Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Cincinnati dropped three spots to No. 8 in the BCS standings over the weekend despite a 41-10 wi over Louisville. Bearcats coach Brian Kelly, though, isn't complaining about that.
"I didn't anticipate anything in regards to the BCS," he said on the Big East coaches' teleconference Monday. "We knew we are in the race and it's a logjam. You've got eight-to-10 teams right now, and I don't think there's any clear favorite.
"Everybody is at a point right now where there is a lot of football left, and this thing is a lot of fun. Nobody has a clear ride or a clear path. I mean, just look at what happened on Saturday; a couple of seconds here or there, and Iowa's gone, Alabama's down.
"So for our kids, it's exciting to be in the race. The one thing we can control is the Big East championship, and that takes up most of our focus."
I asked Kelly if, at some point, he would have to start campaigning publicly for his team to emerge from the logjam, since the Big East has its share of critics. He said no.
"I actually think we're in a better situation than most with the teams we're going to play," said Kelly, whose team still has West Virginia and Pitt on the schedule. "We're going to play at least two top 20 teams down the stretch, and I think that's exciting for us. Everything is in front of us.
"So from our standpoint, we love our situation. Let's just keep playing. It's early in the race and it's anybody's game. I think this will play out nicely, and for the Big East, I think it will come out great."
As for the status of quarterback Tony Pike, Kelly said the senior will have the cast on his left arm modified today. The team will have a better idea of his availability for Saturday's game against Syracuse on Tuesday at practice. In the meantime, Zach Collaros has played so well that there's no need to rush Pike back.
"Not that we would push (Pike) if he wasn't able to defend himself physically anyway," Kelly said. "But this gives us a better sense that going into practice, the kids will play hard for whoever is quarterback. I think it's a win-win situation."
Cincinnati dropped three spots to No. 8 in the BCS standings over the weekend despite a 41-10 wi over Louisville. Bearcats coach Brian Kelly, though, isn't complaining about that.
"I didn't anticipate anything in regards to the BCS," he said on the Big East coaches' teleconference Monday. "We knew we are in the race and it's a logjam. You've got eight-to-10 teams right now, and I don't think there's any clear favorite.
"Everybody is at a point right now where there is a lot of football left, and this thing is a lot of fun. Nobody has a clear ride or a clear path. I mean, just look at what happened on Saturday; a couple of seconds here or there, and Iowa's gone, Alabama's down.
"So for our kids, it's exciting to be in the race. The one thing we can control is the Big East championship, and that takes up most of our focus."
I asked Kelly if, at some point, he would have to start campaigning publicly for his team to emerge from the logjam, since the Big East has its share of critics. He said no.
"I actually think we're in a better situation than most with the teams we're going to play," said Kelly, whose team still has West Virginia and Pitt on the schedule. "We're going to play at least two top 20 teams down the stretch, and I think that's exciting for us. Everything is in front of us.
"So from our standpoint, we love our situation. Let's just keep playing. It's early in the race and it's anybody's game. I think this will play out nicely, and for the Big East, I think it will come out great."
As for the status of quarterback Tony Pike, Kelly said the senior will have the cast on his left arm modified today. The team will have a better idea of his availability for Saturday's game against Syracuse on Tuesday at practice. In the meantime, Zach Collaros has played so well that there's no need to rush Pike back.
"Not that we would push (Pike) if he wasn't able to defend himself physically anyway," Kelly said. "But this gives us a better sense that going into practice, the kids will play hard for whoever is quarterback. I think it's a win-win situation."
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Brian Bennett
Bennett joined ESPN.com in August 2008 after nine years at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., where he covered college sports and the University of Louisville beat. He lives in Louisville.
