Watch Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh on 12:00 PM ET, December 5, 2009 Live Streaming.

Brian Kelly is perhaps the most talked-about coach in the nation these days, but little of that discussion has anything to do with his undefeated Cincinnati team preparing for perhaps the biggest game in the program’s history.

As rumors of Kelly’s future swirl, his fifth-ranked Bearcats put their unbeaten record on the line Saturday at Heinz Field against No. 14 Pittsburgh, with the winner earning the Big East’s Bowl Championship Series berth — and in Cincinnati’s case, potentially much more.

In three years, Kelly has elevated the Bearcats (11-0, 6-0) from a mediocre program to a perennial Big East contender.

Cincinnati won the conference and qualified for its first BCS bowl last season, finishing 11-3 after an Orange Bowl loss to Virginia Tech, but Kelly’s team has taken its success a step further in 2009. The Bearcats moved to 11-0 for the first time in school history as Tony Pike returned from an arm injury to throw for 399 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-36 win over Illinois on Friday.