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I had a chance to catch up with USF offensive coordinator Todd Fitch this week to get his thoughts on quarterback B.J. Daniels for a blog post coming next week. But our conversation was not only about Daniels.

Fitch talked on a variety of subjects concerning the Bulls offense. Here is a little of what he had to say.

• Daniels is the guaranteed incumbent, but is the backup position up for grabs? Bobby Eveld returns, but he was not as consistent last season as he was in 2010, when he played much better in relief of an injured Daniels. Fitch expects Matt Floyd to really push Eveld this spring. "The best thing will be the competition Matt Floyd brings," Fitch said. "We made the decision to redshirt Matt Floyd, get him a year of maturity. Competition makes us all better, so I think there will be a heck of a battle for that position."
• Those are the three scholarship quarterbacks the Bulls have on the roster. Fitch said he has spoken to all three about putting more time into the film room this offseason. "They're all smart guys, but they need to be a little more like gym rats," Fitch said. "They all need to put a little more time into the study room by themselves. We can only do so much in that block of time we have as a coach."
• Receiver is a position with talent and what appears to be some depth, with everybody returning but A.J. Love. Terrence Mitchell has been cleared to practice this spring after sitting out a good chunk of last season with a concussion. Factor in Florida transfer Chris Dunkley, and you have the makings of a solid group. "We have a lot of options," Fitch said. "The biggest thing for us is to get them all competing every day. As coaches, we have to get them in the right spots and get them touches because they all have different talents."
• As for Dunkley, the key is going to be bringing him along slowly and making him feel comfortable, so that he doesn't press to make a quick impression. "Any time you get a transfer like that or a high level recruit, everybody wants to see the finished product when he hits the field," Fitch said. "But there's going to be some growing pains, and we want to bring him along slowly so that when we hit fall camp, he's there full speed."
• At running back, USF loses Darrell Scott but returns a veteran in Demetris Murray. One player to watch is Marcus Shaw, whom Fitch is counting on to make big plays this season. "He has a pretty good package, he has some explosiveness, the ability to make you miss," Fitch said. "He's matured off the field as this thing's developed. I look for him to have a really good spring." Also watch for redshirt freshman Willie Davis. "He has a lot of the same characteristics as Demetris, maybe a step quicker in the hole," Fitch said. "So it will be interested to see how he takes off."
• USF loses two starters on the offensive line in center Chaz Hine and guard Jeremiah Warren. The Bulls will have battles at each position. Austin Reiter and Thor Jozwiak will get first crack at center; Brynjar Gudmundsson and junior college transfer Lawrence Martin will get first crack at guard. Fitch says between left guard and center, USF has between six and seven players to choose from to start.
• Tight end also has some depth with Andreas Shields and Evan Landi returning, along with Florida transfer Michael McFarland and Isaac Virgin as well. Virgin will be blended into the H-back role that Landi plays. McFarland has great size (6-foot-5), but coaches still want to see more growth from him to go along with his talent.

Several Big East players have been selected to the Capital One All-District team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve and maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. He must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and completed at least one full academic year at the school.

As All-District honorees, these players will now be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-American consideration.

District 1

FB Adam Harris, Syracuse

DB Kevyn Scott, Syracuse

District 2

K Chris Philpott, Louisville

DL Myles Caragein, Pitt

District 4

TE Evan Landi, USF

C Chaz Hine, USF

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Here are some quick thoughts on USF’s 23-20 win over No. 16 Notre Dame on Saturday.

How the game was won: USF won the battle in the red zone. The Irish were able to drive on the Bulls, but every time USF needed a big play deep in its own territory, it got one. USF forced turnovers on three trips Notre Dame took inside the USF 5-yard line. Kavyon Webster returned a fumble 96 yards for the opening score of the game; DeDe Lattimore and Mike Lanaris got critical interceptions. In the end, it doesn’t matter how many yards the Irish racked up, the USF defense did what it needed to do to help the Bulls get the win.

Turning point: Notre Dame cut the lead to 23-20 with 21 seconds remaining and went for the onside kick. The ball was bouncing and for the taking, but Lindsey Lamar recovered the ball and the Bulls walked out of South Bend with the victory.

Stat of the game: Five. That is the number of turnovers for Notre Dame in the game.

Unsung hero: Jerrell Young. It was Young who stripped Jonas Gray on the first drive of the game, causing a fumble that Webster picked up and returned for a touchdown. Then with 4:21 left in the game after a second weather delay, Young intercepted Tommy Rees on the very first play to seal the victory.

What Notre Dame learned: The Irish came into the season with high hopes for a BCS season. That might still happen, but they have got to learn how to take care of the football. Too many times the Irish had chances to score or seize momentum, and they failed to do so. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was so infuriated at several points in the game, his face turned various shades of red and purple. He pulled Dayne Crist for Rees in the second half, so we will have to wait and see whether he has decided to make that change for good.

What USF learned: The Bulls are no doubt a contender. A team that many thought would be a dark horse this season is not a secret any longer. A national television audience got to see what coach Skip Holtz has assembled at USF. B.J. Daniels looked much more confident and in command of the offense. Adjustments will have to be made on defense, but the Bulls leave South Bend having made a huge statement.

What it means: It was a statement game not just for USF but for the Big East. The league runs the high risk of going undefeated on opening weekend, something it desperately needed. USF might not be a national school, but the Holtz name is a national name, and this huge win will definitely be noticed around the nation.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- USF got a much-needed long touchdown drive to give itself some breathing room over Notre Dame in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls were able to put together a 14-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass from B.J. Daniels to Evan Landi, giving them a 23-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The drive wasn't without its share of tense moments. USF had a third-and-goal from the 1, but was called for an illegal substitution penalty coming out of a timeout. On third-and-goal from the 6, Daniels lofted a pass for Sterling Griffin in the corner of the end zone that went incomplete. But Gary Gray was called for pass interference.

USF scored on the next play. The drive was their longest of the afternoon and came when the Bulls needed it most.

Every Big East team, minus West Virginia, has now released depth charts. I already took a look at Louisville and Pitt. Here is a quick glance at the others:

Cincinnati

• Only a few competitions remain before the opener Saturday against Austin Peay. At right guard, it will be either Austen Bujnoch or Andre Cureton. Chris Williams and Reuben Johnson are still fighting for the nickelback spot.
• Blake Annen will start over Adrien Robinson at tight end.
• The Bearcats have plenty of true freshmen sprinkled throughout the two-deep. Alex Chisum and Shaq Washington are listed as backup receivers. Ralph David Abernathy IV is listed as the kickoff returner. But at linebacker, three true freshmen should play: Nick Temple, Clemente Casseus and Dwight Jackson. Though Jameel Poteat had a good camp, George Winn still is the backup behind Isaiah Pead at running back.

Connecticut

• No clarity at quarterback, where you have Scott McCummings or Johnny McEntee or Michael Nebrich. We won't know who starts until the game against Fordham Thursday.
• There are still position competitions ongoing: at left guard, Gary Bardzak or Steve Greene will start; at tight end, Ryan Griffin or John Delahunt. Even at tailback, where it will be D.J. Shoemate or Lyle McCombs.

Rutgers

• Paul Carrezola and D.C. Jefferson are still competing for the starting tight end job. Defense also still has some positions up in the air. Manny Abreu or Michael Larrow will start at defensive end; Marvin Booker or Ka'Lial Glaud will start at the other end; Anthony DiPaula and Justin Doerner are competing to be the punter.
• There are true freshmen listed on the two-deep at critical spots: backup quarterback Gary Nova, backup right tackle Kaleb Johnson; backup defensive tackle Kenneth Kirksey and backup linebacker Kevin Snyder. You also have Savon Huggins, who might start at running back.

Syracuse

• There are not many surprises on the Syracuse depth chart. With Keon Lyn hurt for a chunk of spring, Ri'Shard Anderson will start at cornerback. Prince-Tyson Gulley or Jeremiah Kobena will handle kickoffs.
• As expected, freshman Dyshawn Davis will start at linebacker. Freshman Brandon Reddish, who turned heads during fall camp, will be a backup to Kevyn Scott at cornerback.

USF

• Evan Landi made the transition from receiver to tight end during fall camp, and now he is penciled in to start there over Andreas Shields.
• At running back, Darrell Scott or Demetris Murray will start.
• We heard a lot about the speedsters at receiver, and true freshmen Andre Davis and Ruben Gonzalez, but none are listed on the two-deep. Behind A.J. Love, Sterling Griffin and Joel Miller, you have Deonte Welch, Victor Marc and Stephen Bravo-Brown, a former walk-on who just earned a scholarship.
• Defensive tackle Elkino Watson and punter Mattias Ciabatti are the only true freshmen listed on the two deep.

Taking a look at practice around the league.

Cincinnati: Three more freshmen had the stripes removed from their helmets -- Brandon Mitchell, Daniel Murray and Chris Moore. Running back Akise Teague (hamstring) remains out. The secondary, one of the biggest problem areas on the defense last season, remains a work in progress. "We have to continue to challenge them and we haven’t challenged them as much as we would like to," coach Butch Jones said. "So over the next couple of days, you will see us really challenge them on the perimeter. We will challenge them by blocking, deep balls, mental toughness and fighting through being tired." Cornerback Reuben Johnson has been moved to nickelback.

Connecticut: In addition to Jordan Todman, the Huskies must replace fullback Anthony Sherman. Mark Hinkley and Reuben Frank are trying to fill those shoes. They have different styles -- Frank is more of a prototypical back, while Hinkley is a converted linebacker who is more of a blocking back. Hinkley is currently No. 1 on the depth chart.

Louisville: Here is more on the quarterbacks on the roster from C.L. Brown of the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Pitt: Coach Todd Graham has made it a point throughout the camp to make sure his players understand they have to earn their spots. The offensive line remains a work in progress. So does the starting linebacker group. Meanwhile, Graham said he will make a decision about a backup quarterback after the scrimmage Saturday. There was a scary moment during practice when freshman receiver Darius Patton passed out. He was taken to the hospital and appears to be fine.

Rutgers: Coach Greg Schiano hopes a Saturday scrimmage will help re-energize his team and bring some answers at tailback and the defensive line. Running back Jawan Jamison, for one, understands the importance after missing a chunk of practice with a hamstring injury. He has looked good in his return.

Syracuse: Special teams is going to get a good look at the scrimmage Saturday, specifically at punter. Walk-on Shane Raupers and freshman Jonathan Fisher are competing for the job. They are trying to replace four-year starter Rob Long. ... Offensive line coach Greg Adkins needs gallbladder surgery.

USF: Receiver Evan Landi has gotten more work as a hybrid receiver and tight end, and could eventually just play tight end. Offensive coordinator Todd Fitch told The St. Petersburg Times: "He's 225 pounds right now, but he could be probably 245 in a year. Where his body's going, what makes him the best player possible, what fits our offense, we took a look at it. You get him matched up with those linebackers and he's what you call a mismatch."

West Virginia: Tyler Bitancurt has won the starting kicking job. "It was pretty clear-cut," coach Dana Holgorsen said. "He’s kicking the ball well. I told Corey [Smith] to quit acting like a kicker and to start focusing on being a punter. Hopefully that will help him. He hasn’t been punting poorly, but if he focuses on that, hopefully we’ll get a little better." Holgorsen has not settled on a kickoff specialist yet. On the injury front, Julian Miller (ankle) is still day-to-day, and receiver Brad Starks remains out.

The running back competition has been one of the biggest in fall camp, but the Charleston Gazette reports that Andrew Buie has now moved to the top of the depth chart, ahead of Dustin Garrison and Vernard Roberts.

Checking in on practice around the league:

Cincinnati: The Bearcats had the day off from practice, and coach Butch Jones treated the team to a movie.

Connecticut: Don't expect coach Paul Pasqualoni to give many injury updates. Linebacker Sio Moore has missed a few practices with an undisclosed injury but Pasqualoni says he's fine. The only updates he will give out -- when a player is out for the season.

Louisville: The NCAA would like to speak with assistant coach Clint Hurtt about allegations made against him regarding his time at Miami.

Pitt: Coach Todd Graham said the majority of the carries would go to Ray Graham and Zach Brown. Younger players like Corey Davis and Isaac Bennett would be situational backs. He also pointed out that receiver Salath Williams has had an excellent camp and moved up the depth chart. Receiver Devin Street is going to be out for a few days, and K'Waun Williams should return this weekend. Both took hits to the head. ... The NCAA ruled Notre Dame transfer E.J. Banks is immediately eligible to play for the Panthers. Banks, a cornerback, was granted a hardship waiver for family reasons.

Rutgers: Running back De'Antwan Williams is turning heads in training camp, adding yet more competition at that position. Jawan Jamison is healthy again, too. “I think he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do for the last 11 or 12 months," Greg Schiano said of Williams. "Up until that point he just never really understood what it took to be a college football player. He always got by on talent. He’s made a commitment to do everything we’ve asked him to do.”

Syracuse: Coach Doug Marrone has rested some of his starters during camp as a way to help them, and also get some younger players reps. Chandler Jones, Nick Provo and Antwon Bailey were three players who did not practice Wednesday, for example. Syracuse has had to fight through its share of injuries during camp, but only one has been declared season ending.

USF: The Bulls wrapped up their final practice at Vero Beach on Wednesday morning and headed back to Tampa. B.J. Daniels had another good day of practice. Meanwhile, receiver Evan Landi continues to work with the tight ends as a way to cross-train.

West Virginia: Three starting spots in the secondary remain up for grabs. Pat Miller, Avery Williams and Brodrick Jenkins are competing for one cornerback spot opposite Keith Tandy. At free safety, Eain Smith appears to be leading the competition, but Matt Moro and Travis Bell are right there with him. Darwin Cook and Shaq Petteway are competing at bandit.

We continue our team position rankings today with receiver. This is an area of great potential for plenty of teams around the league, especially with some of the high-octane offenses that we are going to see. Only three teams return their leading receiver from last season. The overriding theme seems to be this: there is a lot of talent, but much of it is unproven. So how are these receivers going to step up?

To make these rankings, I considered returning starters, accolades for returning starters, depth and potential.

1. Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have proven talent and depth at this position, putting them at the top spot in these rankings. When healthy, Mark Harrison and Mohamed Sanu form one of the top 1-2 punches in the entire league. Add in Brandon Coleman, who had an outstanding spring, along with Tim Wright returning from injury and the top four looks as solid as it gets. Let's not forget incoming speedsters Miles Shuler and Tejay Johnson, who have the potential to play as well.

2. West Virginia. The Mountaineers have Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and a whole bunch of questions at the position. But with the new offense Dana Holgorsen is bringing in, other receivers have a chance to be more effective. Austin is about as close as you can come to a surefire first-team All-Big East player. Ryan Nehlen had a nice spring and could be the surprise of the season. So could Tyler Urban, a converted tight end. How will Brad Starks do after shoulder surgery? Will Ivan McCartney live up to his potential? There is talent here and great potential if everybody lives up to expectations.

3. Cincinnati. The Bearcats are stocked with talent, but many of these skill players have got to gain experience and fast with Armon Binns, Marcus Barnett, Vidal Hazelton and Ben Guidugli gone. D.J. Woods is expected to be a first-team All-Big East selection. But beyond he and Anthony McClung, you have got young guys -- junior college transfers Kenbrell Thompkins and Damon Julian, redshirt freshman Dyjuan Lewis, freshmen Shaq Washington, Chris Moore, Alex Chisum and Max Morrison. Thompkins showed great promise in the spring.

4. Pittsburgh. The Panthers lose their leading receiver in Jon Baldwin, but the duo of Mike Shanahan and Devin Street could each be 1,000-yard receivers. Behind them, though, there are some questions and inexperience. Junior Cameron Saddler is going to have to step up. Redshirt freshmen Salath Williams, Drew Carswell, junior college transfer Josh Brinson and true freshman Justin Jackson are all young but have a chance to be big contributors. Pitt also is waiting to hear whether UNC transfer Brendon Felder will have his petition for immediate eligibility granted.

5. Syracuse. The Orange have plenty of solid returning receivers in Van Chew, Marcus Sales and Alec Lemon but what this team is really lacking is big-play potential. In five games last season, Syracuse failed to complete a pass that went longer than 30 yards. In fact, Ryan Nassib averaged 6.5 yards per pass attempt. A healthy Jarrod West could help those numbers improve. Dorian Graham has to work on his hands, too.

6. USF. The Bulls lose leading receiver Dontavia Bogan, but they return injured players Sterling Griffin and A.J. Love to the mix, which is going to be huge. Lindsey Lamar and Evan Landi also return, along with Terrence Mitchell, Joel Miller and Faron Hornes. Deonte Welch had a nice spring game and is listed as a backup behind Landi. True freshman Andre Davis has the potential to contribute as well. The Bulls have plenty of depth here but there are still some questions about this group, especially with Griffin and Love coming off injuries.

7. Louisville. The Cardinals lose their top two receivers, and have got to figure out a way to make big plays and stretch the field with a young group. Josh Bellamy appears to be the go-to man headed into 2011, and much is going to be expected of Andrell Smith and Michaelee Harris. Both are coming off injuries and were unable to practice in the spring. True freshmen are most likely going to be relied upon, giving Eli Rogers and DeVante Parker and opportunity to play.

8. Connecticut. A playmaker has got to emerge from this group to help out whoever is going to be playing quarterback. The Huskies lost leading receiver Mike Smith because of academics. Kashif Moore, Ryan Griffin and Isiah Moore return but UConn is going to need some of its redshirt freshmen like Geremy Davis and Tebucky Jones Jr. to step up. The Huskies are not preparing to run the spread, so the potential for a 1,000-yard receiver in this group is low.

Previous rankings:

• Offensive line

Here is Part II of my pre-spring interview with South Florida coach Skip Holtz, in which we look forward to spring practice and the 2011 season. You can read Part I here. And if you missed Holtz's comments on his quarterback situation, you can find those here.

You don't bring back a lot of starters. But considering how many guys you played last year, how comfortable do you feel with your returning experience this season?


Skip Holtz: I do feel like we return quite a bit of experience. You look at a guy like Mark Popek on the offensive line, who didn't start but played quite a bit, and Danous Estenor played quite a bit. Obviously Bobby Eveld started one game. I'll just use the quarterback position: last year in the spring, we had one quarterback on scholarship; this spring we're going to have four. I look at the improvements we've made there from a competitive standpoint.

[Tight ends] Andreas Shields and Jeff Hawkins played. We had a number of running backs play. I look on the defensive line and we played four defensive ends and even though we graduated two of them, Ryne Giddins, Patrick Hampton and Julius Forte played just as much as the starters did. We played about seven linebackers a year ago, so even though we lost three, you return four with a significant amount of experience. I think we redshirted some really good players. We return all four of our safeties a year ago. We played three cornerbacks and two of them return.

So I think we have a great nucleus to build on. I definitely feel like we're much farther ahead than we were a year ago at this time.

You brought in three transfers from other BCS programs last year. Can you tell me about each of them?


SH: I'm really excited, and I'll start with the running backs. When we came in here a year ago, all of a sudden [Mike] Ford and [Jamar] Taylor were dismissed from the team. You start looking ahead and say Mo Plancher is going to graduate, and we're going to have a hole at the running back position. So we brought in some transfers in Darrell Scott from Colorado and Dontae Aycock from Auburn, and I think they're both very very talented players who are working extremely hard. They were both very impressive on the scout team with their attitudes and their work habits.

Darrell Scott came in about 240 [pounds]; he's down to about 226 and looks great. I think both of them are definitely going to be guys who make an immediate impact, and that's why we didn't sign a lot of junior college guys -- there was only one junior college player in our class. I think guys like Aycock and Scott are going to make a huge difference. And then a young man who transferred from Notre Dame, Spencer Boyd, is going to bring some depth to us in the secondary, where we graduated Mistral Raymond. He's a great athlete, and he's going to have an opportunity to come in and compete for time.

You had a good running game but not a lot of explosive gains there last season. How much can the new guys help that?


SH: We didn't have a lot of big plays there, you're right. Both Dontae Aycock and Darrell Scott are bigger running backs. Mo Plancher was about 200, Demetrius Murray was about 200 pounds, where Darrell Scott is 226 and Dontae Aycock is about 230. I think they're bigger, stronger running backs who are going to be able to break more tackles maybe than we have in the past, and when I watch those two guys run, they've shown me some big-play potential. So I'm really excited to see how they develop and mature as we go through spring practice and fall camp.

How are receivers A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin coming along from the injuries that kept them out all of last season?


SH: Well, it's nice to have them both back. A year ago we had four players returning with any type of experience at receiver, and Carlton Mitchell left early for the NFL before we got here. All of a sudden A.J. Love gets injured in the spring game, and Sterling Griffin gets injured in the summer. Dontavia Bogan had a great year for us, and what happened was a lot of these young guys got a chance to get experience last year. And then when you add A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin back to the mix, I think we'll be much deeper there. Plus, I'm excited about a couple of young signees we have that are coming into the program this season. But I think we'll be much deeper at that position, we'll be more experienced and we'll have more playmakers than we had a year ago.

Did it feel like, offensively, you were playing with one arm tied behind your back at times last year?


SH: It really did, with our limited big-play potential in the running game and how inexperienced we were at the receiver position. But Evan Landi came on and gained some great experience. Terrence Mitchell converted over to wide receiver halfway through the year and made an impact. Steven Bravo-Brown got better, Joel Miller had a great game against Miami. And with those guys gaining that kind of experience and then being able to throw A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin in there, it may be one of the most experienced positions on our football team.

Defensively, it seems like Terrell McClain will be the hardest guy to replace. I know Bruce Feldman had some nice words about Todd Chandler the other day. How do you see the defense being able to replace McClain?


SH: It's hard to replace a guy like Terrell McClain as a senior, whom they're talking about as a possible first-day draft pick, with a redshirt freshman. Keith McCaskill was solid for us last year and he's going to have to play more for us. Cory Grissom is going to be a year older as a starting nose guard. We're going to have to get a little more out of him. Anthony Hill is a guy who played a limited role for us a year ago that's going to be a junior; both him and Luke Sager, I expect more out of them. And then you hope Todd Chandler continues to mature into that position. And then there's a signee like Elkino Watson, who came in with an awful lot of accolades and is a talented player.

There are an awful lot of players there, and I don't think we're going to ask just one player to pick up that slack, that hole in the bucket left by Terrell McClain. We're going to ask a number of players to step their game up and fulfill that void.

Your season opener this year is at Notre Dame. How much does that help motivate everybody this offseason?


SH: I think it's huge as a far as a motivational factor. I remember being at Notre Dame, and we used to open with Michigan every year, when I was at East Carolina, we opened with Virginia Tech. And what that does for your players' focus as they go into winter workouts and spring practice and summer conditioning and fall camp, it just keeps their focus maintained with what's on the horizon. Having the opportunity to play Notre Dame as a young football program like we are, I think it creates an awful lot of excitement in our program, and it's something I know the players are looking forward to.

Have you talked much with your dad about that game yet?


SH: No, not enough yet. We'll get into that more as we get into summer breakdown. Right now, as we started winter workouts and are getting into out new practice facility, we're just trying to see where our players are and what we can do. Every team has a life expectancy of one year, and this time of year you start to put the pieces together. We're working on our own strengths and weaknesses before we start looking at our opponent and what they can do.

But I know they finished the season with wins at Southern Cal and a lopsided win against Miami. So I know it's going to be a great challenge, it's going to be a tall order. But it's going to be something as a young program that our players and fans are really looking forward to. It's going to be interesting to see what colors Dr. Lou is wearing that Saturday.

The team is drawing some offseason buzz because of how you finished. How do you address that, if at all, with the players?


SH: I think it's a huge compliment to what this team has accomplished and a huge compliment to this program for what we've been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. The thing for us is, we've just got to stay focused on the task at hand. You start sitting around reading the newspaper articles and drinking the Kool-aid and start believing what everybody starts writing about you, your focus isn't where it needs to be as far as getting a team ready, getting it focused and getting ready for a season. I think it's nice to be able to have that type of exposure for our program, for our fan base and for our players, that they've earned and deserved.

But I think there are two aspects of building a program: I think you have to start by learning how to win, and then once you learn how to win as we started to do toward the end of last season, I think there's a whole another process that goes into being able to handle winning. That becomes maintaining your focus and not getting sidetracked by the circus of college football that goes with the media exposure and everything else.

I suppose that's a nice problem to have.


SH: I'd much rather be here than still trying to learn how to win.

I put South Florida atop my way-too-early 2011 Big East power rankings this month. Do the Bulls deserve such hype? Let's examine some of the factors that determine how much offseason buzz USF should garner.

2010 finish: The Bulls won five of their last seven games, including solid wins against Miami and Clemson away from home. That's the kind of finish that gets people talking about a program heading into the following season.

Coaching: It's often a good bet that teams will improve in their second year under a new coach, as they become fully familiar with the new system. Skip Holtz has won everywhere he's been, and his staff has not suffered any defections in the offseason. Given that he came in under difficult circumstances last January and installed a different type of offense, there's every reason to suspect progress in Year 2.

Schedule: South Florida has only one road nonconference game, though it's a doozy. The Bulls open the season at Notre Dame, a team that will draw some considerable offseason buzz for many of the same reasons. A win there would put the program in the spotlight. The next three out-of-league games at home against Ball State, Florida A&M and UTEP shouldn't pose too many threats. A Nov. 26 home date against Miami will be interesting as the Hurricanes will be looking for revenge and playing under a first-year coach. All in all, it's a manageable schedule with a couple of opportunities for marquee wins.

The drawback is that USF has four away games in Big East play and only three at home in 2011.

Returning players: The Bulls return just 10 starters (four on offense, six on defense) from their Meineke Car Care Bowl lineup, which is a small number for a buzz team. But while many seniors leave, the team still has a lot of returning players who saw valuable time.

The Bulls will have to replace three starting offensive linemen and three of the four starting defensive linemen, along with their leading rusher and receiver and top defensive back (Mistral Raymond). But they were deep on defense and have ready-made replacements up front with guys like Ryne Giddins, Julius Forte and Patrick Hampton. Finding someone to take over Terrell McClain's run-stuffing role might be the most difficult task.

Dontavia Bogan is gone, but A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin return from injury, and the Bulls will hope players like Evan Landi, Lindsey Lamar and Terrence Mitchell evolve as playmakers. Mo Plancher led the team in rushing but operated in a tandem with Demetris Murray, who is back. Colorado transfer Darrell Scott and Auburn transfer Dontae Aycock become eligible and should add to the running game.

Once again, the fortunes of the team might rest on quarterback play. B.J. Daniels looked very good in the bowl game, and he'll have Bobby Eveld to push him all offseason. Daniels will be the most experienced quarterback in the Big East in career starts in 2011, for what that's worth.

Conclusion: South Florida has a lot of factors you like to see when determining a buzz team. More returning starters, especially on the offensive line, would help, and there are several players who need to take a step forward in the offseason. Is Daniels the guy we saw in the bowl game or the one who struggled much of the season? Overall, I think USF deserves heavy consideration as one of the league favorites in 2011, but the conference will have many contenders.

What do you think?

Mike from New York, N.Y., writes: As a Rutgers fan I've never felt so bad after two wins. Clearly the defense and special teams are playing at another level but the offense is anemic. Do you see this just as early season jitters from the young squad or a deeper problem?

Brian Bennett: I'm hesitant to make major pronouncements after only two weeks and against subpar competition. But we've seen this before from Rutgers, haven't we? Greg Schiano's teams tend to start out slowly on offense and get better. Last year was much the same way early on. Blame the offensive line, which has several new faces in new places, and the youth of the receiving corps. But I'm puzzled by Tom Savage's slow start and I've not been impressed by the running game. This just might be a team that has to rely on its defense and special teams -- or perhaps re-evaluate the way it's doing things.

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Robert W. from Jacksonville, Fla., writes: I am not sure I had the same take on the USF vs. UF Game as you. Yes, the receiving corps for USF was weak and depleted, but it seemed as if somebody had laid the "You have to carry the team and win this game!" on B.J. Daniels. He looked to be trying too hard on each play. The running game was there for USF all game, the O-line had a good push on the Gator D-Line and we could move the ball. ... Mistakes cost us that game, not lack of talent.

Brian Bennett: I agree with a lot of that, and wrote as much on Saturday. Florida definitely looked beatable that day. As for Daniels, I think it's a matter of him being a tremendously confident guy who thinks he can make plays out of nothing, and in fact we've seen him to do that many times. Remember that the quarterback was asked to do just about everything for the Bulls the last four years, with Matt Grothe and then Daniels. That's a mindset Skip Holtz is trying to change, but it's going to take some time.

Another reason I think he felt he needed to manufacture plays was because those receivers just couldn't get open against the Gators' great secondary. Even on USF's second touchdown, a long pass to Evan Landi just missed being intercepted. South Florida wasn't going to win just by running the ball all day on Florida.

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Kevin C. from Louisville writes: Granted, it was EKU, but no mention of Rodney Gnat's 4 sacks? What, you got some hate for your old hometown? Or do you think so lowly of the Cards they aren't worth mentioning?

Brian Bennett: You answered your own question, Kevin: It was Eastern Kentucky. I don't put a lot of stock in performances against FCS teams, which is why Jordan Todman was not my offensive player of the week despite his huge stats against Texas Southern. But it was good to see Gnat get after it. He's a talented guy who has been challenged by Charlie Strong to be more consistent and productive. Let's see how he does against Oregon State this week.

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Tim C. from Morgantown writes: I wanted to comment on your analysis of WVU's win over Marshall. It seems to me that you, like a lot of analysts and pundits at ESPN, get way too caught up on believing hype and relying too much on what teams look like on paper instead of looking at the actual situation. One: Marshall has one of the best home records of any team in the country; they are very tough to beat at home. Two: this game was their "Super Bowl" if you will. This game meant way more to Marshall than WVU. You can't just assume that a team will just blow out another team based solely on how they look on paper. People need to stop worrying about style points; the objective is to win, not necessarily blow everyone out by 30 points per game. For one night on Friday night, Marshall looked like Utah.

Brian Bennett: One of the best home records of any team in the country, eh? Tim, did you know that with that loss on Friday, the Thundering Herd are 10-9 at home since the start of 2007? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's not one of the best home records in the country. Look, we all know that Marshall was fired up for this game and that the coaching situation meant that West Virginia wasn't going to pull any surprises. It was a stirring comeback win. But for the Mountaineers to only have six points late in the fourth quarter and to make all the mistakes they made, there's little excuse for that.

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Jim from Atlanta writes: Come on, Brian ... Syracuse didnt "turn the corner"??? You didn't watch the game. They went out West and played a reasonable opponent as opposed to The State University of NJ who squeaked out a win over Florida International. Syracuse was in the game until late in the fourth quarter. Rutgers and Syracuse should be switched in your rankings. After all... Who won last year?

Brian Bennett: Jim, I've got to ask if you watched the game. The score was 34-13 with 10 minutes to go. Syracuse was never closer than two touchdowns after the six-minute mark of the third quarter, and that's after taking a 10-0 lead. Look, that was a difficult game in tough travel conditions (and, seriously, the Orange might want to really take a closer look at their scheduling practices). But after going up early, the Orange were plagued by a lot of the same mistakes and mental lapses that have been so frequent in recent years.

I still think this team is better and that it can compete for a bowl bid this year. But it should have been more competitive than it was against a mediocre Washington team. Maybe instead of turning a corner, it's rounding a column. Or something.

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Mickey from Florence, Italy, writes: I don't really think the teams should HAVE to report who is injured. If you were going to war with another country, would you give them a heads up a couple days before battle? Secondly,I think all that matters to fans is whether the team wins or loses. Hardcore fans will find the injury updates from local media outlets. Third, if we are reporting injuries, why do we need specificity on the injury? The more info given, the more likely the injury can be abused.

Brian Bennett: Honestly, I don't really care if there is a league-wide injury reporting system or not. Coaches are under no real obligation to give us injury information, and even if they don't, reporters are going to try and get that information anyway. What I find ludicrous is that the Big East coaches themselves are the ones who voted for this policy. Now it's the coaches in many instances who are avoiding, obfuscating or hiding behind it when it comes to giving out injury information.

Personally, I always liked former Kentucky coach Rich Brooks' handling of injury news. Brooks would tell everybody who was hurt and how all the time, because he figured other teams would find out that information anyway. At some point, you've just got to line up and go play with who you've got.

Then again, if I lived in Florence, Italy, I'm not sure I would ever worry about a college football injury report.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- B.J. Daniels has had a lot of ups and a lot of downs against Florida.

The USF quarterback is just 5-for-19 passing in the game, and he's completed almost as many passes to the wrong team. His third interception was run in for a score by defensive lineman Justin Trattou and was a mental blunder; Daniels was under heavy pressure and should have just thrown it away.

If you're counting at home, that's three turnovers that have directly led to 21 Florida points.

But Daniels has also run for more than 100 yards. And on the last drive, he completed a 50-yard pass to Evan Landi that just barely got through the defense. That led to a touchdown, and the Bulls are still hanging around at 28-14.

For the most part, though, the passing game just isn't there. Give some credit to the Gators' defense, which has some serious studs in the secondary. But Daniels hasn't gotten a lot of help from his receivers, and he must be getting exhausted in this heat.

South Florida is showing how to put away an FCS opponent, albeit after a slow start.

After falling behind 14-7, the Bulls ripped off 52 unanswered points to defeat Stony Brook, 59-14. It's just the kind of feel-good romp you like to see in a new head coach's debut, and that's what Skip Holtz got. (And given Florida's struggles offensively today, Bulls fans may be growing in confidence about next week's showdown in The Swamp. The competition level will be slightly tougher, however).

B.J. Daniels passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns and rookie running back Marcus Shaw had 76 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown. Evan Landi led the receivers with five catches for 91 yards, while Dontavia Bogan caught three for 86.

Great start for the Bulls. We'll know a whole lot more about them next week.

South Florida's opening game against Stony Brook doesn't hold a lot of intrigue -- except that it's the first game for the Bulls under new head coach Skip Holtz. I caught up with Holtz this week to talk about where his team is on the eve of a new era.

What is your excitement level like as your first game with South Florida approaches?

Skip Holtz: I'm just excited to be here at game time. I didn't realize how excited I was until last week. Like everybody, you go "OK, this our dress rehearsal, we're going to treat this like our first game," and you go through everything, the schematics. Then all of a sudden you start talking about your press conference on Tuesday, your practice and everybody getting ready, and all of a sudden the excitement is really starting to grow that it's here. It's game time. I'm really excited to get started and to stand on the sideline and watch this team play.

Before fall camp you wanted to improve chemistry, and you took the team to Vero Beach for training camp to help with that. How has that process gone?

SH: I thought we had a great camp. Vero Beach was a home run as far as what we were trying to accomplish on offense and defense and bringing everybody together. I think we made some strides, and I'm anxious to see how this team responds when you get some type of adversity. That's the whole reason we went to Vero and got closer. We'll learn how much it paid off when we hit some adversity during the course of a season, or even during the course of a game.

Receiver and running back were the two biggest questions on this team heading into fall practice. Where do those positions stand now?

SH: Still question marks. [Laughs]. The only receiver who has any experience under his belt is Dontavia Bogan. You look at that position right now and it's made up of a bunch of guys who have been moved around. Evan Landi is a converted quarterback, Lindsey Lamar was a running back, Joel Miller was a running back, T.J. Knowles was a junior college player. So we really kind of piece-mealed that receiving group together.

I mention those guys, and Faron Hornes had a nice camp. He's done a good job for us and impressed me so far. And a young man who is a true freshman named Stephen Bravo-Brown has done a pretty good job. But only one of those seven guys I named has played, so you just don't know how any of them are going to respond when the lights come on and the stands are full and those types of things.

It's kind of the same situation at the running back position. Bradley Battles had a good fall camp for us and has done a lot of good things. Demetris Murray has had a good camp, and then there's a true freshman, Marcus Shaw, who I think is going to be a really good player. All of those guys will play, but it's the same situation we have at receiver -- just a lot of unknowns.

So is seeing how those guys respond in a game situation one of the biggest things for you in Week 1?

SH: That's going to be huge, especially with the opportunity to play here at home to open the season, and to see how some of these guys are going to respond. Because you look at the offensive line, and all five of those guys have played. B.J. Daniels got a lot of quality reps a year ago. On defense, we've got a lot of guys who have played some, not in starting roles, but guys like David Bedford and Craig Marshall and Terrell McClain, Jacquian Williams, Sam Barrington and Sabbath Joseph and Donte Spires. They're upperclassmen, at least in game experience.

Those positions that concern me the most, as far as not knowing what you're going to get, are obviously the receivers and the running backs. And we've got some young guys at linebacker and in the secondary who will be playing a lot as well. Guys like Mike Lanaris and DeDe Lattimore and Jon Lejiste. So I'm anxious to see this team play. They've been working hard, their attitude has been great, but I'm anxious to see how it comes together on game day.

With Florida on the schedule in Week 2, some coaches might keep things pretty close to the vest. But with so many young players and a new system, can you afford to hold things back in the opener?

SH: I said to the staff we've got to find a way to win the first one. We'll worry about the second one the second week. But right now we can't take anything for granted. It's not like we've got a veteran, seasoned team coming back that's been in this offense for four years, so we can say "Well, hold on that, hold on that. If we've got to put it in on game day we will." I mean, these are guys that have never stepped on the field before. I've got to imagine their eyes will be as big as their whole facemask.

You said earlier this week that you had a "no-name defense" that would have to do it by committee. That speaks, I guess, to inexperience, but does it also say you have some depth?

SH: I would say it's depth, but then I'd bring up the saying that if you have three tailbacks, that just means you don't have one great one. We've got a lot of depth, but at this point where we are it's more saying that we don't have a difference-maker. You lose two defensive ends like Jason Pierre-Paul and George Selvie, and those guys are hard to replace. We've got some young guys -- two freshmen in Ryne Giddins and Julius Forte, Patrick Hampton as a junior who's never really played, Claude Davis a junior college player who just got in here.

So you've got a lot of inexperience, and that's the word that keeps coming up with this team. On the D-line you've got Cory Grissom that's played very little, Anthony Hill that's played very little, Luke Sager that's played very little. Those guys have worked hard and bring value, and we'll have to play a lot of guys and get them experience. Because we just don't have that. I say it's like the no-name defense because we don't have the Pierre-Paul this year. We don't have that one guy who will be a difference-maker, so we have to do it by committee.

Are there guys you think will emerge and be a "name," so to speak?


SH: I think Terrell McClain as a defensive tackle is special. I think he's a legitimate player, something special. And then some of the young guys -- Sam Barrington, DeDe Lattimore, they can just run. They can really run. They have a tremendous amount of talent, but one's a redshirt freshman and one's a true sophomore. And then in the secondary, we've got good young guys like Jon Lejiste, and then we're talking about playing four corners.

So we'll just see which guys emerge and be it. Because we can scrimmage and say, "These guys will be it," but it's a close competition. And once you get on game day and guys start to gain game-time confidence, I think you may see some of those guys start to emerge.

Will you have a big pre-game speech prepared, or will you be more low key?

SH: It won't be anything rah-rah. I'll get with them a little bit Saturday. I've got to be careful because I think they'll be ready to play. Everybody is this time of year. They've been beating on each other for a month; now they're ready to go out and play and get in the stadium. You only get 12 of them. I'll be pretty calm on game day and won't have a lot to say. Most of mine is done in the preparation.

When receiver A.J. Love tore his ACL in South Florida's spring game, Dontavia Bogan knew that things had just changed for him.

"I was like, my sidekick just went down," Bogan recalled. "I've got to step my game up to another level. I've got to do whatever it takes and have the other receivers gather around me."

The Bulls' receiving corps was already going to be inexperienced, but the loss of Love -- and later, Sterling Griffin to a summer ankle injury -- really thinned the group. Bogan is the only healthy returnee who had more than 10 catches last season.

And even Bogan hasn't put up dazzling numbers. He had 22 catches for 305 yards and four touchdowns last year and now finds himself as the team's No. 1 target. The senior showed his ability in that same spring game, though, catching nine passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns. Granted, it was just a spring game with limited defenses. But it was something.

"I was showing people what I'm capable of doing with the ball," he said. "I've been playing since I was a true freshman, but I spent my first three years in the slot. Now I'm on the edge and should get more touches."

Bogan, who also returns kicks for the Bulls, knew he had a lot of responsibilities to cover this year. So this summer he put on eight pounds, growing to 193 on his 6-foot-1 frame. With a mostly young cast around him -- including sophomores Evan Landi, Lindsey Lamar and Derrick Hopkins and junior college transfer T.J. Knowles -- Bogan has to do more than just produce.

"I'm a senior and the only one with a lot of game experience," he said. "So I have to show them what it's like to play on Saturdays. Tell them how it's going to be tough and how you can't get down on yourself."

"Dontavia has always been a leader," Lamar says, "but he's stepped it up a notch since A.J. got hurt. He's pushing us to be the best we can be."

Bogan has to prove he can make big catches in big games -- he didn't top 50 receiving yards in any Big East contest last year -- and that he is a go-to guy. USF hopes that Love and Griffin can return sometime by midseason. Right now, there remain a lot of questions about the Bulls' receivers, but Bogan thinks the team has answers.

"Tune in September 4th," he said.