniels reminds him of a young Pat White. Which is a scary comparison, considering how White terrorized the Orange defense during his career.

But, Jones said, "This is a whole different team. A whole different era."

Syracuse can prove that by making a statement against South Florida in its first Big East game.