Louisville Cardinals Can Claim Big East by Beating Rutgers Scarlet Knights

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A rough November for Louisville still can end positively for the slumping Cardinals.

A victory at first-place Rutgers (9-2, 5-1) on Thursday night would not only snap a two-game losing streak, but give Louisville (9-2, 4-2) the Big East championship and the conference's berth in the Orange Bowl. The Cardinals hold all the tiebreakers: so a win and they're in.

Over the past two weeks, Louisville looked like anything but a team that controlled its own destiny.

Louisville lost to Syracuse on Nov. 10. In the Cardinals' triple-overtime loss to Connecticut on Saturday, star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater broke his wrist. The setback knocked Louisville out of the Top 25.

With their reprieve, coach Charlie Strong wants the Cardinals focused on what they can win, not what they have lost.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.