So now the Backyard Brawl is a complete family affair. Both head coaches are alum of their respective schools who have played in the game, rooted as fans, coached in it, and know the history.

Coach Wannstedt talks about his Backyard Brawl memories as a player, coach and fan.

A West Virginia columnist fears chaos should Pitt win the Backyard Brawl and WVU then loses to USF (who he presumably has losing another game to someone else).

That revamped Big East head-to-head tiebreaker for a two-team deadlock could be WVU’s undoing. Don’t forget Pitt (5-5), which visits Mountaineer Field on Thanksgiving night.

If WVU, USF and the Panthers all finish with two Big East losses, a 6-5 Pitt team gets the BCS berth – and the Big East is drowned in criticism then — because the Panthers would have swept the other two involved the tie.

With Notre Dame needing to beat Syracuse and Stanford to lock up a BCS at-large slot, the Big East runner-up Gator Bowl will gladly settle for Louisville, which figures to go 9-2. Understandably, the Gator doesn’t want West Virginia for a third straight year.

It’s madness! Utter madness, I say!

Not really. I realize that the system can be confusing, but under his scenario, Louisville also finishes with 2 losses and also tied for the conference. At that point, the other factors including rankings and BCS stuff come into play.

Sadly, the cluelessness also happens in Pittsburgh. An article purporting to explain how Pitt could win the Big East again. For some reason, there is this misconception that Louisville is already out of the potential scenarios for winning the Big East, but Pitt isn’t. Don’t these people have any fact-checkers or editors?

Louisville has 2 games remaining against Syracuse and UConn. They look to have a rather simple path to finishing 5-2 in the BE, as Pitt would be with a win over WVU. If all 4 teams tied, the head-to-head match-ups would be useless. Then they go to other factors. Let’s just say, that Pitt wouldn’t have much of a shot.

No. The only way Pitt can get the BCS bid is to beat WVU, USF beats WVU and Louisville loses to either Syracuse or UConn. Not a likely scenario.

This article suggests that Pitt winning the Backyard Brawl and becoming bowl eligible would “salvage” the season.

“Beating West Virginia, that would change a lot about our season, no doubt,” said linebacker H.B. Blades. “It is going to be just like every other West Virginia-Pitt game — a dirty, physical game. There is no finesse about it. You better come ready to play in this one.

“I experienced that atmosphere my freshman year. It is totally different. I can talk all I want to about the rivalry with West Virginia and what it is like, but until some of the guys get down there and experience it for themselves, they won’t know what it is all about.”

Cornerback Josh Lay added: “A win over West Virginia would make a big difference for us. That’s the Backyard Brawl, that’s our rival game. A win over them is all about bragging rights. It doesn’t matter how our season went, if we beat them it is always going to be big for us.”

If West Virginia (8-1, 5-0) wins, the Mountaineers would clinch at least a first-place tie in the Big East and set up a showdown for the BCS berth with South Florida the following week.

Blades said next to clinching a bowl bid for the Panthers (5-5, 4-2), ruining the Mountaineers’ chances at a BCS berth is his No. 1 goal and doing so would make the win a little extra sweet.

No. It might assuage the disappointments of the season, but it wouldn’t salvage it. The only way I conceivably see a salvaging the season is not just winning the Brawl, but then rolling in a bowl game. To actually see Pitt beat a non-con Div. 1A opponent this season would come closest to salvage the season based on expectations and what has happened. Consider that Pitt has only beaten one (Div. 1A) opponent with a winning record this season — USF.

Still, it starts with the “one game at a time” approach, and beating WVU is goal one. Even if some have trouble realistically believing it.

Quarterback Tyler Palko echoed his words, saying, “We’ve got a lot of stuff to play for. It’s a big game for us — we can get a bowl bid if we win.”

The Panthers’ enthusiasm is commendable, considering how poorly they played on offense in a 24-0 victory Saturday over Connecticut, but any parallels between last November and this one are difficult to find.

A year ago, before surprising West Virginia 16-13 on Thanksgiving night in Pittsburgh and being rewarded with an unexpected trip to the Fiesta Bowl for doing so, Pitt (8-4) was in the midst of winning six of its last seven games. Palko led a series of comeback victories, one at Notre Dame and another against the Mountaineers, throwing 17 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his final six games.

Against UConn, Palko looked like he was running a revamped Pitt offense for the first time _ a season-long problem for a player who doesn’t seem to know if he’s running a passing- or a rushing-based offense. He threw for 116 yards, about half his average down the stretch a year ago, in a game decided mostly by a blocked field goal attempt and a deflected punt that both led to touchdowns.

Also, Pitt (5-5, 4-2 Big East) hasn’t won on the road since beating South Florida in December, going 0-4 this season. Pitt lost two weeks ago at No. 18 Louisville 42-20.

It doesn’t sound like a team primed to surprise the No. 13 Mountaineers (8-1, 5-0) for the second year in a row; last year’s last-minute loss at Heinz Field cost West Virginia the BCS bowl trip that instead went to Pitt. This time, West Virginia can lock up an unbeaten conference season by beating Pitt and South Florida (5-3, 3-1) on Dec. 3.

A loss sends the Panthers to their first losing season since 1999 and breaks the string of five consecutive bowl appearances they had under former coach Walt Harris.

The players and coaches are trying not to look back at the missed opportunities of the season.

“To get to 5-5 after the way the season began is good,” Revis said. “But to be 5-5 … a lot of us thought we’d be better.”

It appears that the Panthers are moving in that direction, particularly on defense. After shutting out Connecticut 24-0 Saturday, the defense is allowing less than 20 points per game – and that number shrinks to 16 if the 42-20 loss to Louisville is omitted. While the run defense hasn’t been stellar, the secondary has saved this bend-don’t-break unit.

The offense is still struggling – Saturday’s 2.2 yards per carry won’t win many games – though quarterback Tyler Palko said he’s more comfortable than ever in Dave Wannstedt’s new run-first system.

The progress satisfies Wannstedt, even if he remains disappointed in the overall record.

“I wish we could start over,” he said. “I wish I could turn the calendar and start training camp tomorrow.”

The ever-logical Palko, though, had a point in this post-game quote:

“You’d like to start the season over, but you can’t. It’s unrealistic.”

To echo, Coach Wannstedt from earlier in the season, “It is what it is.” Goddammit.

Okay, I’m not getting involved in a college basketball blogpoll (if you think I have some bias in football, I think I could drive people to incoherent rages with how I’d treat the ACC). I am, however, going to participate in the Big East Power Poll, put together by Big East Basketball Blog.

I did not vote in the preseason All-Big East Squads, because I didn’t feel informed sufficiently on the individual players — primarily from the 4 new squads. There is a lot of buzz, though, regarding Sam Young.

Anyhow, this was my pre-season prediction for the Big East.

1. UConn — So much talent: Josh Boone, Rudy Gay and Marcus Williams headline. Plenty around them, plus a coach in Calhoun who always gets them playing better deeper into the seaosn. Only glaring weakness is the lack of depth at point guard. If Williams has to play back into shape during BE season, they could finish 3d or even 4th.
2. Louisville — It’s a Pitino team. It’s a brand name for quality college basketball.
3. Villanova — The loss of Sumpter and the slow return of Fraser makes the once hot pick to win the BE a little shakier.
4. Syracuse — A point guard who has had a fantastic career, now the veteran leader expected to carry a large load with a squad around him that has questions and inexperienced, young talent. Could be a disaster, except they have a proven, experienced, Hall of Fame coach who has shown he can make it work in the regular season.
5. Georgetown — Bowman and Green will continue to develop and thrive under JTIII. This team could finish 3d or take a surprising step backwards and drop to 8th. It depends on how quickly the new players embrace the style of play.
6. WVU — While this team hit its stride at the end of the year, it was a very up and down team. I expect more of the same this season.
7. Pitt — See Syracuse, but take out the Boeheim factor.
8. Cinci — Adam Kennedy coaches a team with talent, but is a lame-duck, interim. He has one eye on auditioning for a future head coaching job elsewhere and another on joining Huggy-bear at his next coaching gig.
9. ND — I don’t see them having enough inside offense or interior defense. Teans will be all over Falls and Quinn to keep them from having open looks.
10. Marquette — Very young team.
11. St. John’s — Good team, good coach, insufficient depth.
12. DePaul — Some talent, an average coach.
13. Rutgers — This is a sleeping gian– No, I can’t even type that. They will win a couple more games than last year, but it would have been hard to lose more in the conference.
14. Providence — Now Brewington is an issue. Not a good scene for the Friars this year.
15. USF — I’m going out on a limb by saying they won’t be the worst team in the Big East.
16. Seton Hall — Louis Orr, dead man walking. His players know it.

It is no exaggeration to say that one-quarter of the head coaches are likely coaching for their jobs this season. Louis Orr, Seton Hall; Gary Waters, Rutgers; Adam Kennedy, Cinci; and Tim Welsh, Providence. If they fail to even get their squads to the Big East Tournament, they are guaranteed toast.

Welsh, may be surprising to some, but after the underachieving season they had last year, there is real pressure to show some progress and not that he was just lucky to have Ryan Gomes.

Okay, I’m not getting involved in a college basketball blogpoll (if you think I have some bias in football, I think I could drive people to incoherent rages with how I’d treat the ACC). I am, however, going to participate in the Big East Power Poll, put together by Big East Basketball Blog.

I did not vote in the preseason All-Big East Squads, because I didn’t feel informed sufficiently on the individual players — primarily from the 4 new squads. There is a lot of buzz, though, regarding Sam Young.

Anyhow, this was my pre-season prediction for the Big East.

1. UConn — So much talent: Josh Boone, Rudy Gay and Marcus Williams headline. Plenty around them, plus a coach in Calhoun who always gets them playing better deeper into the seaosn. Only glaring weakness is the lack of depth at point guard. If Williams has to play back into shape during BE season, they could finish 3d or even 4th.
2. Louisville — It’s a Pitino team. It’s a brand name for quality college basketball.
3. Villanova — The loss of Sumpter and the slow return of Fraser makes the once hot pick to win the BE a little shakier.
4. Syracuse — A point guard who has had a fantastic career, now the veteran leader expected to carry a large load with a squad around him that has questions and inexperienced, young talent. Could be a disaster, except they have a proven, experienced, Hall of Fame coach who has shown he can make it work in the regular season.
5. Georgetown — Bowman and Green will continue to develop and thrive under JTIII. This team could finish 3d or take a surprising step backwards and drop to 8th. It depends on how quickly the new players embrace the style of play.
6. WVU — While this team hit its stride at the end of the year, it was a very up and down team. I expect more of the same this season.
7. Pitt — See Syracuse, but take out the Boeheim factor.
8. Cinci — Adam Kennedy coaches a team with talent, but is a lame-duck, interim. He has one eye on auditioning for a future head coaching job elsewhere and another on joining Huggy-bear at his next coaching gig.
9. ND — I don’t see them having enough inside offense or interior defense. Teans will be all over Falls and Quinn to keep them from having open looks.
10. Marquette — Very young team.
11. St. John’s — Good team, good coach, insufficient depth.
12. DePaul — Some talent, an average coach.
13. Rutgers — This is a sleeping gian– No, I can’t even type that. They will win a couple more games than last year, but it would have been hard to lose more in the conference.
14. Providence — Now Brewington is an issue. Not a good scene for the Friars this year.
15. USF — I’m going out on a limb by saying they won’t be the worst team in the Big East.
16. Seton Hall — Louis Orr, dead man walking. His players know it.

It is no exaggeration to say that one-quarter of the head coaches are likely coaching for their jobs this season. Louis Orr, Seton Hall; Gary Waters, Rutgers; Adam Kennedy, Cinci; and Tim Welsh, Providence. If they fail to even get their squads to the Big East Tournament, they are guaranteed toast.

Welsh, may be surprising to some, but after the underachieving season they had last year, there is real pressure to show some progress and not that he was just lucky to have Ryan Gomes.

I see in some comments, a little bit of concern that Pitt struggled in the exhibition game against IUP. Some perspective, please. I know it’s a young team, with lots of new players and, yes, it was IUP, so there should be no excuse. Just consider this: last year, Pitt was actually losing to Carnegie Mellon at the half during an exhibition game.

I’m curious about one thing. The articles talked about lots of turnovers by Pitt. It didn’t say whether any were from calls by the refs for palming the ball. This is something the refs apparently will be calling more of this year (Insider Subs.).

Wake Forest guard Justin Gray was called for palming the ball — one of the officials’ new points of emphasis — four times during Friday night’s overtime win over George Mason in the second round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Gray had 10 turnovers total (out of Wake Forest’s 20). Gray, who is replacing Chris Paul at the point, had two turnovers in the first game of the tournament against Mississippi Valley State.

In the George Mason game, Gray was pressed. But four palming calls?

“That might be a record,” Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. “That number is accurate, but it does distort the (overall) turnover number.”

Prosser, who is on the rules committee, said officials are looking to see if the player holds the ball in his hand and then turns it over, giving him an advantage in freezing the defender.

“We’ve played four games (two exhibitions and the two regular-season games) and there has been at least one palming call in each one before the palming explosion (Friday night),” Prosser said.

If anyone knows the answer, let me know.

I see in some comments, a little bit of concern that Pitt struggled in the exhibition game against IUP. Some perspective, please. I know it’s a young team, with lots of new players and, yes, it was IUP, so there should be no excuse. Just consider this: last year, Pitt was actually losing to Carnegie Mellon at the half during an exhibition game.

I’m curious about one thing. The articles talked about lots of turnovers by Pitt. It didn’t say whether any were from calls by the refs for palming the ball. This is something the refs apparently will be calling more of this year (Insider Subs.).

Wake Forest guard Justin Gray was called for palming the ball — one of the officials’ new points of emphasis — four times during Friday night’s overtime win over George Mason in the second round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Gray had 10 turnovers total (out of Wake Forest’s 20). Gray, who is replacing Chris Paul at the point, had two turnovers in the first game of the tournament against Mississippi Valley State.

In the George Mason game, Gray was pressed. But four palming calls?

“That might be a record,” Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. “That number is accurate, but it does distort the (overall) turnover number.”

Prosser, who is on the rules committee, said officials are looking to see if the player holds the ball in his hand and then turns it over, giving him an advantage in freezing the defender.

“We’ve played four games (two exhibitions and the two regular-season games) and there has been at least one palming call in each one before the palming explosion (Friday night),” Prosser said.

If anyone knows the answer, let me know.

Unlike last year, Pitt will not be a regular on the ESPN family this season. This means if you live outside of the Pittsburgh market and want to see the team more than 4 times on ESPN this season you will have to pay.

I’ve been debating taking the plunge on ESPN Full Court — the college basketball pay-per-view package. It’s a rapidly approaching, initial deadline, since the “early-bird” deal of $99 for the season ends on November 18. After that, it’s $109 — not going to happen. Or I can wait and order the “half-season” after January 6 for $75.

Because of the (expected to be) easy non-con opponents on the schedule and Pitt’s expected struggles, most of Pitt’s games are still not being televised. Only 4 of Pitt’s 11 non-con games are going to be on TV.

According to the Full Court Schedule (PDF), Pitt will be on 13 times. For the full season with the “discount” that’s about $7.61 a game. The thing is, only 3 of those games will take place before the mid-point — Penn State (Dec. 10), Wisconsin (Dec. 31) and ND (January 4).

Buying the mid-point package puts it about $7.50 a game, but I really wanted to see the Wisconsin game. I’m still shocked that ESPN or CBS didn’t pick that game up for viewing. Seems like one of the few good non-con games at that point.

I am leaning strongly towards making the trip for the Penn State game anyways — it would also be my first time at the Pete — so that makes that a waste.

I just can’t justify another $24 dollars for 2 games, so it looks like the best bet is to stick with waiting until January and slipping the half-season onto the cable bill. Actually, looking at the full schedule, unless you just like watching as much college basketball as possible without regard for the teams, it isn’t worth it for most teams to do much more than the half-season package.

Unlike last year, Pitt will not be a regular on the ESPN family this season. This means if you live outside of the Pittsburgh market and want to see the team more than 4 times on ESPN this season you will have to pay.

I’ve been debating taking the plunge on ESPN Full Court — the college basketball pay-per-view package. It’s a rapidly approaching, initial deadline, since the “early-bird” deal of $99 for the season ends on November 18. After that, it’s $109 — not going to happen. Or I can wait and order the “half-season” after January 6 for $75.

Because of the (expected to be) easy non-con opponents on the schedule and Pitt’s expected struggles, most of Pitt’s games are still not being televised. Only 4 of Pitt’s 11 non-con games are going to be on TV.

According to the Full Court Schedule (PDF), Pitt will be on 13 times. For the full season with the “discount” that’s about $7.61 a game. The thing is, only 3 of those games will take place before the mid-point — Penn State (Dec. 10), Wisconsin (Dec. 31) and ND (January 4).

Buying the mid-point package puts it about $7.50 a game, but I really wanted to see the Wisconsin game. I’m still shocked that ESPN or CBS didn’t pick that game up for viewing. Seems like one of the few good non-con games at that point.

I am leaning strongly towards making the trip for the Penn State game anyways — it would also be my first time at the Pete — so that makes that a waste.

I just can’t justify another $24 dollars for 2 games, so it looks like the best bet is to stick with waiting until January and slipping the half-season onto the cable bill. Actually, looking at the full schedule, unless you just like watching as much college basketball as possible without regard for the teams, it isn’t worth it for most teams to do much more than the half-season package.

It’s really after the fact, but before all the looking to the Backyard Brawl begins, some of what I thought about the game.

I really liked UConn Coach Randy Edsall’s decision to go for the touchdown when they got that penalty that put them that much closer to the goal line. Screw “taking points of the board” mentalities. It was only 3 points and they still would have been down by 11. Considering how dominate UConn had been in the 2nd quarter, though coming up empty — they held the ball for a mind-boggling 12:09 minutes in just the second quarter, but had 0 points. A FG would have been very small consolation for the team. If they had scored a TD going into the half, though, that would have changed a lot of things.

Last year Pitt had a bad offensive line and the best player on the line, Rob Pettiti graduated. This year the O-line has been worse and Pitt will see the best player, Charles Spencer, graduate. I know there is a lot of young talent coming in, but that realization still bothers me to no end.

There will be no power-running game until there is an offensive line that can block and open up holes. Coach Wannstedt and Coach Cavanaugh can talk about it, talk about the transition and the change. But if the O-line can’t block, it won’t make a difference how talented the runner is.

A rusty QB coming off an an injury who was lucky to only be intercepted 3 times with his scattershot aim, did not have the excuse of running for his life. Bonislawski faced no pressure. Pitt’s D-line was hideous.

Bonislawski just had no accuracy with even a medium pass. 1st Quarter: 6-8, 19 yards; 2nd Quarter 6-13, 75 yards; 3d Quarter 2-4, 22 yards; 4th Quarter 4-10, 40 yards and 3 INT. Yeep.

In a game where it seemed the offense appeared to go into ball-control, eat-the-clock mode after the first score. A game where Palko’s longest completed pass was 25 yards — to the Tight End. Where only 4 of Palko’s 12 completed passes were to the WRs. I wonder if there is just a small, deep, buried part of himself that wonders if former back-up QB Joe Flacco had the right idea to transfer?

Explain to me again, why Freshman Fullback Conredge Collins had his redshirt wasted?

10 games down, and I still have no clue about this team. Aside from better secondary play, most of the units seem to still be at about the same level since the about the fourth game. It all depends on the opponent. I guess there is consistency rather than playing up or down to the opponent, but that seems like small comfort.

Stayed over night in Pittsburgh, some very convoluted traveling on Sunday and just being wiped combined to keep me from even turning on the computer last night.

Final home game, and a little something different. I got to watch the game from the press box. Thought it might be interesting to see what that experience was like. A huge thanks to Assistant Athletic Director E.J. Borghetti for being brave enough to make this possible.

Sure, I had to promise that I wouldn’t throw anything at Bob Smizik or anyone else in the media (though I would not make such a guarantee if Beano Cook was on hand), but I figured it was a reasonable compromise.

Naturally, it worked out that I would be sitting in an enclosed, climate-controlled environment when the weather was absolutely perfect. I sat through the rain and cold for Cinci and Syracuse, but for a game in mid-November it would be sunny and in the low-60s. Perfect.

Around 11 I entered the press entrance to Heinz Field and was immediately stopped by security. They searched my bag and did the pat down while another looked through a stack of envelopes to find my press pass. From there I took the elevator to the 4th floor. As I got off the elevator and started down the hall, there was E.J. striding quickly to catch the elevator — looking far skinnier than his bio picture would suggest. Naturally, I prevented him from catching the elevator by stopping him to introduce myself (and in response to my tactless remark regarding his appearance, he said he always drops pounds during the season).

Despite, obviously, needing to do numerous other things with less than an hour before kickoff, he stopped and took me down to the press box and then to the press lounge next to it while talking with me before dashing off once more.

The food in the press lounge was basic but quite good. The lounge itself is down at the Southwest corner of the stadium and has two glass walls looking outside the stadiums. There was a row of TVs against another TV. All turned to ABC, ESPN and the local stadium feed. Other TVs were positioned around the room. I sat down at an empty table with my back to the TV wall so I could people watch.

The press box itself is huge, as you would expect in an NFL stadium. There are 4 rows of seating on the home sideline that stretches from the endzone to around the 40 yardline. (The TV camera and broadcast boxes are around the 50.) The box can easily accommodate 150 or more people, with highspeed data ports and plugs for the laptops at each seat. The local/regular and major news press was grouped near the 40.

Right outside the press room and just before the lounge are the bathrooms. Maybe this is just something only fairly new parents notice, and maybe the bathrooms are used by other suites, but it struck me as odd and useless to have a baby-changing station in the press’ men’s room.

As befitting my status, I was around the 2 yardline. The press listed around me included Alle-Kiski Today, Latrobe Bulletin, Times Leader, Daily Mirror, Blairsville Dispatch, Progress News, Tyrone Daily News, The Sentinel and Vandergrift News. Much like the regular crowd, attendance was spotty. It looked like maybe 50-60 media folk in the box. At each seat, there was a nice folder containing the game program, depth charts (along with the officiating crew), both teams’ game notes and the Big East weekly report.

Also of note, sitting right in front of me were 2 NFL scouts. A scout from the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons. During the course of the game, some media members would approach them and try to get them to say who they were scouting — they always answered vaguely. Based on what I saw — when they were using their binocs and writing things in their notepads — I would make an educated guess that among the Pitt players, they were watching Charles Spencer, Josh Lay and Tez Morris.

The TV monitors in the box were tuned to either the ESPN Regional or the stadium feeds.

Just before kickoff, they announce the various changes to the starting lineups, including Bonislawski getting the start at QB for UConn, which creates a low murmur of surprise. There is also the announcement that there is no “cheerleading” in the pressbox.

I pretty much blew it on the first play when Josh Lay gets called for pass interference. An involuntary, “what?” escapes. Strangely, that was where I had the most problem keeping my mouth in check. Penalties — though most of the press box seemed to react poorly to the personal foul on Tez Morris in the second quarter, and especially that phantom pass interference call against Darrelle Revis in the 4th.

Otherwise, while odd, I could keep from openly cheering or making much noise. An occasional fist pump or something, but not too outrageous. The whole press box feeling is just so disconnected. The stadium sound is muffled and almost felt like I wasn’t watching a live game.

Of course the very good thing about the press box — quarterly stats and play-by-sheets. After every quarter they print and distribute the cumulative stats and all the plays for the quarter. In the press box, there are 3 guys charting the plays by hand, and another guy inputting them onto a laptop. I’m not sure why they don’t make the quarterly stats and play-by-play materials available on the Pitt website (they do for basketball games), since they are compiled. Those are numbers I would love to be able to see more often. They provide better information than just the simple totals.

Sorry about the quiet. Delays and distractions this morning.

No chance to post before the game. Just setting the open thread for comments before, during and after.

The P-G busts out its basketball preview stuff. I’m going to start with the Pitt-centric stuff.

A quick focus piece on Freshman Sam Young as the potential key to Pitt making the NCAA.

In a recruiting class considered to be among the top 25 in the country, Sam Young is the top-rated player of the three incoming freshmen. He also is the most important element in the team’s success this season because he plays small forward, a position coach Jamie Dixon struggled to fill last season.

I really only see two positions absolutely set. Krauser at Point and Gray as Center. And even for Gray, I think Tyrell Biggs will push him for playing time. Everything else seems fluid.

Ray Fittipaldo lists his 3 keys for the season: 1. Spread it around; 2. Better defense; and

3. Coaching
Jamie Dixon was the toast of the town two years ago after leading Pitt to a 31-5 record and its third consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16. Last season he was booed as he addressed the Petersen Events Center crowd after a loss to Connecticut. The team was fractured, undisciplined at times and lacked the killer instinct of the three previous teams. The fact that last season’s team was just as talented or more talented put the target on Dixon’s back. He doesn’t have nearly the talent he enjoyed last season, but he does have three freshmen who are the long-term future of the program. How Dixon utilizes Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs and Levance Fields and meshes them with the core of older players will determine whether the Panthers will be contenders in the new Big East.

Now, what I’ll disagree with there, is the “talent.” There is more talent on this team right now, by all estimations than there has been since the best of the Evans era. What the team had the last couple years has been experience. In the past 4 years, there has been leadership by experienced players with other teammates with comparable experience to help. That is now gone. The other major factor was the toughness of the team. That is not yet known. Krauser is the only one known to be tough and the leader.

There needs to be more? Can Graves, Ramon or even Gray be a team leader. They have to be able to stay on the court. Each has a question about being able to stay on the court. Graves may not have the talent to be out there as much. Ramon needs to stay healthy, and Gray needs to stay out of foul trouble.

Fittipaldo picks Pitt to finish 8th in the Big East this season.

An article regarding whether the BE or the ACC is the better conference. Who cares right now?

I love this puffery article about the hiring of BE founder and first commish Dave Gavitt’s son Dan. Gavitt will oversee BE basketball operations.

Gavitt, son of Big East founder and former commissioner Dave Gavitt, spent the last six years as athletic director at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I. He earned his MBA from Providence after attending Dartmouth and getting his bachelor’s degree in history. But he thinks the best preparation for this job was serving as an assistant coach on Rick Barnes’ staff at Providence.

“There’s a real fraternity in the coaching profession and in a minor way, I’m part of that,” he said. “The mentoring Rick gave me at a young age has been the biggest thing in my career. Being an AD, having that coaching background was critical. Now in this position, having been in the league is going to be a huge experience to have.”

Big East coaches are ecstatic to have someone devoted to their concerns. And there is a comfort level that comes with the Gavitt name.

“It’s really a stroke of genius by Mike,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “To get Dan here, with the influences he has through his family tree and his upbringing with his dad, and then his on-the-job training at Bryant, it’s a great addition. I think Danny will do things to help coaches understand each other better, and I think basketball will be enhanced and highlighted beyond what we have now.”

Calhoun, apparently speaks for the entire BE coaching fraternity. Other than Boeheim and Providence College, does any other coach or school really care about the Gavitts and their ties to the Big East?

Bob Smizik writes that this Big East is eventually doomed. He’s written such before, as have I and I’m sure I’ll come back to it, so I’m not going to bother commenting on this particular recycling.

Instead, the Hartford Courant has some good stuff regarding the size of the BE.

Don’t expect other conference to follow the Big East’s lead. The 12-team model is favored by most BCS conferences and there are no signs of that changing.

Tranghese just agreed to a contract extension through the 2009-10 academic year. The 16 teams have agreed to stay together until that time, but their bond will always be tested. It’s been that way since 1979 because of the diverse interests and agenda of the schools in the Big East.

The first games haven’t been played and already there are rumors of negative recruiting within the conference. Coaches from the schools with I-A football programs are telling recruits there will be a split and the schools without football will be looking for new conferences.

All signs keep pointing to the split in 2010. The BE has no choice but to keep denying it, but it is so apparent. There’s an article talking about the failed WAC 16-team experiment, with some defense of it.

As commissioner of the 16-team Western Athletic Conference, Karl Benson watched Brigham Young play in the Cotton Bowl in 1996. And in 1998, he saw the Utah men advance to the NCAA Tournament final.

“What we did was so out of the box at that time, that it did create some momentum,” Benson said. “The WAC was looked at more favorably from the outside. We were experiencing tremendous success. Had we not pulled the plug, who knows where the WAC would be today?”

On May 26, 1998, Benson was awakened by a call from Colorado State president Al Yates. Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah and Wyoming decided to leave the WAC and form their own conference.

The first 16-team conference in college sports, organized in 1994, was gone. Yates told Benson there was no way to make the conference work. Departing schools cited the loss of traditional rivalries, rising travel costs and revenue problems as reasons for leaving. By July 1999, the Mountain West had begun operations.

Benson still thinks 16 is doable, and says the BE has a better shot because they aren’t spread out quite as far — killing the travel budgets. Still there will be grumbling about travel. Can’t be avoided. Too many places, too many teams.

The P-G busts out its basketball preview stuff. I’m going to start with the Pitt-centric stuff.

A quick focus piece on Freshman Sam Young as the potential key to Pitt making the NCAA.

In a recruiting class considered to be among the top 25 in the country, Sam Young is the top-rated player of the three incoming freshmen. He also is the most important element in the team’s success this season because he plays small forward, a position coach Jamie Dixon struggled to fill last season.

I really only see two positions absolutely set. Krauser at Point and Gray as Center. And even for Gray, I think Tyrell Biggs will push him for playing time. Everything else seems fluid.

Ray Fittipaldo lists his 3 keys for the season: 1. Spread it around; 2. Better defense; and

3. Coaching
Jamie Dixon was the toast of the town two years ago after leading Pitt to a 31-5 record and its third consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16. Last season he was booed as he addressed the Petersen Events Center crowd after a loss to Connecticut. The team was fractured, undisciplined at times and lacked the killer instinct of the three previous teams. The fact that last season’s team was just as talented or more talented put the target on Dixon’s back. He doesn’t have nearly the talent he enjoyed last season, but he does have three freshmen who are the long-term future of the program. How Dixon utilizes Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs and Levance Fields and meshes them with the core of older players will determine whether the Panthers will be contenders in the new Big East.

Now, what I’ll disagree with there, is the “talent.” There is more talent on this team right now, by all estimations than there has been since the best of the Evans era. What the team had the last couple years has been experience. In the past 4 years, there has been leadership by experienced players with other teammates with comparable experience to help. That is now gone. The other major factor was the toughness of the team. That is not yet known. Krauser is the only one known to be tough and the leader.

There needs to be more? Can Graves, Ramon or even Gray be a team leader. They have to be able to stay on the court. Each has a question about being able to stay on the court. Graves may not have the talent to be out there as much. Ramon needs to stay healthy, and Gray needs to stay out of foul trouble.

Fittipaldo picks Pitt to finish 8th in the Big East this season.

An article regarding whether the BE or the ACC is the better conference. Who cares right now?

I love this puffery article about the hiring of BE founder and first commish Dave Gavitt’s son Dan. Gavitt will oversee BE basketball operations.

Gavitt, son of Big East founder and former commissioner Dave Gavitt, spent the last six years as athletic director at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I. He earned his MBA from Providence after attending Dartmouth and getting his bachelor’s degree in history. But he thinks the best preparation for this job was serving as an assistant coach on Rick Barnes’ staff at Providence.

“There’s a real fraternity in the coaching profession and in a minor way, I’m part of that,” he said. “The mentoring Rick gave me at a young age has been the biggest thing in my career. Being an AD, having that coaching background was critical. Now in this position, having been in the league is going to be a huge experience to have.”

Big East coaches are ecstatic to have someone devoted to their concerns. And there is a comfort level that comes with the Gavitt name.

“It’s really a stroke of genius by Mike,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “To get Dan here, with the influences he has through his family tree and his upbringing with his dad, and then his on-the-job training at Bryant, it’s a great addition. I think Danny will do things to help coaches understand each other better, and I think basketball will be enhanced and highlighted beyond what we have now.”

Calhoun, apparently speaks for the entire BE coaching fraternity. Other than Boeheim and Providence College, does any other coach or school really care about the Gavitts and their ties to the Big East?

Bob Smizik writes that this Big East is eventually doomed. He’s written such before, as have I and I’m sure I’ll come back to it, so I’m not going to bother commenting on this particular recycling.

Instead, the Hartford Courant has some good stuff regarding the size of the BE.

Don’t expect other conference to follow the Big East’s lead. The 12-team model is favored by most BCS conferences and there are no signs of that changing.

Tranghese just agreed to a contract extension through the 2009-10 academic year. The 16 teams have agreed to stay together until that time, but their bond will always be tested. It’s been that way since 1979 because of the diverse interests and agenda of the schools in the Big East.

The first games haven’t been played and already there are rumors of negative recruiting within the conference. Coaches from the schools with I-A football programs are telling recruits there will be a split and the schools without football will be looking for new conferences.

All signs keep pointing to the split in 2010. The BE has no choice but to keep denying it, but it is so apparent. There’s an article talking about the failed WAC 16-team experiment, with some defense of it.

As commissioner of the 16-team Western Athletic Conference, Karl Benson watched Brigham Young play in the Cotton Bowl in 1996. And in 1998, he saw the Utah men advance to the NCAA Tournament final.

“What we did was so out of the box at that time, that it did create some momentum,” Benson said. “The WAC was looked at more favorably from the outside. We were experiencing tremendous success. Had we not pulled the plug, who knows where the WAC would be today?”

On May 26, 1998, Benson was awakened by a call from Colorado State president Al Yates. Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah and Wyoming decided to leave the WAC and form their own conference.

The first 16-team conference in college sports, organized in 1994, was gone. Yates told Benson there was no way to make the conference work. Departing schools cited the loss of traditional rivalries, rising travel costs and revenue problems as reasons for leaving. By July 1999, the Mountain West had begun operations.

Benson still thinks 16 is doable, and says the BE has a better shot because they aren’t spread out quite as far — killing the travel budgets. Still there will be grumbling about travel. Can’t be avoided. Too many places, too many teams.

There is a puff piece on Tyler Palko and the season he has had this year in a Connecticut paper.

I realize the papers there are still adjusting to covering more than just basketball, but is it too much to ask that they know what the hell they are talking about? Just a little?

But they can still qualify for a bowl, thanks to Palko’s adjustment to the West Coast Offense, a system totally different from the run-and-shoot, downfield-passing game he had been accustomed to.

“Run-and-shoot?” That’s frickin’ insultingly stupid. Look, I am not claiming to be the most knowledgeable guy talking about schemes, styles of play and such. Still, I know and understand what the system used to be and what it is now trying to be. There are books out there that can help with this.

That might explain why the stories from Connecticut are all puff pieces. There is another one on redshirt freshman offensive tackle William Beatty.

No surprise that Pitt is preparing for both UConn QBs.

Over on Pitt, there is a piece about the up-and-down performance of the special teams.

The Panthers can boast the two longest kickoff returns and the longest punt return in the Big East this season. Adam Graessle is the top punter and Josh Cummings is the most accurate field-goal kicker in the conference.

And yet, the Panthers have allowed blocked punts in back-to-back games. A field goal attempt that could have upended Nebraska was knocked down. A fumbled kickoff return and a high snap for a safety were costly against Louisville.

“It’s definitely been a little bit of a roller-coaster ride,” wideout Derek Kinder said. “One play, we’re get it back on the onside kick. Another play, we’ll give up a big punt return. We haven’t had a game in which we put all the phases together.

“There are some bad fundamentals. Sometimes, we have mental breakdowns. We focus on it in practice a lot. It’s just that, sometimes, in a game, we’ll have lapses.”

An interesting comment from Graessle about his punting.

“Our goal is to get the ball off in 2.15 (seconds),” he said. “I’ve pretty much stayed under that the whole season. I could probably get the ball off faster in some situations, though.

“I’m actually faster than I was last year. It might look slower because I’m taking smaller steps or something, I don’t know. But it’s not slower.”

Otherwise, he says his mechanics aren’t a problem. And of course, it’s a must-win game.

Last home game, and a very kind piece lauding the Senior class. The piece manages to name each one of the seniors and recognize their contributions from Safety Tez Morris starting 44 of 47 games in his career to the essentially unknowns like linebackers Doug Roseberry and Keith Malley who play mainly on special teams.

The senior class — at least the fifth-year seniors — has been around for some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows in recent Pitt history. Their first season, in 2001, the Panthers began 1-5 and were on the brink of a losing season before they rebounded to win their final five games and earn a berth in the Tangerine Bowl.

In 2003, the Panthers began the season ranked in the top 15 but were upset by Toledo early and went on to have a disappointing season for a lot of reasons. But the team rebounded last year and had a surprising season, as Pitt won the Big East Conference championship and earned a berth in the BCS.

One thing that Horne and the rest of the seniors are well aware of is the fact that the Panthers have not missed a bowl game in the past four seasons and keeping that streak alive is a high priority.

“We certainly don’t want to be the class that had that streak broken,” Horne said.

Hopefully they won’t.