Jumping ahead, a bit. While the so-called “Crimson Nation” rolls southwest, and those already in Arizona have a big rally for the team, the future for Utah is a big question.

Quarterback Alex Smith and the rest of the undefeated Utah Utes are barely a day away from the most important and exciting game in school history, and their fans are surely delirious amid the final buildup to a Fiesta Bowl that represents a dream accomplishment.

So enjoy it.

It might be the last big thrill for a while.

The final gun at Sun Devil Stadium is poised to have the same effect for this red-and-white Cinderella as the clock striking midnight, turning the Utes back into a nice little team that contends for the Mountain West Conference title but not much else – at least not right away.

Utah will graduate 18 seniors, QB Alex Smith and WR Steve Savoy might go pro, and their head coach is on the first plane out to Florida after the game. That’s a lot to rebuild. Still, they have done everything and reached a peak. Lots of credit must be given to any team that actually reaches and possibly exceeds its potential. A perfect record, no matter what your schedule is an impressive thing.

For Pitt fans the future looks very bright. This doesn’t feel like the peak of this team. Just an early surprise. I don’t necessarily agree with Smizik that Pitt is in a win-win situation regarding being in the Fiesta Bowl (never mind how he acts as if he wasn’t part of the group looking to get rid of Harris), but better things are expected. A good article on how Pitt seems to be seeking that elusive next level, and how Harris came to be seen as not being the guy to do it.

This season’s Panthers started 2-2, then finished 8-3 with a share of the Big East championship and a Fiesta Bowl berth, but the feeling of not-good-enough seemed to hover over the program, putting Harris on a perpetual hot seat that will soon be only a pile of ashes.

It was so obvious at times, said Rob Petitti, three-time All-Big East and second-team All-America offensive tackle, “that I think people wanted us to lose this year. I don’t know if he had a choice of leaving, but I don’t think he did. I think he got forced out.”
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Administrators never seemed to make a push to keep Harris, whose record at Pitt stands at 52-43 entering Saturday’s game at Sun Devil Stadium, and first-team All-Big East defensive tackle Vince Crochunis can only shake his head at all the criticism.

“Many feel Coach Harris overstayed his welcome, but from a player’s standpoint, I think he could have stayed here as long as he wanted,” he said.

Harris doesn’t want to talk about the events that triggered his move, but he said winning the Fiesta Bowl would be a nice way to exit.

His mission statement for Pittsburgh was: “We will not cut corners, not sacrifice the success of the program in order to have a one-time successful football team.”

“I tried to put the program first and foremost,” Harris said. “All the decisions were made based on the program.”

Petitti said the Pitt football team “was in the doldrums, sliding” when Harris took over and began the turnaround. “I think Coach Harris did a great job. We’ve got a lot of good guys on the team, not just good athletes, but good people. There’s not a troublemaker on the team.”

Shelly Anderson has the must-read column for the day regarding the administration, fans and commitment to the team.

Pitt is nationally prominent in basketball and is headed for its fifth consecutive bowl appearance, and a Bowl Championship Series game at that. Yet it was the football coaching change that seemed to inject the Panthers’ faithful with large doses of adrenaline and New Year’s joy.

The administration has finally made a real commitment to the football program, brought in a big name — and a Pitt guy — who can lead the Panthers to great things. Or so the sentiment seems to be.

There’s no disputing it was a great hire, and there’s nothing wrong with that optimism. In fact, it’s refreshing after all the vitriol spewed toward Harris and the underappreciation of the job he did in his eight seasons.

Yet the scenario begs a question about commitment.

Just how does the commitment thing work in college athletics? What comes first — the administration making the right moves, the fans offering staunch and unwavering support, or the coaches and players going above and beyond?

Then there is Wannstedt coming home, and even in the Miami area they think it is a win for all:

Such a strange and wonderful force home can be.

Strong connection to Pitt

Maybe it’s too fairy-tale sappy to suggest Wannstedt is exactly where he’s supposed to be after mostly disappointing NFL tenures as head coach in Chicago (six years) and Miami.

But he sure did look proud and relaxed and, well, somehow more imposing than he ever did with the Dolphins that day he was introduced as Pitt’s new boss.

“I can promise you there hasn’t been a Saturday that I’ve been removed from the University of Pittsburgh,” Wannstedt said during the news conference earlier this month announcing his hiring. “There hasn’t been a Saturday when I haven’t checked the score or watched on TV or called a friend to find out who won the game.”

That’s good stuff. That’s real stuff. That’s good and real Wannstedt stuff.

And Wanny has helped solidify a recruit and has indicated a lot of the defensive coaches will be staying.

[Linebacker, Steve] Dell committed to Pitt the day before Harris accepted the Stanford job, then reopened his recruiting. Dell said he talked to Wannstedt several times and was assured that linebackers coach Curtis Bray and defensive line coach Bob Junko would remain on staff.

“He pretty much told me he was keeping the defensive staff, that coach Bray and coach Junko were definitely staying,” said Dell, who had 82 tackles and six sacks in seven games in a hurricane-shortened senior season. “He’s from Florida and he knows the talent coming out of South Florida. He told me I’m officially his first recruit.”

Craig Bokor, a defensive end from Hopewell who spent the fall at Valley Forge Military Academy, and tailback Rashad Jennings of Forest, Va., also will enroll next week.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Bokor signed with Pitt last February but did not qualify academically under NCAA freshman eligibility guidelines.

“I’ve talked to (Wannstedt) twice since he got the job,” said Bokor, who picked Pitt over offers from Miami, Michigan, Michigan State and Virginia. “I like him.”

Meanwhile the Trib. continues to push Duquesne head coach Greg Gattuso for an assistant coaching position at Pitt.