ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Only one thing can help me get over a soul-crushing baseball playoff loss, and that's talking college football. Fortunately, I have lots of friends who are happy to do just that. Lot of questions this week, so this will be a two-parter today.

Let's get started.

Robinson from Louisville writes: I've been hearing rumors about Tom Jurich telling Steve Kragthrope he will not be the coach next year and he has the option to resign this week leading up to the Southern Miss game or after the game Saturday night. Have you heard anything about this?

Brian Bennett: Yes, it's been a crazy week in Louisville, with all kinds of rumors flying about Kragthorpe's imminent departure. One blog even reported it as a done deal, prompting the head of Louisville's sports information department to publicly refute that claim. (That blog, by the way, had only one previous post in its history before "breaking" the Kragthorpe story; take from that what you will.) You haven't seen anything about that on this blog, because I don't find it to be credible at all.

I do think it's amusing that the same scenario repeats itself in every college city when a coach is struggling: unnamed sources "reporting" the coach will be fired, big-name out-of-work coaches "spotted" roaming the city. In Louisville, people are convinced Jon Gruden and Tommy Tuberville have been checking out everything from local restaurants to real estate.

The fact is, Louisville is only four games into the season. It's too early for anything like this to happen. But Kragthorpe had better find a way to get his team past Southern Miss on Saturday, or the rumors will really intensify.

---

Mark from Katy, Texas, writes: Brian, I think it's funny that so many people are asking if Cincinnati can run the table and challenge for a national championship. I did that in 2007 with USF when we were ranked No. 2, and we all know how that turned out. I even let myself do it again last year a little. I'm thinking the team might have fallen into the same trap. I'm hoping the Bulls have finally gotten the message that the real season starts with Big East play, not nonconference games. But I wonder if Cincy and their fans have learned that lesson yet. Thoughts?

Brian Bennett: I agree that it's ludicrous to be talking about undefeated seasons this early. How'd that work out for BYU and Houston? You really shouldn't even think about going undefeated until you're at least 8-0. But it happens every year. With no playoff, college football fans have to speculate endlessly about what might happen in the regular season.

Of course, there's a big difference between fans talking about it and the players thinking about it. Brian Kelly is smart and a good enough motivator to keep his guys focused, but let's face it: this is uncharted territory for the Bearcats. They won't be looking past South Florida, but if they win in Tampa next Thursday, how they handle the situation and the pressure becomes more of a question.

---

David D. from Hackensack, N.J., writes: Do you think if USF goes undefeated (beating three or four ranked teams along the way -- FSU, Cincinnati, Miami, and possibly West Virginia) that they will be given the chance to play for the national title if there are still one-loss SEC teams around? Would you make a national case for them if they don't get in?

Brian Bennett: I guess David didn't get the memo. Anyway, it's a fun question. The Bulls will be hampered by a couple of things. One, they are starting so low in the polls that it's going to be tough to jump any one-loss teams from the SEC or even USC or Virginia Tech if they keep winning. Two, though a win over Miami in November would be huge, critics will point to two FCS schools and Western Kentucky on the schedule.

It also will hurt South Florida if Florida State continues to tumble. I'm interested in how high the Bulls would climb if they beat Cincinnati; will pollsters reward them for beating a top-10 team, or will they simply then believe the Bearcats were not as good as advertised? South Florida would need a big bump from that game to have any chance.

Then again, we're talking about a program that has never had fewer than three conference losses, so let's not get ahead of ourselves too much.

---

Chris from Orlando writes: Is there a reason that Jim Leavitt doesn't start Mike Ford and make him the main back at USF? It just seems like the Bulls offense is so much more explosive with him on the field. He is a strong, very talented runner who always requires at least three or four hits before he goes down (at which point he falls forward for another couple). What gives?

Brian Bennett: Well, Chris, you have to remember that Ford was suspended early in the season, so he's just now getting back to game shape. Mo Plancher has been pretty good as the team's starting running back. Also, I don't see Ford as being explosive, like you do. He's more of a big back who gives the team a power-running option. That makes for a nice complement with B.J. Daniels, and he'll definitely be a big part of the offense from here on out.