In his public statements, University of South Florida Coach Jim Leavitt refuses to dwell on his team's No. 2 ranking in the first Bowl Championship Series standings this season. To hear him tell it, being ranked second at this stage of the season isn't that big a deal.
But his players? Well, that's different. Junior OLB Brouce Mompremier said he was "shocked" when he learned the news Sunday. "When I was being recruited, Leavitt talked about the Big East," Mompremier said. "He never mentioned being No. 2 in the nation. He never mentioned the BCS rankings. It's a shock to me."
Senior C Nick Capogna was napping Sunday when word leaked out that USF was ranked second in the BCS. He awoke to find congratulatory text messages on his cell phone from family and friends. "What the heck are they talking about?" he remembered thinking.
Eye on Rice
The Bulls' defense has one especially tough assignment against the Scarlet Knights: stopping RB Ray Rice, who gained 202 yards in 35 carries in Rutgers' 22-20 win over USF on Sept. 29, 2006. No opposing player has rushed for more than 100 yards since against the Bulls.
Rice also gained 158 yards in 26 carries in USF's 45-31 win in 2005.
"He's the most physical running back that we've played since I've been here," said Bulls senior NT Richard Clebert. "My sophomore year [in 2005], we had a really young defense. Our defense is way better now. Last year we had a lot of people that didn't play. I think it's going to be totally different this year. It won't be the same outcome."