I am currently holding a university cap-exempt H1B, valid until the end of September 2010. My contract ends March 31st.

A company is going to apply for a cap-subject H1B for me on April 1st, so I will be able to start working for them only on October 1st. I would like to stay in status until then.

1) If I extend my contract with the university, what is the earliest I can quit working for them without switching to a different status? Is it September 20 or earlier?

2) My husband is on F1. Is it possible for me to switch to F2 for this gap? In particular
a) If my F2 application is still pending when my university contract ends, will I be out of status?
b) Can F2 be denied because of my cap-subject H1B application (immigration intent issues?)
c) Any other potential issues?