CINCINNATI - Rick Minter was flushed and red-eyed after telling his players he had been fired as head football coach at the University of Cincinnati.

''You know when you get in the business it's liable to happen,'' Minter said Monday afternoon.

Minter was told that morning that he was out, three days after the Bearcats (5-7) ended their season with a 43-40 loss to Louisville.

''I'm upset. I'm disappointed,'' Minter said. ''I'm not bitter at any individual. Cincinnati has been good to me.''

Minter was head coach for 10 years, and with a 53-63-1 record had the most wins and losses in Bearcats' history.

Athletic director Bob Goin said Minter, who has three years left on his contract, was offered another unspecified job.

''I believe he has some administrative talent,'' Goin said. ''We'd be happy to have him do that.''

Minter said he would consider the offer, but couldn't muster much enthusiasm.

''At heart, I'm a football coach,'' he said.

Minter believes he is leaving Cincinnati's football program in better shape than he found it.

''When I came here, in retrospect, it wasn't a very good job,'' he said of his 1993 arrival. ''We got it better. The guy who comes in next is going to find it a more desirable job than I found it.''

Louisville to play in GMAC Bowl

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville accepted a bid to the GMAC Bowl on Monday, hours after No. 19 TCU turned down an invitation to play in the game.

TCU (11-1), which played in the game in 1999 and 2000, declined an invitation because the game conflicted with the school's exams schedule. The Horned Frogs will instead play in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl against an undetermined opponent.

Louisville (9-3, 5-3 Conference USA) will face No. 14 Miami of Ohio in Mobile, Ala., on Dec. 18. Both teams rank among the top 10 in the nation in total offense.

''It won't be a low-scoring game,'' Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said.

Louisville played in the GMAC Bowl last year, losing 38-15 to Marshall. The game was upstaged by fast-spreading news that Louisville coach John L. Smith was leaving for Michigan State.

''This year, we're taking in a lot of momentum,'' Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said.

Jurich said Louisville's other option was the Hawaii Bowl, on Dec. 25.

The Cardinals will make their sixth straight bowl appearance. Louisville is 1-4 in bowl games since 1998 and 4-5-1 all-time in bowl games.