Well, as expected, with the press and teleconferences yesterday coupled with a short week means a flurry of activity.

One of the main themes for this week’s game is the idea of “salvaging” the season for both teams. Expect it in a lot of stories from here on out and to be a major meme during the telecast. Both teams had the high expectations, as has been repeated ad nauseum to this point. Both, to different degrees have crashed and burned for a bit and are now in a final stretch run to at a minimum gains some respectability and have “something to build on” for next year. By now, we’re all familiar with the media cliches, and the fact that storylines and memes not only get recycled but turned into conventional wisdom/truth whether actually true or not.

So, this is at least a refreshing start to an article, rather than what was expected or what could have been — what still can be.

For the Pitt Panthers, there is no looking back.

It is now a three-game season and the stakes are clear — win all three, win the Big East Conference and likely earn a second consecutive trip to a Bowl Championship Series game. Win two and it is off to a minor bowl. Anything less and it is home for the holidays for the first time since 1999.

The new season begins Thursday when the Panthers (4-4, 3-1 Big East) invade Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and play Big East-newcomer Louisville (5-2, 1-2) in a nationally televised prime-time game. The Panthers are 20-point underdogs and generally are given little chance to beat the Cardinals, who are especially tough at home. That is why Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believes it is best if his players focus on this game instead of the remaining three.

All together now: “You just have to take them one game at a time, one half at a time, one quarter at a time, one series at a time, one play at a time…”

“That’s been really our focus — how can we get better?”

Wannstedt said that in order for the Panthers to beat the Cardinals, it will require them to play their best game of the season. He said the Panthers can’t afford to make the mistakes they’ve made in recent weeks and can’t afford to let their guard down for even one play.

“What do we have to do this week to get it done?” Wannstedt said. “We have to play better than we’ve played, go out there and not turn the ball over, go out there and not give anything up in the punting and kicking game. It is going to take that type of effort. If we want to beat Louisville down there, we’re going to have to play 60 minutes of high-level football. We know that and everybody knows that.”

Yup.

Now for the more standard fare.

Two months ago, most folks expected the Pitt-Louisville game to be a battle for Big East supremacy. Instead, the stakes Thursday night are different.

Pride and survival.

“This is a game that probably a lot of people looked forward to before the season started,” Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm said. “But it might not be as huge to them now.”
…
Thursday’s game still has a lot going for it. It’s a showdown of the defending Big East champs against the league’s highly touted newcomer. A prime-time kickoff. A sellout crowd. A national television audience.

“Regardless of whether it’s as hyped-up as it was at the beginning of the season, it’s still a big game,” Panthers defensive end Chris McKillop said.

Pitt and Louisville were off last weekend, so both times have had extra time to prepare and rest up from nagging injuries. However, the Cardinals have one extra edge — home field. The Panthers have not yet won on the road this season.

“This would be a nice one to start with,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We know that we’re still alive and we kind of control our destiny. I still believe you want to play your best football the last week of the season.

“We’re focused on what we’ve got to do and not where (Louisville) is at or where we’re at.”

This game is actually Louisville’s Big East home opener. So there should still be some attempts by the Cardinal’s Athletic Department and the Big East to further hype it before the game. Louisville also has a 10 game home winning streak.