In what was supposed to be a tough game in a tough environment for Cincinnati, the No. 8 Bearcats easily disposed of No. 19 South Florida 34-17 at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night. And they did it with their starting quarterback missing the entire second half.

Tony Pike suffered an injury right before halftime and was replaced by backup Zach Collaros, who supplied a touchdown run of 75 yards midway through the third quarter. He then hooked up with Ben Guidugli on a 43-yard pass completion to set up his second touchdown of the game, this time from three yards out with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

This was an impressive victory for Cincinnati, especially considering Pike didn’t play the entire second half. To beat a good South Florida team on the road with their backup quarterback should give the Bearcats leverage when the BCS standings are released for the first time on October 20.

That said, should anyone be surprised by this outcome? The Bulls were undefeated coming into this game, but their only substantial win was against a Florida State team that was obviously overrated from the start. And while freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels is fun to watch, he has a long way to go as a passer. He looked like he was playing in a pick up game tonight with the way he often ran backwards from the snap and never stayed in the pocket.

But allow me to give credit where credit is due – Cincinnati’s defense played well tonight as it suffocated USF’s running game and never allowed Daniels to set his feet and throw (whether he wanted to or not). Everyone takes about the Bearcats offense (and rightfully so), but Brian Kelly’s team has played well defensively this season too.

Kelly told Erin Andrews after the game that it “doesn’t look good” for Pike, who could miss a couple weeks with a wrist injury. While that’s unfortunate, Cincinnati has an easy stretch of games over the next couple weeks and could certainly get by with the shifty Collaros.

Raymond James Stadium is the site of one of the more intriguing matchups in college football this week, as No. 21 South Florida hosts No. 8 Cincinnati tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first meeting in which both teams are ranked.

After Tulsa kept things close last night against No. 5 Boise State, some believe the undefeated Bulls will pull off the week’s first big upset by knocking off the Bearcats, who are also undefeated. Led by Heisman candidate Tony Pike, Cincinnati has the third best scoring offense in the nation, but South Florida has shut down opponents this year, allowing just 9.4 points per game.

The Bearcats have a couple of things to worry about tonight, namely the fact that they’ll be playing in a hostile environment against a defense that knows how to get after the quarterback. Pike hasn’t seen a pass rush this season the likes of what he’ll see tonight and the Bulls could give him fits.

Defensively, Cincinnati must contain the athletic B.J. Daniels, who has filled in nicely since starter Matt Grothe was lost for the year after suffering an ACL injury in Week 3. Daniels gives the USF offense a running threat at quarterback, which is good because running backs Mike Ford and Moise Plancher could have trouble churning out yards against a solid Bearcat run defense.

As previously noted, some college football pundits smell an upset brewing tonight, but I just don’t see it. USF’s big win this year was against a Florida State team that has fallen from grace since being ranked at the start of the season. While Cincinnati hasn’t faced elite competition itself, they demolished Rutgers on the road in Week 1 and beat a decent Oregon State team in Corvallis in Week 3. Bearcat head coach Brian Kelly will have his team ready to play and I think Cincinnati pulls one out in a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Cincinnati 23, South Florida 17.