Rick Minter will spend this week trying to devise a way to beat Conference USA rival Louisville, but in his quieter moments, when he allows himself to analyze his league competition, the University of Cincinnati football coach views the Cardinals' program as something to aspire to.

        “They're quickly becoming the model of our league,” Minter said Monday. “You hate to admit that from a Cincinnati-Louisville standpoint, but I'm talking just as an admirer of anybody's team.”

        UC, 4-2 overall, 4-0 and in first place in the league, plays Louisville at 2 p.m. Saturday at Nippert Stadium as part of its homecoming festivities.

        “This is a good measuring stick as to where we are,” Minter said.

        The Cardinals have been to three straight bowl games, are the defending C-USA champs, are 29-14 in the past three-plus seasons under head coach John L. Smith, and have supplanted Southern Miss as the league's dominant team.

        They play in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, a 42,000-seat facility that rates as the league's best.

        And unlike Minter, who has had to replace 41 assistant coaches in eight years, Smith has kept most of his staff together, allowing him to run the same offensive and defensive schemes every season and maintain continuity in recruiting.

        Louisville is 6-1, 2-0 in the league, and is the only conference team to receive votes in either of the major top 25 polls.

        A victory would move UC closer to its first-ever C-USA championship with two league games left. Saturday's game, only UC's third home date of the season, is expected to draw a large crowd, with Louisville sure to bring a sizable following. Minter said he hopes that UC's undefeated league record and three-game winning streak will interest enough local followers to prevent Louisville fans from taking over Nippert with its cheers for the Cardinals. “Our challenge to our fans is let's not come close to being drowned out in our own stadium,” Minter said.

Louisville looms as worthy rival Week's work does wonders for Barker

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