First things first. When South Florida takes to Heinz Field on Saturday to face Pittsburgh, this is simply a "must win" for the Bulls.
It's a must win because they fell flat on their collective faces last Thursday at home when they had a chance for a statement win against unbeaten Cincinnati.
Even with Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike out of the game by the third quarter, the Bulls were seemingly helpless to stop backup Zach Collaros. The result was an embarrassing 34-17 loss and a poor start to a difficult stretch of October Big East games.
Pitt is unbeaten in the Big East, 3-0 and brings a balanced attack that features a spectacular freshman named Dion Lewis. He's explosive to say the least. He's the second leading rusher in the nation with 918 yards. He's already drawing comparisons to Pitt great Tony Dorsett.
One of the men charged with stopping Dion is Kion. Kion Wilson. Wilson is the Bulls' middle linebacker and he'll need help from the entire defense to keep the 5-9 Lewis from running all over the Bulls.
You can talk about matchups and statistics all you want but this game is basically a Big East title elimination game for South Florida. After the Cincinnati loss, it is doubtful a two-loss team can win the conference crown and claim the BCS berth that goes with it.
South Florida has fallen from the rankings and Pitt jumped in at the 20th spot in the AP poll.
So will USF continue as it has in the past? The Bulls have started 5-0 the past three seasons, only to falter immediately afterward.
The answers come on Saturday and the Bulls better get a grip on Lewis, otherwise it will be a long afternoon in Pittsburgh.
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