Welcome to the big time!

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Sky-high expectations. A Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback. A burgeoning fan base and at least six nationally televised games so the whole country can examine you under the spotlight.

Sure, there's pressure for Steve Kragthorpe to win right away at Louisville. Then again, it's nothing compared to the situation Kragthorpe entered when he took over at Tulsa in 2003.

"When you walk in at Tulsa and they tell you if you don't win in three years they are dropping football, that's pressure," he said.

Kragthorpe responded by leading the once struggling Golden Hurricane to three bowl games in four seasons. To succeed at Louisville, he knows he'll have to do even better than that. He'll get his first real look at what he has to work with on Friday when the defending Big East champions open spring practice.

"This is what you live for as a coach, the opportunity to get on the green grass with the white lines," said Kragthorpe, who took over in January after former coach Bobby Petrino left to join the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. "It