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NEW ORLEANS -- Cincinnati and Florida are both in BCS auto-bid conferences, but the similarities between the two programs pretty much end there.

You can't describe the Allstate Sugar Bowl as a true David vs. Goliath matchup since both teams compete at the highest level. And Cincinnati is actually ranked higher than the Gators, at No. 3 vs. No. 5. Yet when it comes to areas like resources, facilities and fan bases, you be hard pressed to find a more lopsided mismatch in a game of supposed BCS equals.

Florida, of course, is one of the gold standards in college football, having won two of the last three BCS championships. According to a recent Forbes Magazine survey, the Gators are the sixth-most valuable college football team in America, with a $41 million profit last season.

The school projected $59.4 million in revenue from the football program in 2009 and had an $89 million total athletic budget for the current fiscal year.

While the Gators rake in money like Big Oil, the Bearcats are more like a mom-and-pop gas station.

Even with last year's Orange Bowl berth, Cincinnati generated a little less than $14 million in revenue from its football team, placing it last among Big East schools. That added up to a profit of a little more than $1.3 million, or about what Florida spends on Gatorade.

The Cincinnati athletic department had a total budget of $26 million last year. While it officially showed a slight profit, the Bearcats are saddled with debt from construction of the Lindner Center, which was the centerpiece of the school's Varsity Village expansion project which helped get it into the Big East. In order to try and make ends meet, Cincinnati announced this spring that it would cut scholarships to three men's sports -- track, cross country and swimming.

Florida, meanwhile, recently opened a $28 million football complex that was funded entirely by boosters.

While all of the Gators' facilities are top of the line, Cincinnati tries to do more with less.

The team has to practice inside Nippert Stadium because it has no practice fields. Former coach Brian Kelly complained about how he had only 50 yards to work with his spread offense since the defense took the other half of the field. The school is scheduled to open practice fields and a bubble next season, but the project took a year longer than expected because of slow fundraising. During inclement weather during their past two BCS bowl practices, the Bearcats had to bus more than 25 miles to an indoor soccer center in Mason, Ohio, to get in their workouts.

While Cincinnati had sellout crowds nearly all season and has reached an all-time high in season-ticket sales, charmingly cozy Nippert Stadium seats only about 35,000 and has no luxury boxes or other means of generating extra revenue. At Kelly's insistence, the school is looking at ways to expand the facility, but that is still in the studying phase.

Florida, on the other hand, averaged 90,635 fans per game this season at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

"We know we're not as fortunate as everybody else, but we like that," Cincinnati linebacker Craig Carey said. "We like the building part of our team. As we kept winning and winning this year, we became the team to beat in the Big East. But playing a team like Florida, we are the underdog."

It could be years and years, if ever, before the Bearcats come close to matching the resources and advantages that Florida's program has. Still, they have a chance to one-up the Gators on the field Friday night.

"We don't look at it as David versus Goliath or little man versus big man," linebacker Andre Revels said. "We look at it as, they have pads and we have pads, they play on a football field and so do we. It's just football players going up against each other for a 'W.'"

• Andre Revels has fought through an inordinate amount of pain to become a defensive leader for Cincinnati, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• South Florida got its passports in order -- except for running back Jamar Taylor -- and headed to the frigid climate in Toronto, Greg Auman writes in the St. Petersburg Times.
• The Syracuse Post-Standard's Dave Rahme looks at the lowest points in a mostly forgettable decade of Orange football.
• Bill Stewart still remembers the time Bobby Bowden told him, "Good job today" on a practice field in 1970, Tony Dobies writes in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
• Bowden says he learned a lot from an ugly 1974 season coaching the Mountaineers, Dave Hickman writes in the Charleston Gazette.

NEW ORLEANS -- In the end, it might not have made much difference to the outcome of the game. But Cincinnati players can admit now that they may not have taken the most businesslike approach to last year's Orange Bowl.

It was the first time the program had ever reached a BCS game, and the royal treatment afforded to the team -- from a salute on the airport tarmac to police escorts everywhere they went to the lush accommodations on Miami Beach -- may have proved a little overwhelming.

"Last year, we didn't know what to expect, what kind of hype there would be," linebacker Craig Carey said. "We were almost kind of in awe of the whole situation and everything that goes with a BCS game. I wouldn't say we partied, but people really enjoyed themselves. "

Not so this year. Now in their second straight BCS game, the Bearcats arrived in New Orleans knowing what would await them. And there's not as much glitz at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Last year, they stayed in the luxurious Fontainebleau hotel and spotted celebrities like Jamie Foxx and P. Diddy wandering around. This year, they're in a more modest Marriott downtown, and apart from taking a stroll through the French Quarter on Sunday night, they haven't partaken in too many leisure activities.

And the players say that's leading to more focused preparation than before last year's game against Virginia Tech, which they lost 20-7.

"We're able to be more spearheaded on the task at hand instead of all the other things around," linebacker Andre Revels said.

The biggest thing the Bearcats learned last year is it doesn't matter how much fun you have during bowl week if you don't come home with the victory. That loss to Virginia Tech is a large part of what drove them to perfection all season.

"We've got a little chip on our shoulders from last year's game," linebacker JK Schaffer said. "We're really here to win this game."

NEW ORLEANS -- It came as absolutely no surprise that Monday morning's Allstate Sugar Bowl news conferences were dominated by words like distraction and focus.

These two teams are in fairly unchartered waters, especially for a BCS matchup. Cincinnati, of course, lost head coach Brian Kelly after the regular season to Notre Dame, has an interim coach in Jeff Quinn who's already accepted the Buffalo job and a new next head coach in Butch Jones, who is staying in the shadows while in New Orleans.

And right now, the Bearcats seem pretty stable compared to their opponent. Florida watched as head coach Urban Meyer announced Saturday that he would step down after the game, only to reverse course Sunday morning and say he would take a leave of absence instead. Steve Addazio will serve as the interim coach during Meyer's leave, but nobody is really sure how long that will last.

Every question in Addazio's 17-minute news conference -- which was ostensibly to discuss the Gators offense -- revolved around the Meyer situation.

"There have been a lot of emotions in the last 24-to-48 hours," Addazio said. "But right now we've got to keep our focus on this game because that's what important."

The company line from Florida has been that Sunday's early-morning practice dispels any notion of Meyer's news taking a toll on the team. The Gators were so sharp and crisp in their pre-New Orleans workout that it helped Meyer decide not to take a permanent leave.

"That's not to say there aren't distractions," Addazio said. "Of course there are. What are we talking about here? Obviously, there's been a lot that's happened. But I think the testimony was the way the players came at 7:30 in the morning [on Sunday.]

"That speaks volumes about where the team is right now. There's a strong resolve, and it feels like we've really bonded together."

The players still aren't sure what's going to happen -- running back Jeff Demps said he didn't believe Meyer would return for the 2010 season -- but they've dealt with plenty of distractions all year, including defensive end Carlos Dunlap's arrest, Tim Tebow's concussion and trying to go undefeated and win a second straight BCS title. The Meyer situation might even provide some motivation.

"This might have added a lot of extra incentive," Tebow said. "You don’t know if this is going to be his last game, so you want to finish it the right way for yourselves, the team and for coach Meyer.”

Cincinnati has had a lot more time to deal with its unusual coaching transition, since Kelly left on Dec. 10. The Bearcats coaches and players insist that while there was a lot of emotion and turmoil in the couple of days after Kelly's announcement, they've gotten back to business.

"Everybody felt like it was the best decision for [Kelly] as a professional, but as a team right now we all came together to really understand that we still have a goal to be 13-0," said defensive lineman Alex Daniels, who was publicly critical of Kelly the night the coach left.

"We have a chance to play the defending national champions in Florida, and one of arguably the greatest players in college football in Tim Tebow. We don't care if a dog is coaching us, we'd go out there and play hard."

Cincinnati players said they could empathize with their opponents when the Meyer news broke over the weekend. But that doesn't mean they're any less anxious to hit the Gators in the mouth on Friday night.

"Like I told my teammates, we are not going out there to play sympathy football; we are going out there to win the game," Bearcats linebacker Andre Revels said. "At the end of the day when you're out on that field none of that stuff is going to matter. You are going out there to play football and right when those first snaps hit you are going to do what you've been doing or you're going to something different."

PITTSBURGH -- As Cincinnati went through pregame warmups under falling snow at Heinz Field, receiver/kick returner Mardy Gilyard tried to warm his teammates' spirits by telling everybody, "Hey, we're on the beach."

But with 1:26 left to go before halftime, the beach -- where the Bearcats frolicked last year during Orange Bowl week -- seemed awfully far away. Pittsburgh's dominating running game and pass rush had caused things to snowball against Cincinnati, which found itself trailing 31-10. Even Gilyard, ever the optimist, admitted that "it started to get real cold."


That's when the rest of the team turned to Gilyard for some heat. Running back John Goebel, several defensive players and even head coach Brian Kelly grabbed him on the sideline. We need something on this kickoff, they implored.

"I prayed that I could take one back," Gilyard said. "And then everything parted like the Red Sea."

Gilyard's 99-yard return for a touchdown finally gave Cincinnati some life, and the defending Big East champions refused to die the rest of the way. Despite trailing by two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter, the No. 5 Bearcats rallied to win 45-44 thanks to Pitt's late missed extra point and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Tony Pike to Armon Binns with 33 seconds left.

"Our guys are resilient," Kelly said. "Our guys believe, I believe in them, and you've got to have that belief. We've won 18 consecutive regular-season games. Don't count us out."

But is it enough to count the 12-0 Bearcats into the BCS title game? Barring a loss by Texas in the Big 12 title game later Saturday night, Cincinnati will join the 2004 Auburn squad as the only BCS conference teams to go undefeated and not play for the national title in the BCS era. Even a Texas loss might not do it, as Cincinnati would still have to climb past undefeated and No. 4 TCU.

Kelly said he didn't think his team deserved to get into the BCS title game ahead of Texas, but that it should go instead of TCU with a Longhorns' loss. Cincinnati players said they feel they've done enough to play for a national championship. And so, apparently, does Pitt receiver Jonathan Baldwin, who interrupted the Cincinnati postgame news conference to shout, "Good job. Now go win the championship."

"We did our part," senior safety Aaron Webster said. "Now it's in other people's hands."

Big East commissioner John Marinatto, who attended Saturday's game, said the league "strongly believes Cincinnati should be in the championship game" and that any undefeated BCS conference team deserves that privilege. However, Marinatto is not a playoff advocate and did not sound like someone ready to promote sweeping change.

"We recognize as a group the system is not perfect," he said. "At our annual meetings, we'll get together and talk about whether anything needs to be changed."

In order to even make this debate relevant, Cincinnati had to make a lot of changes defensively on Saturday.

Pittsburgh (9-3) scored on each of its first five possessions. Freshman sensation Dion Lewis carried 29 times for 108 yards in the first half alone as the Panthers' offensive line obliterated the Bearcats defense. Cincinnati looked like toast.

Pitt scored only twice after halftime, though, as Lewis -- who finished with a school-record 47 carries for 194 yards and three scores -- had to work a little harder. The defense incorporated more run blitzing, often bringing Andre Revels or J.K. Schaffer to the point of attack to shore up its deficiencies.

"We came in as a defense at halftime and said, 'We just have to tackle him,'" Webster said. "'Don't try to get the big hit, because he'll just dribble out of them. Just tackle and play the next down.'"

A few stops were all the Bearcats' offense needed. They scored three touchdowns in the final 11:09. When Pitt missed the extra point after a Lewis score with 1:36 left, Kelly had one thought: "Cool."

"I was like, man, they're going to give us a shot here," he said.

But Kelly said the comeback would not have been possible without Gilyard's first-half kickoff return. The team often follows his exuberant personality, and Gilyard has had the uncanny ability the past two seasons of coming up with a huge play when the Bearcats need it the most. That's one big reason why the Bearcats are back-to-back Big East champions.

"I'm a praying man, and God is good," Gilyard said.

In other words, for Cincinnati, life's a beach.

There are lots of intriguing matchups and subplots in Saturday's Big East showdown between Pitt and Cincinnati. Here are three keys for each side:

Pittsburgh

1. Pound it on the ground: Pitt's main advantage in this game is its tough, experienced offensive line versus an undersized Cincinnati defensive front. UConn and West Virginia each ran for more than 200 yards against the Bearcats, and Big East leading rusher Dion Lewis should find lots of running room on Saturday. The best part for Pitt about running the ball is that it both keeps Cincinnati's offense off the field and it sets up ...

2. Play-action: Pitt's play-action game is the most effective one in the league because of that offensive line and the need to bring in extra defenders against Lewis. "Your linebackers get sucked up into the line because their play-action is just so good," Cincinnati linebacker Andre Revels said. "Hopefully the safeties don't"

That lets Bill Stull take shots down the field and often find star receiver Jonathan Baldwin in single coverage. "That's a matchup will take every time," Stull said. Cincinnati has a tough decision to make: does it bring safeties in to help against the run while risking getting burned deep or does it allow Lewis more chances to charge downhill?

3. Pressure Pike: Easier said than done. Cincinnati is one of the hardest teams to bring pressure against, having allowed just nine sacks in 11 games. But Pitt is leading the nation in sacks per game and has the best defensive line in the league. The best line the Bearcats faced until now, South Florida, managed to get some hits on Tony Pike and knocked him out of the game.

Even if it doesn't sack Pike, the Pitt defensive front four needs to hurry his throws and keep him out of rhythm, or else he will pick the secondary apart. The other tough thing is that the 6-foot-6 Pike is more elusive than he seems and can sidestep pressure to make throws downfield, which he did to great effect in last year's game at Nippert Stadium.

Cincinnati

1. Stop Jon Baldwin: Again, easier said than done. Baldwin is the Bearcats' biggest nightmare, a 6-foot-5 athletic monster who can't be handled alone by cornerbacks Brad Jones and Dominique Battle. "You put Baldwin against 99.9 percent of the defensive backs in this country -- I don't care if they're from the SEC, the Big Ten, it doesn't matter -- he's a matchup problem because of the way and the nature that they take their shots with him," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said. West Virginia managed to slow down Baldwin, mainly by hurrying Stull into quick, inaccurate throws. But the two still hooked up for a 50-yard touchdown bomb late in the fourth quarter.

2. Establish a running threat: Against Illinois, the Bearcats could afford to be one-dimensional, handing the ball off just nine times. But Pitt's defensive front four is so good that the Panthers can drop linebackers into coverage and still apply pressure. So it will be harder for Cincinnati to simply throw the ball every down, especially on the sometimes tricky Heinz Field track in potentially cold weather. Kelly needs Isaiah Pead or perhaps a recovered Jacob Ramsey (foot) to at least provide the presence of a running game.

3. Be loose: If the Bearcats can just do what got them to 11-0, they should be fine. They can't worry about the pressure of the moment, be rattled by the sold-out crowd or be distracted by BCS title or Kelly-to-Notre-Dame talk. Kelly will have a great game plan, probably complete with a little signature razzle dazzle. If Cincinnati just plays its normal game and avoids mistakes as it has all season long, it will be in great shape to win the Big East title.

There's no O. Henry twist or cheap M. Night Shyamalan gimmick at the end of the 2009 Big East season. Cincinnati's players saw this coming the moment the league schedule first came out.

"We knew the Big East championship was going through Pittsburgh," Bearcats tight end Ben Guidugli said. "We talked about this game while we were lifting weights, while we were at camp. This is the game we've been waiting for."

It's the game the entire Big East has waited for, at least ever since both teams clearly established themselves as the league's two best back in October.

Technically, Saturday's game at Heinz Field isn't a conference championship title event like those that will be staged in Atlanta, Dallas and Tampa this week. But it functions just the same, since the Big East trophy will be on hand for one team to hoist after the final gun (technically Cincinnati would be league co-champion if it loses, but somehow we doubt the Bearcats will be in the mood to do much celebrating in that scenario).

The outcome affords potential dizzying highs and baleful lows for each side. The No. 5 Bearcats (11-0, 6-0) still have hopes of reaching the BCS title game if Nebraska upsets Texas on Saturday. Or they could lose to Pitt and fall to the Meineke Car Care Bowl, while possibly seeing coach Brian Kelly bolt for Notre Dame.

The No. 15 Panthers (9-2, 5-1) can validate the Dave Wannstedt era with their first BCS bid since 2004. But a loss would send them tumbling way down the Big East bowl food chain, possibly to a mid-December outpost in Birmingham, Ala. or St. Petersburg, Fla.

"We're not really even thinking about losing," Pitt quarterback Bill Stull said. "There are so many positives on our side for this game. It's at home and it's senior day. That alone gives us a burning desire to win this game."

The game offers a fascinating contrast in two distinctly different, but almost equally effective, offensive styles.

Kelly runs a high-tempo, spread system that places quarterback Tony Pike in the shotgun, allowing him to deliver quickly to whichever of his many receivers are open -- or more open, as is usually the case. The Bearcats, who are the sixth-highest scoring team in the FBS, strike so fast it's as if they're in a perpetual two-minute drill.

Wannstedt, clinging to his NFL and defensive roots, prefers an old-school power running game that still finds gainful employment for fullbacks and multiple tight ends. But it's far from monolithic, as the Panthers use the running skills of freshman Dion Lewis to set up deep passes for skilled wideouts like 6-foot-5 Jonathan Baldwin and hybrid athlete Dorin Dickerson. Pitt ranks 22nd in the nation in scoring.

"Both offenses can be very prolific and move the ball," said UConn coach Randy Edsall, whose team lost by three points at Pitt and by two at Cincinnati. "What is comes down to is, can Cincinnati stop Pitt's running game and play-action game, and is Pitt going to be able to stop the passing attack? Whichever defense makes the most stops is going to win. It should be a tremendous game."

Each team is likely to stick with what it does best. Pitt will try to get pressure up front with its terrific defensive line, hoping to disrupt the rhythm for Pike, who threw six touchdown passes last week in his return from a left forearm injury.

"I would be hard-pressed to find a weakness on their team," Panthers linebacker Max Gruder said. "Right when you turn the film on, you see how many playmakers they have. They're going to make completions, because they always do; we just have to tackle well when they do."

Despite playing on grass in potentially near-freezing weather, Kelly said he doesn't plan on altering his style much. The Bearcats will shoot for the big play on offense and hope their defense holds up better than it did in recent games against UConn and Illinois.

"It's just going to be one team's will against the other in the end," Cincinnati linebacker Andre Revels said.

And the Big East couldn't have scripted a more appropriate ending to the 2009 season.

Cincinnati linebacker Andre Revels doesn't put much stock into the notion that his defense has shown some serious vulnerability over the past few games.

"That's for people outside to think about," Revels said. "We don't go into statistics. We don't go into why this is happening or why that's happening. The only thing we're worried about is throwing up W's, and right now we're doing a good job of that so you can't really question it."

Revels has a point. The No. 5 Bearcats (11-0, 6-0 Big East) haven't been beaten this year and have won 17 straight regular-season games. So any worrying about issues seems like mere nitpicking.

Still, Cincinnati has a major test on its hands this week at No. 15 Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1) in the battle for the Big East's BCS bid. And Pitt's offense has the potential to turn those recent vulnerabilities into a fatal flaw.

For much of the season, the Bearcats were ranked among the nation's leaders in most defensive statistics. Then came the Connecticut game, in which the Huskies piled up 462 yards and 45 points in their two-point loss. West Virginia scored only 21 points in a three-point loss at Nippert Stadium, but the Mountaineers had 390 yards and 202 on the ground. Then last week, Illinois scored 36 points and rolled up 476 yards in a 13-point defeat.

So Cincinnati hasn't exactly been stuffing people. Now comes Pitt, which is second in the Big East in total offense, is averaging 32.2 points per game and has dynamic options in both the run and pass games.

"We've given up some points in the last few weeks, there's no doubt about it," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said. "But I'm confident we can compete and keep the score to where it doesn't have to be a shootout, and we don't have to score every time we have the ball."

In some ways, the Bearcats' ability to score so many times has hurt the defense. Cincinnati ranks last out of 120 FBS teams in time of possession at just 26:03 per game. That means the defense has been on the field nearly 34 minutes of every game, often without much rest after a fast-strike scoring drive from the offense.

"We're battling the best we can," Kelly said. "We certainly don't help them in the style of offense we play because we score quickly. But I'd rather put more points on the board at the end of the game."

UConn, in particular, showed that a strong offensive line can overpower Kelly's 3-4 defense at the point of attack. The Bearcats aren't the biggest team up front; backup noseguard Brandon Mills, for instance, weighs just 266 pounds. Pitt has probably the best offensive line in the Big East.

"Their offensive line, they look just mean on film," Revels said. "Their stances are aggressive. They come off the ball aggressive. It's just going to be a real aggressive game."

Cincinnati's defensive vulnerabilities of late haven't been lost on the Panthers.

"We see certain things we think we'll be able to do," Pitt quarterback Bill Stull said. "We've seen the close games they were in the last couple of weeks, like UConn, West Virginia. Those came down to the fourth quarter. We understand certain things we've got to do."

The thing is, even when other teams have found ways to make the Bearcats' defense bend, the team hasn't broken. They are still 11-0, after all.

"I don't feel like you can have problems if you're winning," Revels said.

CINCINNATI -- I asked the first question at Brian Kelly's news conference today, an actual football-related query.

The next six questions or so were all about Notre Dame. The Cincinnati coach answered each one with some version of, we're staying focused on Pitt. He seemed a little exasperated at times, his voice rising.

But it's impossible not to ask Kelly about the Irish job opening. He remains perhaps the best choice for that gig, as Pat Forde wrote today. And at no point has Kelly ever said he's not interested in Notre Dame, nor should anybody expect him to do so.

Is all the talk a distraction to the players? Only two players were made available to the media this week, and both came to today's news conference -- tight end Ben Guidugli and linebacker Andre Revels. Both insisted that the Pitt game was the main thing on their minds this week.

"Anything that's being talked about besides winning this game is really not what we're interested in," Guidugli said. " We don't want anything to take away from what we've accomplished. Talking about issues like this, I feel, is a real damper on how far we've come and what we've got to do now in the next few days."

The bottom line is that this team has been through these rumors before. With so much on the line this week against Pitt, including a perfect regular-season record and second straight Big East title, there shouldn't be too much concern about losing focus.

A few health notes from today's news conference: Kelly said running back Jacob Ramsey (foot) looked good in practice on Monday and should be a big part of Saturday's game. Safety Drew Frey suffered a concussion against Illinois but is doing better. He'll go through exertion tests this week to see if he can play.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

You know them, you love them, you can't live without them. They're are Big East preseason position rankings, and today we look at the linebackers.

1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers might have the best 1-2 punch in the league at linebacker, with senior Reed Williams back after taking a redshirt last year and J.T. Thomas looking ready to cause some serious damage. Pat Lazear has had a good camp and fills out a terrific trio of tacklers.

2. Connecticut: Scott Lutrus is one of the top defensive players in the league, and position mates Lawrence Wilson and Greg Lloyd are going into their third year of starting alongside him. The depth behind them, though, is untested.

T-3. Pittsburgh: It's a testament to Pitt's depth that the Panthers could lose 2008 defensive player of the year Scott McKillop and underrated outside linebacker Austin Ransom and still rank this high. They bring back starter Greg Williams, who really progressed in his first year of playing, as well as fifth-year guys Shane Murray and Adam Gunn. Throw in promising freshman Dan Mason, Max Gruder and senior Steve Dell, and this is maybe the deepest corps in the league.

T-3. Rutgers: Don't be surprised if Ryan D'Imperio wins this year's defensive player of the year award. He is by no means a one-man gang, though, as senior Damaso Munoz and either Antonio Lowery or Manny Abreu will start next to him on the outside.

5. South Florida: Kion Wilson is an all-league anchor in the middle who could very well rack up a 100-tackle season. Veterans Chris Robinson and Sabbath Joseph are trying to establish themselves as bona fide starters, If not, then skilled newcomers Jacquian Williams and Sam Barrington should be ready to step in.

T-6. Louisville: Senior middle linebacker Jon Dempsey was a second-team All-Big East selection last season and should gain from his first year of Division I experience. A big key for this unit is how Brandon Heath will fare as the rover. Heath has always had talent but has yet to fully harness it.

T-6. Cincinnati: Hard to know exactly where to rank the Bearcats, who are breaking in all new starters and will need a lot from their linebackers in a 3-4 scheme. Andre Revels has played a lot and should be a leader in the middle. Former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones will try to make a successful transition to defense. Linebacker wasn't the biggest strength of the Cincinnati defense the past two years, but the position has been solid under Brian Kelly.

8. Syracuse: Hate to rank the Orange last yet again, but it's hard not to given how many guys at this position have left the team since the spring. Derrell Smith, who has played a little of everywhere, should be good as a junior, and Doug Hogue is trying to make the move from tailback. Everything else is a question mark.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

New Rutgers co-offensive coordinators Kirk Ciarrocca and Kyle Flood have to fill several holes, especially at quarterback and wide receiver, Tom Luicci writes in The Star-Ledger.

"Obviously, it's a real challenge right now," Ciarrocca said. "We're racing against the clock to get a lot of guys ready who haven't played in a meaningful college football game.

"We're confident in their ability. They have a tremendous work ethic and ability. But they're young and they don't have much experience."

• Pat Bostick is trying to stay positive, but so far it looks like he's the odd man out in Pitt's three-way quarterback battle, Paul Zeise says in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

• True freshman receiver Dwayne Difton, UConn's prized recruit in the Class of 2009, could be a starter on opening day, Desmond Conner writes in the Hartford Courant.

• South Florida running back Mike Ford, who has been suspended for the first two games, has to earn back his coaches' trust, Brett McMurphy says in the Tampa Tribune. McMurphy also speculates that Jamar Taylor might be out for the year with a knee injury.

• CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd picks Rutgers to win the Big East but focuses on Cincinnati in his league preview. (Sorry for the earlier mistake; you'd think I'd highlight it when somebody joins me in the Rutgers pick).

• Speaking of the Bearcats, homegrown products Andre Revels and Craig Carey could make a big impact on this year's team, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

• West Virginia is using some of its height -- like 6-foot-8 Wes Lyons and 6-5 Robert Sands -- to put together a potentially dangerous field goal block unit, Mike Casazza writes in the Charleston Daily Mail.

• Chaz Thompson has finally found his niche at strong safety with Louisville, C.L. Brown says in The Courier-Journal.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

We've talked about guys who've had big springs, guys who might emerge and guys who came out of nowhere.

But there were also players who missed all or part of the spring because of injuries, suspension, academics or whatever. And several of them are key parts to their team. Here's a look at some players who need to come through this fall after being absent for at least part of spring ball.

Cincinnati: Linebacker Andre Revels was held out of most of the spring after minor offseason knee surgery. The senior is one of the few experienced players on the Bearcats' defense and will be counted on this fall. Young defensive back Dominique Battle was expected to compete for a starting cornerback job this spring but was sidelined at times with an ankle injury.

Connecticut: The Huskies were remarkably injury- and issue-free this spring. They'll hope that continues this fall.

Louisville: The Cardinals are a different team offensively when receiver Scott Long is healthy. Unfortunately, he missed most of last season with injuries and sat out the spring following ACL surgery. He should be good to go in the summer.

Pittsburgh: Starting cornerback Aaron Berry was suspended for the final part of spring drills for violating team rules. Pitt needs him to have his act together and be on the field.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights had a lot of important players miss time this spring with various injuries, including safety Joe Lefeged, leading returning rusher Kordell Young, running back Jourdan Brooks and several of their young receivers.

South Florida: Seemingly every Bulls offensive linemen missed time with an injury or another problem this spring. Obviously, Jake Sims (finger), Zach Herman (concussion), Sampson Genus (knee) and Jeremiah Warren (academics) all will be needed in the fall for South Florida to contend.

Syracuse: First-team all-Big East defensive tackle Arthur Jones tore his pectoral muscle before the spring and was unavailable. The timetable for his return isn't clear, but Syracuse would have a hard time without him.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers could use Jock Sanders back in the lineup. The speedy receiver/running back was suspended for the spring after a DUI arrest. He will try to return to the team once he completes his court case.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

CINCINNATI -- Here are some of my observations from Cincinnati's first spring practice:

• The first thing that strikes you is how many new names and numbers you have to get to know. Of course, I knew going in that the Bearcats lost basically their entire defense, but it's still a little jarring not seeing any familiar faces or names on that side of the ball.

• Coach Brian Kelly won't release a depth chart until just before the spring game, and the staff is still trying to figure out who to play where on defense. But for those of you into reading tea leaves, here was the first-team defense when 11-on-11 work began: Ricardo Matthews, Derek Wolfe and Walter Stewart on the defensive line, Craig Carey, John Hughes, Robby Armstrong and J.K. Schafer at linebacker, Marcus Barnett and Brad Jones at cornerback and Aaron Webster and Drew Frey at safety.

The odds of that being the exact starting defense in Week 1 against Rutgers are about as good as my chances of picking every Big East game correctly this season. Veteran linebacker Andre Revels was out with knee problems. And expect Curtis Young to be in there as well.

• As you can tell from the lineup, the Bearcats did have a 3-4 alignment on defense. But they didn't just have three down linemen and four linebackers in traditional spots. Linebackers would sometimes put their hand down on the line of scrimmage before the snap and other times drop back as safeties in coverage. The defense can shift to multiple looks depending on what the offense does, and I think that's the point of this switch.

• New defensive coordinator Bob Diaco is a vocal and animated guy, and along with excitable defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs, forms a lively 1-2 punch. One of the buzzwords both guys used on Tuesday was "jam." They were constantly reinforcing to the defensive backs to jam the receivers at the line of scrimmage. And Kelly, who's got a reputation as an offensive guy, spent a lot of time with the defense on Day 1.

• Demetrius Jones was with the second-team linebackers, but I didn't see anything noteworthy from him. Remember that it's early, and they're not in pads yet, so that doesn't mean much.

• Let's talk about the offense. Looks like Kelly has quite a box of toys to play with. Running backs Isaiah Pead and Darrin Williams should add a whole new dimension to the attack with their speed. Williams is an intriguing guy. He's listed at 5-foot-7, which might be generous. But he's powerfully built and has a nice burst. He could be the next mighty mite in the Big East, joining Noel Devine, Jock Sanders and Victor Anderson.

• USC transfer Vidal Hazelton is listed at 210 pounds and looks pretty thick. He was playing the inside receiver spot with the second-teamers. He could be a load over the middle, and he seems more like a slot guy than a true deep threat. Of course, we won't see him play until 2010 unless he wins his NCAA appeal.

• Tony Pike made some pretty downfield throws. He could be ready for a monster year. One of his favorite targets was sophomore D.J. Woods, who could be in line for a breakout campaign.

• The Bearcats ran a little option look with Zach Collaros and others. I don't know if that will be incorporated at all this season if Pike stays healthy, but it's another wrinkle Kelly can consider.

• Former Cincinnati All-American punter Kevin Huber was on hand, and his potential replacements got to try a few kicks. Michael Cooke had the best day on that front, and the Bearcats used some rugby style kicks.

• That's enough for Day 1. I'll have some more practice reports from other schools later on this week.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

All three of the first team All Big East linebackers from 2008 -- Pitt's Scott McKillop, West Virginia's Mortty Ivy and South Florida's Tyrone McKenzie -- have left campus. But the league is still fairly well-stocked at the position. Here's a gauge of how each team is feeling about its linebacker corps heading into spring ball:

Feeling great:

• Connecticut: All three 2008 starters return, including stalwart Scott Lutrus and run-stopping middle linebacker Greg Lloyd, who had some academic issues at the end of the season. Lawrence Wilson showed he can be valuable in pass coverage. The Huskies are deep and experienced here.

• Louisville: The linebacking spot was a pleasant surprise last season for the Cardinals, who went into the year without any experienced players. Junior college import Jon Dempsey blossomed into a second-team All-Big East performer, and athletic freak Dexter Heyman should be much better with another year under his belt. Louisville has a lot of question marks defensively, but this position should be a source of strength.

• Rutgers: Kevin Malast, who was a good senior leader for the Scarlet Knights, is gone, but Ryan D'Imperio will anchor this position in 2009. Senior Damaso Munoz and sophomore Manny Abreu played a lot last season and should give this unit a solid nucleus.

• West Virginia: Ivy was arguably West Virginia's most important defensive player in '08, but his production should be replaced by the return of Reed Williams, who took a medical redshirt after double shoulder surgery last year. Williams is one of the league's best linebackers when healthy, and he'll have Anthony Leonard and the speedy J.T. Thomas surrounding him.

Big questions:

• Cincinnati: All three starters are gone, which is worrisome enough. Then throw in the fact that the Bearcats may need to find four new starters as they switch to a 3-4. Senior Andre Revels has seen a lot of time as a backup and seems assured of assuming a larger role, and J.K. Schafer played some as a true freshman. A lot will have to be sorted out in the spring.

• Pittsburgh: McKillop, the league's defensive player of the year in '08, was so important to this team that his departure raises serious questions. Backups Steve Dell and Max Gruder will be given first crack at replacing him. Outside linebacker Austin Ransom is also gone. On the plus side, Greg Williams is back after a strong debut season and has potential to get much better.

• South Florida: McKenzie held together a unit that was depleted by injuries last season, and South Florida often used only two linebackers while playing its nickel packages. Now the most experienced player is Kion Wilson, who had a decent first season after coming over from junior college. The Bulls also have junior Sabbath Joseph and senior Chris Robinson. Juco import Jacquian Williams will be needed to play right away, and incoming freshman Sam Barrington will be given a chance to compete this summer.

• Syracuse: Derrell Smith came on last season as a sophomore and is capable of lining up with his hand on the ground. But middle linebacker and team leader Jake Flaherty graduated. With a new defensive coordinator in place, the Orange could go any number of ways with its linebacking corps this spring.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Fear not, Big East football fans. In less than a month, South Florida will be back on the practice field, with the rest of the league teams starting their spring drills shortly afterward.

There will be no shortage of situations to follow during the spring. There's a new head coach at Syracuse, new coordinators almost everywhere and no fewer than five teams seeking a new quarterback.

We've got all the story lines covered here in our team-by-team spring primer:

Cincinnati Bearcats

Spring practice starts: March 31

Spring game: April 25

What to watch:

• Defense, defense, defense. Safety Aaron Webster is the only returning defensive starter from 2008, so this spring will be about finding out who's ready to step into bigger roles. Several backups have experience, including linebacker Andre Revels and defensive end Curtis Young. But all jobs should be open. And with this week's firing of defensive coordinator Joe Tresey, the Bearcats could be working under a new scheme.

• Cincinnati brings back quarterback Tony Pike, receiver Mardy Gilyard and its top two rushers in Jacob Ramsey and John Goebel. But the spring will be time to find new playmakers as well. Isaiah Pead averaged 6.6 yards a carry in limited duty as a freshman and should see his role increase. The bubble wrap will come off promising redshirt freshman Quentin Hines. Receiver D.J. Woods had a solid freshman season and will need to build upon that to help replace Dominick Goodman.

• You don't normally pay much attention to punters in spring practice, but this is an exception. The Bearcats have to find a suitable replacement for two time All-American Kevin Huber.

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