The awards watch lists keep trickling. Tight End Eric Gill was put on the Mackey Award watch list.

The only other Big East player on the list is Clark Harris of Rutgers.

The Mackey Award is given by the Nassau County Sports Commission.

33 days.

Bob Smizik is ready to set the bar for success by Wannstedt rather high. He also sees the potential for a lot of excitement and interest for Pitt this season. In his high setting of the bar, he pays a backhanded compliment to Walt Harris.

Somehow, mostly because his superiors were eager to see him go, Harris was perceived as a failure at Pitt. He is viewed as a coach who left behind a struggling program. Consequently, Wannstedt is regarded by some as a savior.

Pitt doesn’t need a savior. Pitt has a strong program. Harris was not a failure. He was a success. Pitt won 25 games in Harris’ final three seasons. It hadn’t done that well since winning 26 from 1981-83, in Sherrill’s final season and Foge Fazio’s first two.

The cupboard is not bare for Wannstedt. It’s close to being full. He has one of the best quarterbacks in college football in Tyler Palko and a strong defense. He also has a schedule — as did Harris — with enough built-in victories to virtually ensure a winning season and a bowl trip. He’s in a conference that is the weakest with an affiliation to the Bowl Championship Series.

The Pitt program is in good shape and in position to expand on that.

I’m going to ignore the obvious shot at Smizik for deflecting all desire to jettison Harris onto the Pitt administration. The poorly feigned attempt to sound almost bothered by the action, when he was eager to lead the charge to toss Harris (when he was sure that there was plenty of support). If I don’t start ignoring it now, I’ll be forced to point it out all year. Still…

The Knight-Ridder Newspapers are running a countdown of the top-25 teams in reverse order each day. The pieces are written by their college football writer for the Fort Worth Telegram, but they run in just about every one of their many newspapers. Pitt was ranked #20.

Why Pittsburgh is No. 20: The Panthers should have one of the nation’s more productive offenses. The defense, if the line develops, should be capable of keeping Pitt in most games.
…
Jeers: In the spring, Wannstedt moved Blades, the team’s leading tackler, to middle linebacker. That meant that Session, who was second on the team in tackles, will be Blades’ backup. Whatever happened to that old coaches’ saying about getting your best 11 players on the field?

It all means: With 16 starters and 48 lettermen returning, there’s plenty of talent. If Jennings produces the way he did during spring practice, the running game should be able to take the heat off of Palko.

Datebook: The schedule is difficult at the start and the finish. Pitt opens against Notre Dame, which will be playing its first game under new coach Charlie Weis. Two weeks later, the Panthers play at Nebraska. The Big East title could come down to the Nov. 3 game at league newcomer Louisville. The season finale at West Virginia on Nov. 24 is always a brawl.

There is also a companion piece on Tyler Palko. It focuses on his brash statement when he signed with Pitt about winning 2 National Championships.

From a Louisville paper, one of their columnists and also an AP voter, has a Q&A up regarding Louisville, his biases and the BE.

QUESTION: Where do the Cardinals deserve to be ranked nationally in the preseason polls?

DR. BO: I’m uncertain if Petrino votes in the coaches’ poll, but I am voting in The Associated Press writers’ poll, which is no longer included in the Bowl Championship Series formula.

I plan to vote Petrino’s team ninth in the AP preseason poll. The offense is relentless. The defense should be solid and more confident than it was at the start of last season. And the schedule is kind, especially early.
…
QUESTION: Which team is the biggest threat to the Cards’ push to win the Big East title?

DR. BO: West Virginia.

The Good Doctor knows Pittsburgh, not the Mountaineers, is the popular pick to finish second. But I’m here to give you three reasons to keep an extra linebacker keyed on West Virginia:

(A) The schedule: West Virginia gets Pitt and U of L at home, and the Panthers play the Mountaineers and Cardinals on the road;

(B) West Virginia is a tougher place to play;

(C) New Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is a college football novice whose work with the Bears and Dolphins should not make Petrino sweat.

It’s going to feel like an eternity waiting for this month to end.

Looks like they delayed Steven Walker’s initial court appearance until this morning. At that time it should be expected that he will plead “not guilty” in Canton Municipal Court. Walker has apparently refused to speak to the investigators about what happened that night. Information is spotty.

Except for the locale of the fatal shooting — an area known to police as a trouble spot near the Alan Page Drive apartment buildings — investigators were still trying to piece together Friday night’s events by attempting to interview several friends and family members who were with Cheek, Angelo said.

Walker and Cheek, he said, apparently arrived at the gas station in separate vehicles about 10:40 p.m. Friday. Shortly thereafter, they got into a pushing and shoving match inside the store, Angelo said.

As Walker fell into a rack of candy, the sergeant said, Cheek left the store.

“The suspect must have followed him out, and from what we’ve heard, he was trying to run for his car when he was shot,” Angelo said.

The victim was shot once in the back, Angelo said.

Investigators have not been able to determine how the fight started.

“The people we’ve talked to aren’t really sure, and the suspect refused to speak (to us),” Angelo said. “I guess it was just circumstances that they bumped into each other there.”

They apparently had known each other for a long time, Angelo said.

He said the store had a video surveillance camera running, but it ran out of tape before the fight began.

Angelo said investigators have not been able to recover the gun used in the shooting.

His former high school coach expressed shock over the whole thing.

A bit under the radar, and not actually confirmed.

Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia has reported that former East Carolina guard Mike Cook has decided to transfer to Pitt. Cook made the announcement yesterday at a news conference near his home in Mount Airy, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb. Cook, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 15 points per game last season. Cook, who must sit out this coming season, would have two years of eligibility remaining. Pitt could not confirm Cook’s decision last night. Under NCAA rules, a coach is not allowed to speak about a transfer until he is enrolled in school and on campus.

Comcast Philadelphia‘s site has nothing.

Cook is a shooting guard. He decided to and released by ECU to transfer in May. He was the leading scorer for the Pirates. He averaged the most minutes for the team at 33. His FG% was .370, 3P% – .316, and FT% – .726. In his first season at ECU he was part of the all-freshman C-USA team.

According to the old recruiting pages, he was a 3-star recruit for the class of 2003. Pitt never recruited him, though he drew interest (but no offers) from Marquette, WVU and PSU.

Can really score. From Philadelphia and has a nice aptitude for the game. Medium-range jumper is soft and sweet. Can hit 3s, but more efficient inside arc. Will also rebound and work the baselines. Just has a nice knack for scoring.

It reads like he has the potential to be a decent outside and inside threat on offense. He has to sit out a year and adapt to a team where he is not likely to be the primary focus of the team.