Three weeks ago, UConn football coach Randy Edsall stood outside the visiting locker room at Cincinnati and tried his best to explain yet another excruciating loss - this time to the nation's No. 5 team.

"I told (the players) I'm running out of things to tell them after a game like this," Edsall said in the wake of a 47-45 defeat to the unbeaten Bearcats back on Nov. 7. "We've just got to do the little things correctly all the time, and if we do we'll get over this hump and we'll win a game like this."

UConn has done that ... and more.

Following a well-timed bye, the Huskies ended a three-game losing streak in the unlikeliest venues - Notre Dame Stadium - a week ago and rode the momentum of the biggest win in program history to a 56-31 victory over Big East rival Syracuse on Saturday.

And just like that, UConn (6-5) not only became bowl eligible, but now is guaranteed its third straight bowl bid - regardless of what happens in the regular-season finale against South Florida this Saturday.

"That's one of the rewards that says you've had a good season," Edsall said during his weekly Sunday conference call. "We know we're going to take one of the six spots that the Big East has contracted bowls with. To know that's done now, there's less worry and stress."

Notre Dame could have put itself in position to take the Big East's spot in the Gator Bowl, but the Irish were beaten Saturday night by Stanford, 45-38. At 6-6, Notre Dame is out of the Gator Bowl's picture, meaning all six bowl-eligible schools from the Big East - No. 5 Cincinnati (11-0), No. 14 Pittsburgh (9-2), No. 24 West Virginia (8-3), Rutgers (8-3), South Florida (7-4) and UConn - will play a 13th game.

Where the Huskies land is pure speculation right now.

The International Bowl is probably out because the Big East would rather not send a team to the same bowl two years in a row. Don't expect the Gator or Meineke Car Care bowls to pick UConn either. Those two bowls have the first two picks after the Big East champion (either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh) accepts a BCS berth and will likely select the Cincinnati-Pitt loser and West Virginia, which travels better than any Big East school.

That means UConn's likely destination is either the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 19 at Tropicana Field (against an opponent from Conference USA) or the PapaJohn's.com Bowl on Jan. 2 in Birmingham (Ala.) against an SEC opponent.

Edsall said Sunday his only concern right now is getting that seventh win against USF, but reflected on the achievement.

"It says a lot about the program ... three straight years, three bowls," he said. "Through all the adversity - take a look at last year and the quality of the seniors we lost - then take a look at this year and losing Scott (Lutrus) early for lot of games, then losing Jazz (Howard) and all the emotions that have gone with that … it's a great testament to these players and assistant coaches.

"Unless you're inside these walls you don't know what we've gone through. It's a tremendous accomplishment, a tremendous reward and a life lesson for these guys."

News and notes

Edsall did get some bad news on Sunday. Middle linebacker Greg Lloyd, a junior, tore the anterior cruciate (ACL) and medial collateral (MCL) ligaments in his left knee late with 4:31 left in the Syracuse game and is finished for the season. Edsall said Lloyd will have surgery this week and won't be healthy enough to take part in spring practice, but hopefully will be reading for training camp next August. ... Lutrus will replace Lloyd in the middle and redshirt freshman Jory Johnson will start for Lutrus on the outside. ... Offensive left guard Erik Kuraczea, a redshirt freshman from Ansonia who missed the Syracuse game with a lower left leg injury, is probable for South Florida ... the coaching staff presented game balls to wide receiver Marcus Easley (offense), outside linebacker Lawrence Wilson (defense) and Mike Lang and Anthony Sherman (special teams).

c.banning@theday.com