Three league teams — Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and West Virginia — have an equal shot at the Big East title and a Bowl Championship Series berth.

“Those are three good football teams,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “Any one would be a great league champion.”

The elimination round, however, begins this week.

On Friday night, two of the aforementioned teams, WVU and UC, meet in an 8 p.m. affair at Nippert Stadium in the Queen City.

“It’s a huge game,” said Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly.

For both teams. If the 9-0 Bearcats wish to keep alive their BCS title hopes, they must win. UC, though, can lose, defeat Pitt on Dec. 5 and still win the league championship — if it gets help. West Virginia, however, can’t afford a loss at 7-2 and 3-1 in Big East play if it has designs on the title.

“It’s the West Virginia team we’ve seen over the last six years,” Kelly said.

Well, not exactly. While the Mountaineers are ranked in the BCS standings, they’ve struggled of late. After scoring 30 points or more in their first five games, they scored 24 in a win against Marshall, 28 in a win over Connecticut, 19 in a loss to South Florida and 17 in last weekend’s win over lightly regarded Louisville.

Also, WVU standout tailback Noel Devine didn’t play most of the Louisville game with a sprained right ankle. Nose tackle Chris Neild is questionable.

“Mentally, we have to get focused,” said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart. “We’ve had a tough time with a lot of bumps and bruises.”

Scoreboard

Cincinnati 47, Connecticut 45
Pittsburgh 37, Syracuse 10
West Virginia 17, Louisville 9

And the winner is...

...yet to be determined. However, if Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike is healthy, Bearcats coach Kelly said the former Heisman Trophy contender will get the start against West Virginia over recent sensation Zach Collaros.

All Collaros has done is guide UC beautifully in Pike’s absence and, last Saturday, set a school and Big East record for total yards with 555 in a win over Connecticut.

“If Tony is fully healthy, he’s our starter,” Kelly said. “The issue is if this becomes day-to-day. There’s so much out of my hands relative to the risk factor. If that’s not an issue and you take Tony Pike’s body of work, Tony Pike is the starter. There’s no question about that.”

Pike’s body, of course, is a 6-foot-6 frame featuring a strong arm.

“We have to contain their scheme,” said WVU’s Stewart. “That’s tough because no one has been able to do that since Virginia Tech [in last season’s Orange Bowl].”

On the outside looking in

The West Virginia-Cincinnati game isn’t the only Big East weekday game. On Thursday, two six-win league teams, South Florida and Rutgers, hook up in Piscataway, N.J.

RU is looking to qualify for a bowl for the fifth straight season after a 27-year drought. The Scarlet Knights are pinning much of their hopes on freshman quarterback Tom Savage, who is third in the league in passing (191.6-yard average) and fourth in passing efficiency (137.5).

“He’s done a really good job,” said RU’s Schiano. “He’s level-headed and even-keeled. He has a strong arm and a pocket presence. We’re just giving him a little more each week.”

He’ll undoubtedly have a little more to handle this week with USF defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul to dodge. One player the Knights may not have to contend with though is Bulls wideout Carlton Mitchell, who is doubtful with an ankle injury.

South Florida and Rutgers are both coming off bye weeks.

Trying to take down a Gator

While West Virginia-Cincinnati may be the biggest game in terms of the Big East’s title race, the most watched game involving a league team will probably be Pittsburgh’s home contest with Notre Dame on Saturday.

A Pitt victory would be big for Big East teams because 6-3 Notre Dame is a bowl partner that could swipe a Gator Bowl berth from the league runner up.

A successful game could also be big for Pitt quarterback Bill Stull. While Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen has received much publicity, Stull isn’t far behind statistically. Clausen is third nationally in pass efficiency (162.88), while Stull is fifth (161.61). Clausen has thrown three interceptions; Stull has thrown four.

“Bill Stull has been very consistent,” said Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe. “He’s managing games well.”

He also has the luxury of throwing to tight end Dorin Dickerson, who had seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown last week against Syracuse.

“He’s a hybrid offensive player,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt of Dickerson. “The offensive coaches are doing a great job of moving him around and Dorin is making plays when given the opportunity.”

And then there’s...

...Syracuse at Louisville. The 3-6 Orange are what coach Doug Marrone calls “depleted.” SU took only 55 players to Pittsburgh last week. “We’ve got to keep fighting and moving forward,” Marrone said. “We have to stop turning the ball over and stop the big play.”

Top receiver Mike Williams, of course, quit the team. Others, like starters Max Suter (strong safety), Cody Catalina (tight end) and Jared Kimmel (defensive end) are gone for the season.

The belief in Louisville, meanwhile, is Cardinals coach Kragthorpe will also be gone soon.

“We have great fans,” Kragthorpe said. “They might not like me and that’s OK. But I hope they come out and support our players. We have great seniors.”

Cardinals quarterback Adam Froman may be back to take over for walk-on Will Stein. Standout tailback Vic Anderson may also return from injury.