Pitt and coach Walt Harris are getting more national love. A piece in the Sunday New York Times. The focus is on two aspects. The rebuilding of Pitt to national prominence by Harris; and the loss of Miami and Va Tech from the Big East as a danger to Pitt’s future football prominence. Nothing earthshatteringly new in the piece except for this nugget.

Despite the departure of Miami and Virginia Tech, the Big East will have a Bowl Championship Series berth through the 2005 season.

A split, in which the six remaining Big East universities with football teams would recruit two programs to form a new conference, remains a possibility.

With a new B.C.S. contract due to be negotiated about a year from now, officials from Big East universities need to find a solution quickly, and [Pitt Athletic Director, Jeff] Long said the conference had a timetable of Sept. 1.

“Some people perceive us to be in limbo,” Long said, referring to the remaining members of the Big East, “but it’s not really limbo. It’s a question of what our new direction is going to be.”

A week to a decision. I hope so. And it better be the right decision.

The NYTimes also put out it’s preseason top 20. Pitt is #11. The NYTimes is always a little weird — Auburn #1, VA Tech #2 (?), NC State #5(??), Miami #6, Ohio St. #7. It just gets stranger.