After losing two of three consecutive games against ranked opponents to close October, it doesn’t get much easier for the University of South Florida the rest of the way.

The Bulls (6-2, 2-2 Big East) have an ESPN Thursday night game at Rutgers (6-2, 1-2) – a team that has beaten USF three straight times, including last year’s 49-16 thrashing – followed by home games against Louisville and No. 16 Miami, then the regular season finale at Connecticut.

The Bulls, not ranked in either the AP or Coaches’ polls, did enter the BCS standings at No. 25 after defeating then-No. 20 West Virginia.

“It’s nice I guess,” Coach Jim Leavitt said of the ranking. “I’d like to see where we are at the end of the season; see if we can ever hang in there. We haven’t been able to do that. We’ve played some good games this year, some we haven’t.

“We have a lot of football left to play. How good will this team be at the end? I don’t know. We’ll see. We’re better than six teams, that I know. We’re not better than two right now.”

MITCHELL UPDATE: Junior Carlton Mitchell, USF’s leading receiver, missed his fourth consecutive practice since injuring his left ankle against West Virginia. He was gingerly walking barefoot at the end of Saturday’s practice before putting on his protective boot to trek up to the athletics building.

Leavitt said it was too early to rule out Mitchell for the Rutgers game.

ODDS AND ENDS: Senior LB Kion Wilson has accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game, which will be played Jan. 23 in Orlando. … Senior FS Nate Allen has been named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, given to the Division I-A player that best combines exemplary community service, with academic and athletic achievement