Coach Wannstedt doesn’t think WR Greg Lee will turn pro this year. Lee will only come out if he is not happy with what the offense is doing/going, and/or he needs the money. I wouldn’t put him much better than a 3d or 4th round pick at this point. Don’t get me wrong, he is a very good receiver and has potential, but he had an unimpressive season with a lot of drops. Add in the fact that he isn’t exactly a speedster, and the NFL combines would not be good to him.

Coach Wannstedt and the assistants will be spending most of December and January out on the recruiting trail. This weekend, they will be hosting NY RB and soft verbal commit, Kevin Collier on his official Pitt visit.

I want to know who was smoking what (and can I get some) when this rumor was started:

One thing that will not change is the name on the door to the head coach’s office. Wannstedt was quick to shoot down rumors that his good friend, Matt Millen, president of the Detroit Lions, is trying to lure him back into the NFL coaching ranks.

I understood the Pete Carroll ruminations, simply because every NFL opening presents that rumor, but you have to be kidding me. I think even Lions fans would storm the team offices and lynch Millen if he even approached Wannstedt.

Story skipper, alert. Shelly Anderson has a weak, hand-wringing, worry piece on the Big East in the BCS for the long-term. Let me summarize: The Big East could be cut out of the BCS, blah-blah-blah, review time in 2009, yada-yada-yada, extra BCS bowl games, dee-dee-dum, up to the schools to get better.

I can give you a good reason why the Big East isn’t going anywhere in the BCS for a while. Numbers. There are 117 Div. 1-A teams. The other 5 major conferences and ND only make up 58 teams. They don’t want to be in the minority for decisions. Forget that line of crap about how they would just go off on their own. They need the veneer of credibility (however much of a sham) of the NCAA and student-athlete status. Otherwise they fully admit to being about the money, and then how soon til they face the pressure of the kids demanding to be paid.

Then there is the added political risk and pressure that would come from Congressmen from West Virginia, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey — all states where Big East teams are the only BCS reps. Add in lesser pressure from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Kentucky lawmakers. The BCS got nervous when the non-BCS schools got Congress to hold hearings a couple years ago. It would get worse.

I want Pitt out of the Big East at this point for several reasons, but fear of losing the auto-BCS bid isn’t that high on the list.