A dubious honor at best. Something no team in any sport from any era is wild about being called. It implies bad luck, choking, bad coaching or managing and just falling short. To be considered the Buffalo Bills. It is a frustrating thing to be called. Something that can’t be changed, and has some connotations of inferiority and failure. An itch that can never be scratched.

It’s far worse than great teams under achieving — the Oakland A’s of the late 80s/early 90s only winning one world series or the mid-80s Chicago Bears with only one Super Bowl come to mind. At least they have a championship.

The Pitt team of 1980 is such a team. Historically it is considered one of the most talented college football teams in recent history. The team stumbled once that season, losing at Florida State. Pitt finished #2 that season, winning the Gator Bowl over South Carolina 37-9. Georgia won the National Championship that season, beating #7 Notre Dame 17-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

For all of its greatness, when the members of the 1980 Pitt team speak of that season they talk about their regrets. Sherrill is haunted by one decision. Marino by one subpar performance.

It always comes around to “What if?”

What if there had been a system for determining a national champion? What if the bowl bids were not dictated by television executives? What if one game, a mistake-riddled effort in Tallahassee, Fla., could be erased from the record books, and their memories.

As bad as the BCS is, and as much as everyone wants a play-off, the backroom deals from before were so much worse. The bowl match-ups were decided by television executives and bowl representatives.

Pitt will be honoring the 1980 Pitt team along with Mark May for his College Hall of Fame Induction at halftime this Saturday.