The non-con football schedule is complete. Pitt was already scheduled to play Villanova, ND and at Navy. A MAC or some other 1-A from the lower tier was expected. Turns out it isn’t a totally horrible opponent.  The fourth non-con is another home game against the Lobos of New Mexico.

That means a seven-game home schedule in the first year of ACC play. There was already going to be excitement about that first year. With only one 1-AA team. No MAC (or Sun Belt) opponents. Notre Dame at home. Ticket sales for the 2013 season should be strong.

Well, my son is running a fever today. Which means I’m taking a sick day as well. (Hence the slew of posts.)

Today, Wisconsin officially hires Gary Andersen from Utah State. Wisconsin fans like the fact that Andersen was a candidate, and they seem very pleased with the hire. By most accounts, the hire was considered to be an excellent move.

A coach that won in a place that has been mostly a rent-a-win since its return to 1-A. He’s from the Urban Meyer coaching tree. He was the DC at Utah. It also seems to be a fiscally prudent hire, as Andersen’s salary is in the $1.8 – 2 million range.

Obviously for Pitt fans, the relief is that Wisconsin may have found a coach that can win. If Wisconsin wins, then they aren’t looking to replace him a few years down the road. Which means if Chryst succeeds like we hope and believe, he won’t be faced with the choice of going home.

There is one nagging fear.

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Despite being a class AA all-state pick last year, Shakir Soto was not highly regarded (or evaluated). Yes, he played in a low classification, but he definitely flew under the radar. When he verballed to Pitt in April. Since that time, his profile has risen enough to be evaluated and ranked by all the sites. He is now a consensus 3-star defensive end, and one of the top-20 players in Pennsylvania. He will also be graduating this year, and enrolling at Pitt in January.

Before he gets to Pitt, he was once more named to the AA All-state team (h/t to Scott).

Soto, a Pittsburgh recruit, racked up 69 tackles and 3½ sacks while being the focal point of opposing offenses.

This is Soto’s second consecutive all-state selection.

“Pennsylvania is a great football state, so it feels great to know that you’re a part of that list, especially to do it twice in a row,” Soto said. “My family is really proud of me. It’s a great thing.”

Remember folks, tweeting at recruits is bad form — and before the decision is made can be a potential NCAA violation. Whether before or after a decision just leave the kid be. Follow his tweets if you must, but don’t go jealous boyfriend/girlfriend on a kid.

At least Robert Foster will end the drama before the start of winter break — and he means right before.

Robert Foster (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), No. 28 in the ESPN 150, will hold a ceremony on Friday, Dec. 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET at Central Valley, his coach Mark Lyons said. While the date was set earlier this month, the time was still up in the air as late as this past Friday.

The No. 2 receiver nationally, Foster will choose between Alabama and Pittsburgh. He officially visited the Tide on Oct. 26 and the Panthers on Nov. 16.

Pitt and Alabama have been in the mix from the beginning. Other programs have been mentioned, then fallen away from the list.

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Really thought I would have all this done by the end of last week. I was going to lump all the big men together, but given the panning of his first couple months (Insider subs.) nationally, followed by his game against the oh-so-overmatched Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (wildcats? Really? Well, it’s… generic.), along with another near double-double versus Delaware St., and the spirited defenses of him in by Coach Dixon. It just seemed that Steven Adams probably deserved his own spot.

At the very start of the season, Adams was facing the expectations. And after only one game, it prompted Joe Starkey to issue a warning.

We all agreed on these central facts:

• Adams is legitimately oblivious to the hype and harbors no desire to be “the man.” How that plays out — say, late in games when somebody has to be the man — will be interesting.

• His game is part raw and part refined. He‘ll block a layup, then step out to block a 3. He snaps a wicked outlet pass. He spots open men and gets the ball to them quickly, sometimes creatively.

On the other hand, he‘ll probably want to curtail those one-armed rebounds, judging from one coach‘s reaction, and his low-post game is undeveloped. Pitt didn‘t throw it to him inside until nearly eight minutes in.

• Man, can Adams run. He‘ll trail the break like a speeding freight train and finish with a flying alley-oop dunk. Which is precisely how he scored his first collegiate basket.

The rebounding with only one-arm is a common big man bad habit. Especially for freshmen big men who infrequently went up against players of similar size or physical strength. It was a very frustrating sight in several games. Adams was there for the rebound but either stabbed at it with only one hand — allowing a smaller defender to either go up and snatch it or knock it free — or let himself be bumped out of position because he wasn’t expecting anyone to be able to move him.

And it has only been in the past few games where he has started to shed that habit. Corralling and securing rebounds with both hands. Being more prepared and able to absorb contact. It’s a noticeable change in the stats. In the first 8 games, Adams had 35 rebounds. In the last 4 games: 39.

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