Pitt’s Big East Conference schedule opens tomorrow against Virginia Tech. This is followed by a game against Miami on Saturday. Miami will be the first game away from the Pete for Pitt since the opening game at Madison Square Garden. The first true Big East test will be on Monday, January 12, a national game on ESPN’s “Big Monday” at home against Notre Dame. The schedule shows 2 more games after that on ESPN and ESPN2 for Pitt (at UConn, at Syracuse) in January.
Pitt is 14-0 so far, and has moved up the polls and has improved as the season progressed. Not that Pitt isn’t taking shots for the schedule they played — and it isn’t undeserved.
Pittsburgh (RPI 32, SOS 183): The Panthers are off to their best start in school history, going 14-0 into Big East play. Pitt also has never played 20 home games, at least that’s according to the current staff.
Jamie Dixon took the schedule that Ben Howland gave him and actually added two of its best early tests — Florida State at home and Alabama in New York. Both were good additions considering the Tide is No. 10 and the Seminoles are No. 44 in the latest RPI. Beating Murray State (No. 45) and Georgia (No. 60) also are quality wins at home.
But the rest of the schedule had only one team below 200, as Penn State checked in at No. 117. This schedule shouldn’t hurt the Panthers if they can wind up with 25-plus wins and compete for a top spot in the Big East. But if they fall a bit in the league, the soft schedule will come back into play. Still, the Panthers enter conference play with loads of confidence, which is what Dixon needed a team on the younger side to have after beating a few higher-rated teams during their unblemished run.
The VT game doesn’t worry me too much. The Miami game is more worrisome. Not because it’s the first roadie in 6 weeks, but because it is 2 days before a national game against a quality team.
