Let’s recognize the Syracuse-Pitt game for what it is, a game where the losing team will (with 95% certainty) lose their head coach at season’s end. The winning team, while nothing is certain when momentum to fire the coach has been going that way all year, is in a position to keep their coach.
If Pitt wins, they will be 6-2, bowl eligible and in a position to win the Big East and go to a BCS bowl — not to mention set off a firestorm of complaints about the BCS system and why/how the Big East got to keep its automatic bid of that happened. With games at ND, hosting WVU and the make-up at South Florida. I’d say all the games are winnable, but most of us would settle for winning 2 out of 3. If the team ends the regular season 8-3, then Harris is back and gets a 2-3 year extension. End the season losing 2-3 and that’s the excuse needed — that once again Pitt stumbled at the end of the season against better teams. If Pitt loses, then Harris is toast. It would be hard to see the team rebounding and winning the last 3.
If Syracuse wins, they will be 5-4. One game away from bowl eligibility with Temple as one of the last 2 games. You all but have to assume they will win this game. Any Big East team that loses to Temple this year would have to have their Big East membership status reviewed. That would give them the 6 wins for bowl eligibility and show some improvement from last year. Syracuse’s AD would likely bring Pasqualoni back. Their other remaining game is at BC. If it was at home for Syracuse, I’d like their chances, but not away from the Dome. They lose the Pitt game and it’s all but assumed to be losing record for the season and Syracuse is starting to make discreet calls.
Now with Pitt having a week off and the Steelers beating the Patriots and snapping the win streak, there are no stories in the Pittsburgh papers about Pitt. None. Nada. Zip.
Syracuse, even coming off of a 14 point win over a UConn team that beat Pitt, is still an unknown quantity. The have a great running back in Reyes, but teams will stack the line to stop him, and have Syracuse beat you with the pass. While the QB may not be the same scattershot guy from last year, you can’t always be sure of what kind of game he will have.
Syracuse has a good run defense, but is very weak against the pass. These days, Pitt is passing to set up the run, so if the O-line can give Palko a little time early on, Pitt could open things up.
I know there will be more about the game later.
Final story is a puff piece out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Antonio Bryant. How can you go wrong with a piece that starts like this:
Browns receiver Antonio Bryant used to tell the girls he dated not to try figuring him out.
“I’m a simple man,” he would say, “yet, very complicated.”
The anger management counselors he was sent to in Dallas discovered the same thing.
The funny thing is, he has a lot of his old Pitt support staff right there. Buddy Morris, his old strength and conditioning coach at Pitt is now holding that job for the Browns. His WR Coach, J.D. Brookhart is the head coach down in Akron. Be interesting to see if he finally starts to show some of his talent.
