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• West Virginia president James Clements thinks West Virginia will be fine no matter what happens with expansion, Mickey Furfari writes for the Charleston Daily Mail.
• Former Rutgers athletic director Bob Mulcahy told a radio station that Rutgers should accept an offer to the Big Ten, Keith Sargeant reports in the Home News Tribune.
• UConn linebacker Mike Osiecki will have to do 50 hours of community service to have his spring shoplifting charge dismissed, Neill Ostrout reports in the Connecticut Post. Donald Brown fulfilled his promise to graduate, Desmond Conner says in the Hartford Courant.
• Former South Florida and Cincinnati defensive coordinator Joe Tresey is now the defensive backs coach for Omaha of the United Football League, Greg Auman writes in the St. Petersburg Times.
• The Syracuse Post-Standard's Bud Poliquin eulogizes former Orange player and longtime broadcaster Red Parton.

It doesn't appear that there will be many holdovers from the Jim Leavitt era at South Florida.

The school announced on Sunday night that new head coach Skip Holtz has decided not to retain five assistant coaches: defensive coordinator Joe Tresey, offensive coordinator Mike Canales, co-defensive coordinator David Blackwell, special teams coach John Hendrick and offensive line coach Mike Simmonds.

No official word has come out on the remaining assistant coaches from Leavitt's last staff, but Scott Carter reports in the Tampa Tribune that co-offensive line coach Larry Scott and defensive line coach Kevin Patrick are expected to keep their jobs. That leaves running backs coach Carl Franks and receivers coach Phil McGeoghan, whose futures will be decided in the coming days.

Expect Holtz -- as most coaches do -- to bring several of his East Carolina assistants with him to Tampa. Some of the more obvious candidates include co-offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, defensive line coach Vernon Hargreaves and assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Rick Smith. Holtz's defensive coordinator with the Pirates, Greg Hudson, was hired by Florida State last month to coach the Seminoles' linebackers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

South Florida has plenty of motivation heading into Thursday night's game at Rutgers.

The No. 24 Bulls want to keep their goal of winning 10 games alive and prove they're a power to be reckoned with in the Big East. But even without all that, they have reason to want to beat the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers owns a three-game winning streak in this series, including a 2007 upset victory when the Bulls were ranked No. 2 and last year's 49-16 beatdown in Tampa.

That last game particularly irks South Florida, as some players believe the Scarlet Knights ran up the score by continuing to throw the ball late. For the record, Rutgers' last pass in that game came on 3rd and 9 with under nine minutes to go and the score 42-16. Mike Teel did complete a 93-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt on the second play of the fourth quarter.

"It's motivating a lot, because coach (Jim) Leavitt, he does a great job of not letting us forget about that game," linebacker Kion Wilson told reporters Monday. "He lets us know that we basically were embarrassed that game. We have a lot to play for. self-pride, self-respect, position rank within the Big East. We're going out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm for this game."

Wilson said he's one who believes Rutgers was running up the score.

"Hopefully, we can get our offense to stay on the field the majority of the night," he said. "And defense, hopefully we can go out and make big plays, cause turnovers, get the offense the ball and allow them the chance to score and run out the clock."

Bulls offensive coordinator Mike Canales said preparing for the Scarlet Knights' blitz-happy defense is coaching staff has worked all year long. The coaches also spent a lot of time in the spring studying how Rutgers attacks, he said.

"They're just so different in what they do," he said.

The key, Canales said, will be recognizing where the blitz is coming from and which player is staying in as a spy against quarterback B.J. Daniels.

Daniels will be without his favorite target, as big-play receiver Carlton Mitchell is out this week with an ankle injury. More responsibility will now fall to A.J. Love, Dontavia Bogan and Ed Alcin.

There's little fear that Rutgers will run up the score this year since the Scarlet Knights' offense, behind true freshman quarterback Tom Savage, lacks the firepower of last season's bunch. But Wilson may have given the Scarlet Knights some extra motivation of their own with his comments about the Rutgers offensive line.

"Their offensive line had extremely a lot of hype going into the game, but they're second in the Big East in giving up sacks," Wilson said. "They don't handle stunts and pressure very well, so hopefully (defensive coordinator Joe) Tresey will be aggressive with the play-calling, and have our defensive line do a lot of stunting and doing a lot of blitzing and hopefully we'll be able to get pressure on the quarterback."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

As of Monday afternoon, George Selvie hadn't watched any tape of South Florida's 41-14 humiliation at Pitt, and he didn't plan on looking at it, either.

"We didn't just get beat, we got whooped," the Bulls' defensive end said. "I'm not going to watch it. I was disgusted."

Selvie and the rest of his teammates already know the plot of that film. You know, the one where the hero starts off strong and gets killed in the middle.

Or at least that's been the Bulls' story arc now for three straight years. And like most sequels, they've upped the gore in the latest installment.

Though South Florida has struggled in October before, rarely has it been so thoroughly dominated defensively. After allowing just 47 points in the first five games, the Bulls gave up 75 in losses to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Those two teams combined for 887 yards of offense.

True, the Bulls have faced the top two scoring teams in the Big East the past two times out. But the third highest scoring offense comes to Tampa on Friday night, when No. 21 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0 Big East) tries to continue South Florida's month of misery.

"It all comes down to pride," Selvie said. "You can't let people win over you like that. We've got to come together as a defense and see what our problem is."

The defensive problems have started up front. The Bulls' defensive line, so dominant earlier in the season, hit a roadblock in the form of the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh protection schemes. Pitt in particular used a lot of help to stop Selvie and Jason-Pierre Paul, leaving in tight ends and a fullback to block while making sure to get rid of the ball quickly. But even when they had solo blockers, Selvie and Pierre-Paul did no damage.

"There's no excuse for not getting a pass rush, because we're a pass-rushing defensive line," Selvie said. "When we don't, that makes it hard on our DBs and our linebackers."

The Bulls' corners tried to play press coverage at times against Pitt and got burned. Teams have also been able to run the ball right at the defense, which is never a good sign when Noel Devine is on deck.

Defensive coordinator Joe Tresey lamented that his unit gave up too many explosive plays and committed too many penalties against Pittsburgh. Curiously, the defense also seemed to lack its usual passion.

"We just never got going," Tresey said. "Our energy level and enthusiasm has got to pick up."

The Bulls talked in the preseason about how their only goal was to win the Big East. Now, barring a highly unlikely chain of events, that dream is already dead. Instead, they're back to answering questions about yet another midseason swoon.

"It's very frustrating," senior receiver Jessie Hester said. "I've been here five years, and it's been like that every year. I feel like we have lots of talent and most of the time, we beat ourselves.

"We still haven't had a 10-win season yet, and so that's still in reach. But we can't lose any more games."

If South Florida can't get back on track against West Virginia, especially defensively, it will produce another film that none of the Bulls want to see.

"We've been through this before," Selvie said. "We've got to stop it right now before it gets really bad."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

• Pitt center Robb Houser suffered an ugly, season-ending ankle injury against Rutgers last year and will have to be ready for the Scarlet Knights' pressure on Friday, John Grupp says in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
• Cincinnati receiver Mardy Gilyard says his coaches are fired up to be going against South Florida and ex-colleague Joe Tresey, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• Bill Stewart says the Marshall-West Virginia game will be closer than people think, Mike Casazza writes in the Charleston Daily Mail.
• Randy Edsall wants more leadership out of his defensive upperclassmen, Desmond Conner writes in the Hartford Courant.
• Cincinnati and South Florida are similar in that they're both located in major cities with pro sports franchises, Joey Johnston writes in the Tampa Tribune.
• Rutgers' Jonathan Freeny may be second in the Big East in sacks, but former teammate Jamaal Westerman has challenged him to do even more, Keith Sargeant says in the Home News Tribune.
• The Syracuse Post-Standard's Donnie Webb wonders why Greg Paulus is such a lightning rod.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

	Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images
	Safety Nate Allen is playing at a high level again and a key component in South Florida's defense.

Nate Allen isn't exactly sure why he didn't seem like himself last season. But the most important thing now is, the South Florida safety is playing at his highest level.

The senior leads the Bulls in tackles (29) and has two interceptions, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He was all over the field defensively in South Florida's wins over Florida State and Syracuse and will be a major key in the attempt to stop Cincinnati's high-powered passing game on Thursday night.

"He makes big plays and shows up time and time again," linebacker Kion Wilson said. "It's always encouraging to have a guy like that on your defense."

Allen is back to his sophomore year form, when he registered 84 tackles, four interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He turned two of those turnovers into touchdowns.

Last season, as the entire Bulls' secondary took a step back, Allen had just one interception, wasn't involved in any fumbles and finished with 17 fewer tackles in one more game played. His one turnover was a big one, however; it came in the fourth quarter against Kansas to set up the game-winning field goal.

"I don't know what it was," he says. "I don't know if I have more focus with this being my last year or what. But everything is coming together this year, and everything is working out."

Allen has long been viewed as an NFL prospect with his size (6-foot-2, 207 pounds) and athleticism. But that's only half his story, defensive coordinator Joe Tresey says.

"He's a coach's dream," Tresey said. "He comes to work every day and everything is 100 miles per hour. He's very focused on and off the field, he lives right and it's very important to him."

Allen is the guy who calls out all the checks in the South Florida secondary. He knows just when to break on a ball, as evidenced by his pair of picks at Syracuse. And he's not afraid to lay out for a hit.

"He's always around the ball and is a clutch player," defensive end George Selvie said. "He's really getting physical out there with some big hits. I haven't seen much of that out of him the last few years, but now he's getting out there and putting his body into it."

All of Allen's ability will be needed against Cincinnati and its fleet of receivers, including star Mardy Gilyard.

"They've improved a lot from last year even, and they were really good at the passing the ball last year," Allen said. "We have to know our assignments and know what they do, get in the film room and find as many tendencies as we can. And the we have to keep the ball in front of us and try to make some plays."

Luckily for South Florida, they have one of the best playmaking safeties in the Big East.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

	Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images
	Bulls defensive coordinator Joe Tresey has some insight on Brian Kelly to share.

South Florida's offensive coaches and players had an unusual guest lecturer at their meetings last week: Bulls defensive coordinator Joe Tresey.

Tresey would normally stick to his side of the ball, but he had some precious intel to offer. Before coming to South Florida this offseason, he spent the previous three years as Brian Kelly's defensive coordinator, the last two at Cincinnati. And of course, the Bearcats are coming to Raymond James Stadium Thursday night in a matchup of the Big East's two ranked teams.

"He spent a good half hour with us talking about each individual (on the Cincinnati defense)," Bulls offensive coordinator Mike Canales said. "It was invaluable for us in how we plan on attacking them."

Tresey knows the strengths and weaknesses of just about every Cincinnati defender and spent two years trying to stop Kelly's spread offense in practice. On the flip side, though, Kelly understands all of Tresey's tendencies.

"He knows the way I think and the way I operate," Tresey said. "So I don't know if it will give anybody an advantage per se. We'll have to wait and see. "

The Tresey angle is one of the more intriguing subplots in this week's game. It definitely rated as one of the most surprising developments of the offseason when Tresey was let go by Cincinnati in February, more than a month after the Orange Bowl appearance that his defense went a long way toward securing. Kelly gave a cryptic explanation about differences in philosophy, and he eventually hired Bob Diaco from Virginia to switch to a 3-4 scheme.

Though neither Kelly nor Tresey have ever spoken much publicly about what happened, several sources have confirmed this sequence of events: Tresey interview for the vacant defensive coordinator position at Miami, believed he had the job and told Kelly he was leaving. But after Tresey and Shannon disagreed on details, Kelly had already moved on and decided to hire Diaco. That left Tresey unemployed until he landed the Bulls job after two interviews with Jim Leavitt.

If there are any lingering hard feelings between Tresey and Kelly, neither is saying.

"I'm not downplaying it just to downplay it, " Tresey said. "This has nothing to do with Joe Tresey and the Brian Kelly deal. It's about the kids."

"I've gone against guys before who were coordinators on my staff who went on to be head coaches," Kelly said. "Joe does a great job, and he'll have his defense ready to go. It's not about Joe Tresey or Brian Kelly. It's about our players and how they play."

One thing is for sure: Tresey has the Bulls playing like his old Bearcats in the turnover department.

In 2007 under Tresey, Cincinnati created 42 turnovers. Last year, the Bearcats defense came up with 22. South Florida has gained 16 turnovers this season (nine fumbles and seven interceptions), which is just one fewer than the Bulls had all of last season.

"He emphasizes that day in and day out," safety Nate Allen said. "We do a lot of strip drills and going after the ball at its high point for interceptions. He emphasizes it at practices, meetings and right before we go on the field every day: cause a turnover any way you can."

South Florida ranks fifth nationally in allowing just 9.4 points per game and is 10 in the FBS in total defense.

Tresey will have his biggest challenge of the season this week in trying to figure out how to stop Cincinnati, which ranks third nationally in scoring at 42 points per game. He knows the Bearcats' players as well as anybody. But that only goes so far.

"He told us a couple of things as far as their defensive philosophy," Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels said. "Still, with what he says, we have to go out there and do what we have to do."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Back with more of your questions. (See Part I here).

Brian from Washington, D.C., writes: I read your blog all of the time. You are my go-to when things get dull at work. . know a lot of Rutgers fans are upset with you. It seems that they are concerned with your views regarding their schedule and their play. Surely, you are aware that Rutgers tried to get more legitimate competition and was left with slim pickings in some cases. Also, after Rutgers had a bad opening game -- where a confused game plan involving three quarterbacks was no match against a team being talked about as a possible national championship contender -- they have looked solid on defense (allowing about 10 points per game), and have a true freshman quarterback and an offensive line with nothing but upside.

Point being, I think you owe it to Rutgers fans to offer a more balanced and fair analysis.I know Rutgers will be a factor in the Big East this year. I suggest you get ahead of the curve too.

Brian Bennett: Well, one could argue I'm way ahead of the curve, since I picked the Scarlet Knights to win the Big East in the preseason. So there's little doubting that I believed in the potential in this team, and I still do.

I'm not quite sure how you want me to be positive about either the schedule or how much improvement Rutgers has made, however. The schedule is an absolute joke, and there's no defending it. Yes, the Scarlet Knights had a late hole to fill when Navy pulled out, but in my opinion they didn't try hard enough to replace that date with something credible. The team's insistence on needing a home game to pay for stadium upgrades, while understandable, also kept it from getting a real game. And let's remember that even if Navy hadn't pulled out, that's still an awful schedule. Rutgers has been playing bad schedules for some time now, and kudos to new athletic director Tim Pernetti for bringing teams like Penn State, Miami and UCLA on board in the future. But right now, it's an embarrassment, and there's no other way to put it.

As far as the team, I haven't been impressed yet, and that again is somewhat a function of the schedule. Yes, the defense is playing pretty well statistically, but how do you gauge that against such overmatched opponents like Howard and Florida International? The offense has still not clicked even against the poor competition. This team can and should get a lot better, but we're not going to know anything until it gets back into Big East play next week against Pitt. I am really looking forward to seeing how Rutgers has changed when that arrives.

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Walter M. from Alamogordo, N.M., writes: Why are Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and now Jimmy Clausen still the top three favorite quarterbacks to win the Heisman over Tony Pike?The only player out of those three who has less time on the field (seven minutes) is Tim Tebow and the Gators have only played four games so far while the Bearcats have played five.

Brian Bennett: Pretty simple, Walter. Look at the schools those other guys play for. It's extremely difficult for a player from a program like Cincinnati to even get in the mix; Pike would have to produce an amazing season for an undefeated team to even get consideration. That's the way the system is set up.

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Justin from Philadelphia writes: I have been hearing that Tom Savage wants to start Saturday against Texas Southern. Given that this is such a cupcake game for Rutgers, have you heard anything about possibly keeping Savage out for another week to ensure he's fully recovered for the following week against Pitt?

Brian Bennett: It looks like Savage will indeed start. This is a tricky situation. If Savage were a seasoned upperclassmen, you could rest him for this game to give him another week to get over his concussion. But he's a true freshman with very little experience, and he needs all the snaps he can get before the Pitt game. The wise move is probably to let him play about a half, and then get him out of there.

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Dan from Oswego, N.Y., writes: First off, I really love the blog. You do a great job here. I just have one gripe. In your weekly stock reports, with the player of the year race for defense, I'm not sure I've seen Derrell Smith's name pop up. First in the league in total tackles (47), first in solo tackles (30), fifth in sacks (4.5), tied for third in tackles for a loss (6.5) and tied for first in forced fumbles (3.0).What more does he have to do to get some consideration? He's probably the single biggest reason that Syracuse's rush defense has improved so much this year.

Brian Bennett: Dan, I had Smith in my top five a couple of weeks ago. I've been shuffling a lot of players in and out of that race, because no one has really stood out yet as the definite front-runner. Smith is still on my radar and in my top 10 for sure. This next week could help us shake out who the top defensive player is, with Lindsey Witten going against Pitt, George Selvie and Nate Allen facing that explosive Cincinnati defense, Bearcats defenders getting a chance to shine, Smith taking on West Virginia, et al.

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Joe from Gillette, N.J., writes: Here's an idea to solve the eight-team league scheduling issues and bring some real intrigue into Big East season play: Have each team play one league opponent twice in the same season in a home/away match-up. That would provide eight league games for every team and eliminate the need to find that elusive fifth out of conference opponent. Each year, the home/away match-up would rotate so you would only play the same team twice in a season every seven years (assuming the league doesn't expand). Imagine if a team like Rutgers could put a string of wins together and get a shot at redemption against Cincinnati THIS year! Or having a year in which Pitt and WVU could have the backyard brawl twice in a season.

Brian Bennett: While that would be fun for the fans, it would never fly. The coaches would not want to play rematches. It would also create unbalanced schedules; What if, say, West Virginia had to play Cincinnati twice while Pittsburgh got Louisville twice? And it would most likely only lead to more losses for everybody, further diluting the Big East in the eyes of national observers. Expansion is the only way to solve the scheduling dilemma.

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Walt from Columbus, Ohio, writes: Any thoughts on the impact of the bye week before the UC/USF game next week? Beyond the obvious extra time to heal and get injured players back into the lineup which team's coaching staff will better be able to use the extra week to their advantage? UC certainly seemed to catch Rutgers flat footed after an entire summer to prepare; will Brian Kelly be able to bring out some new wrinkles for USF next Thursday?

Brian Bennett: I think it's great for both teams, because they each have so much to concern themselves with in the game plan. Cincinnati has to prepare for that fierce South Florida pass rush, while the Bulls have to somehow counter the Bearcats' quick-strike spread offense. These teams both know each so well -- especially with former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Joe Tresey now having that same job with South Florida -- that they should be extremely prepared. I definitely expect some new wrinkles from each team. Not to disparage South Florida's coaching staff in any way, but I would shudder at the thought of giving Kelly extra time to get ready.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. There is separation in the league race: Cincinnati and South Florida are clearly the two most dominant teams in the Big East right now, and they will battle for superiority on Oct. 15 in Tampa. West Virginia and Pittsburgh have some issues but will be in the thick of the race the whole season. Connecticut is lurking and gets a chance to prove itself this week at Pitt. Those are the five contenders, and probably in that order.

2. The Bulls are ball-hawks: Joe Tresey's defense at Cincinnati was known for creating turnovers. Now that he's at South Florida, the Bulls have taken on that same personality. They forced a whopping seven turnovers Saturday at Syracuse, including five interceptions of Greg Paulus. That comes on the heels of four fumble recoveries at Florida State. Last year, South Florida was minus-7 in turnover margin. This year, it's at plus-8.

3. Cincinnati can run the ball: Miami (Ohio) double-teamed star wideout Mardy Gilyard, and the Bearcats' second-leading receiver, D.J. Woods, missed the game with an illness. So instead Cincinnati went to the ground, running for 164 yards. Jacob Ramsey became the first Bearcat to rush for 100 yards in more than two years. It was only Miami (Ohio), but Cincinnati will need to rely on its running game down the line. On Saturday, the Bearcats found out they could do so.

4. Louisville is in for another long year: The problem with labeling an early-season game as a must win, as at least one Cardinals player did last week, is figuring out what to do if you lose it. Louisville is 1-3 and still has games remaining at West Virginia, at Cincinnati and at South Florida. Now every game truly is a must win for the team to have any shot at bowl eligibility. But the Cardinals haven't shown any reason to make you believe they're suddenly going to reel off a bunch of wins in a row. It looks like another postseason at home, and the heat on Steve Kragthorpe is reaching a boiling point.

5. The Big East is not for mudders: Let the Big Ten and SEC have their grind-it-out defensive battles. If you want to win in the Big East, you'd better bring your track shoes. Cincinnati is one of the top scoring teams in the nation. West Virginia can score 35 points with its speed even while turning the ball over multiple times. South Florida has big-play receivers, and Syracuse is looking more and more dangerous with perhaps the league's best wideout, Mike Williams. Pitt scored 35 on Louisville and has become a quick-strike offense. There won't be many boring, low-scoring games in this league this year.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- South Florida defensive coordinator Joe Tresey could point to schemes and personnel for his team's defensive domination of Florida State on Saturday. But he had a simpler explanation.

"Most of our kids weren't good enough to play for these guys," Tresey said. "They came into this game and they had a little chip on their shoulder. They didn't talk about it a lot. But just kind of deep down inside, they wanted to show up and show them they could play."

There's no doubt about that any more. South Florida's 17-7 win was no fluke. The Bulls didn't just benefit from Florida State mistakes or lucky bounces. They dictated the outcome with a faster, stronger, hungrier group of players.

	AP Photo/Phil Coale
	Jim Leavitt soaks in his team's win over Florida State Saturday.

We've seen them do this before. Two years ago, they won at Auburn and beat West Virginia to rise to No. 2 in the nation. Last year, they beat Kansas and made another brief top 10 appearance.

But this was the first time South Florida had ever taken down one of the Sunshine State's holy triumvirate of FSU, Miami and Florida. Now the 13-year-old program can say with a straight face that it deserves a membership in that exclusive club. After all, the Bulls just nailed the interview.

"It's only one game," head coach Jim Leavitt said. "We haven't done what those guys have done. They've won national championships.

"But now when people ask me should you be in the Big Four, I can say, well, at least we should be talked about once in a while."

Speaking of a big four, South Florida's defensive line was the most prestigious group on this field.

The Seminoles rushed for 313 yards last week in a 54-28 win at BYU. On Saturday, they managed just 19 rushing yards. The Bulls' defensive front manhandled the FSU offensive line the whole game, finishing with five sacks and nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage as a unit. Even those statistics don't tell the whole story of how one sided the matchup was.

Because South Florida got so much pressure with just its front four, the rest of the defense could drop into coverage or help out against the run. Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder found success scrambling and throwing the first three games this season; on Saturday he mostly had to run for his life while a Bulls lineman chased him in the backfield.

"We know we're an athletic defensive line, and all we did was come out and be relentless," George Selvie said.

Even field-position disadvantages were turned into an advantage. The Seminoles had first-and-goal on the 3 early in the second quarter but got stuffed on three straight running plays. Selvie flashed his two-time All-American form, while junior college transfer Jason Pierre-Paul -- who just joined the program late in training camp -- provided a menacing bookend, often meeting Selvie at the intersection of Ponder and pounding.

"I've only been here a couple of weeks, and I'm still learning the system," said Pierre-Paul, in what must prompt frightening thoughts for Big East quarterbacks.

Defensive tackles Craig Marshall and Aaron Harris combined for three sacks, too. Safety Nate Allen played like the potential pro he's always been, while freshman Jon Lejiste helped set a tone early with a cannonball hit on Tavares Pressley to cause a fumble. South Florida held the line despite losing starting linebackers Kion Wilson and Chris Robinson to injury and being forced to turn to two true freshmen at that spot.

"The courage was unbelievable," Leavitt said.

After his players had finished celebrating on the field and headed back up the tunnel, Leavitt took a moment to soak everything in. He looked up at his jubilant fans, made a Bulls sign with each hand and leaned his head back, not minding the light rain that was dripping on his face.

He stood there like that for a couple of minutes. Later, he said he nearly broke down and cried then, thinking about this seminal victory over the Seminoles.

"It changes history," he said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

It's not hard to find new coordinators in the Big East. Seven of the eight league teams brought in at least one new playcaller, and half the conference will have new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Throw in the co-coordinators at Rutgers and South Florida, and there are 14 new people in charge of an offense or defense this season.

OK, so which ones will make the biggest impact in 2009? I'm not talking about which coordinators will do the best job or have the best units to work with. I mean, which ones will bring about the most change, good or bad, to their programs this year?

Here's who I think will have the most impact:

• Joe Moorhead, Connecticut: I've said it before, but the Huskies have basically traded in their old pickup truck for a sleek new sports car. Moorhead will bring an energetic, no-huddle attack to UConn, which has had a pretty vanilla offense for years. Don't expect Moorhead to get away from the team's bread-and-butter -- the running game -- but the former Akron playcaller should still make a huge difference. Spring practice observers say Moorhead wielded an undeniably large presence. UConn went 8-5 last year and scored 13 points or fewer in four of its losses. A little more offensive production could go a long way this year.

• Mike Canales, South Florida: There's something to be said for how excited the Bulls offensive players were this spring about Canales' new direction. The former wide receivers coach has promised to go to a true spread attack and throw downfield more than previous coordinator Greg Gregory. Canales has a lot of weapons at his disposal and would be wise to unleash them in creative ways, something Gregory was often criticized for not doing enough. His top two challenges are putting together a cohesive offensive line and finding a running game to complement Matt Grothe.

• Bob Diaco, Cincinnati: It probably won't be fair to compare Diaco's first year against last season's Bearcats defense, since Cincinnati is replacing 10 starters on that side of the ball. But given the team's scheme change to a 3-4 base (with the option of offering multiple looks), there's no doubt that Diaco is bringing a new style that he formulated under Al Groh at Virginia.

• Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville: For better or worse, Kragthorpe will be judged this year on how his offense performs after the head coach decided to put on the headset and call his own plays. He dumped popular former coordinator and local hero Jeff Brohm in order to take the reins. Kragthorpe has been vague on how his philosophy differs from Brohm, but you can probably expect more short passes to the running backs and tight ends given his background.

• Kirk Ciarrocca and Kyle Flood, Rutgers: It remains to be seen just how different the offense will look under these new co-coordinators versus how it was run under former playcaller John McNulty. But both will have a big impact, simply because of the talent turnover in Piscataway. Ciarrocca in particular has an important task in working with the quarterbacks. It's his job to develop Tom Savage and D.C. Jefferson for the future while getting the most out of seniors Dom Natale and Jabu Lovelace.

Other new coordinators for 2009: Brent Guy, Louisville defense; Frank Cignetti Jr., Pittsburgh offense; Bob Fraser/Ed Pinkham, Rutgers defense; Scott Shafer, Syracuse defense.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

In the last couple of years, South Florida's spring games have been low-scoring, defensive slugfests.

Not so on Saturday, as backup quarterbacks B.J. Daniels and Evan Landi helped make the game a thriller.

Landi threw a 4-yard touchdown to Colby Erskin on the last timed play of the game. Down 21-20, Landi's White team went for two but failed when his pass just missed Theo Wilson.

"That was as exciting a game in the spring as you'll maybe ever see," head coach Jim Leavitt said. "If you go across the country, I don't know if there will be any more exciting than that."

Starting quarterback Matt Grothe was pulled after just a couple of series. Daniels showed his stuff by throwing two touchdown passes, running for a score and finishing with 181 passing yards.

Landi threw for 189 yards and had two touchdowns, along with two interceptions. The defense got in on the fun, too, scoring on a 95-yard interception return by Quenton Washington.

Receiver Dontavia Bogan had 105 yards on just three catches, including a 46-yard score.

Star defensive end George Selvie did not play for precautionary measures, and kicker Maikon Bonani missed the game with a hip flexor.

You can watch video of Leavit, Bogan, offensive coordinator Mike Canales and defensive coordinator Joe Tresey talking about the spring game here.

The Bulls will practice Tuesday and Wednesday to wrap up spring drills.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

I'm back for more of your questions as I try to empty out a pretty full mailbag ...

Dave from Pittsburgh writes: I've got a bunch of USF questions: 1) Does it look like one guy will be the primary running back, or will it be another committee this year? 2) Have the new coordinators made any drastic changes -- especially Joe Tresey? 3) Do either BJ Daniels or Evan Landi look capable of filling in for Grothe in the event of an injury? Thanks!

Brian Bennett: I think you'll probably see more of a committee approach again this year at running back, unless a guy like Mike Ford really steps forward. I don't think that's happened yet, and the Bulls also have Mo Plancher and Jamar Taylor (when he comes back from injury this summer).

You should see significant changes from both new coordinators. Tresey is installing a more multiple 4-3 defense with new terminologies, and the players say it's quite different than last year. Offensive coordinator Mike Canales is promising to run more of a true spread and throw deep more often. The actual scrimmaging part of practice has been closed, however, and South Florida will in all likelihood keep things under wraps the first three games. So we might not see the real changes until the Florida State game.

And as far as the backup quarterback position, Jim Leavitt has been raving about Landi and his ability to play different positions on the field. We should get a sense in the spring game how the backups look at quarterback, as Grothe doesn't figure to play for very long.

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Kurt from Tampa writes: Do you believe that USF has a chance to beat FSU or Miami this year?

Brian Bennett: I like their chances better against Miami. Obviously, that's a home game, unlike the Florida State matchup, and Raymond James should be rocking. It's also later in the season, and the young Bulls should have had time to develop by then.

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Josh in Manhattan writes: It appears to me that every team in the Big East except Cincy and Pitt took a step back in 2008. Further, it appears that every team will be weaker in '09 than in '08 in large part because of the departure of many O-linemen. I think my beloved Scarlet Knights in 2008 showed that even NFL caliber offensive weapons aren't enough to win games until such time as the O-line comes together. With RU returning the entire line (featuring super stud Anthony Davis), and Pat White, LeSean McCoy, Donald Brown, the entire Cincy defense also gone, do you believe that Rutgers is a mildly competent QB away from playing in Miami come January 2010?

Brian Bennett: My main concerns about Rutgers are at quarterback and receiver. But, sure, if they find some answers at those positions, there's no reason why the Scarlet Knights can't win the Big East. Are they the favorites? I don't think there really is a favorite in this league right now. Any one of six teams could win the league title and no one would be surprised.

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Rob from Cincinnati writes: Brian, in your Friday mailbag last week, you noted that a Big East team is far from a National Championship. I disagree, a BE school needs only to go undefeated in a season to get into the game. Cincy, could have beaten UConn and if scheduling was a bit easier instead of playing OU and play a lower tier BCS school, they go 12-0 and get to the game. Winning is a different story but with one game anything could happen.

Brian Bennett: When I wrote that Big East teams were far from competing for a national title, I meant that there's not a team in the league that's good enough to play at that level in 2009. At this point, if I were doing a national Top 25, I probably wouldn't put any Big East teams in there. That's just the state of the league right now, as a lot of programs are retooling. I expect a couple of teams will get rolling this year and move up the rankings. But none of the Big East clubs are going undefeated or threatening to play in the BCS title game this year.

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Allen from Erie, Pa. writes: Are you going to make a stop up to Syracuse for their practice or the Spring game? I don't remember seeing any of your columns indicating that you already have. I know we'd be interested in hearing your analysis of the SU team and the new coaching staff if you get a chance.

Brian Bennett: Unfortunately, I am not going to make it to Connecticut, Syracuse or Rutgers this spring. I would have loved to see every Big East team this spring, but it just didn't work out that way. I know the other five schools have gotten a lot of attention in the past week or so, but I'll do my best to increase the coverage of the Northeast trio next week. And hopefully I'll make it up there this summer.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Barring any last-minute surprises, the Big East assistant coaching carousel is almost over.

The only remaining job left to be filled is Cincinnati's defensive line coach, which should be resolved very soon. So, for posterity's sake, here's your updated guide to all the changes this offseason for each Big East school.

Cincinnati

Defensive coordinator: Joe Tresey was let go, and Bob Diaco was hired from Virginia.

Defensive line: Keith Gilmore, who was also the assistant head coach, left for Illinois. No replacement has been named yet.

Notes: Defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs was promoted to associate head coach, while special teams/tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Elston is now assistant head coach. Diaco will install a 3-4 scheme on defense.

Connecticut

Offensive coordinator: Rob Ambrose took the head coaching job at Towson and was replaced by Akron's Joe Moorhead.

Notes: Moorhead will give the offense a no-huddle, high-tempo look.

Louisville

Defensive coordinator: Ron English left to become the head coach at Eastern Michigan. Bill Miller was elevated from linebackers coach but then left for Kansas. Former Utah State head coach Brent Guy was hired.

Offensive coordinator: Jeff Brohm was demoted and took a job at Florida Atlantic. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe will call his own plays this season,

Secondary: Eric Lewis followed English to Eastern Michigan and was replaced by former Tennessee assistant Larry Slade.

Special teams/safeties: Antonio Goss was hired from Middle Tennessee State to succeed Mark Nelson.

Running backs/tight ends: Tony Alford quit as running backs coach to take that same job at Notre Dame. Tight ends coach Greg Nord moved to running back, and Jay Johnson was hired to coach tight ends.

Wide receivers: Jeff Lewis will coach the position that Kragthorpe handled last season.

Quarterbacks: Matt Wells was hired from New Mexico.

Notes: Kragthorpe has had little staff stability in his three years at Louisville. He's now on his fourth defensive coordinator and third offensive coordinator.

Pittsburgh

Offensive coordinator: Matt Cavanaugh left to coach quarterbacks for the NFL's New York Jets. Frank Cignetti Jr. was hired from California.

Notes: Cignetti promises a smooth transition and will use many of the same schemes and terminology as Cavanaugh.

Rutgers

Defensive coordinator: Head coach Greg Schiano relinquished his role as defensive coordinator. Assistants Bob Fraser and Ed Pinkham were elevated to co-defensive coordinators.

Offensive coordinator: John McNulty was hired by the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to coach receivers. Assistants Kyle Flood and Kirk Ciarrocca were elevated to co-offensive coordinators.

Running backs: Gary Brown left to coach running backs for the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Former Syracuse assistant Randy Trivers was hired.

Wide receivers: Brian Jenkins was hired from Louisiana-Lafayette to coach the position formerly handled by Ciarrocca.

Special teams: Robb Smith was hired from Maine to oversee special teams and outside linebackers. Chris Rippon left to pursue other opportunities.

Notes: Rutgers had a lot of turnover, but Schiano promoted a lot within his program to maintain stability.

South Florida

Defensive coordinator: Wally Burnham took the defensive coordinator job at Iowa State. Tresey was hired.

Offensive coordinator: Greg Gregory was demoted, then left for South Alabama. Receivers coach Mike Canales was promoted.

Linebackers: David Blackwell was hired from Clemson to oversee the position group that Burnham tutored. He will be co-defensive coordinator.

Receivers: Phil McGeoghan was hired from the Naval Prep Academy.

Secondary: Troy Douglas left for North Carolina. Tresey will coach defensive backs.

Notes: Leavitt struck out with several candidates for defensive coordinator but ended up with two good hires for that job.

Syracuse

Head coach: Doug Marrone was hired to replace the fired Greg Robinson.

Defensive coordinator: Scott Shafer, who was fired by Michigan after last season, was hired.

Offensive coordinator: Former Clemson playcaller Rob Spence was hired.

Offensive line: Former Tennessee assistant Greg Adkins was hired.

Receivers: Jaime Elizondo was hired from the Canadian Football League.

Running backs: Former Tennessee assistant Stan Drayton was hired.

Secondary: John Anselmo was hired from Nassau Community College.

Special teams/tight ends: Bob Casullo was hired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will also be assistant head coach.

Notes: Marrone kept two holdovers from Robinson's staff, linebackers coach Dan Conley and defensive line coach Derrick Jackson.

West Virginia

No changes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

You disappoint me, dear readers.

You're normally so astute that I thought you would get the answer to the trivia question I posed on Tuesday: Which current Big East coaches are undefeated in bowl games (with at least one appearance as a head coach in a bowl game)?

Thirteen readers wrote in to say the answer was Bill Stewart. And, yes, the West Virginia coach is 2-0, having won the Fiesta and Meineke Car Care bowls the past two seasons. But you're only half right.

You didn't really think I'd make it that easy, did you?

Two other readers wrote in to say Stewart and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, but Schiano is 3-1 in bowls.

OK, it's kind of a trick question. Note that the wording of the question does not say which current Big East head coaches are undefeated in bowl games. Just coaches. There's your phone-a-friend hint. I'll give you some more time to think about it, then hit you with the answer at the end of this mailbag.

Dave from Pittsburgh writes: USF just hired the Clemson assistant to coach their LBs. How will the co-defensive coordinator thing work?

Brian Bennett: I don't have all the particulars yet on David Blackwell's new role with the Bulls, but I think sometimes those titles are overblown. On most staffs, assistants work together to formulate the defense. And often you'll see titles given to coaches simply as a way to bestow more prestige and salary. I'm sure Joe Tresey and Blackwell will work closely together, along with all the other defensive assistants. And don't forget that head coach Jim Leavitt is a defensive-minded guy who'll have plenty of input.

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John from Parts Unknown writes: Maybe you can find out from the brass at the Big East office why they would be upset about the Rutgers/USF switch with FIU but couldn't care less that Notre Dame will play UConn and Syracuse in the Meadowlands, 12 miles from Rutgers' home stadium, without even getting permision from Rutgers? Sounds like a double standard and zero support for Rutgers. If the Big Ten comes calling ...

Brian Bennett: That's a strange question. Since when did teams need permission to play games close to another school's stadium? Does Duke need North Carolina's permission every time it has a home game? Kentucky and Miami (Ohio) are playing at Paul Brown Stadium this September. Do they need Cincinnati's permission? I don't see how this is an issue.

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Jeff from Glastonbury, Conn., writes: With Donald Brown leading the nation in rushing last year, and before that Andre Dixon having a very good year himself, and given that between Dixon and Jordan Todman UConn could have another very good year at running back, do you think it is possible for UConn to be looked as a destination school for producing productive running backs?

Brian Bennett: Interesting question. Let's wait and see what happens with this new offense under Joe Moorhead. UConn is going to throw the ball more, though I believe the running game will still be their bread and butter. If they continue to have success on the ground, I don't see why any running back wouldn't be interested in going to a place that's committed to the running game.

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Johnny from Pittsburgh writes: Brian, in your linebacker review you listed Pitt under "Big Questions," but I disagree with you. I realize that you published that piece only hours before Adam Gunn was given his sixth year of eligibilty so I'm not trying to rip into you. Gunn gives the Panthers their third returning starter at linebacker. Shane Murray, returning from his own 2008 injury, and Gunn started alongside Scott McKillop in 2007, and Greg Williams started in place of Gunn in 2008. Knowing Dave Wannstedt's preference for experience --which I know you, Brian, are familiar with as well -- I'm expecting in 2009 that Wannstedt will start Gunn at MLB flanked by Williams and Murray. I realize that no one in that group is Scott McKillop, but that's what people were saying about McKillop when H.B. Blades graduated. All three players have at least one full season of starting at LB under their belts. I realize that Gunn has not yet been medically cleared to play yet, but it's expected that he'll play in 2009 even if he has to skip spring ball as a precaution. Has your opinion about Pitt's LB situation changed at all?

Brian Bennett: You're right, it was unfortunate that I published that just hours before the Gunn news broke. I also didn't give nearly enough weight to Murray's return. I'm still going to remain cautious on both Gunn and Murray until I see that they're both medically cleared and healthy. And McKillop is a huge loss any way you slice it. But if all goes well, Pitt could certainly have one of the better linebacking groups in the conference, and I will happily upgrade their status before the season begins.

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Chuck from Dublin, Ohio, writes: Your article was nice and sarcastic, but I wonder if you've done your homework? You simply refer to Zack Stoudt as a redshirt freshman. Read up on him. Broke most all of Brady Quinn's record in high school. 3,600 yds passing, 34 TDs, 13-1 record, 1st team All Ohio, Rivals No. 18 QB, Max Emfinger No. 3 QB in the Nation! Son of NFL QB. Maybe you should look him up. Watch him in action maybe. Google SI Vault and search for his videos. We haven't forgotten him here at Dublin Coffman. The writers seem to have forgotten him since he redshirted.

Brian Bennett: I didn't think I used much sarcasm in my story on Louisville's quarterbacks, but whatever. I know plenty about Stoudt and have seen him in practice several times in the past two years. All your high school numbers and rankings are worth about as much as Bear Stearns stock; they're completely irrelevant at the college level. Matt Simms had some high school good numbers and was the son of an NFL quarterback, too. And where is he? Oh, yeah -- junior college. With all that said, Stoudt looks the best of all the Louisville quarterbacks simply from a physical standpoint. He's tall, has a good arm and good mechanics. He just hasn't figured it all out yet. Could he win some playing time this year? Sure, but I don't think he's ready right now.

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Aaron from Cincinnati writes: I'm so tired of hearing about "playoffs." College football is an AMATEUR sport, these guys are supposed to be STUDENTS. The best system is one we already had, the bowl system. College football isn't about a postseason, it is about the actual season, that being conference play. Any semblance of a playoff works against the importance of conference play. I could list a thousand reasons why playoffs destroy everything we love about college football, and the only knock on the old bowl system is there is no real "national champion." Of course all that is BS, a playoff or BCS type system would invariably depend on media and coach voting anyway. At least the bowl system ensured games that people were interested in watching. I guess I just don't understand the controversy...

Brian Bennett: I like many aspects of the bowl system, and as I'v
e said in the past many times, I'm an advocate for a "plus-one" model using the bowls. But let's not so easily dismiss the playoff structure. Heck, I'm still buzzing from last night's six-overtime Big East tournament game between Syracuse and Connecticut. If college football could capture half the excitement of March Madness with its postseason, that would be a huge upgrade over some of these meaningless mid-December bowls and ho-hum BCS games we've been subjected to in recent years.

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VinceD from Parts Unknown writes: This is in response to your trivia question about which Big East coach is undefeated in bowl games. I know West Virginia University coach Bill Stewart, after all the criticism WVU took for hiring him, is in fact undefeated in bowl games as the head coach. 2-0-- A thrashing of a very good Oklahoma team in the '08 Fiesta Bowl, when WVU would have no doubt been in the National Title game if Rich Rodriguez had opened up the play book like Bill Stewart did against Oklahoma in Glendale the week before at Heinz Field against Pitt. Then this past bowl season, coach Stewart was right there with one of the best coaches in college football, Butch Davis, in one of the best games of the bowl season, matching him play call for play call as Pat White put on a passing clinic for the NFL scouts as Stewart edged out Davis for the win. There may be more than one coach that fits this question that I'm not aware of, but I think Coach Stew deserves some respect for what he has accomplished.

Brian Bennett: Yes, Stewart deserves a lot of credit for two great bowl wins. Which leads me, finally, to the other half of my trivia answer. The other current Big East coach who's undefeated in bowl games is Cincinnati offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn. He served as interim head coach for Central Michigan's 2006 Motor City Bowl victory after Brian Kelly left for Cincinnati. In fact, Quinn is undefeated in his career as a head coach, at 1-0.