ESPN College Football

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- At the end of his first press conference as head coach, Charlie Strong was asked how he liked the weather.

He shot a look at one of his daughters, who made a face. It was about 30 degrees with 25 mph freezing wind gusts in Louisville on Wednesday, a far cry from the Florida sunshine where Strong had worked since 2003.

"I know this," he said as the crowd laughed, "I got up and ran in shorts and a T-shirt this morning."

Strong will have to adjust to more than just the weather now that he's leading the Cardinals. As Florida's defensive coordinator, he was used to working with some of the most talented players in the nation and a slew of future pros.

As for Louisville? Well, let's put it this way. The Big East announced its first- and second-team all-league honorees on Wednesday. There were 56 players honored. One of them was from Louisville: kick returner Trent Guy, who made the second team. And he's a senior.

No wonder, then, that Strong's message in his first, brief meeting with the players was this: "We're going to start over."

This is not an easy job right now. The Cardinals lack talent and depth. The fans are going to need to be patient, because even athletic director Tom Jurich said, "I'm not expecting anything to happen overnight." This is the lowest the program has been since Jurich hired John L. Smith to replace Ron Cooper after a 1-10 season in 1997.

"The difference is, we're not playing in Conference USA," Jurich said. "We've got a tough league now. All the teams are geared up -- even Syracuse is geared up -- and getting better. [Strong] knows he's got his work cut out for him."

The next few weeks figure to be incredibly hectic. Strong needs to hire a staff and particularly find a top-flight offensive coordinator. He said he has some names in mind but doesn't want to rush the process so he finds the best guys.

"It's amazing the number of phone calls you get from friends you never knew you had," he joked.

Strong said he's not necessarily married to the idea of a spread offense and that he wants a team that can be physical and run the ball. On defense, he wants "an aggressive and attacking" unit.

"I want to put a product on the field that's exciting and aggressive," he said.

Strong also plans to coach Florida's defense in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. If nothing else, he'll get a strong feel for Cincinnati -- the Gators' opponent in that game and the two-time defending Big East champs.

Most importantly, though, Strong needs to hit the recruiting trail. He said he wants to focus on places like Georgia and Ohio and of course Florida, a recruiting area which has been good to Louisville in the past but dried up a bit under Kragthorpe. Strong's long-held ties in that state should serve him well.

"What's great is, I know lot of high school coaches who have great players," he said. "So I'm able to pick up the phone and say, 'Hey look, I've recruited your school before and now you have an outstanding player. Is there any way we can get in the door?'"

Strong will need to get inside a lot of those doors. Because he's facing a major rebuilding challenge at his new home.

We've got two weeks left in the season, though two Big East teams -- Louisville and Syracuse -- wrap up their 2009 this weekend.

The end of the season also means it's time to start thinking about who will make the All-Big East team. Here's an early look at who I think should and should not make the team at each position:

Quarterback

Raise your hand if you thought Pitt's Bill Stull would be the Big East's first-team quarterback this year. Heck, most people thought he'd lose his job. But he's leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency -- all by a large margin. Had Tony Pike stayed healthy or Zach Collaros played a full year, we might be talking about them here. But they didn't, so it's an easy choice.

Running back

Dion Lewis is a shoo-in. The second running back spot on the team will likely belong to Noel Devine. But he's been slowed lately, mostly due to injuries. If that continues, there's a chance that UConn's Jordan Todman or Andre Dixon could slip onto the first team. Combine the two Huskies, and they've produced exactly 1,800 rushing yards.

Receiver

Mardy Gilyard and Tim Brown are the choices here for now, though you could make a strong argument for Jonathan Baldwin. If Baldwin has a big two final games, perhaps he'll earn a spot on the first team. Jock Sanders has had a great year as well. Mike Williams looked like a lock before he quit Syracuse.

Tight end

No doubt about it, Pitt's Dorin Dickerson -- a Mackey Award finalist -- gets the nod. His teammate, Nate Byham, might be the second-team tight end.

Offensive line

This is always the most difficult position to single out players, because offensive line play is not easy to evaluate from the outside. My two tackles at this point would be Cincinnati's Jeff Linkenbach and Pitt's Jason Pinkston. Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis is the best pro prospect, but he's been far too inconsistent. Pitt's John Malecki is another lock at guard. The other two spots are less obvious. Perhaps Zach Hurd from UConn at guard and Chris Jurek from Cincinnati or UConn's Moe Petrus at center. This is one where I'll have to pick some coaches' brains to decipher.

Defensive line

You might be shocked at the one guy who's not on my list here: South Florida's George Selvie. I think his opposite end, Jason Pierre-Paul, has had the better year. I'd put Greg Romeus at the other end, along with his Pitt teammate Mick Williams at one defensive tackle. The other defensive tackle is up for grabs; I think I'd vote for West Virginia's Chris Neild in a tight one over Syracuse's Arthur Jones.

Linebacker

A lot of players have strong cases here. My three, at this point, would have to be USF's Kion Wilson, UConn's Lawrence Wilson and Louisville's Jon Dempsey. That's leaving off a lot of really good players, including Pitt's Adam Gunn and Syracuse's Derrell Smith.

Secondary

Cincinnati's Aaron Webster and USF's Nate Allen are my safeties, hands down. Devin McCourty is clearly a first-team cornerback. The other cornerback spot is debatable; right now, I'd probably pick Pitt's Aaron Berry, who's coming on strong at the end of the year.

Specialists

The clubhouse leaders are Pitt's Dan Hutchins at place-kicker, West Virginia's Scott Kozlowski at punter, Gilyard as punt returner and Louisville's Trent Guy as kick returner.

This early ballot leaves off several players I had ticketed for first-team honors in the preseason, including Selvie, Jones, West Virginia's Reed Williams, Rutgers' Ryan D'Imperio and others. But there's still time for performances to sway my picks, and I plan on getting a lot of input on my choices before picking a final team.

Now I want your input. Agree or disagree with these selections? Let's hear it.

• The Hartford Courant's Jeff Jacobs thinks it's unlikely that Randy Edsall will leave for the Kansas job.
• It would be nice if Brian Kelly simply said "I'm staying," Paul Daugherty writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• John Malecki was a hidden gem on the recruiting trail for Pitt, Paul Zeise writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Jarrett Brown reflects on his career in advance of Senior Day to the Times West Virginian's Bob Hertzel.
• Averin Collier had the biggest run of the season for Syracuse and maybe the most important against Rutgers, Donnie Webb says in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
• Two Bulls freshmen -- Sam Barrington and Kayvon Webster -- chose South Florida over Miami, Greg Auman writes in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
• Trent Guy has had some great returns for Louisville, but he rues one that got away, C.L. Brown says in The Courier-Journal.
• Rutgers figures Tom Savage will get blitzed a ton on Friday, Keith Sargeant writes in the Home News Tribune.

Trying to write about stock while thinking about stuffing. This is a time to be grateful, so there's more ups than downs.

Stock up

1. UConn's corners: Especially freshmen Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz. Yeah, Notre Dame rolled up a lot of yards in the passing game, but the two young guys who got torched against Cincinnati made some big plays when they were needed to help the Huskies win.

2. Doug Hogue: Stepping up for the injured Derrell Smith, the Syracuse linebacker had 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks against Rutgers. How big was Hogue's day? He's now leading the Big East in tackles for loss. Not bad for a converted running back.

3. Randy Edsall: Those who didn't know much about the Connecticut coach before had to be impressed with his heartfelt tribute to Jasper Howard's family after the Notre Dame win. Oh yeah, and the guy can coach a little, too.

4. Trent Guy: The Louisville senior had a punt return for a touchdown at South Florida, a week after his big return set up the game-winning score against Syracuse. Guy may be the Cardinals' best weapon; why teams continue to kick to him, I have no idea.

5. A.J. Love: Needing someone to replace Carlton Mitchell's yards, the Bulls got a big day from Love against Louisville. He had four catches for a career-best 121 yards.

6. The Big East's bowl lineup: Thanks to UConn's win, the Big East should get the Gator Bowl back and have six teams to fill six slots. That would ease a lot of headaches and avoid the possible embarrassment of a top 10 league runner up playing in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Stock down

1. Rutgers' offensive line: Sacks aren't always the line's fault. Sometimes a running back doesn't pick up his protection, sometimes the quarterback doesn't make the right check. Still, nine sacks against Syracuse is nine sacks against Syracuse. The line we all thought would be dominant has been anything but that most of the season.

2. Louisville's stat factory: Remember when the Cardinals used to put up video-game numbers on offense every year? Seems like a long time ago. Louisville will likely end the season without a quarterback throwing for 1,500 yards, without a running back surpassing 600 yards and without a receiver topping 850 yards. Yes, injuries have played a role, but the old Cards offense ain't what she used to be.

3. Gator Bowl officials: Reps from the Jacksonville game still might take Notre Dame if the Irish somehow beat Stanford, even though they would then be just 7-5 with a lame-duck coach. "Then we'll have a good discussion," Gator Bowl selection committee chairman Brian Goin told the Florida Times-Union. Here's the discussion they should have: Notre Dame is a bad team. Let's take the Big East runner-up.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading rusher with 1,291 yards on 224 attempts (5.8 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns.

2. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: The Big East's leader in total receiving yards, with 68 catches for 930 yards and eight touchdowns.

3. Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh: The Big East's leading passer, he has completed 66.3 percent of his attempts for 2,115 yards and 18 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

4. Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers: Brown has three fewer yards receiving and one less touchdown than Gilyard on 24 fewer catches.

5. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Has rushed for 1,098 yards on 192 attempts this season with 10 touchdowns.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh: Has been my leader for several weeks. Will he get my final vote? Depends on the next two games.

2. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: Two Pitt D-linemen top the list. Yeah, they're pretty good.

3. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida: The Haitian sensation has 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

4. Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: Not his fault Rutgers lost 31-13 to Syracuse, but setback doesn't help his candidacy.

5. Doug Hogue, LB, Syracuse: May not have been consistent all year long, but it's hard to ignore 16.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Raymond James Stadium has been a house of horrors for Louisville over the years.

It started out that way again today, as South Florida jumped to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Cardinals have roared back to take a 16-14 lead thanks to Trent Guy's punt return for a touchdown. Guy also had a big punt return last week to set up his team's winning score.

B.J. Daniels was razor sharp early for the Bulls, but Louisville's defense has bottled him up since then.

This is a big game for South Florida. A loss could greatly hurt its chances of making a bowl game left with Miami and UConn remaining. Remember, the Bulls have to win seven games to be eligible for the postseason since they beat two FCS teams.

The seeds of Pitt's success were sown by Dave Wannstedt's recruiting of guys in the trenches, Paul Zeise writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

West Virginia, which appears headed for the Papajohns.com Bowl, now has to reset its goals, Dave Hickman says in the Charleston Gazette.

Syracuse is headed for another lonely stay at the bottom, Donnie Webb writes in the Syracuse Post-Standard.

South Florida is learning the ups-and-downs of starting a freshman quarterback, Greg Auman says in the St. Petersburg Times.

Rutgers is back on the national map, Keith Sargeant says in the Home News Tribune.

Cincinnati and TCU are proof of a changing landscape in college football, Stewart Mandel says in Sports Illustrated.

The Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner takes a quick early look at UConn-Notre Dame.

Trent Guy's mom couldn't watch, but the Louisville kick returner was something to see on Saturday, Rick Bozich says in The Courier-Journal.

• Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers: McCourty forced a fumble on a punt return, blocked a punt and tied for the team lead with nine tackles in the Scarlet Knights' 31-0 win over South Florida.

• Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati: The sophomore set career highs with 18 carries for 175 yards and scored a touchdown in the Bearcats' 24-21 win over West Virginia.

• Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt: The freshman ran for 153 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in Pitt's 27-22 win over Notre Dame.

• Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pitt: The sophomore had five catches for 141 yards and a score against Notre Dame.

• Trent Guy, PR/KR, Louisville: Guy had nearly as many return yards (137) as his entire team had offense (151) and his 44 yard punt return set up the winning score in a 10-9 Cardinals victory.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. Focus: That's the key word this week, as the top three contenders in the Big East all are heavy favorites at home. Showdowns between Cincinnati, Pitt and West Virginia loom on the calendar ahead. But for those to matter, they need to take care of business this week against the heavy underdogs and not start thinking ahead to the stretch run.

2. Cincinnati's receivers vs. the UConn secondary: The Huskies got burned by Tim Brown on an 81-yard pass play to lose this week, but they've been pretty good against the pass this year and have the league's two co-leaders in interceptions (Robert Vaughn and Robert McClain). They will face a major challenge this week against the Bearcats' Mardy Gilyard, Armon Binns and D.J. Woods. Syracuse had some small success slowing Cincinnati down last week by trying to keep everything in front of the defense. UConn might also want to make the Bearcats prove they can sustain long drives.

3. Attack of the backup Zachs: Cincinnati looks likely to go with Zach Collaros again at quarterback as Tony Pike continues to recover from his left forearm injury. Collaros has been outstanding the past two and a half games, though this will be the best team he's started against thus far. UConn's Zach Frazer is back at quarterback now that Cody Endres is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Frazer has been way too erratic this season, including three more interceptions last week at Rutgers, and can't afford those mistakes against the Bearcats.

4. Lindsey Witten vs. Jeff Linkenbach: Witten is tied for second in the nation in sacks with 10.5. Linkenbach has developed into the best left tackle in the Big East, in my opinion. If UConn can't get pressure on Collaros, it could be a long night at Nippert Stadium for the Huskies. Witten needs to bring the heat.

5. Dion Lewis: The Pitt freshman tailback was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award this week and floats on the periphery of the Heisman race. Syracuse has been surprisingly stout against the run this season, ranking first in the Big East with just 88.9 yards allowed per game on the ground. Another big game by Lewis against this defense should vault him into the lead for Big East player of the year and other award honors.

6. Paulus and the passing game: Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus was booed at home last week and then received a passionate defense by his head coach Doug Marrone. Paulus has struggled in Big East play, and he just lost his best and maybe only big-play receiver in Mike Williams, who quit the team on Monday. How do he and the Orange offense respond?

7. West Virginia's pass defense: The deep pass has hurt the Mountaineers the past few weeks and much of the season. Louisville has the worst scoring offense in the Big East but is capable of pulling off some big plays in the passing game with guys like Scott Long, Trent Guy and Doug Beaumont. If West Virginia can tighten that part of its defense up, it should have little trouble at home against the last-place Cardinals.

8. Louisville's quarterback derby: Three guys -- Justin Burke, Will Stein and Adam Froman -- have started, and it's anybody's guess who will get the call this week. Coach Steve Kragthorpe said earlier this week that Burke and Froman, who were both hurt at Cincinnati, should be available for practice. If they're all good to go, Froman likely gets the nod. But West Virginia has to prepare for all three just in case.

9. Speed on the edge: The main difference between West Virginia and Louisville the past two years was that the Cardinals didn't have the defensive speed on the perimeter to contain the Mountaineers' playmakers unlike, say, South Florida. Pat White got outside with ease in last year's game in Louisville, and the Cardinals' quickness hasn't gotten significantly better. Expect at least one huge run, if not several, from Noel Devine and maybe even Jarrett Brown or Jock Sanders.

10. Cincinnati's competition: We're not talking about UConn, but the other contenders for the national title. Keep an eye this weekend on Alabama against LSU, Iowa against Northwestern, Boise State at Louisiana Tech and TCU against San Diego State. Any of them faltering would help the Bearcats' national title chances.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Like the early seasons of "Lost," let's have a quick flashback:

Team of the week: Pittsburgh. It wasn't always pretty, but the Panthers overcame a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat Connecticut 24-21 and become the first team to go 2-0 in the Big East.

Best game: The Pitt-UConn game had a field goal as time expired and a big comeback. Good enough in a light week.

Biggest play: Trent Guy's 64-yard kick return after Southern Miss had scored to go ahead with 2:14 left. That set up the game-winning field goal for Louisville and for at least a week, gave Steve Kragthorpe a reprieve from rumors. And good for Guy, who fumbled a fourth-quarter punt earlier this season at Kentucky as Louisville squandered a lead.

Best call: Connecticut offensive coordinator Joe Moorehead called for the fly route to Marcus Easley on first down after a Pittsburgh punt late in the first half. Easley burned cornerback Ricky Gary for a 79-yard touchdown to give UConn a 7-3 lead.

Big Man on Campus (Offense): Pitt receiver Jonathan Baldwin was the best player at Heinz Field much of the day. He finished with eight catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and could have three scores with a couple of more accurate throws.

Big Man on Campus (Defense): UConn safety Robert Vaughn had 10 tackles and two interceptions, one of which he returned 20 yards for a score, in the losing effort.

Big Man on Campus (Special teams): Pitt kicker Dan Hutchins had three field goals, including the game-winning 18-yarder with no time left.

Worst Hangover: Connecticut. How do you blow a 15-point lead with a little under 19 minutes left? By producing seven total yards the rest of the way. The Huskies are two fourth-quarter collapses away from being 5-0.

Strangest moment: Doug Marrone's explanation for why he pulled Greg Paulus for the second half against West Virginia, when Syracuse trailed 27-0: "During the course of the game, I was concerned about some of the questions I and some of the coaches were asking and how he was responding to it. ‘Why would you do this? Why would you do that?’ It’s just not characteristic of how my experience with Greg has been in the past, therefore I felt uncomfortable about the situation and made the switch, knowing that Greg will still be our starting quarterback."

Marrone said Paulus wasn't hurt and that there was no quarterback controversy, so was Paulus just having a bad day or what?

Now, like the later seasons of "Lost," here's a flash forward (Games listed in descending order of importance and interest):

No. 8 Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0 Big East) at No. 21 South Florida (5-0, 1-0): I don't know how to put this, but this game is kind of a big deal. People know this game. It has many leather-bound books and its apartment smells of rich mahogany. (7:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN).

Pitt (5-1, 2-0) at Rutgers (4-1, 0-1): The Scarlet Knight will try to run their winning streak to five against the Panthers. (8 p.m. Friday, ESPN)

Louisville (2-3, 0-1) at Connecticut (3-2, 0-1): The Huskies have won two straight over Louisville and need to make it three to have any chance of competing for the Big East title.

Marshall (4-2) at West Virginia (4-1, 1-0): The Mountaineers have owned "The Friends of Coal Bowl" with a perfect 8-0 record.

Bye: Syracuse

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

It looked like another heartbreaking loss for Louisville when Southern Miss scored to go up 23-22 with 2:13 left.

But a huge kick return by Trent Guy set up a Ryan Payne field goal with 30 seconds left, and Louisville finally got a win over an FBS opponent. That breaks a streak of eight straight losses against the FBS for the Cardinals.

It's clear that Louisville hasn't quit on the season, though the rest of the way still won't be easy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Bulls and bears are the lingo of the stock market, while Bulls and Bearcats are the top teams in the Big East. Coincidence? Well, yeah. But that's one way to introduce this week's Big East stock report (with special teams our bonus category this week):

Stock up

1. Nate Allen: The South Florida safety has always had NFL-caliber talent, and he's living up to that his senior year. He played great at Florida State and had two interceptions at Syracuse.

2. Mike Williams: His stock was already high, but now it's soaring. The Syracuse receiver continues to shine and had 13 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns against South Florida despite the Bulls knowing he's their best playmaker. Is Williams the best receiver in the Big East? Right now, yes.

3. West Virginia special teams: After looking shaky in the spring and earlier in the season, the Mountaineers are improving in the kicking game. Punter Scott Kozlowski was the Big East special teams player of the week. West Virginia allowed 25.5 yards per return on its much-maligned kickoff coverage team -- not great, but better than its season average.

4. Cincinnati fundraising: The school announced that donors had matched a $1 million private gift for an athletics project that includes long-awaited football practice fields. No better time to strike than when your football team is in the top 10. Construction of those fields is the only way the school has a prayer of keeping Brian Kelly.

5. Ray Graham: Dion Lewis isn't the only freshman running back capable of big things at Pitt. Graham bounced back from a first-half fumble to post 75 yards and a touchdown at Louisville. He's got a little LeSean McCoy flair to his game as well.

Stock down

1. Cincinnati's time of possession: Opponents are trying their best to keep the Bearcats off the field, and Cincinnati has had the ball for a little more than 35 minutes in its last two games combined.

2. West Virginia's pass defense: The losses of Ellis Lankster and Quinton Andrews have hurt more than expected. The Mountaineers have been sliced up by both Auburn and Colorado, though they did pick off the Buffaloes' Cody Hawkins three times last week.

3. Syracuse's pass defense: Without starting defensive back Phillip Thomas, the Orange gave up two huge passing plays against South Florida. Thomas will be back this week. Could we see a shootout in the Carrier Dome this Saturday between Greg Paulus and Jarrett Brown?

4. Steve Kragthorpe: Just when you thought the Louisville coach's stock couldn't get any lower, his home stadium empties in the second half as Pitt outscores the Cardinals 28-0. Kragthorpe took over as offensive coordinator this season, and his team is last in the Big East in scoring. Speculating on the next coach has become a full-time obsession in Louisville. Kragthorpe had better beat Southern Miss this week.

5. South Florida's kicking game: Eric Schwartz missed a field goal and an extra point at Syracuse, one week after missing two at Florida State. The Bulls may lose a game because of their field goal troubles at some point this year.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati: Has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,493 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions.

2. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia: Has rushed 73 times for 540 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

3. Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse: Has 41 catches for 623 yards and five touchdowns.

4. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: Has 38 catches for 517 yards and seven touchdowns.

5. Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt: Has rushed 107 times for 580 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. George Selvie, DE, South Florida: Still the anchor for the Bulls' dominant defensive front.

2. Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn: This week's game at Pitt will be big to prove whether he was an early-season wonder or a yearlong force.

3. Nate Allen, S, South Florida: See above.

4. JK Schaffer, LB, Cincinnati: Has three interceptions and 31 tackles on the year.

5. Greg Romeus, DE, Pitt: Had 3.5 sacks last week and is now second in the league in that category.

Player of the year race: Special teams

1. Ryan Lichtenstein, K, Syracuse: Has converted 9 of 10 field goals this season, including the game-winner against Northwestern.

2. Mardy Gilyard, KR, Cincinnati: Numbers are down for last year's winner of this award, but he does have a punt return touchdown.

3. Cameron Saddler, KR, Pitt: Freshman is averaging 31.5 yards per return.

4. Trent Guy, KR, Louisville: Senior is averaging 30.2 yards per return.

5. Desi Cullen, P, UConn: Leads league with a 43.9-yard average.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

1. Return of conference play: Big East league play began on Labor Day and then took the rest of September off. It's back this week with two games, each featuring a supposed contender (Pitt, South Florida) against an expected pretender (Louisville, Syracuse). Can either of the underdogs flip those preseason prognostications -- and the league race -- upside down?

2. West Virginia's self-control: You know how coaches like to call mistakes "teaching moments"? Well, Bill Stewart and his staff have had a lot of those moments in the 12 days following the Auburn loss. Six turnovers will do that. Let's see how the Mountaineers respond tonight against Colorado. That will tell us whether that coughing-up fit on the Plains was a temporary setback or symptomatic of a long-term concern.

3. Noel Devine's touches: It's become a sticking point among some West Virginia fans that Devine only got 17 touches -- while producing 154 and three touchdowns -- at Auburn. The Mountaineers have a fine Devine line to straddle; they don't want to overwork him, and they've got plenty of other weapons on offense. Still, I suspect we might see a heavier workload for the star tailback tonight, unless the game gets out of hand.

4. Pitt's discipline: We've been talking about it all week. The Panthers haven't looked like themselves on defense, especially in the NC State game, and have incurred too many penalties. Can they shore that up in time for Friday's game at Louisville? The secondary must tighten up against the Cardinals, or else Scott Long, Doug Beaumont and Trent Guy will be running free and putting a dent in Pitt's Big East hopes.

5. Louisville's defensive front: Can the Cardinals' defense, which had trouble slowing Utah's backup running back last week, contain the powerful Dion Lewis? Pitt's offensive line has given up the fewest sacks in the league, while Louisville's defense has notched fewer sacks than anybody in the conference. Bill Stull may not be the greatest quarterback in the country, but if he has all day to throw, he'll find his many playmakers.

6. Pitt's defensive front: This should be the best defensive line Louisville has faced all year. The Panthers lead the league in sacks and should be able to get penetration and at the very least, force Justin Burke to roll out of the pocket. Emphasis on should, because while guys like Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard got through the NC State offensive line, they couldn't wrap up and finish off quarterback Russell Wilson. They need to hit Burke and get him on the ground to swing the game their way.

7. B.J. Daniels: After his celebrated win at Florida State, the South Florida redshirt freshman quarterback starts his first conference game. Syracuse will now have seen plenty of tape on him. Daniels will need to improve some of his decision-making from the second half of the FSU game, but his speed could be something to behold on that Carrier Dome turf.

8. Syracuse's offensive line: The Orange O-line has been a pleasant surprise thus far, but the challenge really ramps up this week. The Bulls' defensive front was downright intimidating against the Seminoles and will come into this week with a ton of confidence. Will Greg Paulus have time to throw, or will he be running for cover most of the day?

9. Mike Williams vs. the South Florida secondary: Williams will be the best receiver the Bulls have faced this season and Syracuse's top threat to pop a big play. The South Florida secondary has been improved this year, but some of that is a function of the pressure applied up front. Do the Bulls double cover Williams and make someone else try and beat them?

10. Pike pile-up: Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike is in the Heisman Trophy discussion now, and Saturday should provide a good opportunity for him to stuff his stats. Miami of Ohio has been virtually defenseless against the pass this season, and they haven't seen anyone near the caliber of Pike and Mardy Gilyard. A five-touchdown type of day is not out of the question.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

	Tim Steadman/Icon SMI
	Pitt's defensive struggles are a pressing concern for coach Dave Wannstedt.

It's as if someone donned a fake mustache and is impersonating Dave Wannstedt.

What on earth has happened to Pitt? The twin hallmarks of Wannstedt's program have always been discipline and defense, with offense sometimes as an afterthought.

Instead, this year's Panthers are averaging a robust 37.5 points a game while their cornerstones are crumbling. Pitt is seventh in the Big East in total defense, ahead of only Syracuse, and ranks 115th nationally in penalty yardage.

"That's not what Pitt football is about," senior cornerback Aaron Berry said.

The latest sign of a possible identity theft came on Saturday. The Panthers led NC State 31-17 late in the third quarter, with the lights on the Cathedral of Learning ready to burn. Then the Wolfpack scored 21 straight points while shredding the increasingly shaky Pitt pass defense. NC State racked up 530 yards of offense, just two games after Buffalo piled up 500 yards.

Wannstedt's team ranks 87th nationally in pass defense, which would probably be worse if the schedule hadn't included an FCS team (Youngstown State) and heavily run-oriented Navy.

"Nobody is really beating us deep, if you watch the tape," Berry said. "We're missing tackles on screens and dump-offs to the backs.

"We're actually covering well. There are times when I've been around the ball and I've left a couple things on the field. I feel like a player of my capability should be out there making those plays, and if I do, the team will follow."

Missing tackles has been a problem, and Wannstedt blames some of that on inexperience at linebacker. Dan Mason and Max Gruder are in their first years of playing that position. Wannstedt hopes the return of senior middle linebacker Adam Gunn, who missed the previous two games with an injured ankle, could help shore up that area.

The defensive line, which has the talent to be one of the best in the country, is getting penetration. But against NC State, it allowed Russell Wilson to scramble free and make plays, including a first-down run on a key fourth-and-12 late.

"We played Pat White, who I consider to be the best option athletic quarterback maybe of all time, and we handled him when we knew he was going to run the ball," Wannstedt said. "We at least slowed him down. All of Wilson's runs, and he had 100 yards rushing, they were all on his own. They were not designed runs. He tucked the ball and outran us. Obviously, we didn't do a good job of coaching and didn't do enough executing to contain him."

Then there are the penalties, which have come in all three phases of the game. Pitt was one of the least penalized teams in the country last season but is averaging 84.5 yards of flags this year. What's strange is that the nucleus of last year's team returned.

"I wish that I had an easy answer," Wannstedt said. "The solution obviously is that you emphasize it, and if it continues then you've got to make a change. Penalties and turnovers, that's the only way to deal with them. You try to correct it, coach them up, emphasize it, and if they continue, the guy can't play."

Wannstedt harped on the mistakes in a team meeting Sunday, during which Berry said the Panthers "cleared the air on some things." He's bringing officials to every practice session this week in hopes of reducing the penalties.

If those problems aren't solved by Friday night, Pitt could be 0-1 in the Big East. Louisville has playmaking receivers like Scott Long, Trent Guy and Doug Beaumont who can exploit the Panthers' holes in pass coverage. Although quarterback Justin Burke is not nearly as swift as NC State's Wilson, he has shown an ability to run for positive yards when a play breaks down.

It's time to rip the fake mustache off that Wannstedt impersonator, or fix whatever else has led to the Panthers' identity crisis.

"With us being on national TV, it's important to show the country what Pitt football is really about," Berry said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

We knew Louisville was going to have a tough time winning at Utah.

The Cardinals will need a huge second half to have a chance. They're trailing 17-0 in the second quarter.

Turnovers -- Justin Burke has thrown an interception and Trent Guy fumbled -- didn't help Louisville's cause. Utah quarterback Terrence Cain, who struggled at Utah, is 11 of 14 for 103 yards. Leading rusher Matt Asiata, however, had to leave the game with a knee injury after his first-quarter touchdown.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

	Mark Zerof/US Presswire
	Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said his players responded well after a tough loss to Kentucky.

Louisville has been through a lot of painful losses in the past two-plus seasons, but Saturday's 31-27 defeat at Kentucky might have been one of the most wrenching. The Cardinals played with passion throughout and twice led in the fourth quarter on the road against their heavily-favored arch rivals.

Steve Kragthorpe was as emotional as he'd ever been at Louisville in the post-game news conference, and he said the scene in the locker room was a big reason why.

"There were so many different emotions in there," he said. "It was sick, it was upset ... it was sad. In about 10 minutes it was an absolute roller coaster. Guys were shedding tears, hugging each other, encouraging each other, guys were breaking down. It was hard."

Despite all that heartache, however, the Cardinals might emerge from that loss as a better team.

They saw how close they could come to winning and may have forged tighter bonds. Quarterback Justin Burke knew something was happening when running back Bilal Powell fought and churned his way toward a first down near the sidelines, and all the defensive players came running over yelling encouragement.

"The way we played and came together as a team, I've never had that much fun in football," he said. "The biggest thing out of that game is we came out of it as a complete unit, a complete team. We have a lot to build on."

Louisville will need to stay together this week for another, probably even tougher road challenge. The Cardinals (1-1) head to Utah to take on a team that's looking to get back on track after its 16-game winning streak was snapped last week at Oregon. You could say this is the latest chapter of the Mountain West-Big East debate, except it's the team that won the Mountain West and the Sugar Bowl last year versus a team that finished last in the Big East.

But Louisville didn't play like an eighth-place team on Saturday and found many things to like.

There was the performance by Burke, who threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns -- including a 66-yard strike to Trent Guy -- in his second college start. Scott Long is back to making big plays at receiver, as he had five catches for 89 yards, and Cameron Graham has developed into a reliable tight end. The Cardinals converted 9-of-17 third downs after struggling in that area in the opener against Indiana State, and they cut down significantly on their penalties.

Some other areas still need work, especially red-zone performance. Louisville scored only four times in six trips deep into Kentucky territory and turned three third-quarter Wildcats turnovers into just 10 points instead of putting the game away.

Burke said he lost focus a couple of times near the goal line and didn't call the right motions and shifts. He said he expects the team to spend a lot of time practicing that this week.

Kragthorpe said Sunday's practice after the loss was one of the best the team has had. He saw players respond enthusiastically after the tough setback. Now it's time to see what they can do going forward.