News Flash: Corp ready to take Trojans' controls

Should USC quarterback Matt Barkley (bone bruise, right shoulder) be unable to play at Washington on Saturday, the Trojans still should cruise with redshirt freshman Aaron Corp under center. With Barkley's rapid rise, people are forgetting that Corp was the starter until suffering a bone crack below his left knee in camp that allowed Barkley to seize the job.

Cincy battles for Big East

Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly won't say it, but his team's game Saturday at Oregon State will go a long way toward getting some respect for the maligned Big East. "We've got to be able to represent the Big East as defending Big East champs," Kelly said. "It's definitely part of how we carry ourselves. We're representing a Big East Conference that continues to build and emerge. These are opportunities outside the league that we want to win." In addition to the Bearcats' game in Corvallis, several other Big East teams will play prove-it games, as all eight league teams play non-conference games: Louisville at Kentucky, West Virginia at Auburn, UConn at Baylor, Navy at Pitt and Northwestern at Syracuse.

Trouble brewing for Terps?

Middle Tennessee's visit to Maryland is huge for a struggling Terps program. Maryland had to go to overtime last week to post a 38-35 win over FCS member James Madison a week after getting pasted 52-13 at Cal. Now, here comes Middle Tennessee, which beat Maryland last season and is coming off a pasting of Memphis. Defense has been the issue for the Terps, who will have a difficult time containing athletic Blue Raiders quarterback Dwight Dasher. The Terps claim to have an aggressive defense, but the unit has produced just two sacks and is yielding 43.5 points and 479.5 yards per game under new coordinator Don Brown, who had been head coach at FCS program Massachusetts.

Arkansas on the run

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said his team is ready for Saturday's home game against Georgia, which is the biggest game of Petrino's tenure in Fayetteville. A big key to knocking off the Bulldogs will be the running of 5-foot-7 running back Michael Smith. That means the Hogs' offensive line needs to shine against a strong Georgia front. A strong run game also would give quarterback Ryan Mallett room to operate after the Hogs set a school single-game passing mark of 447 yards in a season-opening win over 48-10 Missouri State. It also helps that Arkansas will have had two weeks to prep for the game. "We had a good bye week," Petrino said. "We really liked the way our players worked. We got a lot accomplished in the weight room. We did some conditioning. So I feel like, physically, we are in as good as shape as we've been in, and mentally, we'll be ready for the game."

Kiffin's prose on pros

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin played 10 true freshmen in the opener against Western Kentucky and eight last week against UCLA. Wide receiver Marsalis Teague and free safety Janzen Jackson started against the Bruins. In addition to those two playing a big role when the Vols play at Florida on Saturday, punt returner Nu'Keese Richardson also will see significant duty. Teague and Richardson both de-committed from Florida and signed with Tennessee in February. "In recruiting, the only time I ever see them [Florida] lose kids is because kids want to play in a pro-style offense," Kiffin said. "That seems like the only time they ever really lose kids because it's such a great place to play and they do such a good job of coaching. But you see some kids who don't want to play in that system because a lot of times, it hurts their draft status going to the next level."

Yankee Bowl matchup

The Big 12 and Big East are discussing plans to play in the proposed Yankee Bowl in 2010. The game would be played in Yankee Stadium. The bowl would get the third or fourth choice from the Big East and the seventh choice from the Big 12.