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Pittsburgh has a mulligan left.

The No. 9 Panthers don't need to win Friday night at West Virginia in order to bring home a Big East title or BCS bid. All they have to do for that is beat Cincinnati on Dec. 5.

Of course, there's a big difference between need and want. The Backyard Brawl may not have much bearing on Pitt's ultimate goals, but you better believe this is a fight the team does not want to lose.

"We're not looking at it at all like we can still lose this game and beat Cincinnati for the Big East," center Robb Houser said. "We're not even looking at Cincinnati right now because [West Virginia] is a good team and it's a big rivalry. We're focusing on getting these last two games, not what we need for the Big East. We're focusing on winning out."

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said earlier this week that his biggest fear wasn't that his players would look past West Virginia. It was that they would look past all the work in practice to get to Friday's game.

"There’s always a fine line when playing West Virginia," Wannstedt said. "It’s a very exciting game for our players. It’s a very emotional game for our players. You also have to be able to understand that the quickest way to be defeated is to be distracted. So you have to go down there and play with a lot of emotion and energy, but at the same time you have to really be focused on the job at hand."

The Panthers have excelled at that the past two years. Arguably the biggest win in the Wannstedt era came in Morgantown two years ago, when Pitt upset West Virginia, 13-9. Wannstedt's team had only four wins going into that game, while the Mountaineers were making plans for the BCS title game. Since that game, Pitt has won 18 of its last 23 contests.

"I think that win, when you look back on it, it gave us life," Wannstedt said. "By that, I mean we had so many recruits that were right on the bubble. It gave us an opportunity to get one more shot at these guys and to say that it will happen and to believe in us.

"You know if you lose that game and come off of a four-win season and go into your offseason program, that’s a challenge, from a coaching standpoint and from a player standpoint. Winning that game, I can remember the first day of the offseason program in January. We had as much enthusiasm from a team standpoint to get started and to try to build on that for the next year as any."

Wannstedt said he remembers seeing recruits lined up on the sideline during pregame warm-ups for that 2007 game. Many of the players were being courted by both schools.

"Within 10 to 14 days [after the win], we got eight commitments," he said. "Two or three of those kids were right there [in Morgantown]."

No doubt that win got Pitt's program jump-started in a lot of ways. Now it's really revved up, with a top-10 ranking, a shot at the Big East title and, of course, a two-game Backyard Brawl winning streak. The Panthers don't want to give any of that back.

"We ruined their chances of a national championship last time we were there, so they're going to be ready for us," tight end Dorin Dickerson said. "This rivalry means a lot and has been good for a lot of years. We want to have the upper hand every year."

Few Pittsburgh players were as excited about the Notre Dame win last week as Robb Houser.

That's because Houser had to watch last year's victory in South Bend on TV from his couch. The center had suffered an ugly-looking broken ankle in the previous game against Rutgers and missed the final five games of the season.

"That made me want to come back strong," Houser said. "And I have."

That wasn't a guarantee during the spring, however. Houser still hadn't made it all the way back with his ankle and lost snaps at center to walk-on Alex Karabin. There was talk that another offensive lineman might move over to center if the situation didn't improve.

Houser heard that talk.

"There were a lot of good offensive linemen that could have switched over to center and done a good job, because our team is really good depth-wise," he said. "I knew I had to come back full force and work as hard as I could to show the coaches I could win that job back."

Houser recovered his full mobility by the end of the summer, and he won back his spot. He has been an anchor on arguably the Big East's best offensive line; Pitt has allowed only nine sacks all season, which is tied for eighth nationally, and the line has paved the way for Dion Lewis's 1,200-yard season.

Houser transferred from junior college last year and says he's grown with experience.

"I'm a lot better, just with my technique and having a full year with (offensive line) coach (Tony) Wise," he said. "I've been exposed so much to all the material centers need to be exposed to, and it has become second nature almost."

His next challenge will be to take on West Virginia next Friday, when he will face the Mountaineers' burly nose guard Chris Neild. Houser's pretty excited for this one, too, because he missed last year's Backyard Brawl with that injury.

"We're so pumped for West Virginia," he said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

I didn't come here to talk about the past.

Wait, scratch that. Let's review Week 8 in the Big East.

Team of the week: Connecticut. I never give this award to a losing team, but here is a special exemption for the Huskies. They gave everything they had after an unbelievably sad, trying week following the Jasper Howard homicide and came within a couple of minutes of beating West Virginia for the first time.

Team of the week, Part II: Cincinnati and Pittsburgh (tie). I had to create a second category to recognize the tremendous performances by the Bearcats and Panthers, who each scored 41 points in registering a blowout conference victory. Cincinnati did it despite not having Tony Pike. Pitt destroyed a team that was in the Top 25 earlier this month.

Best game: The UConn-West Virginia game was the only non-blowout of the weekend, and it had enough story lines to spare. From the pre-game tributes to Jarrett Brown's return to Kashif Moore catching a touchdown pass a week after holding a dying Howard in his arms to fourth quarter heroics, this 28-24 game had it all.

Biggest play: Noel Devine's 56-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left made the difference against UConn. It was classic Mountaineers football, with Devine taking a zone-read handoff from Jarrett Brown and zipping around the corner past defenders. His biggest challenge was staying in bounds as he tiptoed the sidelines on his way to pay dirt.

Best call: To Brian Kelly for not playing Pike. It had to be tempting for Kelly to go with his star quarterback in a conference game, especially since Pike had practiced during the week and proved last year he could play through a broken left arm. But there was no need to endanger Pike for the rest of the year with BCS title hopes attainable. And Zach Collaros made sure Pike wasn't missed against Louisville.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Pitt's offensive line. I'm breaking a lot of rules this week, including the bestowing of this award on an entire unit instead of one player. But the Panthers' offensive front was simply outstanding against a South Florida defensive line that had been terrorizing everybody. Offensive linemen don't get enough credit anyway. So, mad props to Jason Pinkston, Lucas Nix, Robb Houser, John Malecki and Joe Thomas, plus tight end Nate Byham and the running backs, for building a fortress around quarterback Bill Stull.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): Syracuse's Derrell Smith had nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble as the Orange shot down Akron 28-14.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): West Virginia true freshman Tavon Austin returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against UConn. That proved to be a crucial play, as the Mountaineers won by just four points.

Worst hangover: South Florida. We need some fraud protection against this program. The Bulls have lost their last two games by a combined 41 points, killing any thought that this would be the year for a Big East breakthrough. At least the last two years the team had injuries to blame for its October free falls. This year's team appears to be relatively healthy. Physically, if not mentally.

Strangest moment: Louisville's leading passer against Cincinnati was walk-on Will Stein, who came in after both Adam Froman and Justin Burke got hurt and were ineffective. Stein, who's roster measurement of 5-foot-10 must have been taken in high heels, finished with 98 passing yards. Remember when the Cardinals were Quarterback U., with a long line of prolific passers including Brian Brohm, Stefan LeFors, Dave Ragone, Chris Redman, Jeff Brohm, Browning Nagle, etc? Now they can't even get a guy over 100 yards in a game.

Now let's change the channel to Futurama. Here's a quick preview of Week 9 (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):

No. 21 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) at South Florida (5-2, 1-2): The last time West Virginia came to Tampa on a Friday night, it limped home in defeat with an injured Pat White. South Florida is the one hobbling into this game. Still, this looks like the best game of a weak week.

No. 8 Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0) at Syracuse (3-4, 0-2): This the last road game until Dec. 5 for the Bearcats. Looking forward to seeing Brian Kelly's offense on the Carrier Dome turf. Last time there, Cincinnati scored 52 points.

Rutgers (5-2, 0-2) at Connecticut (4-3, 1-2): This is developing into a pretty decent Northeast rivalry. Both teams are fighting for a Big East bowl spot and need to win this swing game.

Arkansas State (2-4) at Louisville (2-5, 0-3): Let's just say that it's a good thing the expanded Papa John's Stadium isn't opening this week.

Bye: Pittsburgh

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

Mayday, Mayday. The following positions appear to need the most help for each Big East team after spring ball:

Cincinnati: The defense as a whole could use more experience and playmakers, but linebacker and safety have the biggest need for more depth.

Connecticut: Just like last year, the Huskies need to find some reliable receivers. They'll hope some incoming recruits bring something to the table.

Louisville: If the Cardinals' defensive line doesn't get bolstered by incoming junior college players this summer, their defense could be in for a long fall.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers hope Robb Houser is healthier and more effective this summer than he was in the spring. If not, center could be a major question mark.

Rutgers: See Huskies, UConn. The Scarlet Knights are in desperate need of receivers to complement Tim Brown.

South Florida: Ditto for the Bulls on the O-line, though South Florida does have talent at the position. Health and chemistry are the bigger concerns.

Syracuse: The Orange need help in a lot of areas, but no position is more pressing than offensive line right now after a rough spring by the big guys up front.

West Virginia: Is there an echo in here? The Mountaineers, too, have problems on the offensive line, mostly due to inexperience.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

PITTSBURGH -- Some observations from a beautiful spring day spent watching Pitt practice:

• The Panthers turned in a spirited, two-plus hour workout that included lots of 11-on-11 drills. The talent that Dave Wannstedt has assembled through recruiting is obvious, as this is a team chock full of athletes.

The big question mark remains at quarterback, and none of the three contenders had a great day. Part of the blame can be placed on a blustery wind that made long throws an adventure, but the quarterbacks struggled to complete passes even in skeleton drills. Bill Stull got the first-team snaps, with Pat Bostick on the second team and Tino Sunseri running the threes. Sunseri is the best athlete, but he's smaller in person than I expected. He's listed at 6-foot-2 but looks a good couple of inches shorter than Stull and Bostick, who are each listed at 6-3.

• Interesting developments on the offensive line. Alex Karabin, a junior walk-on who played primarily on the kicking unit last year, took the first-team reps at center. Robb Houser started there the first seven games of 2008 before breaking his ankle. Houser was playing on the second team. Sophomore Chris Jacobsen got a lot of run today with the first-string as well.

• Wannstedt told me earlier in the day that he was preparing to use a committee approach at running back this year. But true freshman Dion Lewis, who enrolled in January, got most of the looks with the first team and could very well end up as the starter there. He's explosive and made some nice plays in the passing game. The run of the day, though, came from Shariff Harris, who dashed up the middle almost untouched for a 45-yard touchdown.

• Greg Cross has been moved to receiver and had a long touchdown catch on a busted coverage. The Panthers are deep at wideout, even with T.J. Porter currently suspended. Aundre Wright is lightning quick.

• Watching Aaron Berry and Jonathan Baldwin match up was a lot of fun. Each has a chance to be the best in the Big East at his position this fall.

• Defensive end Greg Romeus isn't going through contact drills right now because of a back problem, and after practice defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was busting his chops for missing so much practice time. "You might end up as a three technique," Bennett joked.

• Basketball coach Jamie Dixon watched practice from the sidelines, less than a week after his team's heartbreaking, last-second loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Never forget to look closely at the offensive lines when trying to predict what will happen in the coming season. Teams can overcome inexperience up front, but that's not the norm. Here's a look at how each Big East team is feeling about its O-line heading into spring practice:

Feeling great:

• Pittsburgh: C.J. Davis was an integral part of the line who moved to center late in the year, but Robb Houser should be back and healthy to fill in for the departed senior. Other than that, Pitt only needs to find a left guard, and between sophomores Lucas Nix and Chris Jacobson, that position should be fine. This will be an experienced group with three seniors and a solid left tackle in junior Jason Pinkston.

• Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights' line was erratic to begin last season, which contributed to the 1-5 start. But they finally found the right chemistry as the year went on and became a force. Now, all five starters are back, including Caleb Ruch and Art Forst, who played as freshmen last season. Anthony Davis is an anchor at left tackle. The last hurdle for this group is to become better at run blocking.

Feeling pretty good:

• Cincinnati: The right side will need repair, as senior starters Trevor Canfield and Khalil El-Amin are gone. But the other three starters are back, including underrated left tackle Jeff Linkenbach. The Bearcats had four freshmen in backup roles last season and will need a couple of them to step in as contributors now.

Some questions:

• Connecticut: The Huskies lost their best lineman in left tackle Will Beatty, who has impressed NFL scouts since leaving school. Center Keith Gray is gone as well. UConn still has a lot to work with here, including impressive sophomore guard Moe Petrus. The biggest question is how this line, which was so used to run blocking, will adjust to a hurry-up offense with more involved pass blocking.

• Syracuse: The Orange lost the right side of their line to graduation but have three returning juniors coming back. This is a group that became pretty good at run-blocking last year for Curtis Brinkley. Like UConn, though, it will have to transition to a different and more open offense this spring.

Big questions:

• Louisville: The Cardinals' line was inconsistent last year, and that was with two of the better linemen in recent school history in Eric Wood and George Bussey. With both those players gone, sophomore Mario Benavides and left tackle Greg Tomczyk will have to play major roles, and everyone will have to get much better. And there's not a lot of depth behind the starters.

• South Florida: The Bulls lost four senior starters, so the spring will be a crucial time to start rebuilding this line. Jacob Sims is the lone starter back at left tackle, but several others -- like Zach Hermann and Jeremiah Warren -- got experience last year. Look for juco imports Carlos Savala and Jamar Bass to compete for playing time right away.

• West Virginia: West Virginia also lost four starters, including left guard Greg Isdaner, who surprisingly declared for the NFL draft after his junior year. The Mountaineers may be in a little better shape than the Bulls, though. Eric Jobe got valuable experience at center late in the year, and Josh Jenkins played about half the season as a freshman before getting hurt. Selvish Capers is back for a fifth year and needs to become a leader at right tackle. This should be the most scrutinized area during spring practice in Morgantown.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at the blog. From now until the end of spring practice, I'll be conducting a Q&A with a coach, player or official from the Big East. I might even let you guys submit questions for me to ask in the future.

	AP Photo/Michael Conroy
	Dave Wannstedt feels the Big East will be wide open this year.

Let's kick things off with Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt:

You just hired Frank Cignetti Jr. as your new offensive coordinator. What was it about him that you liked?

Dave Wannstedt: First of all, I wanted somebody who had been a playcaller before. The second thing is, I wanted someone who could tutor our quarterbacks. The more I'm around this college game, I see these young kids come in and there's so much development that needs to take place. And there's no position that's more important than quarterback. So that's a position that's critical.

The third thing is, I didn't want to have a complete overhaul of the offense. I wanted to get somebody who believed in running the ball and doing some of the things that we had been doing. Then, obviously, to look at it and say, "What can we do within this philosophy to make ourselves better?" And then the fourth thing was ... Frank's dad, I met him when he came out of high school. He was recruiting me for West Virginia, and his dad is a legendary coach here in Western PA and Frank's from this area. When I was interviewing him, I was getting calls from high school coaches in this area telling me how excited they were that Frank might come. And it speaks volumes of what people in this part of the country and this part of the state think about him.

Will fans notice much of a difference in your offense this season?

DW: I think so, but exactly what I don't know. I think that people forget that when the regular season ended, we were the number one scoring offense in the Big East. No one would recognize that. I think the mindset that some of the alums and some of the fans have is the (Brut Sun) Bowl game, getting shut out in the bowl game. And that tarnished a lot of great things that we did offensively during the year. Do we have to get better? Sure we do. Can we get better? Sure we can. And we will. I'm looking forward to once Frank gets here and he gets a chance to see our players and gets with our other offensive coaches. We'll see what adjustments we need and how we change some things and make us better.

The biggest difference, of course, will be not having LeSean McCoy. Going back a little bit, did it surprise you when he declared for the NFL draft?

DW: It did at the end a little bit, only for the fact that in June, I made a statement to our assistant coaches that I wanted to sign three freshmen running backs. They were like, "Coach, we've got two on the roster already and Shady is three so that would make six." And I told them that I've been down this road and around this game too long, and I think McCoy will leave. And none of my assistant coaches believed me. So we ended up signing three quality young running backs, really good players, in addition to the guys we have.

And then Shady comes out, unsolicited, and says he's staying. And my comment was, "Well, we'll see." I can remember our local media coming up to me and saying, "What's wrong with you? McCoy just said he's staying and you're not doing back flips." And I said, "Let's wait and see. It's early. I hope he comes back." I didn't really overreact one way or another.

Then as time went on, he was doing interviews and telling everybody that he was coming back, and he really convinced me. We talked on the plane on the way home from the bowl game, and within a week circumstances have changed. So in the end I was a little bit surprised, to be quite honest with you, but back in the beginning of the year I kind of anticipated it. LeSean is a first-round draft pick, and those guys don't come around every day. But I think when you're not dependent on one player, now we're going to have to throw the ball a little better. We're going to have to be more effective passing it. We have some great receivers and outstanding tight ends. So somebody else has to pick up the slack, and I think that they will. That's what good teams do.

Who are some of the guys you're looking at to replace McCoy at tailback?

DW: There's a kid we recruited a couple of years ago, a good player out of Rochester, New York, named Kevin Collier. We've got Shariff Harris who we recruited out of New Jersey St. Peter's prep who was a redshirt freshman this year. And then we have Chris Burns, who was a true freshman last year who we redshirted. We have a freshman coming in who's probably faster than any of them in Dion Lewis out of Blair Academy in New York. So we've got some quality players there. We're going to be a little bit young, but I know we've got talent. And as long as you've got talent, as a coach I don't care what position it is, if you have talent to work with you have a chance to win. I believe that's where we are at that spot.

Would you like for one guy to emerge as the starter there by the end of spring?

DW: I would, but I don't know if that will happen or not. I'm really uncertain on how it's going to play out.

Let's talk about your quarterback situation. Is Bill Stull still your starter, or will there be an open competition this spring?

DW: Billy is going to be our starter. We went 9-3 in the regular season with Bill Stull. It was the best record that Pitt's had since Dan Marino was here. So people have a tendency to lose sight of that a little bit, too, because of the bowl game. Now, did Billy play at a level that we need him to play at to win a championship? No. Can he get better? Yes. He understands that.

Pat Bostick is looking for an opportunity, Tino Sunseri is looking for an opportunity and we have Greg Cross on our team, he's looking for an opportunity. So I think that with a new quarterback coach coming in, a new offensive coordinator, it's going to create a real natural sense of urgency on offense in addition to the quarterback position, which I think will be healthy.

All three quarterbacks will get equal opportunities in practice and scrimmage situations and we'll see how it unfolds. I think we know these kids well enough that we can expect someone to surface and we can hang our hat on someone and say, "OK, this is the way we&
#39;re going into the fall."

Was Stull more banged up than maybe he even let on late in the year?

DW: Oh, he was banged up. In the bowl game, his wrist was bothering him. Obviously, he was limping a little bit. When he got hurt in the Rutgers game, he had thrown for 180 yards at that point and I think he was like 18-of-22 or something. And he never really got back the remainder of the season to where he was at that point.

What are some of the other positions you'll be focusing on this spring?

DW: The middle linebacker position is the other spot, with Scott McKillop leaving, that's a concern. The tailback spot we've got to solve and the middle linebacker we've got to solve. And field goal kicker. Now we signed a kid, Kevin Harper, he was All-Ohio a year ago. We signed him to be the field goal kicker and he was redshirted last season. So that's the three spots, as I look at our team, that we have to make some major decisions on who is the guy to line up at those spots. Because all three of those spots are going to be positions that someone is going to have to perform at a high level for us to win. But we do have a pretty good nucleus. We just had three senior starters on offense and three on defense, so we're still a relatively young team, and I think that's good

McKillop did so much for you on defense. With him gone, does that change the way you do things at all, and who might replace him?

DW: No, we won't change a thing on defense. Steve Dell is a senior who's been around here a few years. Max Gruder played some last year as a redshirt freshman and played pretty good at a couple different spots. We signed an incoming freshman (Dan Mason) who was one of the best linebackers in this state and I think one of the better ones in this part of the country. He'll be coming in with a chance to compete at that position. We've got some people, and I believe someone will step up.

Hey, when H.B. Blades graduated, it was not until halfway through Scott's first year of playing that I really believed that he was the guy. At this time after H.B. left I was telling people, "I don't think we have a middle linebacker. We've got Scott McKillop to line up, but I don't know if he's a player." And I kind of feel the same way about the guys that are backing Scott up now. So we'll see.

Do you see many of your incoming freshmen or any redshirts from last season having an impact this year?

DW: We played three or four (freshmen) last year. I think maybe the linebacker kid I mentioned could have an impact. We did sign a couple of young receivers. And signing three running backs -- at least one of those kids definitely has a chance. I think you can play skill positions guys a lot faster than linemen. So a young back could come in and help us.

Will linebacker Adam Gunn be back this year after his neck injury at the beginning of '08?

DW: We applied for a sixth year but haven't been notified yet. That would be a real bonus, but I'm not counting on it.

	Randy Litzinger/Icon SMI
	Receiver Jonathan Baldwin had 18 receptions for 404 yards and 3 TDs as a freshman last season.

What about Jonathan Baldwin? He had an impressive freshman year. How much better can he get?

DW: I've always thought players make their biggest jump from their freshman year to their sophomore year, and I expect Jonathan Baldwin to truly be a dominant player this year. I mean, he has the potential to be as good as anybody in the country, with his speed, his hands, his toughness and his size. I expect for him to make a major contribution this year.

How's your offensive line? Will Robb Houser be ready for spring?

DW: He'll be back in the spring and should be fine. John Malecki is back at right guard, Joe Thomas is back at right tackle and Jason Pinkston is back at left tackle. We've got to find a left guard, and we have two highly recruited kids. Chris Jacobson two years ago was the best linemen in the state of Pennsylvania and played in the Army All-American game. And then last year, Lucas Nix played in the Army game. So we've got some pretty talented young kids, and I think with a year of Tony Wise coaching these kids, I expect our offensive line to be more solid than we were a year ago.

You mentioned Greg Cross earlier. Will he stay at quarterback or move to another position?

DW: We'll start him off at quarterback then see how it unfolds. We'll see how he competes and see where his opportunities are.

You won nine games last year and went to a bowl game for the first time in your tenure. Where do you feel like the program is right now, and is it where you want it to be?

DW: I really felt like, if we don't lose Billy Stull the year before in the opening game -- and we had to play Pat Bostick, a true freshman who missed half of training camp -- there's not a doubt in my mind we could have won seven games and gone to a bowl game. And then last year we take a little step and win nine. So, yeah, I see the program taking steps. It never happens as fast as anybody on the outside would like it, and it never happens as fast as coaches would like to be honest with you.

But if you can be truly honest about it, not what the perception is and not what the influence of maybe the media and alumni is, if you can sit back as a coach and say these are the facts. And are we making progress or aren't we? I feel like we're making some progress every year, and as long as we continue doing that, I feel good about it.

We have a lot of room to improve in a lot of different areas, and obviously our goal is to win a Big East championship, and I don't think that's out of reach. I think the conference is going to be wide open. I don't know who the favorite would be right now. Probably South Florida because of Matt Grothe coming back or Cincinnati because their quarterback is coming back. But I think it's probably as open as it's been in a long time.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Connecticut: Donald Brown's amazing season has left Andre Dixon a forgotten man this season. Dixon actually led the Huskies in rushing last season, but he's only gotten three carries this year as Brown has piled up more than 1,300 yards. Dixon was slowed by an ankle injury at the start of the year but is healthy now. UConn coach Randy Edsall says Dixon hasn't done anything wrong and is contributing on special teams; there just aren't enough handoffs to go around the way Brown is performing.

South Florida: The Bulls' comeback attempt at Louisville was hampered by injuries. Running backs Mike Ford and Jamar Taylor were limited, while starting right tackle Marc Dile (leg), tight end Trent Pupello (head) and linebacker Brouce Mompremier (head) got hurt and had to leave the game. True freshman Danous Estenor took over for Dile, who returned to practice this week. Senior guard Zach Hermann, who has been out since the opener with a broken foot, will travel to Cincinnati and may play.

Syracuse: The Orange hope to have two additions to their backfield on Saturday against Louisville. Fullback Tony Fiammetta should be good to go after missing the South Florida game with a lower leg problem, while backup tailback Delone Carter appears ready after sitting four games with a hamstring injury. Fiammetta is important as both a blocker and in the receiving game, while Carter can either give starting halfback Curtis Brinkley a breather or come in on two-back sets.

Pittsburgh: The season-ending ankle injury to center Robb Houser means that fifth-year senior Dom Williams will return to the starting lineup. Williams will play left guard, while C.J. Davis moves over to center. Williams, the team's oldest player at 24, started the first two games of 2005, including one against this week's opponent, Notre Dame. If Williams falters, Pitt will probably turn to true freshman tackle Lucas Nix.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers shredded Auburn's defense in last week's 34-17 win without one of their most effective offensive players. Backup quarterback Jarrett Brown did not play because of lingering shoulder and thigh injuries. West Virginia had been using Brown in the backfield with Pat White as a blocker/runner/decoy on short-yardage situations. Brown has practiced this week and should be ready to play at Connecticut. Freshman right guard Josh Jenkins, out since the Rutgers game with a knee injury, could return to add depth to the offensive line.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

C.J. Davis is moving from the left to the center. And no, this has nothing to do with politics.

Pittsburgh lost starting center Robb Houser to a season-ending broken ankle during Saturday's 54-34 loss to Rutgers. The Panthers will move Davis over from his left guard position, while reserve Dom Williams steps into Davis's old role.

Davis has played center before -- when he was a freshman in high school. So the senior has a lot of catching up to do before Saturday's game at Notre Dame.

"It's definitely going to be a challenge," he said. "Your whole thought process changes. At guard, the defense tells you what to do and you don't have to think too much. At center, you have to think about the ball, the play, where the point is and you've got to get the call. So there's a lot more to it."

Davis finished out the game Saturday at center and worked on his snaps during Sunday's practice. He faces the added difficulty of not knowing exactly who will be the quarterback this week, since Bill Stull is injured and may be replaced by Pat Bostick. So he's trying to build chemistry on the exchanges with both.

He has taken some backup reps at center since training camp, so the position isn't totally new. And offensive line coach Tony Wise tries to keep all his linemen versed on the position.

"In the film room sometimes, he'll pick guys out and say, 'OK, you're the center. Call out the front,'" Davis said. "It's nothing compared to training camp or spring practice. But with me being a four-year guy, I know the offense really well and I should be able to figure it out."

Pittsburgh's offensive line had been playing well of late. Even in the loss to Rutgers, it cleared the way for LeSean McCoy to rush for four touchdowns. Can the line keep that up with a whole new alignment?

"I don't want to make any predictions, because I haven't practiced with those guys," Davis said. "Physically I think we'll be OK. Mentally, it will be a challenge."

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss: For now, and this can change in a hurry, West Virginia is once again the team to beat in a hopelessly muddled Big East race. The Mountaineers might have gained this status by default had they not played this week, since they are the only team left undefeated in league play. But they also earned it in a thoroughly impressive 34-17 win over Auburn on Thursday. If the offense can keep up that level of execution and the defense stays solid, West Virginia is the favorite to win the title. At least until Saturday.

2. Brian Kelly's brain will be challenged: The Cincinnati coach is often hailed as an offensive guru, and now he'll have to put those skills to work. The Bearcats' problems continue at quarterback, as Tony Pike couldn't make it through the Connecticut game with his mending left arm. Cincinnati is an astonishing 0-for-25 on third downs in its last two games. The running game has gone absent at times, and the incompletions are piling up in the passing game. Maybe Dustin Grutza returning will help, but he's still a couple of weeks away. Kelly needs to figure out an answer before then.

3. Pittsburgh and South Florida haven't arrived yet: It's easy to fall into a trap of anointing teams based on strong early-season performances. But for all the talent that Pitt and USF have accumulated in recent years, neither school is a consistent top-tier program yet. The Bulls, who had risen to No. 10 in the polls this month, lost for the second time in three games and look like they will fail to win their first conference title. This season is starting to look like 2007, when USF began 6-0 and rose to No. 2, only to lose three straight. The Panthers created excitement and hope during their five-game winning streak until they imploded in Saturday's 54-34 home loss to Rutgers. With injuries to quarterback Bill Stull and center Robb House, the future now looks cloudy.

4. Rutgers might actually go bowling: Everyone threw dirt on the Scarlet Knights' grave after their 1-5 start. But now they've won two straight, including that 54-point explosion at Pittsburgh. They should be favored in upcoming games against Syracuse and Army. So Rutgers would just need to split against Louisville and South Florida to get to 6-6 and qualify for the postseason. Amazing.

5. Forget everything you thought you knew: Thought UConn was going to fade away? Figured Louisville was at least a year away? Convinced Rutgers couldn't score? Any assumptions you make about this league are likely to be rendered moot the following weekend. No fan base outside of Syracuse can truly feel their team is either out of it or in control right now. November is going to be a wild, unpredictable ride in the Big East.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Dave Wannstedt had his first weekly press conference Monday afternoon, and here are a few of the main talking points from the Pittsburgh head coach:

• Wannstedt said he was pleased with how training camp went and how many of his true freshmen looked. Receiver Jonathan Baldwin and defensive back Andrew Taglianetti will definitely play, while Lucas Nix -- currently listed as the second-team right tackle -- will likely see the field early.

"Lucas Nix athletically and physically can do some things that some starters can't," he said.

• Wannstedt said quarterback Bill Stull had a solid preseason and is "probably a little stronger and hopefully a little smarter" after sitting out all but two quarters last year with a thumb injury. Pat Bostick, who started the majority of last season, is competing with Kevan Smith and Greg Cross for the backup job. Wannstedt said there has been some discussion of redshirting Bostick this season, but that decision is a ways off.

"We'll do what we have to in order to win this first game (against Bowling Green)," Wannstedt said. "We'll take things one week at a time concerning our backup quarterbacks. Obviously, we'll have a plan should something happen to Bill but that wouldn't be revealed until that situation occurred."

• Wannstedt also said that Cross, a junior-college import who can run or pass out of the backfield, could come in for a different look.

"We have a nice little package for Greg that I think will definitely add something to our offense," he said.

• Another junior college transfer, Robb Houser, is now the starter at center. Wannstedt said Houser has been impressive thus far.

"Robb is probably a better player than we thought when we signed him and I say that as a compliment to him," Wannstedt said. "He's a good, solid player and he's proven that he's strong and quick. He's really fitting in well. Playing next to C.J. Davis and John Malecki will be a nice fit for him. I like where we're at with our center and our guards."

• Wannstedt was asked if the Panthers are a more confident team coming off last year's season-finale win at West Virginia and with high expectations for 2008.

"I think deep down, this team probably feels a little more confidence," he said. "I think the confidence will show when we get on the field and face adversity. Right now everyone's excited for the opening game, but we've been working against ourselves in practice, so we haven't really faced any adversity. We have to go out there and play because all that really matters is Saturday, and we have to go out and prove that we're a good football team."