Well, since this is still the old BE TV contract, it’s nice that Pitt gets to take advantage of the rules.

The Big East national TV schedule for this season is listed and meaningless comparisons.

I’m working from the assumption that the most desirable spots are on CBS, ESPN and ESPN2.
Pitt is the winner with 2 CBS games, 12 on ESPN and ESPN2, 1 on ESPN Regional, (thankfully only) 1 on ESPNU and 0 on ESPN360.com.

Villanova came closest to Pitt on the key three with 2 CBS, 11 on ESPN and ESPN2. What’s interesting is the love (or hatred depending on where you are and your system) ‘Nova got from the rest of the ESPN family: 2 ESPN Regional, 3 ESPNU and 1 ESPN360.

Georgetown did well with 2 CBS games, 10 ESPN/2, 2 ESPN Regional and 2 on ESPN360.

Louisville essentially matched with 2 on CBS, 10 ESPN/2, 2 ESPN Regional and 1 ESPNU.

UConn has a very interesting showing. They dominate on CBS with 4, but only have 6 on ESPN/2. In addition they have 2 ESPN Regional and 1 ESPNU.

Syracuse avoided the Regional, and the other ESPN junk. They have only 1 CBS game and 8 on ESPN/2.

Marquette was respectable with 1 CBS game and 6 ESPN/2 showings. They have a bunch on the hidden channels: 2 ESPNU and 3 ESPN360.

West Virginia gets some residual love, despite much lower expectations. 1 CBS game, 6 ESPN/2 showings and 1 ESPN Regional.

It’s tomorrow for basketball. Last year, the Big East and CSTV showed Media Day activities live on TV and streamed. Apparently that was too much fun and too much content.

Fans can access video from 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. ET on both days. It will also be available in an archived version shortly thereafter.

BIG EAST Media Day Central has full BIG EAST men’s and women’s basketball media day coverage, including previews, rosters and schedules for each team. The preseason coaches’ poll, news releases and media guides will be also be unveiled at 9:30 a.m. ET on each respective media day – along with additional quotes and features taken from the players and coaches on site.

On the Media Day Central site, you can read a capsulized preview of Pitt along with the other 15 teams. Pitt is expected to be the pre-season top team in the Big East. Georgetown would be the darkhorse surprise.

So, let’s see. Ron Cook warned everyone and sure enough goes with it.

Bad, bad, bad.

Two big dropped passes. A lost fumble. Five sacks. Eight penalties. One bad coaching decision. A defense that broke down at the worst time. A bunch of missed tackles. A whopping 268 rushing yards for Rutgers, including 225 by superb tailback Ray Rice.

Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt didn’t even try to find the silver lining, probably because there was none.

“If we do those things against The Citadel,” he said of the many blunders, “we’re going to be scrambling around to win.”

The game showed that the 6-1 record Pitt lugged in was an illusion, built against weak competition, an opening-night win against Virginia aside. It also showed how far Pitt has to go to become an elite program. There’s no question it’s better than it was last season in Wannstedt’s first season. But it’s just as evident that it has been surpassed by Rutgers and isn’t on West Virginia’s or Louisville’s level in the Big East Conference. It won’t catch up until it starts taking care of business at Heinz Field.

It’s very hard to write about this game without getting negative. Mainly because so much of it was so familiar.

Rice joins a growing list of recent-era 200-yard rushers against Pitt that includes West Virginia’s Pat White, Virginia Tech’s Kevin Jones and Notre Dame’s Julius Jones. Rice finished seven yards short of Terrell Willis’ school-record 232 yards against Temple in 1994.

It’s also frustrating because there is a gameplan to beat Rutgers. Everyone knows it, but Pitt couldn’t do it.

The Panthers entered the game with the idea that if they could get a lead, they could force the Scarlet Knights out of their comfort zone and make quarterback Mike Teel, not the running backs, win the game.

But Pitt couldn’t get any momentum on offense early, and as a result, Rutgers didn’t have to take many chances. The Scarlet Knights were content to wage a field-position battle the entire first half and it led to a 20-10 win.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said the Panthers’ lack of execution on offense early in the game was frustrating.

No pressure on the QB. No stopping the running game.

Teal only threw 18 times, a stat Wannstedt felt was one of the telltale stats of the game.

“We played right into Rutgers’ hands because the way to beat them is to jump on them early and make them throw, but they had the luxury of only needing to throw when they wanted to,” Wannstedt said. “We have a bye coming up and we’ll need it to regroup and get ready to play at South Florida in two weeks.”

The first half saw both offenses make plenty of mistakes which is why it was only 6-0 Rutgers at halftime. Rutgers, though, was moving the ball. They couldn’t score, but they kept the defense out there and was able to put Pitt deep.

The Panthers had horrendous field position in the first half, while giving Rutgers excellent starting drives, but held the Scarlet Knights to Jeremy Ito field goals from 32 and 21 yards. Ito also missed wide right from 38 yards and led 6-0 at halftime. Pitt had several chances to make plays in the first half, but dropped two passes, saw two other plays wiped out by penalties and had quarterback Tyler Palko harassed throughout.

“They were able to do some things that we just weren’t able to stop,” Pitt center Joe Villani said. “I don’t think it was as much physical as it was mental, but we have to be able to keep them off our quarterback.”

Ah, yes, the lack of protection for Palko. Five sacks allowed, and Palko had to escape several others.

The Scarlet Knights rushed for 271 yards and limited the Panthers to 67 yards rushing. Both totals were indicative of the way the Scarlet Knights physically manhandled the Panthers on both sides of the ball. As another measure of Rutgers’ physical superiority, the Scarlet Knights had five sacks while Pitt had none.

That doubles the amount of sacks the O-line allowed through the prior 7.

Still, despite that. Despite a defense that had coaches paying lip service to stopping the run, while refusing to stuff the box, bring the linebackers closer and bring up a safety. Despite all of that, Pitt was never out of the game because Rutgers struggled to finish drives.

And Pitt finally put together a drive that could go without penalties, overcome no running game and dropped passes. Going no-huddle and moving, Pitt even overcame the lack of pass protection with Tyler Palko providing a highlight reel scramble and evade before throwing a perfect strike to Oderick Turner in the back of the endzone.

That put Pitt only down 13-10 with nearly an entire quarter left to play. The crowd was fired up and ready for the roaring comeback. Pitt may have been outplayed for 3 quarters, but the game wasn’t out of reach.

On the ensuing kickoff, Rutgers’ Willie Foster fielded the ball in the upper corner of the end zone but was drilled by linebacker Clint Session at the 10. The crowd came alive, cheering wildly and giving Pitt an opportunity to take over.

Then, Rice took the handoff from Teel and bolted through the middle, slipping through the grasp of free safety Mike Phillips until cornerback Darrelle Revis chased Rice down at Pitt’s 27.

The Panthers, Wannstedt said, were “in shock.”

“That hit us in the heart,” Turner said. “We had them pinned down there and thought the momentum had changed.”

Added linebacker H.B. Blades: “It’s frustrating, because we had all the momentum at that point, and that just switched everything.”

And with that run, Ray Rice joined those tailbacks that have absolutely killed Pitt. Credit, though, also has to go to the Rutgers O-line. They opened up a gaping hole right up the middle for Rice to get through and build up a head of steam to blow through the stunned secondary.

“Everything just fitted right,” Rice said of the long run. “It just parted and I just burst through it. That was the turning point in the game. That did it.”It was a regular base call. We knew they were having problems with it. If the linebacker doesn’t take a direct angle, it parts. I was hitting it all game, but this one was a big one. I was just running out there.”

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano told his star back to prepare for a heavy workload in the second half, as the Scarlet Knights held on to the lead.

“About four minutes into the second half, I said, ‘Hey, you got it in you. We’re going to ride you,’ Schiano said. “He looked at me and said, ‘I got it in me.’ “

Rutgers ran 66 plays. Rice had 39 carries and the other backs had 9. That means Rutgers ran the ball 71% of the time. And yet, Pitt wasn’t consistently stuffing the box against the run when it was a hell of a good chance it would be a running play.

Okay, before I get to the main stuff, a couple more picks worth noting. Stewart Mandel at SI.com goes with Rutgers to my relief (he also picked Toledo to upset Pitt a few weeks ago). Of course that was spoiled by seeing Bruce Feldman pick Pitt (ESPN Insider).

Pitt 24, No. 19 Rutgers 20: It pains me to pick against the Scarlet Knights, but even though RU QB Mike Teel is coming off a career game, I think the Panthers speedy and talented back seven will give him a long day. Keep an eye on Knights RBs Ray Rice and Brian Leonard against Pitt LBs H.B. Blades and Clint Session.

Thing that has me sold: The Panthers hard-hitting duo is the best tandem Rutgers will face all season.

Damn. I’m getting all freaked and superstitious ahead of this one.

Interesting little tidbit about Pitt from Ivan Maisel’s blog.

Pittsburgh is tied for second in the Big East with nine interceptions. What’s odd is that those nine picks had been made by eight different Panthers, from defensive tackle Gus Mustakas back to left corner Darrelle Revis, the Panther with two interceptions.

Yeah, wow.

The Big East Notebook from Joe Starkey (Insider subs)doesn’t have much that hasn’t already been discussed or particularly interesting: Pitt hasn’t played anyone, attendance issues, good punters on both sides, Palko has 58 TD passes Rutherford 59, Van Pelt 66 and Marino 79. For Rutgers it’s QB Mike Teel needs to play well, so will DT Ramel Meekins.

Finally, and while I would love to excerpt the whole thing because it alternates between interesting and clueless it would definitely exceed the bounds of fair use, the ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. breakdown of the Rutgers-Pitt game. It was this passage when talking about the Rutgers offense versus Pitt defense that made me laugh bitterly.

MLB H.B. Blades plays with a mean streak and he takes the shortest path to the ball but DT’s Rashaad Duncan and Gus Mustakas lack ideal size. They won’t be able to hold their ground when the Scarlet Knights run right at them. That will allow one of the interior offensive linemen, whether it’s LOG Mike Fladell, OC Darnell Stapleton or ROG Cameron Stephenson, to release up to the second level. Even if Blades is able to shed the block quickly, he’ll be forced to wrap Leonard up three-to-four yards downfield rather than at the line of scrimmage. However, it’s important to note that SS Sam Bryant is a powerful open field tackler who is big enough to line up close to the line of scrimmage. Rhoads will likely move Bryant into the box regularly and that should help limit the production of Rutgers’ ground game.

[Emphasis added.]

Now check a little lower over what Zeise wrote in response to the Q&A about stuffing the box against the run. Yeah, Bryant would be the eighth man in the box. The odds of him being brought up regularly are…?

One other part that I found interesting since there has been some talk about Rutgers pass rush.

The good news for Rutgers is it recorded seven sacks last week with Meekins and DE William Beckford finishing with two each. The bad news is it recorded just 12 sacks over the first five games of the season and Pittsburgh’s pass protection has been sound for the most part. In addition, the front four must stay in their rushing lanes because Palko is mobile enough to make plays with his feet when he breaks contain or a seam opens up between the tackles.

Navy was playing with a back-up QB in a scheme meant to have the QB move around a lot, and take off fairly often. Palko should have time with the shorter drop that has been utilized all season.

His Q&A is up with questions about filling the stadium, how good is Rutgers, and from the department of “because that would make too much sense.”

Q: I don’t think Rutgers is very deep at receiver. Can Pitt cover man-to-man and then load the box and bring the house to stop the run?

ZEISE: That’s not been Wannstedt’s style. He doesn’t like to commit too many guys to any one area and he doesn’t like to blitz a lot because it leaves a defense vulnerable. I’d expect they’ll play a lot of their normal cover two and cover three stuff as well and let their corners play up in bump and run. I’d be shocked if they commit more than eight guys up inside to stop the run on a consistent basis. The defense is built on the concept of your defensive line getting the job done by winning one-on-one match-ups and thus allowing the linebackers to clean up all the rest. The line has played fairly well and it has worked so we shall see what happens now.

Aaiigh!

Rutgers hasn’t played from behind all year. They have yet to be put in a position where they are forced to throw. They are weak at receivers and Mike Teel has been inconsistent at best. This is not about blitzing. Like committing to the run, it’s committing to stopping the run. You have to at least bring the safeties up and force TE Clark Harris to stay in and block — taking away their best receiver in the process.

From his chat yesterday.

FearTheStache: Hi Paul, If Rutgers double teams Kinder then Turner will kill them deep and vice versa. how do you see Rutgers defending the pass?

Paul Zeise: They like to play a lot of man coverage, which Pitt has eaten alive any time any team has tried to do it. They will certainly need some safety help to stop Pitt’s passing game, but their real strength comes in the fact that they can put lots of heat on passers without having to bring the kitchen sink since their front seven is so good. If Pitt’s O-line can block well, which they have all year, I think Palko could have a big day.

I expect a couple early deep balls. To test their corners and also see how the pass protection looks against Rutgers.

I’ve got a bunch of open tabs I need to clear out, and not enough time to do it.

Welcome to our world Mr. Mandel.

By this point in the season, you’d like to think you have a pretty good grasp on how good a team is, particularly when that team is 6-1. But I have to admit, I still have no idea how good this year’s Pittsburgh Panthers are — and I’m not sure they do, either. “Maybe we’re just getting lucky,” joked quarterback Tyler Palko when I spoke with him last Sunday.

We watch them every weekend and don’t have a consistent opinion.

It is blatantly obvious to the most average sportswriter that this is the game of the week in the Big East.

Context, please.

It’s easy to show Pitt QB Tyler Palko‘s rejuvenation with this obvious number: His pass efficiency rating has jumped from 126.7 last year to a nation-leading 188.6 this season. The underlying reason is that coordinator Matt Cavanaugh tweaked his West Coast approach to stretch the field and accommodate a quarterback who throws a nice deep ball. That leads us to a more revealing number going into this week’s key Big East game against Rutgers: Palko is second in the nation with 10.3 yards per attempt–way up from last year’s 7.0. Any offensive coordinator will tell you that number is the most important statistic for a quarterback.

It’s a good number. An interesting number, but I’m not quite sure as to why it is “the most important statistic for a quarterback.” Anyone care to supply the answer?

I like that SI.com considers Palko about the 5th best QB in college football. Now, here’s what I’m wondering. Does anyone actually know what kind of offense Pitt is running versus what it had run under Walt Harris? Look at the comment “…In this, his second year in coach Dave Wannstedt’s pro-style system…”

Excuse me? I thought the passing game for Pitt was now more of a true West Coast from OC Matt Cavanaugh and that Harris ran more of the pro style. Of course, I’ve read it the other way in the past. Honestly, and maybe it’s just because it’s late, but I don’t know anymore. I’m not sure anyone really knows anymore.

While on the subject of Walt Harris, there was this in Stewart Mandel’s mailbag (I saw it Frank, but was going to let it go).

Stewart, Stanford managed just 52 yards of total offense in its Homecoming game, a loss to Arizona. The Wildcats entered the game ranked 118th in the nation in rushing yards and ran for 223 yards against the overmatched Cardinal. Stanford is now 0-7, the fans and players have quit on Walt Harris, and it’s clear that the program has been in complete disarray since Ty Willingham left in 2002. Have you ever seen a case where one coaching change has so drastically crippled a college football program?
— Tony Barber, Mountain View, Calif.

No, I have not. The program has gone from being a regular Pac-10 title contender under Willingham to the absolute worst team in the conference by a country mile. The Cardinal was bad under Buddy Teevens, too, but not nearly this bad. And what makes it all the more puzzling is that Stanford showed promise last year in Harris’ first season. As you may recall, they came dangerously close to knocking off Notre Dame in their regular-season finale, which, if they had, would have sent them to a bowl game. Even stranger: This is not a young team. They returned 16 starters, including 10 on offense (though several have been injured).

That said, I knew something was fishy when seven of Harris’ assistants left after one season. Though Harris did an admirable job of turning around Pittsburgh’s long-suffering program, he was generally despised there by the end of his tenure. And now he’s not exactly inspiring confidence in Palo Alto. In addition, the athletic director who hired him, Ted Leland, left the school last year and was replaced by former Iowa AD Bob Bowlsby, who you know is looking forward to the opportunity to make his mark on the program. Cutting ties with a coach after two seasons certainly doesn’t help a program’s stability, but at the same time, I don’t know if it’s possible for the Cardinal to become any less stable than they already are.

This will be a bit of a rant.

Anyone remember Harris’ first year at Pitt? Remember how the team turned around in one season and in one of the greatest Backyard Brawls ever (and the best game I ever saw in-person) beat the Hoopies in Morgantown? Remember the next year when Pitt went 2-9. Losing to Rutgers and Temple? I do. It was my first year as a season ticket holder since graduating. I sat through a bunch of those humiliations. When the team regressed badly. Players were not that good and being shaken out of the program.

I had bounced around for a bit in Chicago, law school — in Ohio when Pitt played and was crushed in the home-and-home with OSU — and generally just not connected to the school and the team. This was pre-net so there was no way to stay aware of what Pitt was doing outside of little box scores in papers and very little info in general. Hackett and then Majors with the assistance of an uncaring administration had nearly destroyed Pitt football.

Walt Harris brought Pitt back to respectability (that and a job in Youngstown that made trips to the ‘Burgh an easy thing). Slowly. Surely. There were steps back. There was also progress. There were times when it was thought he might leave. Alabama. Ohio State. They sniffed. Whether he or they were serious, nothing came of it other then some extensions, raises and some nervousness by fans at the time.

When Harris left Pitt/was forced out, I was torn. Harris had probably reached the end of the line with Pitt. There was something of a plateau. He had alienated a lot of people. If he had stayed, it is very likely he could have done harm to Pitt.

At the same time, I felt like I owed Coach Harris. I owed him a debt. This, despite not knowing the guy. Never meeting him. At times being as eager as anyone else to throw him over.
Walt Harris brought me back to caring and following Pitt and college football. I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I wouldn’t be writing for AOL on college football. None of that, if it hadn’t been for what Walt Harris did to bring Pitt back into mainstream Division 1-A college football.

So I hope he turns the corner at Stanford. Just as he did in time at Pitt. Rebuilding doesn’t come easy at all places.  I know not everyone feels the same way. That’s fine. My view is just that. My view. Just don’t expect me to revel in his struggles.

I made the point yesterday that whichever team loses on Saturday will get called out by the media as being a sham product of a weak schedule. Sure enough, the AP has just such an article making the papers.

Pitt hasn’t had a record this good in mid-October since 1982. The Panthers might soon learn if they’re as good as their 6-1 mark indicates, or if that record is the product of a softer-than-usual schedule.

Funny how this worked out, but opponent Rutgers is in the same position.

In what is turning out to be one of the Big East Conference’s games of the year — and who could have figured that — Pitt (6-1, 2-0) meets No. 19 Rutgers (6-0, 1-0) on Saturday in a game that may determine which team’s talent matches its record.

I also happen to agree with the assessment that Rutgers has received more of a challenge then Pitt has to this point. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s there.

Ron Cook at the P-G notes that this is a big opportunity that Pitt has continually missed at home to make a statemtent of progress (he doesn’t note any exceptions but I will — beating VT in 2003 seemed like it until Pitt followed it up with bad losses to WVU and a home humiliation to Miami).

He also spends half the article concerned with putting bodies in Heinz Field. Coach Wannstedt won’t bite. He’s seen plenty of programs struggle with attendance regardless of the success.

“I was at the University of Miami when we had the Heisman Trophy winner” — Vinny Testaverde — “and were 8-0 and had 35,000 for a game against East Carolina. I was at Pitt when we won the national championship in ’76 and had Tony Dorsett and averaged 48,000. I was at USC when, if we didn’t play Notre Dame or UCLA, we might get 40,000 when we played Oregon or Oregon State …

“We want a packed house, just like everyone else. If it’s to be, it will be. All I know is we’re going to keep recruiting the top players who people want to see. We’re going to keep winning games. I want to put out a product that the alumni and the people of this city can be proud of. That’s all I can do. That’s all my football team can do.”

Admittedly, you don’t like to get lumped in with perceived front-running fans. The thing is, like Pitt those are programs in pro-city towns, so it all comes down to winning (LA at the time Wannstedt is speaking had the Rams and even the Raiders came. A bit different now, and by coincidence the Trojans are packing them in).

I want to see more people and better support at the game, but we all know the majority mindset is they want to see the team winning before they come. Heck, the blog stats reflect it. The drop-off in hits following the Michigan State loss was significant, and only now with a 4-game winning streak has come back to the levels of the week leading up to that game.

And of course, all the beat writers cover mention this topic.

The critics have pointed out that the Panthers’ schedule isn’t very strong and the best team the Panthers played, Michigan State, beat them rather soundly and hasn’t won since. The Panthers haven’t defeated a team with a winning record.

In that case, it’s more of a lead-in to discuss the Rutgers team.

The players know the team isn’t seen as legitimate yet because of the schedule, but also know they are the ones that can change it.

“We’re not concerned about what people say about us, that we’re not that good or we haven’t really played anybody,” Pitt linebacker H.B. Blades said. “We just do what we’re supposed to do, go out and win games. All that other stuff is going to take care of itself, as long as we keep winning.

“It’s a little strange, but they’ve done a great job so far this year. They’ve beaten ACC schools, Big Ten schools. They’ve just been killing people. They’ve been doing it this year. We’ve got to beat the teams that (have) been doing it, and Rutgers has been doing it.”

The main difference is that the Scarlet Knights have beaten three teams with four wins or more — Ohio (4-3) and South Florida and Navy, both 5-2. Pitt hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record, and Michigan State has lost four consecutive games since beating the Panthers on Sept. 16.

“We struggled against Michigan State. That was probably the only team that could validate us,” said Pitt linebacker Brian Bennett, a Delanco, N.J., native. “People say, ‘You haven’t beaten anyone,’ but we went out and practiced, prepared to win and beat people the way we were supposed to.

“We’ve got to beat these guys if we want to win the conference, to be considered a legit team.”

And Thursday night’s UVA-UNC game will go some ways to determining who had the better win against a bad ACC team.

If there’s any caution, it’s that hyping the game too much may make an actual loss that much more painful.

“This is an opportunity for us to play a ranked opponent on national television, and it’s an opportunity for us to see where we’re at,” Palko said. “By no means will this game make or break our season, but it’s going to be a test. So, we’ll study all week and see where we’re at when we take it.”

Yeah, it only feels like SATs to determine whether you are going to be able to get into Pitt or Slippery Rock.

A round-up of some stuff from national sites on Pitt basketball.

From a chat with ESPN’s Andy Katz:

Paul (San Diego – Pitt Alum): Is Pitt able to live up to the hype this year. They are being touted as a final four team again but I just see us settling for another Sweet 16 exit. Can you ease my mind?

Andy Katz: Yes they can. Aaron Gray is better and so are the guards in Ronald Ramon and Levance Fields. Levon Kendall has become one of the top role players in the Big East and a capable scoring option. I still say there is a high ceiling for Sam Young. So, yes, they should be in the group that goes for a Final Four berth.

Luke Winn at SI.com blogs his “All-Attribute team.”

THE GLASSMASTER-AT-BOTH-ENDS CENTER: Aaron Gray, Sr., Pitt.

Rebounding percentage — not total rebounds, but the percent of available boards grabbed while on the floor — was the determining factor in this pick. And in that department, no one comes close to Gray, who ranked in the top-10 nationally in both offensive and defensive rebounding. The Panthers’ 7-footer, who matured from reserve to national star last season and was a late scratch from the 2006 NBA Draft, got his hands on 15.7 percent of offensive boards (seventh in the country) and an amazing 27.0 percent of defensive boards (fourth in the country) — better than such monsters as Tyrus Thomas of LSU, Leon Powe of Cal and Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech. The pros may have been skeptical about Gray’s athleticism, but he’s welcome on this team any time.

Meanwhile Seth Davis sits down with Jamie Dixon and Orlando Antigua for dinner at an old favorite Tessaro’s in Bloomfield after taking in a Pitt practice. He raises some serious questions about the team leadership, but comes in at the end with this.

Bottom line: Not only has Pitt not reached the Final Four since 1941, but the Panthers have not been past the Round of 16 since then either. They’re one of only four schools to make the NCAAs in each of the last five years, and three of those times they reached the Sweet 16. This feels to me like a program ready to break through. Pencil in the Panthers to at least reach the Elite Eight. If they get a little lucky, a trip to Atlanta is definitely within their grasp.

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News thinks Pitt will end up redshirting Freshman Center Austin Wallace. It makes sense with Gray, Tyrell Biggs and Doyle Hudson all ahead of him. Next year it will just be Biggs. Give Wallace time to really learn and have full eligibility. Not that he has a big shot of getting meaningful playing time.

I’m mildly surprised Pitt didn’t make either poll. Not a big deal, but with the total domination on a game that everyone saw — no competition is the bright side to the Friday night game — with all the upsets. It was more surprising that Georgia and Iowa stayed in the polls with 2nd straight losses to teams that don’t exactly have football heavyweight reputations. Just more incentive for the team to take care of business against Rutgers on Saturday.

It is confirmed, that the game will be played at 5:45 and shown on ESPN2. Rutgers is ranked, so this will be big. Imagine that, a homecoming with big implications. Those class reunion dinners will be cancelled or changed to brunch.

Bunch of things needed to be done this morning, and then I will have the monitor duty on the AOL Fanhouse — watching and posting on all the college football games — this afternoon and evening (yes that includes making snarky comments on the Michigan-PSU game).

So, the media write-up is going to be lots of link and little commentary and excerpts.

Starting with the locals, which I’m sure most of you have already scanned.

It’s hard to play up the “bad luck” angle of Friday the 13th when the game was over so quickly. The road blowout by Pitt was their biggest in years.
H.B. Blades had a great game and impressed the Butkus Award Committee — which happens to be run by the Orlando Downtown Athletic Club — which is a nice coincidence. The watchlist gets cutdown from 66 to 10 next week.

I’ll skip analyzing the Smizik column that hardly skimps on backhand slaps at Pitt, to simply observe the abject shock he is experiencing at the idea of a Rutgers-Pitt game that really matters.

The AP story has Coach Wannstedt apparently answering a question about trying to score again before the half.

The second kick came as the clock ticked off to halftime, when despite a 38-point lead, Pitt pushed for a TD.

“We had 30 minutes of football left,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “We would never intentionally run the score up, but it was the same play we ran last week against Syracuse to run the clock out against them. And he was open.”

I don’t think anyone can really accuse a team of running up the score when it is still in the first half. I was happy with it, because it was about putting UCF away. The stepping on the throat that you want your team to do.

Now for the Florida media. They were in a surly mood.

UCF couldn’t stop Pitt on Friday night.

Not on the opening kickoff.

Not on the Panthers’ first possession.

Not on the Panthers’ last possession.

Not anywhere in between.

Pitt never punted. The Panthers converted 10 of 12 third downs. George O’Leary, UCF’s frustrated coach, couldn’t remember another game in which his defense failed to force a punt.

Now, when you get trounced you can play up the “bad luck” angle. But that can only account for so much.

The only problem was that from the very first play of the game Friday night, it was clear to almost everyone in the announced crowd of 35,858 at the Florida Citrus Bowl that UCF’s woes had nothing to do with simple bad luck.

On the bright side, UCF seems to have found another WR to compliment Mike Walker.

This seems to have upset the media to some degree because of who was coaching Pitt.

Wannstedt, a flop as head coach of the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins, has energized his alma mater into a powerhouse once again. Pitt improved to 6-1 and is riding a four-game winning streak. The Panthers, whose lone loss was to Michigan State, could play a major role in the national championship race as they close the season with consecutive home games against No. 5 West Virginia and No. 7 Louisville.

More later.

The P-G Pitt football beat reporter had his online chat yesterday and his Q&A today. The Q&A was on the short side because of tonight’s game, and not much new there.
I think the online chat has gotten to the point where people are trying to bait him over playing Bill Stull. Interesting comments on T.J. Porter and his maturity. I have to agree with this part from the chat.

Vic_Damone_Jr.: What is the biggest difference in the defense this year?

Paul Zeise: I think it is clear that the defensive line is playing at a much higher level than they have been. A lot of that has to do with having better players, but I also think moving Greg Gattuso to defensive line coaching was a brilliant move because he has clearly helped upgrade that position. If you look at it Pitt doesn’t have a bunch of studs on the defensive line but they are effective now, they get off blocks and as a result they make everyone elses job easier.

I made note of the Gattuso move making a difference earlier this week. I think it helped in that Gattuso is a good coach and teacher, and also it got the attention of the rest of the defensive coaches. They survived the change in head coaches without any turnover. This probably served as a none-to-subtle notice that things had better improve or else.

This part of the chat made me smile.

Vic_Damone_Jr.: Why do you constantly defend Paul Rhoads? He has not done a good job the last four years.

Paul Zeise: I don’t constantly defend anyone. I just don’t think it is fair to throw the guy under the bus given some of the issues personnel wise he’s had to deal with. I think he has shown when he has good players, not great ones, but good ones at a majority of the positions, he can do a good job. It is hard to coach defense when your defensive line is being pancaked more than the batter at the Waffle House. Do I agree with everything he’s done or everything about his scheme? No. But I could say the same about just about every coach, so I really just don’t think it is fair to destroy him like so many people would like.

[Emphasis added.]

Heh-heh-heh.

Halfway through the season and this year Pitt is getting noticed a little. The Pitt Athletic Department pointed out that H.B. Blades was named to CBS Sportsline’s “Halfway” All-American squad. Dennis Dodd in his write-up regarding the halfway point sends some direct love to Pitt.

Best comeback(s): Both Washington and Pittsburgh are three games better than they were at this point a year ago. The Huskies (4-2) were 1-5 after six games last year, headed toward a 2-9 season. Now they seem destined for the school’s first bowl since 2002.

Pittsburgh (5-1) started 2-4 in ’05 on its way to a 5-6 debut under Dave Wannstedt. Now the Panthers are a dark horse to win the Big East.

He also lists the L-ville-Pitt game at the end of the season as one of the expected best games to come.

Over at ESPN.com, Bruce Feldman blogs his “Midseason hot 100” [Insider subs.]

45. Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh QB: Quietly putting up magnificent numbers: 71 percent completions, 15 TDs, 3 INTs.

…

64. H.B. Blades, Pittsburgh, LB: Squatty 240-pound LB is the Big East’s leading tackler with 11.3 stops per game.

In the mid-season review of the Big East, Joe Starkey didn’t list Pitt for any “honors” which isn’t too shocking. Pitt isn’t the biggest surprise or disappointment so far. And they aren’t ready to be considered an alpha dog either.

In his individual reviews of each team [Insider subs.] he offers a rather standard summary.

This time last year, the Ricky Williams ordeal had to be looking like a preferable alternative to new Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt. His team was 2-4, its only victories coming against Cincinnati and Division I-AA Youngstown State. Today, the Panthers are 5-1, though it’s hard to tell how much better they are, considering their wins were against Virginia, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Toledo and The Citadel. Pitt failed miserably in its biggest test to date, a 38-23 home loss to Michigan State in which the Spartans rushed for 335 yards. Pitt still must prove it can stop the run against good teams (or even mediocre ones).

Midseason MVP

Tyler Palko was outplayed by Michigan State’s Drew Stanton in the Panthers’ only loss to date, but he has otherwise been brilliant running offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s West Coast system. Using shorter drop-backs than a year ago, Palko is ranked second in the country in passing efficiency (186.01) and first in the Big East in passing yards per game (248.2). He has 15 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.

What’s next

Another less-than-stellar opponent in Central Florida on Saturday, followed by the real season, which begins with a home game Oct. 21 against No. 24 Rutgers. It’s not inconceivable Pitt could be 8-2 or even 9-1 going into season-ending home games against conference powers West Virginia and Louisville.

Actually, I’d argue there is a noticeable improvement — not withstanding the MSU game. Last year against opponents like that, Pitt struggled. And I know I’ve pointed this out before. After just about every win last year, you just found yourself shaking your head and could only say, “at least they got the win.” This year it’s different. The wins are more decisive. The team and/or coaches are still struggling to completely put a team away, but the game is that much sure-footed.

Pitt swept the Big East weekly honors this week. LaRod Stephens-Howling named Offensive Player of the Week. Chris McKillop took Defensive POW.

In light of the season ending injury to redshirt sophomore, safety Eric Thatcher, Coach Wannstedt’s messge was to remind many players in practice that they could be expected to step in and perform as a starter. Obviously that message was one Chris McKillop heeded a while ago.

“I went out there every day and, even though I wasn’t a starter, I played like I was,” McKillop said. “I practiced hard and let the chips fall where they may. It was unfortunate we lost Doug, because he’s a great player, but it gave me an opportunity. I can’t let the window of opportunity close. I seized the opportunity.”

McKillop’s inspired play has been paramount to the Panthers’ improvement on the defensive line. After getting manhandled in his first season at defensive end, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound converted middle linebacker spent the offseason adding 15 pounds of muscle to his frame.

McKillop lost the starting job at left end to Joe Clermond in training camp, but he was ready when called upon after Fulmer was injured against The Citadel.

“That was a tough situation,” Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso said. “That’s a hard thing to do, lose a starting job and to keep working as hard as he worked. It should send a message to not only our defensive line but, hopefully, all our team that you never know when your number is going to get called again and it’s important to be ready.”

Assuming that Pitt beats UCF on Friday and Rutgers beats Navy on Saturday (netither, especially the latter, is a given), the Homecoming game (Oct. 21) with Rutgers should be a very big game in the Big East and for the top-25 rankings. If so, it will likely end up on ESPN2 and move the gametime to 5:45 pm from noon. Apparently ESPN2 is going to show a BE game in that slot. The other choice would be Louisville-Syracuse.

It’s all about making the most of the chances being given.

I wish I was making this up. This morning’s “trivia question” in the LA Times Sports section.

What is Pitt’s football rivalry with West Virginia called?

Deep, deep sigh.

A couple mentions of Pitt to pass along from ESPN’s Insider subscription. Joe Starkey’s Big East notebook regurgitates the Revis struggling with punt returns story that was covered by both papers today, puffs Palko’s performance against The Citadel, Coach Wannstedt not bothered by the rule change to speed up the game and in discussing the Toledo game, the editor missed something vital.

Pitt has a dangerous home game against Toledo on Saturday (ESPNU, noon ET). The Panthers have lost two of their past three games against Toledo, including a 35-31 upset on the road in 2003. One key will be stopping Toledo’s screen passes, which killed the Panthers in 2003. Then-Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was 18-of-20 on his team’s final two drives.

[Emphasis added.]

Pitt and Toledo have only played twice before in 2002 and 03. I believe it was supposed to be the MAC not Toledo that Pitt has lost 2 of 3.

Bruce Feldman in his blog lists 10 most improved units in CFB.

9. Pittsburgh’s offense: Veteran QB Tyler Palko now has a better handle on what Dave Wannstedt and Matt Cavanaugh expect and they no doubt have a better grasp on him, too. Maybe more importantly, the Panthers young receiving crew is starting to emerge and everyone else is feeding off that. Pitt, which was 85th in total offense last season and 85th in passing offense, is now 30th and eighth, respectively. Last season they were 85th in sacks allowed. Through the first four games, they’ve only allowed three sacks.

As long as you ignore the pesky lack of a run game, that is.