Things are going to start heating up in recruiting going into the second half of the season. Looking forward to more quality commits.

Anyone notice how boring the football games are this year?…..Every game has been a blowout one way or another. When Walt was around, the games were always close and it didn’t matter whom we were playing, but they were always intersting. Now if you miss the first the half you miss most of the excitement…..not saying blowing people away is bad, just exceptionally bored at the games this year, and I can’t remember that ever being the case before….maybe I’m just getting old…

Do you seriously miss Walt?

Marco,

Don’t worry, you will get all the excitement you want for the rest of the season. With the exception of UCONN, there are no more sure games on the schedule. The Big East will be much more competitive next year with Cuse on the mend.

As Pitt gets bettter, it has to upgrade its schedule. We need to begin by replacing the 1-AA games, such as the Citadel, with a long term deal with Army and Navy. Upgrade Toledo with Maryland, as WVU has done. Put teams on the schedule to get the fans into the seats with multiple year contracts (ND long term contract is an excellent start). The size of the Big East can be a real marketing asset. With five open games you can really bring in some interesting teams that fans would want to see year after year that will develop into interconference rivalries such as ND and (after joe pa goes), PSU. Ask the fans of the 12 team conferences such as the SEC how they like the conference meat grinder that ensures everyone loses one or two games in conference. With ND and PSU on the schedule Pitt would have at least 4 or 5 sell outs a year. With the kind of talent Wanny is getting this would be the fix that is needed for a perennial power house. In a perfect world ND, PSU, NAVY (DC Recruiting) should be on the schedule every year with Maryland and Virginia Tech making frequent appearances.

Agree on scheduling – and personally would like to see the Big East invite Navy into the conference. They are a good program, and are always competitive no matter what talent level they have. The other two service academies are in conferences, so the Naval Academy could be also. Plus, the Cadet march into the stadium is pretty awesome to watch… But, if we are looking for scheduling as a recruiting edge, perhaps we should try to get Florida, Fla State or Miami on the schedule – DW tends to focus on the state of Florida as a recruiting ground, and beating those teams could really set us up down there.

Speaking of DW’s recruiting, I was wondering last night if the edge DW seems to have down south – based on his coaching the Dolphins – will wear off as the years go on and his time there becomes a distant memory. My thoughts are that once we start pumping PITT players into the NFL draft, and that could pick up based on DW’s NFL experience and his recommendations to scouts, then that will become a recruiting draw also.

I’ll take the blow out wins, although I have to disagree that the games are not exciting. Maybe because I’m still gun shy about PITT being able to sustain a lead and win going away. In each of the games (save the Citadel) I have been wary that somehow the momentum would shift and PITT could lose. We’ll see some close games in the second half of the season I bet (hope) and if we lose to WVU and/or Louisville in close matches I’ll at least feel that we have met the competitive level we are trying to get to.

As for coaching, I’m impressed across the board that PITT’s staff has done so well with the personnel & injury situations – all the kids seem ready to suit up and play when called on.

Pitt is scheduled to play Miami in 2011 I believe. We will resume a home and home with VA Tech in 2012 and 2013. I believe we also have Iowa coming up in ’09 for a home and home. Hopefully these 1AA teams will start to disappear from our schedule in the near future.

nice pull on the future games. i hate to poo on ron, but we need to be realistic with the scheduling. pitt only has 7 games each year against the beast, that leaves 5 out of conference. the sec, big 10, big 12, don’t like to add too many “tough” out of conference games b/c they know year in and year out they will have great in conference competition. that makes scheduling 5 good games very difficult. this year UVA, Toledo, Mich St, those are good games normally, down year for 2 of them. UCF is on the rise, but definitely not top flight competition.

bottom line, the beast needs to add at least 1 more team and navy would be solid. that would leave 4 OOC games, 3 good ones (sec, acc, b10) and 1 patsy (citadel, furman, delaware)

You also have to take in consideration that the BE may develop into a BEAST and if it does we will be in the same boat as the other power conferences.

I’ve seen nill on the re-recruitment of Aundre Wright, but it never hurts to add another WR to the stable. And in this case, we didn’t lose a commit we’d previously attained.

With McGee and Turner emerging (credit solid play by Pestano, too), it would seem — as it is has been reported in print; PG — that we’ve adequate depth at WR. IMO we’re not near deep enough. (For all the Lowell Robinsons’ and Dorin Dickerson’s out there, history is the guarantor that not every player will reach their designated *star rating potential or remain healthy.)

I don’t think we’re quite as talented as we need to be, either. Even if exception is made for Kinder in all this, and no. 2 and 3 on the chart cont. to step-up their level of play, there is nevertheless a significant deficiency in speed at wide-out. So if this kid runs the 40 in sub 4.4 territory, I think Wright’s verbal is more exciting than it presents at face value — it is to me, at least.

Additional bonus that …At the tune of $18k… Milford Prep will deliver the goods at the top of the new-year … Just in time to enroll and join Bostic for spring training and drill.

Hey Marco, I can’t disagree with you… in fact, was discussing your same observation w/my bros. vs. the Orange, and yeah, the games certainly lack the thrill that, in part, characterize the Harris era; i.e., showdowns btw ND, BC, VT were some of the all time greats IMO. Admittedly, the ‘other part’ of his legacy does not need revisiting; i.e., Walt’s game-day coaching could rattle the best of us on a good day and, let’s face it, the man was very generous in the provision of painfully embarrassing flops with equal measures of under & overachievers teams throughout (Top 15, Preseason 2003; FIESTA BOWL 2004, respectively). Take your pick, add salt to wound, rub hard, and Cope. Methods: from mid to late twenties; several bedroom-living room doors, apt. furnishings in disgust and fist fight w/fractures (btw bros.) in anger. That was Walt Harris and that was okay…when I was 20-something. Really, as much as I miss all that excitement, I’m thinking DW will be more fitting and kind to those already into or over their mid-thirties. (It’s just healthier for all when we don’t have to spin the dice against the Citadel, or Temple for that matter.)

Error: Top 15, Preseason 2002

I thought I posted this earlier but it looks like it didnt take. Here is a preview of Pitt future schedules from their website:

link to pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com

I believe the Big East and the ACC reached a scheduling agreement in the wake of the defections of BC, Miami and VaTech. That should help in terms of non-con strength. We should also reach out to the Mountain West, which is in the same boat as the Big East (no respect, plenty of non-con spots on the calendar).

As a practical matter, the only non-con games that will put extra people in seats consistently are PSU, ND, maybe Ohio State, and mostly due to away fans of those teams. A school like Miami might bring out more Pitt fans as long as they stay good and obnoxious.

But look at how many empty seats there were against Michigan State, Texas A&M and even Nebraska!

Here a funny quote from PG’s Zeise PITT chat…

“One guy who seems to be wearing out his 15 minutes of fame is Toney Clemons. Does the way this guy is handling his recruitment remind anyone else of a certain pink suit-wearing, running back who is now about sixth string at Miami?”

Referring to the defector Andrew Johnson. Still would like us to land Clemons though.