Big East: 5 storylines for Week 5

South Florida and Cincinnati can bolster their resumes with wins over Florida State and Virginia Tech respectively. Connecticut hopes to rebound from a disappointing loss, while Louisville hopes to remain undefeated.

By Matt Rybaltowski

Sep 28, 2012 at 5:31 pm ET • 2 min read

There are only four games involving Big East teams on the Week-5 slate. Rutgers, Temple, Syracuse and Pittsburgh all have the week off.

The Big East hopes to rebound from a disappointing weekend when the conference went 3-4 in nonconference games.

Here are five storylines heading into Week 5:

1. Can South Florida salvage its season with an upset of Florida State?

A home loss to Rutgers was understandable, especially if the Scarlet Knights wind up running the table in the conference. Last week’s defeat to Ball State was not -- given that the Bulls were selected to finish second in the preseason Big East poll.

The Bulls’ defense has been porous. It has surrendered more than 384 yards per game (64th in FBS) and has allowed more than 24 points per contest (66th). Defensive end Ryne Giddins and company will have to establish pressure against Seminoles QB EJ Manuel and avoid broken tackles against RB Chris Thompson. A victory over their in-state rivals is improbable, but not impossible. South Florida has the talent on offense to hang with Florida State if its defense can step up its game.

2. Which Cincinnati team will show up when the Bearcats meet Virginia Tech?

Junior quarterback Munchie Legaux shined in his season debut with more than 200 yards passing and more than 100 on the ground in a 34-10 win over Pitt. Legaux regressed two weeks ago in a sloppy win over Delaware State. The Bearcats had six turnovers, including three in the red zone. Cincinnati could struggle on offense if wide receiver Anthony McClung (elbow) is unable to play.

3. Can Connecticut's defense bounce back from a season-worst performance?

The Huskies had been stifling on defense through three weeks, but ran into a buzz saw last week against Western Michigan. UConn had just one sack against the Broncos, after recording 12 in its previous two weeks. Paul Pasqualoni’s defense also allowed 253 yards through the air. In UConn’s first three games, the defense gave up only 123 passing yards per game. Expect linebackers Yawin Smallwood and Sio Moore, as well as defensive end Trevardo Williams to be swarming towards the ball.

4. Will Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater be motivated against the 0-3 Golden Eagles?

The Southern Mississippi defense has allowed more than 38 points per game and is coming off an embarrassing 42-17 defeat last week at Western Kentucky. Bridgewater, however, completed just 19 of 36 passes against Florida International for a season-low 194 yards. The game was played in slick conditions on a muddied field.

Expect the sophomore quarterback to return to his normal form. Entering last week’s game vs. the Golden Panthers, Bridgewater had completed more than 81 percent of his attempts.

5. Will a Big East coach be on the hot seat after Week 5?

Both Pasqualoni and USF coach Skip Holtz are candidates if their teams fail to show up this week. USF fans probably don’t expect to win against Florida State, but Holtz’s team has to avoid a drubbing at home. A loss to the Seminoles on Saturday would drop the Bulls to just 7-10 since the start of the 2011 season.

UConn, meanwhile, must avoid an upset loss to Buffalo. The defeat would be the Huskies’ second straight loss to an opponent from the Mid-American Conference. It wouldn’t give Pasqualoni’s team confidence heading into the conference schedule.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Big East, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.