Just three weeks ago, we called Pittsburgh the Pitts-ophrenic Panthers after their up-and-down performances earlier this season against Buffalo, N.C. State, Louisville and UConn.
Uh, is it too late to take that all back?
As impressive as Cincinnati has been all season, Pittsburgh might be playing the best overall of any Big East team. The offense is balanced and the defense gets more dominating each week. Saturday, the Panthers (7-1, 4-0 Big East) scorched South Florida 41-14.
Since allowing 505 yards at N.C. State, the Panthers have improved their defensive numbers in each of the past four games. Pitt allowed 305 yards to Louisville on Oct. 2, 303 to UConn on Oct. 10, 286 to Rutgers on Oct. 16 and 212 to USF on Saturday.
A report that Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe has been informed he will not return next season is "absolutely not true," Louisville senior associate athletic director Kenny Klein told FanHouse.
The report, from Louisville Sports Buzz, indicated "sources very close to the situation" said "a meeting took place between the respective camps" of athletic director Tom Jurich and Kragthorpe on Monday, where Jurich reportedly gave Kragthorpe "the option to resign before or following Saturday's game with Southern Miss or ride out the season (as) basically a lame-duck."
Klein said the report, which indicated an announcement would be made no later than next Monday, is "completely wrong information."
"Tom Jurich and Coach Kragthorpe didn't even speak on Monday in person or by phone," Klein said.
When Louisville visits Kentucky Saturday, Lexington police officials said they will increase security around Commonwealth Stadium with an additional three dozen officers. But enough about the added protection they're providing to make sure basketball coaches John Calipari and Rick Pitino get to their seats safely.
This game is for the Governor's Cup. The trophy weighs 110 pounds or approximately the same weight of the monkey resting squarely on Steve Kragthorpe's back as he tries to avoid becoming the first Cardinals coach to lose three consecutive games to Kentucky.
While Kragthorpe has not enjoyed the success most expected when he took over in 2007, he has maintained his sense of humor. At this week's press conference, he joked that the reason for Louisville's very vanilla offense in its lackluster season opener was because the Cards weren't showing their cards and only used two percent of the playbook.
The Big East Conference may not have a team ranked in the top 25 when the national polls are released later this month. If the results of the conference's annual preseason media poll are any indication, you might have a better chance to identity the winner with a flip of the coin. Pittsburgh emerged as the favorite from a tight field that saw four different teams earn multiple first-place votes.
If there is a team that best reflects the conference's struggle to find its identity, it could be Louisville. The Cardinals were one victory away of becoming bowl eligible last season, but they closed with five consecutive losses, punctuated by a 49-point stinker to Rutgers in the season finale.
Despite the mess, Louisville is optimistic that this season will be different. It probably needs to be for head coach Steve Kragthorpe.
One of the many staples of Louisville Cardinal football for the past few years has been high octane, statistically fueled 50-plus point games. Tonight, in a super-special, happy-fun-time Sunday afternoon football game, they scored ... two.
Yes, two. Hint to Coach K-Thorpe: if I have to type your team's score out in letters, you are doing a poor job with your offensive scheming and gameplanning. Work on that. Quickly.
Kentucky wasn't exactly the Andre Woodson-inspired offensive juggernaut for most of the game either, racking up 17 of their 27 in about the time for me to say "____ this boring ___ ____" and go take a shower. (In actuality, it was a field goal, a touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the span of seven minutes).
Hunter Cantwell, no Brian Brohm he, went 20/43 for 135 yards and three interceptions. Hard to imagine a scenario where Louisville fans would ever want/take Bobby Petrino back, but, yeah, this is it. (Aside: or do they even really hate him? I probably would, but then I have a soul.)
As FanHouse previews each BCS conference, the college football songbook will cast an unflattering light on each conference in the only way we know how. It's getting hot for Big East coaches.
If you find yourself in this position it's probably at least partly your fault. Whether you're the coach of one of the most storied programs in college football or you inherit the head job at one of the nouveau rich schools, your fans expect you to win now. You had high hopes of continuing the tradition when you took over, but now you could turn a lump of coal into a diamond if inserted into the proper body cavity.
Greg Robinson - Hot Seat
If you took over a team that fired the last coach because he went 6-6 and it took you three years to get seven wins, you might be in trouble. If you took over the 14th winningest program in college football history and you are about to give up that distinction to a conference foe, you really need to produce. If any of this sounds like you, Greg Robinson, come on down. You're our first choice for coaches on the hot seat.
Syracuse was a team that had already fallen on hard times when Greg Robinson arrived. But still, this is Syracuse. You should be able to roll your helmet out there and get six wins. Right? Syracuse has gone 1-11, 4-8, and 2-10 under Robinson, and the prospect of that changing anytime soon are not good. Syracuse bloggers, for their part, are making the best of the situation. Robinson's attitude has been mostly positive through the whole ordeal. If not, at least a little cryptic. I hope he has that same attitude when this season is over. Because the world needs ditch diggers too.
When I hear that a player is going to lose playing time due to an off field incident, I usually consider that to be missing the first set of downs or the first quarter of the next game. So after being arrested twice in the past two months, potential Kentucky starting quarterback Curtis Pulley could lose some time on the field as punishment for his recent actions.
Pulley was charged last month in Louisville on a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession. Then this week, Pulley was arrested in Hardin County on traffic charges including speeding, driving on a suspended or revoked license and having expired or no plates or registration papers, according to court documents.
Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks thinks that it's bull crap that one of his players would go to instate rival Louisville to score a bag. And the multiple traffic violations was just the icing on the cake. While Brooks hasn't named the punishment for Pulley, he isn't ruling out possible loss of playing time. Oh, look out! That sound you hear is the cruel wrist slap of Rich Brooks. Kige Ramsey is too busy pimping his magazine collection to be bothered, and Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe is rumored to be smiling like the butcher's dog.
It was already understood that Kentucky was going to go back to being that team that could beat Vanderbilt on any given Saturday this year. But the loss of their potential starting quarterback would be a hard pill to swallow. So for now, Rich Brooks is going to "let the legal system take it's course" and make a decision after the season is over.
It wasn't too long ago that I was opining that Louisville might not be in as bad a shape as everyone thought. I take it back, they're screwed. Before this week, Louisville had lost 21 underclassmen since the beginning of 2007. And this past week has been a lot of the same.
With Trent Guy being shot outside a night club, and JuJuan Spillman being arrested (again) for dui/marijuana possession/concealed weapon, it's time to call in the professionals. And I'm not talking about counselors and security chiefs. We've gone well past all conventional approaches. What this team needs is a complete karma makeover.
Steve Kragthorpe's phone rings....
Hello...
DUDE!!! IT'S TY PENNINGTON!!
Who?...
TY PENNINGTON FROM EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER! WHAT'S UP BRAAAAH?
Scary news from Louisville, as junior receiver Trent Guy (pictured, right) was shot in the back as he left a nightclub early Saturday morning. He was hospitalized (obviously), but doctors expect him to make a full recovery. Police have made no arrests in the case, which makes no sense until you remember the victim is black.
The story is a familiar one, as you might imagine when you hear "nightclub," "early Saturday morning," and "shot." Nothing remarkable shows up in the details: stranger gropes woman, fiancé (in this case, Trent) gets upset, angry words get exchanged, everybody gets kicked out, pop go the shots.
As Guy's fiancée's friend Christopher 2X (uh...?) put it, "[h]e's a very fortunate and lucky young man to be alive." Technically, he's lucky in that his gunshot wound isn't threatening his life, but you know who was luckier than Guy that night? The other 99.9% of people at the club who weren't shot at all.
Grousing aside, it may be time for Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe to consider revising team rules on presence at bars. We're not advocating a "stay away forever there be dragons" approach; after all, part of the maturation process is to learn the difference between good and bad decisions, not to be protected from danger at all times.
Still, as Trent Guy and the team just learned, all it takes is one armed idiot to turn a good night out into a tragedy.
Just three weeks ago, we called Pittsburgh the Pitts-ophrenic Panthers after their up-and-down performances earlier this season against Buffalo, N.C. State, Louisville and UConn.
A report that 
When Louisville visits Kentucky Saturday, Lexington police officials said they will increase security around Commonwealth Stadium with an additional three dozen officers. But enough about the added protection they're providing to make sure 
The 
If you took over a team that fired the last coach because he went 6-6 and it took you three years to get seven wins, you might be in trouble. If you took over the 14th winningest program in college football history and you are about to give up that distinction to a conference foe, you really need to produce. If any of this sounds like you, Greg Robinson, come on down. You're our first choice for coaches on the hot seat. 
When I hear that a player is going to lose playing time due to an off field incident, I usually consider that to be missing the first set of downs or the first quarter of the next game. So after being arrested twice in the past two months, potential Kentucky starting quarterback Curtis Pulley could lose some time on the field as 
Hello...
DUDE!!! IT'S TY PENNINGTON!!
Scary news from Louisville, as 
