FanHouse MattGrothe

The message never changes, but Kansas State quarterback Grant Gregory finds a note in his inbox every week of the college football season.

"Find a way to win."

The words of encouragement find their way to Manhattan, Kan., from hundreds of miles away in Mobile, Ala., where Grant's father, Greg Gregory, is the offensive coordinator of upstart South Alabama. But even in distance, dad seems to know exactly what his son needs to hear.

"I make sure to also put in there, there is always a way," Greg Gregory said, "your job is to find it."

Barry Smith admires South Florida's ascent in the college football ranks.

Smith, a former All-American receiver at Florida State who also played in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has resided in Tampa, Fla., for nearly 30 years. Smith has watched the Bulls capture Tampa Bay's hearts and tickle the nation's fancy, this after holding their first team meeting under a shade tree in 1997 as the school had no proper football facilities on campus, located off I-75 in Northeast Tampa.

Now in its 13th season, USF has an opportunity to take another leap forward when it meets FSU for the first time. Is there room among the Sunshine State's Big Three -- Florida, FSU and Miami -- for a fourth team?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- "Miss Dorsey," the voice on the other end of the telephone said, "I regret to inform you your son Keeley has passed away."

Tammie Dorsey received that call on Jan. 17, 2007, telling her that her 19-year old son, Keeley Dorsey, had died. That was more than two years and seven months ago, but those words remain etched in her memory, just as permanent as her son's name is engraved on the concrete grave marker.

"I remember those words like it was yesterday," Tammie said.

God bless you, Week 3. Finally, it's time for football with outcomes less predictable than Al Davis' wardrobe or what happens when you leave PJ Hill alone with a Twinkie. Here's 10 games to watch other than Ohio State-USC.

Kansas vs. South Florida, Friday 8PM

Why We're Watching: Velour. Please, Mark Mangino, bring back the velour. We'll plant a velour tree, write velour ballads and pray to a velour god who wears gold chains and sleeps on a circular bed (Which is probably James Caan).

Then there's the football, as two previously not-ready-for-primetime teams meet on national television in a game that's as much about this season as a dipstick on the state of two climbing programs. Quarterbacks Matt Grothe andTodd Reesing are the constants from last year's teams, but both the Bulls and Jayhawks have to prove that they've successfully rebuilt key areas of their teams. South Florida lost two four-year starters at cornerback to the NFL draft and replaced them with Jerome Murphy and Tyller Roberts, two players with two career starts entering the season. Kansas lost its leading rusher and its leading receiver, but seems to have no problem filling the holes with Brandon Anderson-styled powerback Angus Quigley and an array of receivers (Reesing has completed passes to 11 different players).

But the matchup of the game will be South Florida's George Selvie against red-shirt freshman lineman Jeff Spikes. Selvie led the nation in sacks last year, but hasn't had the chance to so much as touch a quarterback inappropriately this season. He's due, which should alone send a shiver down Bulls' fans like they just hired Isiah Thomas to run the team. And if that doesn't strike enough fear, consider this: When he was a kid, George Selvie had a Buick fall on his head. If you think that doesn't make you an unstoppable badass, ponder it some more with the entire Wisconsin offensive line sitting on your head to add to the realism.

If South Florida wins, they likely won't play another ranked team this season until they meet West Virginia in December. [ Ed. Note -- The Bulls edged out Kansas on a dramatic last-second field goal. ]

The argument to pay college athletes isn't new. For quite some time, college athletics like football and basketball have been driven by money. Money from bowls and money from television contracts. In order to stay competitive, reel in top recruits, and keep the big donors happy, colleges are forced to squeeze every dime out of their athletic programs. And yeah, if you want to keep your innovative up and coming coach, you're going to need a lot of money.

For the majority of schools at the D-1 level, that leaves no money for paying their athletes above and beyond the monthly stipend and tuition they already provide. If that was even allowable. But somehow, Matt Grothe thinks he should get a slice of the money paid for one of his jerseys.

"I definitely think so," Grothe said. "All the great college players that have had thousands of their jerseys sold. The schools are making a ton of profits off it; even the places that sell them are making money. I don't understand why players shouldn't get a small percentage."

I say somehow, because Grothe plays at a school that didn't even have a football program 12 years ago. Through a lot of hard work and sacrifice by Jim Leavitt and everyone involved with that program, they've gone from practicing by the headlights of the coaches cars to a top 25 program in that short time. Grothe and his teammates are the beneficiaries of all that hard work.

South Florida had an amazing run last year beating Auburn and West Virginia and climbing all the way to number two in the BCS poll with a 6-0 record. Then the wheels came off and they stumbled down the stretch losing three Big East games in a row and then getting totally hammered by Oregon in their bowl game. Was it a case of playing over their head early, or did a lack of experience catch up with them late? If those are my only two choices I'd go with the latter. This was a team that should have been playing for a title or at least a BCS berth last year. But that was last year. Let's look at how they'll do this year.

Why They'll Win

The Bulls return nine starters on offense and eight on defense. On offense, everything revolves around quarterback Matt Grothe. He led the team in rushing and passing the last two years. He's exceptionally tough, and draws a lot of comparisons to Brett Favre for his erratic play. He's not an exceptional passer or runner, but like Favre he makes the plays he needs to make. However, he also threw 14 interceptions each of the last two years. With another year under his belt he should be able to cut down on his mistakes and get the rest of the offense involved. Outside of Grothe, four of the top five receivers return as well as two experienced rushers in Benjamin Williams and Mike Ford. Not to mention four of the starting five offensive linemen return.

The defense returns two potential All-Americans in defensive end George Selvie and safety Nate Allen. It's a fast defense that is near impossible to run outside on and big enough in the middle to make life tough. It was a tale of two season for the Bulls, though, as they were stingy the first half of the season but gave up over 30 points to four of their last six opponents. With so much experience returning, they should be able to correct their mistakes.

As we have reached the midway point of the season, it's time to take a look at who is positioning themselves for some hardware at the end of the season.

Pat White- Last years Big East offensive player of the year hasn't quite had the type of year we were expecting out of him. For anyone else, it would be a banner year. But this is Pat White. That guy you expect to run wild every week and complete enough passes to keep the defense honest. Well, he's completing 71% of his passes for 865 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. But oh what an interception it was, as Ben Moffitt rumbled into the end zone and put South Florida up for good. He's also rushed for 411 yards on 69 carries for seven touchdowns. With the bulk of the big games on the Mountaineer schedule still ahead of them, Pat will have his chances to shine.

Steve Slaton- Again, I kind of feel like he's not quite living up to expectations. Part of that is that West Virginia has this guy, Noel Devine, that has dazzled everyone watching, and taken away carries that Slaton would have otherwise had. But as the season wears on and Slaton doesn't tire out, we might see a different result at the end of the year. For now, Slaton is third in the Big East in rushing with 625 yards and nine touchdowns.

Matt Grothe- The South Florida quarterback is leading the team in rushing, passing, and bad haircuts. Cheap shots aside, he's also one tough mother. If you've taken the time to watch a South Florida game, you've notice that every time he gets tackled he bounces right up. It almost seems like he's racing to get up before the person that tackled him. He doesn't have the wheels of a Pat White or the arm of a Brian Brohm, but he does have a motor that never seems to quit. And he's probably the only player in the Big East that has a legit shot at the Heisman.

Brian Brohm- What a shame Louisville is a defense optional team, because Brohm would be leading in the Heisman race by a mile. He's completing 67% of his passes for 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has nearly 1,000 more yards passing than the leagues number two passer, Mike Teel. That's 2,765 yards or 395 per game. And if Atlanta keeps playing the way they're playing, he'll be wearing a Falcons jersey here real soon.

More after the jump.

After last years game between West Virginia and South Florida, one thing should have been obvious to the West Virginia coaching staff. Despite the speed of Steve Slaton and Pat White, they could not run to the outside against the Bulls. Plays that take time to develop against the Bulls never do. But for all the world to see, West Virginia continued to try to run the ball on the perimeter as well as passing the ball out in the flats. At one point in the game I swear I could read the lips of the South Florida defenders, "too easy."

And while the plays run out of the I formation didn't go for 50-60 yards, they were successful. But rarely revisited. And by the time the Bulls took a 21-3 lead in the second half, any chance of West Virginia running their way back into the game had passed. Certainly give credit to South Florida's defense. They played an inspired game. But until West Virginia's coaching staff becomes more flexible in their play calling, expect teams to follow the blueprint laid out by South Florida again and again.

Also at FanHouse:

Steve Slaton Can No Longer Win The Heisman
Count Von Count Loves Counting West Virginia and South Florida Turnovers
Is West Virginia Vs. South Florida For The Big East Title?