I have been trying to catch up with reality after a long break away over Thanksgiving. That has meant a bit of neglect here on one of the most important weeks for Pitt football. I’m feeling a bit of guilt, so it’s time to kick off a little hate.
The ‘Eers are in the hunt for going to the BCS game. They benefited from the Big East scheduling them to have 3 of their final 4 games at home. Something most teams in a national title hunt would happily welcome. What team wouldn’t want to come down the final stretch and be in front of a home crowd? Apparently the team with a buckskin-clad mascot and like to stress their hale and hearty constitutions are a wee bit put off by having to play so many games in the cold. Seriously?
WVU athletic officials have brought this matter to the conference’s attention, according to coach Rich Rodriguez. He believes the fans deserve a better shake. “I would have preferred to have more Big East home games during the season in the month of October,” he said a week ago. “I think it’s the second year in a row we’ve had more games in November and December.”
Would he? Really? He would rather have more road games at this point for the comfort of fans? Fans who would otherwise be pissed at not having their team at home very much as they approach heading to the BCS Championship? Personally, while I grudgingly admire the coaching of Rodriguez — developing players for his system, teaching them and becoming the Yoda of the spread option — I think Rodriguez is more than a little bit of a whiner who would be complaining if the team had only one home game in November.
My fellow Fanhouser and unfortunate WVU alum, John Radcliff (who wrote the post linked above) has seen Mountaineer Stadium lose its edge in the last couple years. So, he seems to believe that it is the moneyed alum are responsible for bitching to the WVU officials.
Perhaps. Like I said, Rodriguez is a whiner by nature it seems. Whine, whine, whine.
Coach Rich Rodriguez is not exactly giddy about playing a game amid hunting season.
Not so much deer-hunting season — and a host of West Virginians and Western Pennsylvanians partake in that — but rather the period for tracking down prospective Mountaineers still in high school or junior colleges.
“This is the third year in a row West Virginia has missed a week” of the recruiting period, Rodriguez said yesterday. “When we only have six weeks of a recruiting-contact period, losing a week hurts.”
…
“I see a lot of people doing it,” he added of a rivalry finale. “I just don’t like playing it in December. Playing it this late, I don’t know if it’s that fun for our fans out there.”
Pathetic. Mountaineer fans not liking the cold. WVU officials complaining about too many home games late in the season. And a coach always complains about something.
Ahhhh. I feel better.
Chas do you remember your post after the Ohio U loss in 2005 regarding Wanny and the mistake they made hiring him and how we are stuck with him?
Next year is his swan song, he will be long gone and we have to start all over in finding a coach.
Remember Pitt fans, the Wanny game-plan is to allow WVU to score on 10 play drives!
Watch out Bowz, a while ago i said that sean miller is the next coach and pitt and got torn a new one.
a competent AD should have SOME kind of contingency plan in place should either of the coaches leave. nothing says that dixon will stay at pitt forever (he almost went to Ariz St), so you have to have a plan and just hope you dont have to use it.
Ive said it all over this blog. One more year to prove something
I am sold.
seriously, its a difficult situation and i think with his recruiting and such wanny has earned 2008. what is one more year of bad football? who knows, maybe they will surprise us. if not, can him and begin the next 4 years of rebuilding. there are too many teams in college football that expect to be at the top. The SEC has 8 teams every year that could win it all, one of them stumbles a bit and loses a game here and there and the fans go nuts and turn on the coach. you think if urban meyer goes 9-3 the next two seasons he wont be on the hot seat?
it is a game of inches and expectations are unrealistic in the realm of coaching. sometimes you are better off sticking with a guy for years to see what happens. i am not saying i am all for wanny but you have to think long term
Yeah, Jim Tressel is a good coach and does a good job on the field. I am sure he is a sound fundamentals guy. But he coaches at Ohio State. It is a marquee program with great history and tradition. That is no comparison to Pitt. Just like comparisons of Pete Carroll’s success at USC are no comparison to Wannstedt at USC.
Unemotional group of players – this year? This is far better than it has been. A lot better than Rutherford calling 4 TO’s a game to fix his contacts. This team has the most enthusiasm and team spirit of any recent Pitt team. You went to Morgantown and their fans were fired up because they had a great team – and their fans had no idea what planet they were on.
I guess Rich is trying to fill the “Douchebag Coach On Pitt’s Schedule” void that JoePa no longer wants to fill.