Connecticut @ South Florida preview
Raymond James Stadium
Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2009 ) South Florida 27, Connecticut 29
A season marked by a frustrating start, quarterback issues and what seemed like a costly suspension may very well end up in a trip to a BCS bowl game for Connecticut.
Just a win away from a showcase bowl, the Huskies travel to South Florida in a Big East Conference clash Saturday night.
For the Huskies, it is simple: win and they are in.
Connecticut (7-4, 4-2 Big East) is tied at the top of the conference standings with West Virginia and Pittsburgh, but only the Huskies control their own destiny by virtue of wins over the Mountaineers and Panthers this season.
It looked like UConn would enter the final weeks of the season playing for its bowl life, certainly not a BCS bid. The Huskies were 3-4 and 0-2 in the Big East after a shutout loss to Louisville on Oct. 23.
They had lost quarterback Cody Endres, who had been elevated to the starting job, after a third failed drug test and seemed to be in disarray after entering the season as one of the favorites in the conference.
But consecutive home wins over West Virginia and Pitt, followed by victories against Syracuse and Cincinnati, have put the Huskies in the driver’s seat in the conference race.
Saturday will mark the second time in program history that UConn has had a chance to wrap up a BCS berth, both coming on the road. In 2007, UConn went down to Morgantown and was mauled by West Virginia 66-21. The Huskies got a share of the conference crown but the Mountaineers wound up in the Fiesta Bowl.
South Florida (7-4, 3-3) is coming off a 23-20 overtime victory over Miami and still has an outside shot at a share of the Big East title.
The Bulls first have to take care of the Huskies and hope West Virginia loses to Rutgers and Cincinnati knocks off Pitt. That scenario would create a five-way tie for the lead in the Big East, with each of the co-leaders with three conference losses.
If the Bulls are to knock off the Huskies, they will have to find a way to get some consistent offense. South Florida ranks sixth in the Big East at 310.0 yards per game - and that’s with a healthy B.J. Daniels at quarterback.
Daniels is questionable for the UConn game because of a thigh bruise that sidelined him for the second half at Miami.
South Florida leads the series with Connecticut 4-3, but the Huskies won last season’s matchup 29-27.