TAMPA, Fla. -- West Virginia coach Bill Stewart has a fantastic knack for being able to summarize situations in a succinct way.

Even the bad situations.

Take Friday night for example; Stewart stood in the catacombs of Raymond James Stadium, against a cinderblock wall and within earshot of where the South Florida football squad could be heard whooping it up after a 30-19 victory against No. 20 West Virginia.

Reporters crowded Stewart, microphones were shoved in his direction and vivid lights from television cameras beamed at him to the point where he took refuge with a squint.

What was it the second-year West Virginia coach had to offer about the disappointing loss?

"We had a chance to really shine," he said. "And we didn't."

Really, was there any more; was there something more eloquent or extravagant that could have been said that could have summed it up any better?

Not a chance.

That was it; that was the story -- end of story.

West Virginia's defensive backfield in general, and cornerback Keith Tandy in particular, had a chance to shine -- and didn't.

That unit gave up 232 yards passing and Tandy allowed two home run balls right over the top of his head.

West Virginia's linebacking corps and, for that matter, any tackler in a Mountaineers uniform, had a chance to shine -- and didn't.

South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels -- when he wasn't busy picking on Tandy -- broke contain numerous times and rushed for 104 yards.

Lastly, West Virginia running back Noel Devine, on a nationally televised game just two hours from his hometown, had a chance to shine -- and didn't.

Devine had come into the game inching into the talk about maybe, just maybe, being part of the Heisman race and left all that scuttlebutt in the dust on a sticky night, running for just 42 yards on 17 attempts.

Jumbled together, the lights just got turned out on that chance to shine by a South Florida team that had staggered through two consecutive Big East Conference losses before entertaining the Mountaineers and their heavy following that traveled to Florida's West Shore.

OK, that's all the bad.

Now consider this: As crazy as it might seem, and for as poorly as West Virginia -- now 6-2, 2-1 in the conference -- looked against the Bulls, the Mountaineers aren't out of the conference race.

In theory, the Mountaineers are in a position of holding their own destiny, and if they win their remaining games -- a tall order, no doubt -- Stewart's team would be conference champions.

The roadblocks are mighty, the top two teams in the conference are among the final four opponents, but here's the deal as it stands right now:

Cincinnati and Pitt are tied for the top spot in the Big East with 4-0 conference marks. West Virginia is at 2-1. Pitt and Cincinnati still have to play this season, so one is guaranteed a loss.

West Virginia, in succession in its final four games, starting at noon Saturday at home, has Louisville, then travels to Cincinnati, plays Pitt at home then finishes at Rutgers.

That said, if the Mountaineers win them all, they would be at 6-1 in the conference with wins against Cincinnati and Pitt, thus would garner the top spot in the league.

"It's a four-game season," Stewart said. "That's what we have awaiting us. It all starts with Louisville. I don't know what we have after that and I don't care."

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