Mix in the Dolphins playing Sunday night and Thanksgiving day, coupled with extended Marlins coverage; and finally the fact that Miami won’t be playing for the national championship — you get very bland and not much Florida coverage of the Pitt – Miami game.
The lead stories are mainly about Pitt superstar WR, Larry Fitzgerald, and how to cover him. Miami hasn’t allowed a WR to have a 100 yard game since playing Penn State in the beginning of the 2001 season. It would be nice symmetry to have the next one come at the end of this season against Pitt.
Right now the pieces are mainly individual player puff pieces or other matchups — like Miami Butkus Award finalist, Jonathan Vilma, who was humiliated last year from a wicked lowered shoulder from Pitt QB, Rod Rutherford.
No one is sure what the Miami offensive line will look like with senior center Joel Rodriguez out with a broken fibula. Apparently there will be plenty of shuffling of positions.
Finally, one of the notebook pieces has the usual pap about how both coaches would like to see the “rivalry” continue. You can’t call it a rivalry when Miami has dominated it so badly. Not that I wouldn’t mind Pitt still playing Miami — and lord knows Pitt will need to beef up its non-conference schedule — but don’t call it a rivalry.