Now if they could just add some Verve and Charisma they’d really have something cooking…Heyoo!

In all seriousness though, I and many others on this blog have long railed against Pitt’s seeming ineptitude in the fundraising department.  As evidenced by this:

Screen Shot 2019-04-19 at 2.45.01 PM

Well someone in the Athletic department is either reading this blog, or they’ve finally come around to realizing that nothing is going to change if they don’t change something, and so action has been taken.

The result of this action was the hiring of Brady Hart as the “Senior Associate AD for Development”.  In other words, we now (finally) have a dude on the staff who is getting paid to convince important and wealthy people to give Pitt money.  Hopefully a lot of it.

Per Pitt’s Press release:

Hart, who spent the previous two years as an Associate Athletics Director at UCF, will be instrumental in the major gift strategy, staff development and initiatives for Pitt Athletics while also serving in a leadership role for an array of department-wide fundraising efforts.

Hart comes to Pitt by way of UCF and the University of Buffalo.  And whilst UCF kicked Pitt’s a** all over the field last season, the move to Pitt is ostensibly a step up in class.  Based on the job description above, Hart’s new role certainly seems like a step up in scope, and as fans we can only hope that Hart is up to the task.

Per Pitt’s AAD for Philanthropy and Engagement (i.e. Hart’s new boss), Chris McFarlane:

[Brady’s] development alongside some of the best athletics administrators in the country has turned Brady into one of the brightest rising stars in our industry.  I’m incredibly excited to add someone of Brady’s caliber to our team in such an important capacity.  I look forward to incorporating his passion and expertise as we continue to elevate the student-athlete experience and transform the competitive landscape for Pitt Athletics.

So do we.

Chris goes on:

Hart utilized his relationship building and revenue-generating background to build the Premium Sales division for UCF Athletics. He developed and led one of the most creative and innovative programs in college athletics, adding nearly $700,000 in new annual revenue for the Knights. 

Considering that UCF’s average attendance in 2018 was just north of 42,000 fans, and that was up from 36,000 in 2016 and 2017, Hart should be gunning for at least a million at Pitt.  Of course it will help if Narduzzi can figure out how to rattle off 25 straights wins and beat Auburn in a BCS bowl.  Nonetheless, Hart should have something to work with considering that our home attendance was up 15% last year, averaging just north of 44,000.  (Even though we won just a paltry 7 games…)

Hart brings some impressive credentials to Pitt:

  • Associate Athletic Director Job at G5 School, with track record of Success.  Check.
  • Five years at MAC school (Buffalo) with increasing responsibilities.  Check.
  • Graduate Assistantship at Ohio University for nearly two years.  Check.
  • Development assistant role at Cal State University.  Check.
  • Ivy League Education and Football Experience.  Check.
  • Hails from State College, PA.  Wait What???

As an inherent optimist, I’m going to be required to take the position of “Well maybe he grew up hating Penn State, since he was surrounded by it”, but I can tell you that I feel dirty doing it.  Real dirty.  I grew up in rural Pennsylvania.  I know how it is.  And if this guy ain’t Catholic (i.e. a Notre Dame fan…and this is the ONLY religious discussion I will tolerate on this board), then his mom probably has bumper sticker on her car that says “If God isn’t a Penn State Fan then why is the Sky Blue?”

God, I hate that bumper sticker.

But lets hope that I’m wrong.  Lets hope Hart becomes a Pitt Man and fills Pitt’s coffers to the brim.  And lets hope he sticks around for a while, because Pittsburgh is a hell of a town.  And lets hope that deep down he really does hate Penn State, if only because Joe Pa wouldn’t let him walk on.

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

PS – I have no idea if Joe Pa would have let him walk on or not, nor do I have any idea if Hart even wanted to walk on, but I thought that closing statement had a hell of a ring to it.  If any of you happen to be contacted by Mr. Hart for premium seating, or a donation, or anything else, feel free to ask him about it.  I’m sure he’s got some stories to tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

388 thoughts on “Pitt Athletics adds some Hart to its Fundraising Department”

  1. Wow!! God forbid Heather do anything. AD with multiple consultants galore, fundraising AD’s, Recruiters for coaching hires, and like 12 other Associate AD’s. What the hell does she actually do other than hand out certificates at halftime and fanta promotions.

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    1. You beat me to the punch. What in the name of god do all these people do? They make a ton of money to do what???? Hire underlings to do the actual work. Of course, the good news about this strategy is that there’s always someone down the food chain to fire if things don’t go as planned.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Maybe Hart knew of Sandusky and wanted out of Creepy Valley when he was a young man. Joe knew, and allowed the Creep to hang around the valley.

    IKR, who does that kind of thing? And then, how do hundreds of thousands of fans & alumni defend the man who knew and did NOTHING to stop it?

    The University of Pittsburgh should have cleansed itself of all things Penn State when this Sandusky thing went down – faculty, coaches, administrators and BoT’s should have been shown the door. Yes, I dislyke them that much – because of what they allowed, supported and defended.

    Do they win football games? – yes.

    Did many young lives get destroyed in Creepy Valley – yes.

    Should there be more “enablers” in jail? – YES!

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    1. I hope all those degrees help him with this job because one thing the PItt Athletic Dept. has lacked for years is common sense and I didn’t learn that in college.

      And for those wondering why this guy didn’t go to PSU being from State College…he got into Yale. I don’t care if my son was offered to be the starting qb for Pitt as a freshman, I would encourage him to go to Yale if he got in.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Is he Dave’s grandson? Nephew?That would be oddly poetic.

    Actually Pitt has tried “development” efforts in the past. About 15 years ago I had a “handler ” assigned to me by Pitt athletics. Phone calls. A couple meetings. Even bought lunch once. Nice person. I enjoyed the conversations. Looking for a commitment via charitable annuity or estate plan, I think. I wasnt that old or that well off. Maybe that’s why the relationship didn’t last.😂

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  8. The big successful schools have set up foundations with large staffs to handle the fund raising. Takes that responsibility away from the athletic department and allows them to focus on winning.

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  10. Pitt has an institutional development department which is responsible for raising donations. Each department has their own adjunct to this including athletics. Pitt has over $3b in its own foundation. The hiring of Hart doesn’t represent anything new. When Heather came in Chris took over the position of chief fundraiser which was not a new position. She and he have been hiring staff over the past several years in recognition that they only have a fraction of the people that other schools have devoted to this people.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Key phrase “in recognition that they only have a fraction of the people that other schools have”

      Liked by 1 person

      1. They’ve surveyed Depts when they go to annual meetings of the ACC. I think they have one of the lowest number of staff devoted to fundraising.

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      2. That is the key phrase. The latest data I found was that Pitt’s Foundation has over $4.2B in assets as of 6/30/2018.

        Guess what my next article submission is going to be on.

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        1. That is a lot of money. Would be interesting to see how much of that is earmarked for athletics vs the rest of Pitt. Are they all liquid assets? What is the annual income? How does this stack up to say a duke or a uva?

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          1. this is Pitt’s endowment
            they spend roughly $150M every year
            and most donations go to the Medical School
            there is a certain % that is not earmarked for any special causes or to specific departments
            so the way i think it works is that if 20% is classified as ‘general’, only this could be used towards athletics…therefore only $30M is available

            most donors who contribute to sports do so directly to the athletic department…like my recent one which specified soccer only

            interesting – why did i donate?
            played in HS, Pitt has a great coach, 2 back to back very good recruiting classes, player already drafted by MLS, Pitt plays in the best soccer conference, have on campus facility, Pitt can actually win in this sport, making progress each year

            now compare with football – love to watch the game but never played organized, average coach, average at best recruiting, some players get drafted, relatively weak conference for football (still better than the big east though), play off campus in a ketchup bottle, difficult for Pitt to consistently win in this sport (but it can be done), stagnant with little momentum.

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      3. Other schools win and have a stadium on campus and something to sell. We don’t. It is a joke. God Forbid Heather do what she was paid to do. What clowns. This smells of laziness and not qualified to do the job. Anyone can be a AD now. Just hire 34 people to do your job. We have 4B dollars that is never touched. Why give money when they don’t touch what they have. No action. All excuses. Campus is in a slum and playing in one of the Top 5 worst NFL stadium rentals.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. While I agree with the no action on campus facilities, I disagree with ripping on Lyke. It is certainly not her decision on what amount of money the BOT spends and what the BOT decides to spend the money on. Hell, this hire tells me the opposite. She was told she isn’t touching Pitt’s coffers, she had to go out and raise her own money. If there was a commitment from the BOT, we would have seen vast improvements to the campus way before Lyke. Fitzgerald field house should have been demolished 20 years ago. The fact that it is still standing tells us everything.

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  11. two observations

    1) you will note that 4 of the bottom 6 fundraising schools are located in large cities (and have NFL teams). This may not be coincidence.

    2) fund contributions and game attendance are usually done by alums. But it seems a large handful here would rather blame an AD who has been here two years than themselves and fellow alums.

    Coaches and ADs come and ago; alums are forever. Now, it’s your business whether you want to give and attend but not so sure if you aren’t the real culprits here. (I have contributed little to my alma maters but I don’t complain either.)

    Liked by 3 people

    1. This is a VERY good point. Pitt could be doing so much more to engage alums. And it’s completely chicken / egg. There are those that will say “I’m not donating until it gets better” and there are those that will say “I love my university and I’m donating so it gets better”

      Liked by 1 person

    2. most alumni dont contribute because they have been treated poorly over the years, and as students, there was very little school spirit and pride in my day. the school never did reach out and engage, it never connected, it never wove sports into the fabric of campus life. thats why you get what you get.

      on top of all this, Pitt alums see that sports at Pitt is clearly incompetent and poorly run. Why give money to a mediocre product and a department historically led by idiots?

      my support at this point would help enable the wrong culture. if I knew my money would go towards changing the culture, I’d donate to the cause. But there is no cause.

      Is Pitt doing everything needed to consistently reach the 9-11 win mark in football? No. They appear quite happy with 6-8 wins every year. Why should I support that product. Its cheap and inferior.

      Thats why Pitt is going to have a very hard time convincing alumni who have been mistreated over the years to support a continued cause of mediocrity.

      show me your plan for a MPC. show me your plan to stop being last in the Directors Cup. Show me your plan to balance your operating budget. Show me the plan to transform the culture. Show me that you know whats wrong and how you plan to fix it. Then I’ll donate.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Agree at the top of my lungs. Any company I’ve ever worked for has a one year, five year and ten year plan. Where’s Pitt’s??? Pitt has always operated “in the moment”! It’s a huge reason for the constant chaos.

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  12. it is a full time job and other schools have huge departments. Like everything else, pitt is behind the times. So no denying that Pitt is finally spending money. But will there be a payoff.

    its easy to fundraise when you win. I dont think it was too difficult to ask for money when you go 13-0 and then follow-up with another good year at UCF.

    our home attendance was up only because of the Nitter game and forcing their fans to buy packages. And season ticket renewals probably arent doing so well this year. Fans are already turning away.

    tough to fund raise when you dont have the culture to support it and when you’ve treated fans so poorly over the years

    I’m pretty sure the primary goal is to raise funds for Victory Heights. Very curious how they will sell it since football has nothing to do with it. Its a much needed project but it primarily supports low attended and money losing sports despite some being Pitt’s best programs.

    He has his work cut out for him

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  13. Unfortunately, nothing to see here. I recall Barnes bringing in a fundraiser too. And isn’t Pat Bostic currently a “big gifts” guy of some sort?

    Pitt’s poor FB performance has lost so many years of fans that we can never recover them. Fixing the problems at Pitt will take at least a decade of good decision-making by the athletic department and improved play by the BB teams and the FB team. Those are the only sports that really matter.

    Alas, even if we can pull it off, some of us may not be around that long.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Barnes was brought in for his ability to fundraise. This Victory Heights project has been talked about for the past several years so I’m sure they wanted a proven fundraiser to help lead it

      what I like about what Barnes and Bostik were doing was there approach. But I dont think it ever got out of the strategic planning phase. They wanted a broad based donor program and to engage with new fans and fans who werent big boosters or season ticket holders.

      But do fans support Pitt’s ideas and plans and do fans think Pitt can ultimately win?

      Well, what are Pitts ideas and plans besides Victory Heights? This project doesnt impact the football or basketball teams. How does Pitt define winning?

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  15. Man, some are reaching here to make this negative. I don’t know if this guy is a good hire or not, but the more people to raise funds the better.

    Liked by 3 people

  16. Hopefully this guy comes in and says, “Okay, let me see the plan I am selling?”

    …and hopefully the answer is not, “What plan?”

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Fitz Field House is an aircraft hanger. Trees Hall is leaking. Two worst ACC venues. Why?

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  18. Would you let your house roof get to the point of leaking? Plus if your roof started leaking would you just tear it down? Fitzgerald needs a big upgrade as did PITT Stadium. << really big upgrade. Real estate on the PITT campus is at a premium. The “Pete” takes up way too much room for what it’s used for.

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    1. the plan is to tear down half of Trees. Renovate the pool side. Trees is nearly 60 years old. Should have been torn down 30 years ago.

      Fitzgerald is 70 years old. Has no AC and the facility cant be retrofitted with it. Probably a very costly building to maintain. And I’m pretty sure the ACC doesnt like volleyball played in a humid and hot facility.

      hence the plan for that 3,000 seat venue as the new home.

      I’d think this new venue plus outdoor track have to be the top 2 priorities

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  19. Last year saw a vid narrated by Duzz in which he gave this demographic about PITT “15,000 employees-30,000 students.” WOW, what a ratio…hospitals and universities .both groups have rising costs that far out-run all other businesses..who can afford medical-educational costs…how do they justify their costs and charges to the consumer….this is a big reason I donate what I do…both industries need clear pricing policies…

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  20. They get tax money, tuition and have fund raising. They have endowment generating millions in interest…..15,000 students-30,000 employess…that is an eye opener…..

    Liked by 1 person

    1. the last i saw, Pitt’s endowment grew from $3.9B to $4.2B over the past year.

      I saw that the investment (liquid assets) grew by roughly 15% (Pitt hires a fund manager to invest in stocks and bonds but its generally a conservative allocation). So assuming that 90% of the fund is liquid, my math tells me that the investment of the fund grew by $500M.

      Pitt then only spends a portion of this ‘interest’ every year. The endowment should grow every year as long as the investment returns are positive and/or donations keep flowing into the fund. Pitt cannot touch the principal portion. Only a share of the interest can be used…universities have been accused of setting this share too low. Thats based on how I understand.

      And the allocation of the spend primarily goes to the Medical School since most donors earmark their monies to Medicine.

      Bottomline – fundraising specifically for sports is the only way that Pitt is going to pay for these capital projects. That along with floating a bond and I dont know Pitt’s debt service levels and if they even have the capacity to take on more debt.

      This can all be solved with Tepper writing a check. He’s worth 3 times Pitt’s endowment.

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      1. Yes we need our T Boone Pickens. He’s single-handedly put OSU on the map (Oklahoma State U). Does Tepper care enough? He hasn’t stepped up yet (in a visible way). He does have the business school named after him at CMU ($55 M donation) so he cares about something.

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  22. Majors, Pat Bostick is “Associate AD for Major Gifts”

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff.aspx?staff=53

    Basically Pitt is scared as hell to create a new booster club. We won’t see a true booster club (off-campus events, donation dinners, etc,) because the stigma of the Golden Panther’s scandal still lingers.

    Back in 1991 Wes Posvar ordered an internal financial audit of the boosters which exposed that some Golden Panthers raised funds which never made it to Pitt (above normal club operating costs). That was the beginning of the end for them. SP basically disbanded them in ’99.

    That history coupled with the revelation that Pitt players (most probably) accepted cash for over 14 years will be enough for Pitt to keep a firm hand on anything that may breach NCAA rules in the near future.

    I doubt we see anything bigger that the fundraising programs we have now…. Like this one!!:

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff.aspx?staff=53

    BTW Pitt fans still point to the BoT for some ills of the athletic program. That’s an easy target but the true power lies in Pitt’s Senior Leadership Team. They are the people who steer Pitt’s ship and determine who gets the biggest slice of the $$$ pie.

    https://pittsburghpanthers.com/staff.aspx?staff=53

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    1. theres only 1 Nitter on this team of his
      one lady is a Pitt grad
      his chief of staff is also a Pitt grad so that bodes well
      but in the end, Gallagher answers to the BoT
      He still needs to present actions for approval
      his team may steer the ship but they dont own it

      Liked by 1 person

  23. PITT has enough
    money in the endowment that the university could be the bank to fund large building expenditures then pay back the loan from revenues it receives from the ACC….Tepper might see himself more of a CMU guy… more prestigious school with smaller financial needs I’m guessing… anyone know how they do fund raising compared to PITT ???

    A Duke fan told me they have a lack of butts in seats because the Duke student body is very diverse- cosmopolitan … what they lack in attendance is made up for by a strong donor base… Dukies are very proud of their degree a give generously- according to that Duke alum I spoke with… feel free to jump in on those comments.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. most Duke students would probably prefer to watch ping pong or crickett
      Duke has a high % of foreign students who have probably never heard of American football until walking on campus

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  24. IMO, PITT wants to force and wedge themselves into the wrong segment. They are not Stanford or Duke they are simply PITT. A really good academic school with a great potential to be good in big time athletics. Know your strengths and know your enemies and don’t be one yourself. They need to be what they are……. PITT! IMO again. I think they are trying to be like that a little more.

    Like the old saying. I’m not slow and I’m not fast.. I’m kind of half fast. No your role.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Pitt could be the urban version of Virginia tech if they wanted to be. Good but not great academics and very good but not elite sports. Right now they are good but not great academics and average but aspiring to be good sports

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      1. Va Tech is just behind Pitt in the academic rankings
        Pitt spends close to Va Tech now on football at least
        Va Tech still has higher revenues

        so Tech would be a good school to emulate

        I do wonder if Pitt embraces the ‘urban’. Its not for everyone but they really need to market that aspect.

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        1. Va tech definitely a notch above Pitt in football and football recruiting. Fuente need to turn it around this year after going 6-7 least year though or he will be on the hot seat. He won 10 in 2016 and 9 in 2017 though and has a bowl win, and that is where we would all like Pitt to be .

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            1. ^^ Good one Richard. The door swings both ways. PITT kicked VT’s asses six ways to Sunday last year.

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        2. Also I agree with the urban piece. It’s a differentiator

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          1. few P-5 schools are located in an urban environment. The architecture in Oakland alone should wow recruits and student applicants. And another Cathedral could wow everyone if you know what I mean.

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            1. An ocs is one thing. An ocs with Cathedral-inspired architecture is completely another. And would be amazing

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  25. This is mostly from the previous thread, but is worth repeating:

    ANY fundraising person is better than no one doing it, so welcome to Mr. Hart. But back to Narduzzi’s contract extension, I think that the extension was a money issue whereby Narduzzi’s initial contract had a big $ amount for a buy out. His modest record at the time of extension provided some leverage to Pitt, and meant that in exchange for eliminating the buyout he would take a nice salary and was given some extra years to produce. (probably something like eliminating a $5 million buy out by adding $ 1 million per year in salary).

    If the years are not guaranteed by a buyout then Pitt can dump him any time during the 7 years, but Narduzzi remains under contract for the duration and may not be free to interview for other jobs. I’m suggesting that this appears to be a classic case of locking someone in on very favorable terms when his leverage is low.

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    1. I hope you’re right. They literally cant afford to pay for another buyout right now.

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  26. the problem is Pitt is actually mediocre or really bad across most sports (save volleyball and wrestling)
    and although its a good academic school relative to other public’s, this overall ranking is slipping

    are we sure that Pitt has identified the right 19 sports programs to fund and compete?
    are we sure that Pitt really needs all those academic departments and degrees?
    are we sure that Pitt is even in the right conference?

    Pitt’s identity right now among ACC schools is bottom 20 percent in both academics and athletics
    Thats not how we are perceived but actually how Pitt is relative to the 13 other ACC schools

    Per US News and Directors Cup

    I’d rather Pitt focus on those things and areas where it can become excellent than trying to do everything but only being average.

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  27. For all the benefits that UPMC has received from Pitt, including its employee sharing and tax exempt status, think of what a fundraising juggernaut it could be for Pitt athletics. If they would launch a well publicized three year campaign to approach executives, staff and other employees for donations to Pitt athletics, I’ll bet it could bring in millions of dollars towards an OCS.

    Like

  28. UPMC should be a totally separate entity from PITT but took the moniker UoP. IMO, the health care giant should not be spending millions upon million on sports marketing- they should be trying tower people’s healthcare costs…and playing fair with their neighbors …Love my UPMC James Conner BOBBLEHEAD… love even more with the UPMC tag removed… borders on political so I will leave it there…THROW ROMOFF’s ass off of top floor and open the bar/ restaurant back up..!!! Couldn’t hold back…

    Liked by 2 people

  30. Biggie, I think you meant the Billy Hillgrove Wobblehead?I actually went downstairs to check my Conner wobblehead and no UPMC, unless I already ripped it off. Which is very possible. (Our daughter works at St Margaret) still can’t stand that health system.

    I agree, UPMC should concentrate more on lowering health care costs than taking over the world.

    ahh, back to weed whacking

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  31. Ike.. yep… it was me Billy Hillgrove BOBBLEHEAD…It’s UPMC-less… Romoff just got a $2 mill plus raise….health care and colleges costs growing by double digits yearly….. Thanh God for cheap FB tickets and Fran and company knowing how to hold tailgate costs down…

    Liked by 2 people

  32. Fran has only been holding tailgates for 45 years. He’s getting the hang of it. Plus you are way too modest.

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  33. Guys, I’m not saying that UPMC is not a money grubbing, price gouging profit machine. I was suggesting that Romoff could take maybe 5 minutes of his time to launch an employee driven, fundraising campaign to give something back to Pitt alums and fans. Maybe give them free naming rights, although that would be a hard pill to swallow. Heck, they funded the Robert Morris activity center, and who knows how much actual revenue they kicked in for that one. And they bought off the City with that free college boondoggle for city high school grads. I’m suggesting that the mass of thousands of employees may want to donate and get a tax deduction in the process. Heaven knows UPMC could use some positive publicity…

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  34. VoR, I truly appreciate your reasoning but I would never see anything happening like that… What you witnessed from these big healthcare corporations is pure warfare… Government is starting to catch on to their ways… they only appeared to play nice when it benefits them… It’s all about making money and illuminating competition… I find it disgusting that the University of Pittsburgh is one of their pons…. it’s all about “take our money “and go along with our way of doing business…“ I see it all the time as a private practitioner… I really like Tex’s line of reasoning… I doubt pit is going to be able to squeeze more money out of the masses-we are either too old, too young or disenfranchised. Maybe there are a few big pockets who will splurge but there is going to have to be a plan going forward.. People arent going to give huge sums of money to support mediocrity in athletics. Of course, this is something we have gone round and round on over the years… I still feel they could be the banker with their endowment and repay loans to themselves interest free… lots of money sitting there in the name of improving the image of PITT academically… The question I ask… If that is what the endowment money is using for-how are we stacking up against the competition in our academic image? Or do I have it all wrong?

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  36. I get where you are coming from, Bernie. But we old timers mustn’t become so jaundiced that we offer no hope for the future generations that will attend Pitt and will want to create their own memories of staggering down Cardiac Hill half in the bag after a big win against ND (remember that one?). And I’d guess that many of the UPMC employees actually went to Pitt or are living in the shadow of our great school. As the stock brokers always say: past mediocre performance is no guarantee of future mediocre performance! (I think I have it right where Pitt athletics is concerned).

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  37. I receive letters all of the time begging me to donate to the medical school. Some poor foreign kid wants to return to Nepal or Cambodia to open a free clinic, but because of outrageous school loans, is forced instead to toil in a Malibu cosmetic surgery center.
    Heartbreaking!
    As for football, we have been significantly insignificant for almost 35 years. Hint to Heather: If you want my money, act like you care about winning. Don’t get torched by the Nits, or lose to an undermanned Stanford team or throw for eight yards to Clemson. Come out and say we will not tolerate mediocrity.
    And finally, wasn’t Kenny Robinson somewhat ignored by Pitt? Now that he is first team Big 12 and wants to leave the inbreds, I’d have all the coaches at his doorstep.

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    1. I thought Pitt wanted Robinson and were a finalist for his services but I’m not 100% sure about that. Agree he’s a good get. Would be ideal if he “had” to sit a year and then could step right in for Hamlin in 2020

      Like

  38. The off-season always cracks me up. This is the office equivalent of getting a new front desk lady. Lol. And it’s actually produced passionate responses.

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    1. Well I wouldn’t go that far. Director is more front desk lady to me

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  39. It looks like we might be trying to recruit all 3s to find that next Aaron Donald. They contribute large sums straight to the athletic dept. If a study shows star ratio to donation is best at 3 that might explain everything these days?

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  40. My sense, and it is just a sense, is that Robinson may be playing the threat of the portal against his new coach in order to get a commitment to a starting role for next year. Portal is interesting and provides good leverage for those looking to get the attention of their coaches and to cement playing time.

    Personally, i think he does have some good talent and we need another 3 star. Is it me or are more and more locals that matricualte to morgantown city college, not staying or performing well in that environment?

    Reed entered the transfer portal and poof mike took over.

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    1. Haha. Well all conference is pretty good talent. Don’t know why a new coach would even think about sitting someone like that but who knows. If he were to transfer to Pitt and was immediately eligible we would have a logjam at safety … Hamlin, Ford, Robinson, Stocker. But then again our nickel package would be pretty darn good!

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    2. residents on Mount Washington would complain. Site pollution. They have already filed suit and stopped Pittsburgh from approving some basic advertising or logos on the yellow seats. Some zoning ordinance about signage on rooftops. But these are interior seats. Only in Pittsburgh. 🙂

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  42. Heather on the FAN this morning…said Pitt is working on improving the tailgate environment in the parking lots. Gave no details…
    Doesn’t sound like there are any plans to tarp the stadium.
    She will be on until 8:30.

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    1. She’s on KDKA after that I think. Probably similar spiel.

      Like

    2. Richman should have Heather call you if she needs any info about superior tailgating… 👍

      Go Pitt.

      Like

      1. Yes. Free Pitt bev buckles for all! She can also just hire Fran as a tailgating consultant.

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  47. Perhaps Heather should do a study on the non-existent tailgating that would be a result of an OCS.

    After writing about all things Pitt football for 10 years I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that what we see and what we have with football is just about the limit of what we can possibly get.

    If we take out the debate about an OCS (which I truly doubt we will ever see) then all else is smoke and mirrors.

    Just like the uniform rollout last month was a temp change to keep fans interested because the product on the field doesn’t…and never really has.

    One reason I don’t get too personally emotionally involved in Pitt football is that what the admin does or doesn’t do rarely effects the actual play on the field.

    In all honesty we could have hired another coach at a lower cost and gotten the same, if not better results.

    And if Narduzzi has the same type of season in ’19 as he has had over the last two years then he’s executed one of the biggest con jobs in college ball.

    At the time of that huge extension Lyke keep stating the main reason to lock him in was so the prospective recruits would know he’d be around for a longer time.

    How has that worked out so far?

    Like

    1. Paul Hackett, now that was a con job. Saying he could win with strict academic standards. His coaching was so poor he would have lost big if Pitt was taking football as serious as it did from 1973-81.

      Not sure what Narduzzi’s con job is? His pay is about normal for a P5 job.

      Like

  49. Reed, so I guess you would have hired the 6th Pitt HC in the last 9 years? And surely, none of the rival coaches would use that against the new Pitt coach

    Liked by 1 person

  50. After the fiasco that took place when Wanny was fired, I have no problem with Pitt trying coaching stability for a change. Nothing else has worked so why not a different approach? Narduzzi has had one bad season out of four, no not great, but when you consider the strength of schedule not too bad. Plus some mighty nice upsets and little player controversy. Getting Pitt to compete at a higher level is not an overnight job. As much as coaching, administrative and fan support is key to success.

    While I agree that the bowl record is awful and the recruiting is below the line, I have no problem with a few more years to see if he is a Beamer or a bum.

    Too many people have unrealistic expectations and want it both ways. If you don’t think Heather is up to the challenge why would you assume that the next coach will be the answer?

    Is there really a guy out there that is a lock to recruit elite players to Pitt, especially with all of the known obstacles. People wanted Chryst gone, funny how he got much better at Wisconsin.

    This is really the first year that Narduzzi will be playing with all of his recruits, and next year the OOC gets much easier. Yet for some mistaken reason we are going to play WVU and Tennessee in the same season with probably an ND, FL ST, or Clemson on the schedule. What coach would be dumb enough to come here to face that? Along with VA Tech, Miami and our nemesis UNC. Syracuse is also getting better. We are our own worst enemy. No other school is dumb enough to do this to itself.

    Pitt needs to stop the head coaching merry go round. Is Narduzzi the guy to do it? We will find out over the next two to three years.

    Liked by 5 people

  51. As Jay mentioned the other day. Reed has never called for Narduzzi to be fired. I will say the extension could help his recruiting but that would just draw a big laugh from his detractors.

    Like

  52. My thoughts, for what they’re worth..

    Let’s not just be negative and mock this hire- at least not yet. On it’s face, it’s a solid move to hire a seemingly experienced and intelligent person to a role that Pitt vitally needs- fundraising. As some on here would say, “Let’s give him a chance.”
    That said, if we’re all giving Narduzzi a pass based on long-ingrained issues surrounding the program- apathy, lack of alumni involvement, lack of student involvement, empty seats, etc., won’t we have to give the new guy the same pass if and when his results at fundraising are as mediocre as the football coach’s record?
    I don’t know whether an OCS will happen in my lifetime, or ever. That said, tailgating is NOT an issue. Pitt Stadium had limited tailgating opportunities but students partied at their apartments or fraternity houses and WALKED to the game. And the adults flooded the bars and WALKED to the games. I would personally be happy to give up my ghetto macadam paradise and spend my money in an Oakland bar for pregame, if that’s the only way to make an OCS a reality.(And I’ve seen many proposals that would provide ample parking.)

    It’s not all that difficult to understand, folks. Pitt was great in the 20’s-30’s. Kids who grew up in that environment- spending the day on campus with friends and family and walking to Pitt Stadium to watch winning teams became wealthy alumni in the 70’s. Those people formed and funded the Golden Panthers. That organization, and most of it’s members are long gone. Now? People in their 60’s now grew up watching terrible football (Dave Hart) and people in their 30’s had to take school bus rides just to watch mediocre football. Those of us in our 40’s lived the Paul Hackett/Majors II nightmare and the destruction of Pitt Stadium. There is virtually NO connection between alumni and students with our athletic teams.

    PSU graduates take photos in Beaver Stadium on graduation day. Those kids consider football as a big part of their college experience. So guess what? When they graduate, EVERY new alum gets a phone call asking if they’d commit to a recurring monthly donation of $10, $25.. whatever they can afford. And they do it. Why? Because Penn State understands the simple fact that a winning football program can turn an agricultural school in the middle of Pennsylvania into one of the most well-funded, visible and identifiable schools in the country.

    Ask Pitt grads about their college experiences and aside from a very small minority, football games aren’t even in the top 10. So, why would we be surprised that Pitt alumni aren’t bigger donors to athletics? Pitt as a University has said, “Sports aren’t that important. They are only a small part of our mission.” Pitt alumni allocate their donations accordingly.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. There is a connection with Pitt basketball. There was a long stretch of success.

      Like

  53. ..and if Mr. Hart calls and asks me for money? I’ll tell him that I don’t have any faith that Pitt actually values winning and I’d rather not throw good money after bad. Maybe that’s just me.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. He would try to sell you on Victory Heights.
      4 programs would benefit – volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics and track…all programs that are sparsely attended and lose Pitt millions
      Pitt’s 2 best programs, volleyball and wrestling, play in a dump
      But New facilities wont make them much more successful
      They are good because they have good coaches and good players
      Hiring the right coach solves 80% of the problems

      Like

  54. Tailgating is about the fan experience. Maybe Pitt got flack for the diminishing space for tailgating, hassle by the police and the timing of lot openings.

    But as Reed pointed out, it doesnt impact the product on the field. What does impact the play is coaching and players. And right now, both are just average.

    My tailgate spot at Pitt was the Crabtree Hall lot on the corner of Desoto and OHare.

    Like

  55. Many here judge Narduzzi solely by W/L and recruiting rankings, which is expected. Of course, the anti-Narduzzi never mention that he has played a more difficult schedule since he got here than any Pitt coach in recent history .. and it’s not even close!

    But the fact also is that if Wanny was still HC, he would not be making any statements about building a fence around WPa these days. This past season saw a total of 15 locals committing to P5 programs … that’s out of a total of over 125 WPIAL/City schools. The fact is that local 3, 4 and 5 stars has taken a precipitous drop from Wanny’s days.

    And please don’t tell me that local recruiting doesn’t matter to Pitt. Arguably, the best Pitt team has had in the last 30 years, and the only 10 win team in the last 38 years was 2009. And here is a listing of WPIAL / City players who started or played significant minutes on that team:

    Bill Stull / Lucas Nix / Dorin Dickerson / John Malecki / Jon Baldwin / Nate Byham / Jason Pinkston / Lumpy Jacobsen / Mike Shanahan / Cam Saddler / Myles Caragein / Mick Williams / Dom DeCicco / Elijah Fields / Adam Gunn / Craig Bokor / Nate Nix / Dan Mason / Brandon Lindsey / Andrew Taglianetti

    And no, Wanny didn’t get everyone from WPa. The following are players who went elsewhere during Wanny’s tenure. All are 4 or 5 stars with the exception of just a few 3 stars … like Sean Lee and Pat McAfee.

    OSU: Pryor, Bell, Andy Miller, Andrew Sweat, Corey Brown, Jordan Hall

    WVU: Wes Lyons, Pat McAfee, Gino Gradkowski, Will Clarke,

    ND: Darrin Walls, Steve Paskorz, Dave Poluszney,, EJ Banks,

    PSU: Sean Lee, Justin King, Derek Moye, Nick Sukay, Mike Yancich, Adam Gess, Miles Dieffenbach, Paul Jones, Mike Hull

    So just compare what was available just the 2nd half of last decade in WPa to what has been available the last few years …. and again, it’s not even close!

    Liked by 3 people

    2. Using only the names you provided above, I see about a 50/50 split between WPIAL players on Wannstedt’s roster and those on PSU/WVU/ND, etc.

      Is Narduzzi’s record of recruiting WPIAL’s shrinking talent pool also 50/50? I’m just asking the stats, cuz it sure doesn’t feel like it.

      And there simply is no denying the level of like and respect among HS coaches for Wannstedt is far different than that of Narduzzi.

      If you want to compare game day coaching decisions, that’s fair. But recruiting? There is no one in the country that would question Wannstedt’s superiority in that area. It’s just silly.

      Like

      1. who’s comparing? I’ll concede that Wanny was the superior recruiter, but I’m talking about the quantity of quality recruits that are available.

        Chryst recruited 11 4-stars … and 7 of them were locals. There hasn’t been a total of 11 4-stars in the past 3 years in WPa.

        But forget about the 4/5 stars … the issue is that not even are there a decent amount of 3 stars available locally anymore. Now on the plus side, 2020 appears to be a better year locally tan 2019, but that’s not saying much

        Liked by 1 person

  56. Tailgating experience is an important part of college football. In this new day of the ACC channel and streaming it makes the game-day experience more important than ever to get people off their couches and out to the old ball game. In turn, it helps to hide the yellow seats and makes the football game louder which is more likely to impress a recruit who may in turn commit to PITT and help them win games in the future. This all works hand in hand.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have tailgated at USF and Cinci with relatives and friends that went there and agree it adds to the football experience. I only drive in for 1 or 2 games a year. I never experienced tailgating at Pitt before joining the POV gang and now wouldn’t consider going to a game without it.

      Liked by 1 person

  57. Wanny got half his class from PA and Narduzzi is getting 25%. But to Narduzzi’s credit, he’s going out of state to find players. And I’d argue that southern players are better prepared for college given they have better coaching, better competition, and more practice time.

    Wanny played in a weak Big East and Narduzzi plays in a weak Coastal with a cross -rival Syracuse team
    Wanny might have played a weaker OOC but theres no guarantees that Pitt would beat Delaware, Old Dominion or an Ohio
    So maybe with a weaker OOC Pitt picks up an extra win each year
    They would still need to win an extra ACC game and win their bowl game to reach 10 wins
    All very doable but it hasnt been done yet.

    Thats why year 5 is so important. Can Pitt get over the hump

    That OOC is all on Heather. Playing TN and WVU in the same year is just sheer nuts. Having TN and Whisky on the OOC does nothing for Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  58. Can an OCS be built with a raised stadium to allow tailgating underneath and connecting parking? Would not hurt to get some consulting ideas. Maybe OCS by 2050. Too bad I will miss it.

    Like

    1. tailgating isnt permitted inside parking garages unless you’re on top. Thats at least if you want to cook-out and there is flame involved and who doesnt like to douse charcoal with way to much lighter fluid and then light her up. But also sadly it would be a security issue in this day of terrorist bombings.

      Like

  59. OT: It’s been reported that Darrin Hamlin was named to the 2019 Pre Season First Team All ACC. Now if we can only get Paris Ford to play at the same level as Hamlin is projected this year then we may have the best safety combination since Narduzzi was named head coach at Pitt.

    Like

  62. Let ne clarify something about my posting above …

    That list of players on Pitt’s 2009 team was not all 4-stars ,,, in fact, they were mostly 3-stars. While I’ll concede Wanny was the best recruiter Pitt has had in recent years, his average for local 4-stars was much ;less than 50%. Maybe it wasn’t in 06 and maybe 08 (after than 13-9) but overall it certainly was.

    The point I’m making is that the more local 3, 4 and 5 stars that are available, the likelihood is that Pitt’s recruiting rank will be better. And in the past few years (and especially last year), there was a big lack of not only 4/5 stars .. but also 3s. (probably only 1 player per 8 or 9 high schools, which is pathetic)

    Like

    1. 10 years ago Pitt was in its heyday. An easy schedule. A head coach fluent in Pittsburgese. A roster laden with local talent. Pitt was set up for a golden age. A college football renaissance. Only one man could bring it all crashing down.

      Smiling.
      Steve.
      Pederson.

      First he systematically destroyed the once proud Nebraska football program. Then he came back and ground his boot heel into a resurgent Pitt program as well.

      Geez if anybody hired him at a football school after Pitt, then there is no justice in this world

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Although pederson did somewhat make up for the wannstadt firing by getting Pitt in the ACC

      Like

    3. The 2009 team also lacked depth, surprisingly. On the O-line, D-line, at linebacker and in the secondary. Crazy after five years it was that way.

      Like

  63. If I remember right, BC did not want CT in the ACC so the ACC was left with Navy, Temple, etc. and we were left standing. We were good in BB then and that is what the ACC wanted.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The ACC made the mistake in not going after WVU IMO. A much better fan base likely to sell out most of their home BB and FB games.

      Like

      1. Great point. Who would have predicted that academics would save Pitt athletics after all? Those snoots down on Tobacco Road wouldn’t touch WVu with a ten foot pole. Im quite frankly surprised Louisville got in

        Liked by 1 person

          1. Louisville is not a very good school academically but it had invested Bigly millions in its sports programs and was a much larger market than WV. Again, they went for the TV sets…$$$

            Academics and scandals be damned.

            Did NC suffer any severe consequences after their scandal?
            Miami is constantly cheating in some way
            FSU isnt much better

            Like

            1. Yea FSU and Louisville like the embarrassing drunk cousins at the family reunion but boy are they good at sports! Agree on the tv markets

              Like

            2. Well based on Nate silvers analysis, the Hoopies have three times as many fans as Louisville. But most probably don’t have cable. 🙂

              Liked by 2 people

  65. The ACC looked at the TV market. And I’m sure that Pitt’s recent basketball success helped. But Pitt has BC to thank. All Steve did was pick up the phone.

    Liked by 3 people

  66. Exactly Tx, I do not believe he lifted more than one hand to answer the invitation call. I’m surprised he didn’t mess up that call

    Like

  67. I bet someone else answered the phone and after assessing the situation handed Smiley the phone and said…”this sounds pretty good to me”.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Steves secretary answered and told him to just say ‘Yes’ and to not question things or say another word.

      Like

  68. this is what Heather said today
    https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/lyke-on-the-acc-network-heinz-field-season-tickets-and-more

    It was about tailgate tents…I kid you not
    she could not give any figures on the extra income from the ACC network but I do know from getting my news from outside the Pitt bubble that it was initially projected between $2 and $7M annually per team.

    This of course depends on which cable companies sign up so Heather wants us all to call our cable companies and demand that they carry the network…again, I kid you not.

    This network plus new studio cost Pitt over $12M so the payback may take some time to realize…you think?

    I really learned very little. I learn more about Pitt from other ACC bloggers than when Pitt’s AD says things on public record. Thats part of the problem and Heather is obviously totally oblivious.

    Like

    1. That is news to you….. Look at her coaching hires and certificates she hands out to old men in rascals at the 50 yard line. Hey but she loves a yellow sleeveless blouse and is compliant. God forbid we actually cared about being winners.

      Like

      1. and what happens when some Nitter rag at the Trib or Gazette exposes some cheating or scandal at Pitt. Miss Compliance is toast. Its just a matter of time. Pitt will then can her butt and the BoT will self impose the death penalty. All because some recruit got his ‘O’ fries paid for.

        Like

  70. I believe the ACC has the largest TV audience coverage. Maybe some expert can verify that.

    Like

    1. so Pitt ranked below WV in TV market! Not very promising

      and did you see that Pgh was 7th in the Omaha Neb market in 2011? Probably NU fans rooting Pitt to lose because of the AD

      Like

      1. It was in fans. Not TV sets. Many Hoopies don’t have TV or electric. But it makes sense. Everyone born in that state is a Hoopie fan.

        Like

    1. and before you pile on, I for one think a tough OOC better prepared Pitt football for the Coastal. I still dont like the OOC having TN and WI on it. But Pitt volleyball was disrespected by playing a lightweight OOC and playing in a very weak ACC. They decided to do something about it.

      Imagine if Pitt would have beaten the Pedos, Domers and UCF. they would have been a top 5 team and BCS candidate. But they didnt.

      Pitt volleyball beat who they had to beat last year.

      Pitt football did not.

      Like

      1. Ummm, tex, you forgot another if, whch would be IF we beat clempson too. That would have been the only way to have bcs consideration. Oh yeah, and the loss to UNC was an automatic elimination Cmon now. You know better. Heck OSU didn’t get a sniff because they lost to purdue. We lost to UNC.

        Not piling on Tex. I just penalized you 15 for unsportsmanlike conduct!

        OOC strength is great if you consistently breeze thru your conference division. Unfortunately we aren’t good enough to compete with the ooc schedule, because the AD doesn’t understand how to support the team with scheduling to achieve a mission. Heck,she put us up against TN and WVU who have both out recruited Pitt lately. You can gain confidence or lose it. I don’t think pitt gained any confidence and would make an argument that the lack of a “spring training schedule” took away from development and experimentation for a young team. #confidence killer

        Like

    1. JoeL, absolutely!
      I’ve been watching the live feed of the ceremonies at Normandy. The flyover gave me chills.

      Like

  75. If a tough OOC is a good thing why isn’t everyone doing it?

    The objective is total wins, just look at Syracuse last year, they got respect that they haven’t had in a long time.

    Like

    1. In my opinion and it is only my opinion they are recycling the $1M or so they’d have to pay out in order to rent two wins, and putting it into coaching. Just a thought.

      Like

      1. in volleyball, Pitt was penalized for not having a tough OOC
        basketball is another sport where a tough OOC looks good for the selection committee
        But in football, its all about the wins and little about strength of schedule
        a tough OOC might have better prepared the team for the ACC and it might not have
        But it did hurt their record and it was too tough because Pitt was blown out in 2 of those OOC games
        No excuse having TN and WV in the same years
        But Pitt probably doesnt want to spend the $500K to $1M per team to rent a win

        Like

    1. These are all good points and I agree. I was interviewed for a podcast yesterday (Pitt POV already gaining me some notoriety!) and as I was preparing for it i noticed something. Pitt was 3 missed field goals away from 9 wins last year against the 4th toughest schedule in the country. Three missed field goals from a sophomore kicker! He missed one against Stanford, we lost by one. He missed two against Notre Dame, we lost by 5. I think this team is a lot closer than people think.

      Liked by 5 people

  77. Former Pitt DB Teryl Austin is now Steelers senior secondary assistant working under his first boss. Back in ’91, he was a GA at PSU under DC Tom Bradley who is now the Steeler DB Coach.

    Just read a story on what an immediate impact / impression he has already made on the secondary players, speaking highly of the techniques he is showing them. This is certainly an area of need for the Steelers. He will also serve as the guy in the booth who will advise Tomlin on challenging plays …. another area of need

    Like

  78. every year since Narduzzi has been here, he has faced at least two OOC teams that finished in the Top 20 …. and this past year, it was 3. That is unprecedented He has also faced 19 teams in his 4 seasons that finished ranked.

    As I written here before, I have nothing against a hard OOC as long as it taken in consideration when evaluating the record.

    Like

    1. And the problem with that is that the Bowls and Rankings don’t consider strength of schedule nor do many of the fans and posters. All they see is 7-7. Even though one of the losses doesn’t happen if Pitt doesn’t win the Coastal and that Clemson killed Alabama for the NC. They don’t recognize that PSU, UCF, and ND were heavy favorites. To them only the bottom line matters so that is why the OOC is detrimental to perceived success.

      But don’t think the same guys would criticize 10 wins if they came against a weak schedule. Many Pitt fans won’t be satisfied no matter what.

      The other factor that is forgotten is that Pitt lost its center for the stretch run, hard to recover from that.

      Like

  79. Elevenses revisited.

    Trib Review

    “They’re trying to get four games in one day,” she (Heather) said. “We agreed to go with an 11 o’clock kick. There’s a Pirates game that day so we couldn’t play much later, anyway. To be a good partner to the network, I thought it made sense right out of the gate.”

    Lyke said she consulted with coach Pat Narduzzi before agreeing to the unorthodox start time.

    “He’s an early riser so he doesn’t mind playing at 11.”

    Like

    1. dog might be an early riser but his players will still be half asleep

      and if Pitt played on campus, the Pirates wouldnt be able to jerk them around

      Liked by 1 person

  81. MM it’s actually more than a cost of $1 million for two rent-a-wins. By bringing in someone such as TN, they would probably get about 5,000 more fannies in seats, maybe make a few additional dollars for a TV game, and also sell some additional concessions assuming they get a cut of that. Plus by winning they could get a bump in the rankings and maybe a mention or two on ESPN. The OOC should look something like this: One big game such as ND, WVU, TN, etc., two games against lower P5 competition such as IL or IN, maybe a lower West Coast team like Washington State,or maybe lower level Colorado State, Western KY, etc. and open with one MAC game such as Kent State, Ohio U. or similar. They should be able to win 3 out of 4 of these at least. Then if they win 6 of 8 in the Coastal they have a 9 win season. With some luck they could win the occasional 10 games.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. having 2 P-5 on the OOC in one year is just bad business
      I dont mind TN as long as they are the only P-5 team on the OOC that year

      I’d love to schedule MD or Rutgers. They actually would make more sense than Whisky or TN
      Both schools have history with Pitt, close driving distance and in areas where Pitt recruits

      There should never be more than 1 P-5 on the OOC
      Then find teams from the MAC (Buffalo, Ohio, Western Michigan) and AAC (Temple, USF, East Carolina, Cincy)
      And then 1 rent a win around $500k

      Like

    1. I mean a tent is kind of basic at a tailgate. The fact that we couldn’t have tents up until now shows how much low hanging fruit there is in Pitt’s athletic department. Kind of sad really

      Like

  84. Heather moved the student tailgate section closer to the stadium so they wouldn’t so segregated from the tailgate action but they lost their cover from under the bridge. So she’s adding tents to shield them from the rain. What a horrible idea.

    Like

  85. The funnyvpsrt about this is in the main lots…you cant have tents.
    Maybe that will change.

    Like

  88. OT personal story. I once was a union president with about 40 members. Some hated the boss so bad that no matter what he did to help the workers it was always met with bitter criticism. Some of his ideas were a little off but he still did his best to make our work area the best it could be. Cue Heather right now. If one person doesn’t like the other person everything they do is stupid and wrong. Everything!

    Like

  90. That’s not what I said, didn’t even use the word hate. A person doesn’t have to go out of ones way to criticize every single thing a person does is what I said. BTW, this conversation is ironic.

    Like

  91. ike..

    That can certainly happen. Sometimes people “poo poo” every idea, just because they “dislyke” the source. However, you know what else can happen? People can “dislyke” things because they might actually disagree.

    Example- some here think Narduzzi is a mediocre coach and poor recruiter (.538 record, 0 bowl wins, recruiting rankings steadily dropping from mid 30-s to low 70’s) and people say, “You just don’t “lyke” him.

    Guess what? Some people are capable of separating “lyke and dislyke” from their critical analysis. Some aren’t. However, it’s just lazy to ASSUME criticism only arises when someone “dislykes” another.

    I actually agree with Heather on the tents. We are currently in a lease for Heinz Field and are stuck with it.. why not try to make it better. I love the tent idea. In fact, we used to set one up before the tent police got involved. It’ s a small step but how can anyone actually be against it? It also appears she’s aware that the lots don’t currently allow it and she hopes to change it. Let’s just hope she has more influence with ALCO Parking than she does with the ACC.. 11 am starts?

    Maybe next year Pitt can play at 9 am on Labor Day, sort of a throwback to the old “Breakfast at Wimbledon” on the 4th of July. Primanti’s and IC Light for breakfast! Yum!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Fair and balanced comment Jay.

      I think Heather is showing wisdom in taking the 11am slot early in the year against a lees than attractive opponent. If one actually spends the time to objectively think about the conference dynamics, programming requirements of the fledgling ACC Network, relationships with Greensboro and Pitt’s current standing as a mediocre newcomer, he or she may realize that its the move she has to make. On the other hand, if one can only see that its weak timeslot and bemoan how thats going to affect attendance, travel plans, yada yada yada….. well, thats just not reasoned, critical thinking – its just whining. And Jay, I am not at all suggesting that’s what you are doping with your last sentence and I appreciate the humor in it.

      Like

      1. I appreciate your comment but.. I am, in fact, whining.

        I agree that she considered “conference dynamics, programming requirements of the fledgling ACC Network, relationships with Greensboro and Pitt’s current standing as a mediocre newcomer”- all nice ways of saying she’s “not rocking the boat” and “doing what she’s told”. I can just hear the Bojangles Mafia making her an offer she can’t refuse- Play at 11 am. We’ll supply the chicken biscuits.. or else!

        She her self said something lyke, “They want to do 4 games in a day. They needed SOMEONE to take the 11 am slot. They asked us to do it. We said, “Ok, we’ll do it. Screw the fans!” (I may have added that last bit myself).

        I’m guessing they didn’t ask GT or WF or any of the other mediocre SOUTHERN schools to take that slot. Currently, Pitt is the ONLY team in the league with an 11 am start. That may change but it’s very telling that the ACC asked Pitt.

        It’s also Telling that Lyke said yes. We don’t need an AD to acquiesce. We need an AD to be BOLD. She works for Pitt, not the ACC. Maybe she’s angling to be the next CEO of Mellow Mushroom or Belk. All Hail the South! Wait.. didn’t they LOSE the war?

        Liked by 1 person

        1. On the other side of the coin. Ain’t no way Pitt vs Ohio gets televised if she doesn’t take the 11 am slot. So there is that

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Precisely, Maestro. We take one for the conference, get a crappy game televised and build bridges with Greensboro. And don’t be so sure that others aren’t approached for a different weekend.

            Like

  92. Jay wrote “I actually agree with Heather on the tents. We are currently in a lease for Heinz Field and are stuck with it.. why not try to make it better. I love the tent idea. In fact, we used to set one up before the tent police got involved. It’ s a small step but how can anyone actually be against it? It also appears she’s aware that the lots don’t currently allow it and she hopes to change it. Let’s just hope she has more influence with ALCO Parking than she does with the ACC.. 11 am starts?”
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Exactly Jay and even more to my point. I’m not asking everyone to love the idea of tents, I just wonder why it’s absolutely every single thing she does? It’s very telling to me. This tent idea is more about the students as well, what is there not to like? All tailgaters will benefit from the change as well.

    Like

  93. I agree the criticism IS telling. I believe it speaks to decades of frustration. Our AD can’t speak to important issues regarding ACC network, the football team is hovering around .500, the basketball team has won 3 games in the ACC in the last 2 years, and the big announcement… “WE WANT TENTS! We don’t even know if ALCO will let us. But, we’ll try!” Bless her heart.

    As for the students, if the school cared ANYTHING about the students, they would currently be purchasing land in Oakland for a stadium.

    Liked by 1 person

  94. Last year, didn’t Heather try a rent-a-tailgate or more appropriately a catered tailgate program? I pretty much knew that wasn’t going to be a success, just like everything else that has been tried by the ADs over the past 30 years.

    BUT … I still don’t get all you alums complaining about the AD and expecting her to change this whole athletic program around, that has been plagued with mediocrity for years (and I’m not talking just about FB)

    As I have been saying, this may exactly be the issue. Your fellow alums don’t contribute or attend … and everything the ADs have tried through the years have been ridiculed to no end.

    You sound like Pirates fans who expect the team to trade a couple of its players for a couple of great young prospects who will provide immediate help. Trouble is that MLB is just like college sports .. the rich just get richer

    Like

  95. wwb, the tent people are back. I forget what they are called but they want an arm and a leg for a small canopy and a few chairs. I can get that at Fran’s tailgate by just bringing some buffalo chicken bites.

    Liked by 1 person

  96. Fans will support winners. Fans like me wont enable poor management and support a bad product.
    Alum will support programs that meet certain check boxes…like mine did for soccer
    But nobody called me and asked for my support…shame on Pitt

    What I dont like about this radio interview is that she gave little specifics on Victory Heights and how to contribute and why. Blown opportunity. Did she say anything about fundraising campaigns in place and the plans to get alum to donate?

    She did play up the network and Pitt studios so that was a good thing. Much depends on what Comcast decides to do.

    I didnt like that ticket sales are down and season ticket holders are not renewing at the same rate. You dont have Penn State this year…big reason why but that doesnt need to be the case if Pitt knew how to market and Narduzzi knew how to assemble some talent worth watching.

    Did she emphasize with us fans so bitterly abused and mistreated over the years? Do you feel our pain?

    Did she speak of any cultural changes?

    But she did speak about 11 am starts and tents for the students
    But Narduzzi is an early riser she said. What about the players and students? And the fans?

    Tents will only happen if she can convince the City that her tent wont pose a security hazard and become a liability. Unless its a professional tent and professionally installed, there is a very good chance the tent is blown away in the wind or collapses. Thats a death and/or major lawsuit waiting to happen.

    Like

  97. ike, with all due respect (which is a huge amount!), Lyke’s performance was a bit underwhelming. What did she talk about?… Tents and the ACC Network, telling everyone to contact Comcast. These trivial matters are beneath the AD job. I can think of a dozen more important matters that the public would be interested in. How about announcing something creative to sell tickets? What new fundraising campaign are they starting now that Hart is on board? How about rejuvenating the Golden Panthers? Have they discussed a future extension of their Heinz contract with the Steelers? Any plans to boost attendance for the football opener? Is she satisfied with Narduzzi’s recruiting efforts at this stage of his tenure? Are they seeking championships or merely to be competitive? Is she thinking about the Director’s Cup? I could go on, but I’m loosing my enthusiasm for Ms. Lyke.

    Like

    1. I live smack dab in the middle of ACC Country (Central Virginia).
      Comcast has not signed up for ACCN in my ZIP yet. FIOS, DirectTV and others are on board.
      Thats astounding to me given the ratings that Hokie FB and Cavalier BB get in this market – and the interest in other Cavalier sports is strong.

      So, when Heather tells us all to call Comcast, I can only surmise that its an ACC-wide issue. I will respectfully disagree that its a trivial matter and beneath the AD’s job. Far from it. This is a battle against the other conferences for TV revenue.

      Like

      1. I agree. And it probably goes way deeper like Comcast va Disney issue. All we can do is support it. Call those Comcast chumps!

        Like

      3. It was only a month before the season started that Charter (now Spectrum) picked up the SEC network. My wife was going nuts. How was she going to watch the gamecocks away games. BTW, South Carolina & the SEC both told the fans to call their cable/satellite provider to demand the SEC channel. This criticism of calling is nit picking the AD.

        Like

  98. VoR and the respect goes both ways my friend. If she isn’t asked the question she’s not going to share her thoughts on the subject that both you and I would like to hear the answers to. That said. I’m sure there were limits on what she could be asked. Her appearances are really nothing more than coaches speak and barn storming.

    Like

  99. Tents or no tents, doesn’t mean much to me.

    I just hope our boys are becoming men and their off season workouts improve their physicality and skill level.

    Three stars can become five stars like Aaron Donald if they put in the work.

    The game usually comes down to who has the stronger, faster, smarter guys, who wants it more and who works harder can make all the difference.

    Since Narduzzi can’t recruit the the elite players doesn’t mean he can’t coach them into becoming elite players.

    Who are the hungry guys that have been sitting on the bench waiting for their turn?

    Like

  100. Sorry but I just scrolled up and did some reading. I felt compelled to respond to an earlier comment string but didn’t want to “reply” there and have you all miss my wisdom.. LOL

    “Western Michigan, Wagner, and UConn guaranteed three wins.” & “Three missed field goals from a sophomore kicker! He missed one against Stanford, we lost by one. He missed two against Notre Dame, we lost by 5. I think this team is a lot closer than people think.”

    Do you people watch Pitt football? When was the last time Pitt could GUARANTEE a win against anybody?
    And Pitt beat Albany- that’s a wash with Wagner. And we beat GT by 5, the same as we lost to ND, also a wash. Wait, didn’t Syracuse beat UNC last season?

    “If a frog had wings, it wouldn’t bump it’s _____ a hoppin.”

    “If my aunt had a ______, she’d be my uncle.”

    If, if, if… Pitt won SEVEN games. Pitt lost SEVEN games. It got EMBARRASSED by UCF and PSU- Pitt plays both again this season. Pitt beat Syracuse in OT. (I hear their QB was hungover, LOL!)

    This team IS closer… closer to going .500 again this year. There is simply no evidence to contrary. Hope, maybe. There definitely is HOPE. Hope is the currency Pitt fans have been trading in for decades. Apparently it’s also the plan our Athletic Department has in place.

    Let me leave you with this timeless gem..

    Hope in one hand. _______ in the other. Let me know which one fills up faster.

    H2P!

    Like

  101. I guess you’re right, ike. My expectations are usually too high and are rarely met.

    Like

  102. Didn’t mean to imply that getting Comcast on board isn’t important. But come on, guys. What about all the rest of the issues?

    Like

    1. Well, if she chooses to speak on one topic and its not the one you want to hear about, it doesn’t mean she’s not working on other issues.

      Like

  103. Looks like Dish Network is not on board yet…those bums lost HBO and Cinemax so I’m not optimistic.
    Ike, you ALWAYS will have a chair.

    Liked by 1 person

  104. Here is the ACC TV schedule for the week that includes OHIO 11:00am start.

    Saturday, Sept. 7
    Ohio at Pitt – 11am, ACCN
    Old Dominion at Virginia Tech – 12pm, ESPNU
    Western Carolina at NC State – 12:30pm, RSN
    South Florida at Georgia Tech – 2pm, ACCN
    Texas A&M at Clemson – 3:30pm, ABC
    Richmond at Boston College – 3:30pm, ACCNExtra
    ULM at Florida State – 5pm, ACCN
    North Carolina A&T at Duke – 6pm, ACCNExtra
    Eastern Kentucky at Louisville – 7pm, ACCNExtra
    Miami at North Carolina – 8pm, ACCN

    Two thoughts – It looks like the ACC Network has only one channel. The SEC network has two channels (at least in my area), mainly for early season FB & BB OOC games & when games run over scheduled times.

    Second, to me it was a sound choice. The other option was to be on ACCNExtra. I could argue why we are on at 11 & not 2 or 5.

    I have no clue what RSN is carrying the Western Carolina – NC State game. There is a network that carries Socon games but since the game is at NC St., I doubt it’s that one.

    Like

    1. Pirates game that day
      I just dont want 11 am starts to be the new standard
      Noon is bad enough

      Like

  105. Sadly, nothing to see here

    from Craig Meyer, PG:

    Graduate transfer Eric Hamilton, a 6-foot-9 forward, tweets he has committed to Pitt, giving the Panthers some depth down low. He averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game for UNC Greensboro last season

    Like

    2. the good news is that over a 40 minute game, he would have averaged a double-double. The bad news is that he only averaged 16 min per gate at UNC Greensboro

      Liked by 1 person

    4. No, I think you’re wrong. You have to realize our personnel situation. We have only 2 bigs on the team, and one is a freshman (assuming Kene sits out). Keep in mind that Capel started Kene, despite a bad back, over Brown last year; I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if Hamilton becomes our starting center eventually, unless another big is added. At the very least it gives us solid depth, and doesn’t take up recruiting space beyond this year. Very solid pickup, though I’d be a lot happier if we landed Bilau, however unlikely.

      Like

  106. So right Richard. The PITT 11:00 AM start was in competition with the other ACCN games. Clearly the PITT vs Ohio game was the least desirable game. I guess I’ll just have to wake up a little earlier for that one. Lucky for me we live in a small house so logistics shouldn’t be a big problem

    Like

    1. Also we are low man on the acc totem pole vs those other teams. That’s a fact.

      Like

  107. the other Pitt MBB news is that in the ACC-B10 Showdown …. Rutgers at Pitt on Tues, Dec 3

    Like

  108. Who cares if the Pitt v. Ohio game is on TV? It’s not a sound decision at all… This game being on TV will not give Pitt extra exposure. The only people watching Pitt play Ohio is Pitt fans. Pitt fans watching Pitt on TV makes Pitt ZERO money. I’m sure there are some locals who will just choose to watch it at home, rather than attend. I’m also certain that many season ticket holders, including me, won’t come to the game. Fans in the seats add revenue. This TV game adds neither revenue nor exposure. In fact, the NFL won’t even show games in-market if they’re not sold out. Why??? Because it cannibalizes it’s own audience. I’d like to see NCAA do the same. If you live 35 minutes form Heinz Field and can’t get off your ass and pay $16 to watch the game live, how important is the game? Hell, parking costs more than tickets do.

    This is not a Thursday. College football fans and prospective athletes aren’t going to tune in. It’s not the only game in town. Fans will be watching Game Day on ESPN up til noon starts (gotta see what “head” Corso picks!)

    There’s NO benefit to doing this.. aside from “building bridges with Greensboro.” And why should Pitt need to build bridges with Greensboro? Isn’t Pitt an ACC member, just like every other school? Just because we don’t reside South of the Mason-Dixon? What do GT and WF bring to the table in football or basketball?

    How long should Pitt apologize for Sherman burning Atlanta to the ground? Was Heather required to learn the words to Dixie before she could be hired as AD?

    Like

    1. I doubt more than 35k actually show up for this game
      If its on TV, what incentive is there to go to the game?
      Heinz is a bad experience

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I agree with both of you. Pitt would no doubt get extra butts in the seats if home games weren’t penalized. I assume that the financial benefits of games on TV outweighs this, but not sure

        Like

    2. She had to learn all 3 verses to Dixie! This is a lose/lose situation. Less folks is the seats and when Ohio pulls the upset it will be seen nationwide.

      Like

      1. That would certainly be the worst case scenario and honestly with Pitt you just never know…

        Like

  109. Jay…at Wake last year Mike Aston told me George guaranteed a win !!! I told Mike if they could win 2 out of the next 3 the ’18 team could be the pivotal point in getting PITT headed in the right direction…I was fairly confident they would not fall flat on their face and they did. i never expected them to beat Clemson and Trevor Lawrence but I never expected Clemson to run an off tackle play 70+ yards to paydirt……..we were a one dimension FB team last year…God I hope our geriatric OC has some spark left in him…..Ihave my doubts about KP…more questions than answer but one question that is no longer in the equation is no longer with the team. Everytime UPitt mentions the old guy it brings back memories of a song my 2nd grade teacher would sing and play on the piano..the song “GRANDPA’s WHISKERS!”

    Like

  112. Who cares about what PITT did back in 1988? I was there and I feel that it has nothing to do with what PITT football is doing for 2019. I look forward not backwards. Those years are way back there.

    Like

  113. Hamilton fills a dramatic need. He is beef underneath, of which we have none.
    He also has experience which should help.
    Only here for a short time so room for another guy next year.
    Only a stop gap since no long term solutions were accomplished.

    Not televising he Ohio game would only make a marginal difference at the gate so either way it doesn’t matter except to those Pitt Fans that will watch but won’t attend anyway.

    I’ll be there with the 30,000+ diehards.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. This is a good idea. The nfl Falcons used to do it before they had the new stadium and could sell out games

        Like

    2. Agree on Hamilton, as noted above. I guess it’s unlikely given how things have gone quite, but it would be nice to finish off with Bilau; I also think we could use a grad transfer pg, in the ideal world.

      Like

  114. Pitt BB will be lucky if they beat their ACC record from last season. I just can’t see our so called BIGS competing in ACC play.

    Like

  115. If they look at it, they smell it, then they feel it and if they are dumb enough, taste it, that’s what it is. Then when someone finally says it. Mystery over…………..??

    Like

  116. Everyone complains about the OOC schedule, but if we were a significantly better team, it wouldn’t much matter.
    Instead of being mired in mediocrity, rise to the occasion.
    Instead of excuses, throw in some wins.
    Beating doormats doesn’t make us better.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Better, more consistent, QB play sure would help the team rise up and win more games. Kenny can talk all he wants about the new offense but he needs to deliver where it matters.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I agree Nate. It’s put up or shut up time for Kenny Pickett. He’s got to start making things happen with that O. I do like his chances though.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Is it a violation of POV rules to say, “F YEAH”? Cuz all I can say is F Yeah to this post.

      Gasman.. thumbs up!

      I’m a parent. I preach to my kids every day about the difference between reasons and excuses.

      Get it!

      Like

    3. If we were a significantly better team, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

      Why not schedule Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan every year?

      Rise to the occasion, yeah right.

      You don’t want to fight Mike Tyson in his prime if you are not ready, unless you want to commit suicide.

      Liked by 3 people

    4. I think the reasoning is that an easier OOC should end up getting you ranked at the end of the year with a better W-L record. This would then lay the foundation for better recruiting.

      Of course we will never know if this logic will hold true.

      Bottom line, this is the year Narduzzi has to improve. If not, most fans, even the positive folks on this blog will lose faith and it will be time for a change.

      Liked by 1 person

  117. Clemson OOC, Charlotte, Wofford, Texas AM, South Carolina, pretty tough but they are the champs.

    Alabama OOC, N. Mexico, Southern Miss, WCU, I guess they feel the SEC is tough enough.

    Like

  118. Gasman, save for 2 or 3 years, Pitt hasn’t been a ‘significantly better’ team since the 80s. Why are you not understanding this? And we can continue to hire new head coaches and the odds are that we will still not be a significantly better team

    Please quit comparing to the late 70s / early 80s. Since the Paul Hackett area, Pitt FB is a sub .500 program. And the coaches with the 2 best records during that time were let go.

    Like

    1. correct
      Pitt will never be elite again and I hate to say never
      But 11 wins back in the 80’s are worth 13-14 wins today
      Pitt was able to do this with great coaching and great players particularly at QB

      There is no reason why Pitt cant consistently win 10 games though today
      Pitt just needs good coaching and a few elites on both sides
      Then they need an easier OOC
      And it would help if they had a QB

      Liked by 1 person

  119. PSU OOC, N Mexico, Bowling Green, Pittsburgh

    ND Cupcakes, New Mexico, Bowling Green, Navy

    Everyone but us seems to know that you don’t get to the top ten or twenty, without your share of cupcakes.

    That becomes a certainty if you are Pitt.

    Like

    1. Navy is a cupcake? One of Pitt’s best wins in 2009 was against Navy, a team that same season threatened to beat Ohio State late. Since then the Middies have been tough sans a few seasons of one-year rebuild. I want Pitt away from that program until that coach leaves.

      Like

      1. Navy had a great year, and they are tough, because of their offense, and disciplined style of play but not a top twenty team on a yearly basis. I would love to see them on the Pitt schedule, Army as well.

        Like

          1. Yeah, Navy has down years as I said. Impossible to stay consistent when you don’t even recruit. For the most part, the Middies are a tough opponent with that coach and that offense. I do not want Pitt playing them until the coach is gone and stay away from Army as well. Give me Ball State or Miami (OH) in the meantime.

            Like

        2. I would like to get all triple option teams off the schedule for the rest of perpetuity

          Like

      2. I agree. Navy no cupcake. They are always dangerous

        Like

  120. Schedule matters in all sports. Would the Patriots win their conference every year if not for the bottom feeding, Jets, Dolphins, and Bills.

    Looks like New Mexico is going to take their lumps this year.

    Like

    1. We should be playing crap schools in South Carolina and Georgia bc that is our new recruiting footprint.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Yes, play at Georgia State. I think the old Braves stadium was renovated to fit football. When I drive past it from the airport heading to either Marietta or Woodstock I always think it would be cool to see Pitt play there.

        Like

            1. Gotcha. A home and home with Georgia state would not be so terrible

              Like

    2. So 5 ranked teams in each of the last 4 years plus the eventual NC in two of those years.

      Like

  123. We can debate whether or not a tough OOC schedule is good or bad but there is no debate that Narduzzi and PITT have played a tough schedule during his tenure at PITT. and I agree with wwb it should be duly noted when talking about his won/lost record.

    Personally I think playing a schedule like they did last year is just plain silly. Again, just look to Syracuse who PITT beat.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. what’s so sad about it … a 10-win Top 15 team. You have been raving about a 10 win season for some time now

      Like

    2. I thought the Duke game was Pitt’s best win last season — still shake my head that they somehow hung in there and came back to win that game. It was awesome…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Cuse was the ‘best’ as defined by final ranking. But yes, Pitt’s best win was probably against Duke in that back and forth game. Pitt’s most dominant win was against Va Tech.

        Like

  125. They were a top 20 team Tx. You kind of make an argument against what you have been saying. You see how you diminish all PITT accomplishments. It’s not very fair coming from such a bright fellow like yourself.

    Like

  126. Pitt had a chance to beat some good teams last year but they didnt. Thats what I’m pointing out. Pitt is what the record says. They were the definition or poster child of mediocrity last year.

    And I’m not saying Cuse was as good as their record given their OOC but they beat who they had to beat, played Clemson tough unlike Pitt, won their bowl and finished ranked.

    At least I didnt say…Pitt struggled to win this game despite playing at home and playing against a hung-over Dungey. Dungey did pretty good getting Syracuse to overtime. That rain delay sobered him up.

    Pitt was no better than a 7 win team last year. Both RPI and Saragin have Pitt ranked in the 60’s and 70’s at season end. Narduzzi needs to find a way to get Pitt ranked and I’m getting tired of the excuses even if some are legit.

    Sometimes you just need to find a way.

    Like

    1. Pitt was a good team (although not without obvious flaws) that played a great schedule. Syracuse was a good team that played an average schedule. The difference was two wins in the regular season. We should have never lost the sun bowl. That is what it is. But at least it got Watson fired

      Liked by 2 people

  127. One, PITT beat Syracuse, so PITT found a way to beat a team that won 10 games last year. Two PITT played Notre Dame way tougher than Syracuse did. Let’s not cherry pick Tx.

    Like

      2. Just a reminder that Syracuse beat UNC in the second overtime period after the Orange had tied the score with a TD with less than 2 min. remaining in the game…

        Also, Dungey was pulled from that game in the second half and Danny DeVito led the Orange comeback…

        Go Pitt.

        Like

        1. If only we’d had a passing game we might have done the same

          Like

    2. In fairness Syracuse played Clemson way tougher than Pitt did

      Like

      1. We could do this all day..

        Two questions..

        How many games did Pitt win? How many games did Pitt lose?

        “Good” team?.. nope. “Bad” team?.. nope. “Mediocre” team?.. BINGO!

        Like

      2. That’s agreed Mike but we can’t leave out that PITT played ND way tougher and only two easy missed field goals kept them from winning that game on the road at a tough Notre Dame Stadium. Plus PITT beat the Cuse. The UNC loss was terrible and the Stanford game (< another missed field goal) were abysmal and the tough OOC schedule killed what could have been a great season. I know, lots of if’s, candy and butts.

        I’ll be all over Narduzzi’s ass this year if PITT bombs this coming season.

        Like

        1. We all will. Honestly with the way we started the season could have ended 5-7 instead of 7-5, so say what you want about narduzzi the team did not quit on him.

          Like

  128. Yesterday, I posted the ACC schedule for Saturday Sept 7. In it I wondered what RSN was broadcasting the NC State game.

    The answer – Raycom is dead. Long live Raycom. RSN stands not only for Regional Sports Network but also Raycom Sports Network.

    This is the 4’th time I have tried to post info but this time I am leaving off the link.

    If you want to learn more google or bing Matt Sarz sports media blog on the blogspot.com site (same site as Dokish’s Panther Prey). It is his 5/17/19 article. The ACC info is his 3’rd bullet point down.

    Like

  129. I say we add a home and home with GA Southern. We’d probably lose but the trip to the Savannah area in fall would be delightful.

    Pretty sure I could talk Erie Express into the road trip. Golf anyone?

    Like

      1. Don’t be so sure. Ga Southern was 10-3 last year, including a win over #25 Appalachian St. And……. they run the triple option.

        😆

        Like

        1. Who the heck suggested we schedule a 10 win triple option team? Pure madness! 🤯

          Like

  130. In fact, we should fill our OOC exclusively with schools from the southeast. I bet that would “build Bridges with Greensboro”!

    Alabama St.
    Troy
    Memphis
    East Carolina
    UNC Charlotte (nevermind, UNC is in the name- we’ll lose)
    UAB
    Old Dominion…

    The possibilities are nearly endless. We could schedule our ACC games against Northern teams and all home contests in the early season and play OOC and Southern teams in the fall.

    That way, even if we finish 6-6, we’ll get some nice vacations and some golf out of it.. and Heather will have better weather for her pre game runs!

    Like

  132. The buyouts for rent a win is over-rated so long as they don’t schedule a home and home series. The extra game at home would pay the buyout and PITT would have the extra win.

    Liked by 1 person

  133. On an entirely different subject it looks as if the Pitt Blather is no more. I guess this blog has displaced it entirely. Only other active Pitt blog now is Cardiac Hill.

    Like

    1. I just checked it out. DOes not look like something set up for original content.

      Maestro – wonder if Chas would consider being an at-large contributor to the POV? I always enjoyed his posts.

      Like

      1. I can reach out to him. I agree he’s a great writer

        Like

    2. the reason Chas Rich hired Reed in the first place way back in 2011 was that Chas didn’t have the time to do the Blather justice. And it was obvious over the past years that nothing has changed. I agree he was a really good blogger and was pretty knowledgeable about basketball, but apparently he has many other priorities than the Blather

      Liked by 1 person

  134. about that Clemson – Syracuse game last season …. the starting Clemson QB from last year had just announced he was transferring since Trevor Lawrence was named starter, and then Lawrence was hurt last in the 1st quarter. Thus, a QB who had never taken any snaps had to lead Clemson back vs Syracuse.

    Like

    1. thats right but Cuse still hung 23 on that Clemson D and the game was in Death Valley
      Clemson was very lucky to have won
      The previous year at the Dome, Cuse should have won as well

      Like

  135. Chas is the true “realist”. Writes as a journalist who is a Pitt fan. No agenda as a fan boy or critic. Just puts info out into the Pitt world and let’s you digest it. No fake joy or anger to help spark conversation. Read the news and make your own interpretation. Rarely tried to convince you one way or the other. Very refreshing in the”everyone has an opinion” age.

    Liked by 1 person

  136. You get zero benefit in football for playing a tough schedule. Wins are all that matter. If the AD can not understand that she should leave or learn. It is insane to play hard non conf games.

    Liked by 2 people

  137. but we are not allowed to say PITT should have won games, like the Notre Dame and Stanford games?

    Like

    1. teams are a reflection of their record for right or wrong
      cuse won 10 and got ranked
      pitt lost 7 and did not

      it works both ways on should have won or should have lost
      but heres the facts – narduzzi is 28-24. schedule or luck be damned
      and if he doesnt have a break-out year in year 5, Pitt is paying him too much to be mediocre because there is no other word to describe the program

      narduzzi is being paid a competitive market wage to be good at his job. Winning 7 games is not good…at least its not a good value given his compensation and the money Pitt is spending on the program.

      thats how I see it.

      Like

  138. ^^^kman is right and in response to JayfromA, I’m in the F-No camp on the OOC SOS via Gasman.

    It is a process that includes many steps and an early/first one should be weak OOC>>>wins>>>better record/ranking>>>more fans>>>>better recruiting>>>wins>>>>^record/rank>>>strengthen OOC slightly, etc

    It is a process where I hope there is true intention by those in charge to lead to the possibility of championships. Truth is I believe Pitt is not willing to take ALL the steps necessary along the way. The big gaps include compliance and OCS experience and the influence of pedophileSU on the BOT.

    Let me add, thank God for MM’s balance provided consistently here.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I won’t deny that I’m a fan and I’d like to see the current regime succeed. It’s better for the overall program if they do. Now is this season is a bad one then angry Michelangelo comes out…

      Liked by 1 person

  140. WWB – “”Pitt hasn’t been significantly better since the 80’s. Why am I not understanding that?”

    I do understand that, but am unwilling to accept mediocrity.
    If Pitt doesn’t want to succeed, if they don’t want to get to be better than 7-7, then lock the doors and throw away the keys.
    I am invested because I expect them to pursue excellence.
    I expect them to say give us your time, your emotion, your allegiance and hopefully your money, and we will supply the best product we can.
    And since the 80’s, they haven’t done that.
    Aim for the stars and you might hit a stump.
    Aim for a stump and all you’ll hit is dirt.
    And I’m tired of Pitt aiming low!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pitt does have a very bland football product right now.

      Its offense so far has been bland (see last 2 years)
      Its defense doesnt create enough turnovers and big plays
      It really doesnt have any playmakers on either side that people want to show up and see in person
      And its record bears it out
      Plus it plays at a bland stadium

      Pitt is spending enough money so the product shouldnt be so mediocre
      And that falls on the coaching
      If You get the recruits, you get the ability to market players and win games

      and then we get into arguments on why Pitt cant get 4-5 four stars every year when it seems like 80% of the other ACC schools have little trouble finding and getting them. WPIAL talent down, yellow seats, off campus stadium, urban environment, blah, blah, blah. All these obstacles can be overcome in some way and some are actually blessings in disguise…depends on how you sell it.

      Like

              1. She’s working on getting tents approved at the tailgate. Let an athletic director do her job. Thanks so much city of Pittsburgh for being a bunch of jabronis!!!

                Liked by 2 people

      2. PITT’s offense was super prolific in Nate Petermans second year << a Narduzzi recruit, last two years not so much for sure. Then again, PITT trotted out a true sophomore last year with only one start under his belt.

        Like

        1. Fans showed to watch Nate and James. That was a fun offense. Pitt didn’t market that team hard enough.

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    2. so both you and Tx Panther have written that you don’t accept mediocrity. Whew, I’m impressed!

      But the fact is that if your statement is true, you wouldn’t be a Pitt fan

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I’m a bitter and disgruntled alum
        I’m still a fan though
        I just dont attend or donate to football
        Its just a mediocre product that they bus students to see and then they run out after the 3rd quarter like rats leaving a sinking ship

        By not accepting mediocrity, I comment about it and like I said I dont send my dollars to football

        Yes – football hasnt been elite since the early 80’s. But what other school should I follow. I have none because of my Pitt degree. I just want football to be consistently good and only one 10 win season in the past 35 years isnt going to cut it.

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  141. Here’s my take on all this kool-aid drinking, hater, negative, positive posting and realistic crap. Which is what it is imo, it seems to me that people put themselves into these individualized categories when there are no two posters exactly alike. Some may say people like me judge others when in actuality, they are judging themselves. I know it happens and I’ve been guilty of it at times but I have also been referred to and falsely of some sort of PITT and Narduzzi can do no wrong club. pfft.

    I will say this though, some have actually told me they can’t stand Narduzzi but argue they can separate their feelings from the writings. I don’t buy that.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I don’t care if you buy it. Maybe YOU are incapable but many people are quite capable.

      Deion Sanders is a jerk. He’s also one of the finest cover corners in NFL history. Nick Saban and Bob Knight are bullies. Both are great coaches.

      I don’t like Narduzzi. I think he’s a jerk. His recruiting is subpar and he’s .500 coach. I say he’s mediocre. Because he is. If I was incapable of separating my feelings for him, I’d say he’s a terrible coach. I can separate just fine.

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  146. Mikey – just reread your musings. My response to the psux “if God isn’t a penn state (it is against the law to EVER capitalize those 2 words when they appear together) fan..

    “If God IS a penn state fan, then why did He ever send them Jerry Sandusky”?

    Now, will someone up there in 412 Puh-leese make that into a bumper sticker, and take 100,000 of them to Farm Country this fall??

    Thank you!

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    1. It can’t be me.. Every time I go to a game there, I get kicked out. I have banned myself from all of Center County in perpetuity.

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  147. There’s no doubt everyone (?) will be all over Narduzzi if he bombs. But, what does “bomb” mean? Is 5-7 “bombing”? Or does he have to go 3-9?

    The better question..

    Will anyone be all over him if he goes 6-6 or 7-5 again this year? (Beside Upitt and Tex, of course).

    I read posters talk about “cherry picking” and how we should look at how close we lose games. But those same people don’t mention that Narduzzi actually has a .500 record (24-24) if you remove FCS teams (4-0) and a LOSING record (21-22) if you only look at P5 opponents.

    Pitt ended the season 7-7 and unranked… again. Pitt lost a bowl game to a team with nearly a third of their starters on the bench. Pitt ALMOST beat ND. Pitt ALMOST beat Stanford.

    Wait.. what’s that called when you ALMOST beat someone? Oh yeah… a LOSS.

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    1. and Pitt almost lost to Cuse, Duke and Ga Tech
      works both ways
      what is your overall record…schedule be damned
      28-24
      thats mediocre to me
      the question then becomes is Narduzzi getting paid too much for these results

      nobody cares if that syracuse coach won 4 of his games against the sisters of the poor. the fact is that cuse finished with 10 wins and got ranked #15. they beat the hoopies in a bowl game to do it and nobody cares if Grier didnt play.

      thats what people see…your win total and final ranking

      people nationally dont nitpick and make excuses like Pitt fans

      Pitts win total was 7
      nowhere close to being ranked
      and most national people remember the blow out loss to clemson
      and some my have watched the sun bowl…another loss

      and heather wonders why season ticket renewals are down, why ticket sales are behind last year, why Pitt fans wont pull out their wallets

      Pitt needs to get ranked, create buzz, play an exciting brand, have elites that can dazzle. its entertainment. Pitt is so boring and bland. I still will fall asleep watching on TV despite the bright yellow seats and their bright uniforms.

      if I have to watch Kenny throw for another 8 yards in a game, I might as well take up needle stitch.

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    1. No, it’s actually NOT. Pitt is a FBS team- that’s who I judge them against. If Pitt manages to add Thiel or Westminster to their schedule, I will discount those games, as well.

      And.. without removing them- he’s 28-24, also mediocre. It doesn’t invalidate my point.

      Remove FCS games from PSU’s record. Or WVU’s. Or Ole Miss’. It won’t effect their overall record the way it does Pitt’s. It’s a FACT that one of every seven of Narduzzi’s wins have come against FCS teams. That is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than Pitt’s peer group.

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      1. OK I agree, let’s then do another group of won lost record and subtract all the OOC games PITT lost to teams that ended up in the final top 25 in the nation.

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  149. The FACT is that up to this point, he has NEEDED to play FCS teams to even have a .500 record. It might be an inconvenient fact, but it’s still a fact.

    If people want to say how tough the OOC schedule is, and cite really good teams- they need to recognize the really poor ones, as well. People say,”We might be 9-3 if we didn’t play UCF and PSU.” Fair. We could also be 24-24 if we didn’t play FCS teams. Its the EXACT same argument. EXACT.

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    1. I want Pitt to play a game against the Patriots and have it count
      I cant imagine the Pats beating Pitt any worse than the beatdowns Pitt took against PSU and CFU.
      Well…maybe I can but it still counts as a loss just like the win in OT at home against a hung-over Dungey counts.
      Everyone – you are who your record says you are
      If Pitt played an easier OOC, maybe Pitt picks up an extra win
      What would have 8 wins gotten Pitt?
      Nothing

      You need 10 and a final ranking to get noticed
      after 4 years, Narduzzi doesnt have a good track record at convincing elites to be a part of something special

      he really blew it in his first 2 years when he had a great O but no D
      Pitt could have won 10-11 games and if they did, there would be talk of a statue for the man
      But the fact is…he did not

      He’s gone in 2 years anyway
      If you think 25k empty yellow seats looks bad on TV now, wait until that number hits 45k

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  152. I know this is off as an analogy, but if your spouse or kids are just above average or God forbid slightly below say in looks, personality or intellect, do some here eviscerate them at every damn chance they have?

    Tough way to go through life. Would you feel better if you were a hoopie or pedo?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Looks and intelligence are things you can’t change. They are genetic. I studied economics in college, not genetics, but I believe schools are not born with mediocre football programs.

      Not apropos.

      And personally, I’ve never eviscerated anyone related to Pitt athletics (ok, maybe Paul Hackett) or this blog. Some here must’ve majored in hyperbole.

      Like

      1. yeah not apropos

        and I don’t know why you responded Jay

        God help everyone’s family though 😉

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    2. Well tvax..the divorce rate is a little over 50%.

      The reason that divorces are so expensive is because….they are worth it. Actually, the analogy is spot on. I can take that one step further. Is it better to stay in an unhappy or dreadful marriage and put yourself through all kinds of crap for 15, 20, 30, 40 years thinking things might change, have affairs along the way, just to say you didn’t get a divorce and had marriage stability? Reality is you lived a lie.

      Pitt’s fan base has been put through crap for 35 years of fake promises, cheating, bad behavior, over promising and just plain ole blah! Many contemplating divorce from their fandom here.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Pitt football is the 35 year old who still lives in the parents basement
      Because Pitt sees nothing wrong with it

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  153. just because you were born average (looks, intelligence, status) doesnt mean you cant make it
    Pitt football is not a success story that I want to tell my grandkids
    My analogy is: what happens to a democratic and capitalist society after Communism takes over?
    My God, Pitt’s BoT has perfected Communism here in the states and its called Pitt Football.

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  154. A 5-7 record this year is not acceptable, I think that is unanimous here. A 6-6 or 7-5 record smells like cheese to me as well. Right now 8 regular season wins is the minimum threshold. Anything less than that and King Pat’s seat starts heating up and Davis Beville will be the new QB.

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    1. Narduzzi’s record is mentioned but not the tough non-conference opponents.

      Proof that no one cares who you play, whether it is good or bad teams. Perception is all about your overall record.

      Liked by 4 people

  156. BY FAR, the toughest loss last season was the Stanford game. In addition to taking away a winning season, it totally eliminated any benefit Pitt could have derived from its Coastal title. It’s hard to measure just how damaging to the program that loss was.

    Liked by 1 person

  157. there’s good and bad in most marriages/relationships
    there’s spousal abuse

    so far, Pitt is doing the abusing more than vice versa but some here are pretty good at the vice versa

    Liked by 1 person

  158. More BREAKING NEWS from the Athletic Department of the University of Pittsburgh…

    Heather Lyke: New coaches have Pitt headed in the right direction (Post Gazette).

    xxxxxxxx

    So there. And you were worried.

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    1. Heather will be judged where Pitt places in the Directors Cup in 2 years
      Pitt will probably place somewhere around 120 this year which may just be the worst showing of any P-5 school
      90% of ACC schools place in the top 50.

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  159. Special K and PittPT, what part of the past 30 years makes you thin that a 7-5 record is unacceptable? This is not the 70s anymore, or even close. And now there are more hurdles than ever before.

    You people make me laugh …. you make the bold statements that this program should be winning 8 games or more every year, when the fact is that the salient conditions are heavily tilted towards mediocrity.

    Please give me the reasons why this program should be winning > 8 games every year …. other than the fact you think it should. Again, yes it could win 8 or maybe even 10 games on a given year when the everything falls into place …. but that is much more the aberration than winning 7 games.

    A sub .500 record for 30 years / a difficult schedule / a dwindling recruiting base / playing in a pro city / a large percentage of alums that either don’t care about FB or largely prefer the Steelers / no OCS / a history of indifference by the admin / a large turnover of coaches …. etc

    Now tell me why this program should be winning 8 or more every year …. other than the fact that you think it should

    Liked by 3 people

    1. begin by removing the constraints
      the budget constraint has been removed – Pitt has the 5th highest spend in football just behind Va Tech
      Heather can fix the OOC
      There are plenty of good recruits within a 5 hour drive of Pittsburgh plus there is the South
      No OCS and yellow seats may marginally hurt recruiting…move people to lower bowl and tarp
      Narduzzi is on Year 5…thats stability since most coaches dont last beyond 5 years in P-5

      Good coaching and good recruits will take Pitt to 10 wins
      Right now the program finally seems to have the right coaches in place (OC and DC)
      Lack of elites is holding Pitt back particularly at QB

      Pitt has proven than winning 6-7 games is easy but its also mediocre
      Nobody said winning 10 was going to be easy but it is a very reasonable request
      Winning 12-13 is impossible unless Pitt spends much more and cheats

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      1. are we to accept that Pitt is just cursed and 7 win seasons should be our lot in life?

        heck no

        you do something about it

        and what more can Pitt (Heather) do at this point to help Narduzzi reach 10 wins?

        They dont hire the OC and DC

        They dont recruit 3 stars

        The OOC is the only thing left besides a coaching change

        am I missing something?

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  160. The Virginia game looms very large. We all will not be getting very much info out of gestapo headquarters late summer this year for sure.

    Liked by 1 person

  161. Natebailey. You are correct. Zero reason to play anyone other than ND, WVU, or Ped St in the OOC. Nobody factors SOS when determining success except a few of us pitt diehards unfortunately.
    Narduzzi would be viewed much differently if he was 32-20 with a weak OOC except for among his biggest critics.

    Liked by 1 person

  162. Wwb, I’m not talking about the last 30 years. I’m talking about this coming year. PN’s 5th year at the helm, a veteran QB, 7 home games and assistant coaches who seem to be a good fit spell at least 8 regular season wins to me. Everyone is striving to be better and I think enough pieces are in place to achieve that goal. It isn’t that big of a step up from last year and I think it’s not only possible but probable. Hey, it’s June and hope springs eternal.

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    1. OK I’ll buy into that. The one concern is how volatile the Coastal is. UVa returns a lot of starters, VT has plenty of talent, how will UNC react to Mack Brown, and Miami still has almost half a roster of 4/5 stars and now has a new HC that that the players actually really like.

      But I admit I will be disappointed if Pitt doesn’t win 8

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      1. I’m with you on the 8 wins for sure. You’re right about the volatility of the Coastal, but to be honest right now the team that gives me pause is Miami. They are loaded, as you’ve said. I think VT has regressed a bit and UNC can’t rebound that quickly, can they?

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  164. Narduzzi on Solid Ground with the Pitt AD right now. It would be even more solid if he were to repeat as the Coastal Champion and finally get that first bowl win. If this team stays healthy, I’m expecting just that in the coming season.

    Liked by 1 person

  165. I think it is funny that so many think that we are far superior to any of our Coastal rivals and that beating most of them is a given. I am generally surprised when Pitt wins almost any football game. I think the fact that we won the Coastal last year was a minor miracle.

    Every year is a new year and every team starts with a clean slate. None of the teams we play are going to lay down for us, our kids have to strap it on, play hard and win the ones they can. The margin of victory is very small in most games.

    I think that WBB is largely on point, there is little evidence that Pitt will be better than average and much to say it could be worse. This year and in the future.

    While most of us hope for the best, there are still too many unknowns. A new O-line, new running backs, an unproven QB, and under-performing receivers. Yes the defense is more established but far from a juggernaut.

    So to say we should win eight games is a wish and a prayer at this point and no more certain than what any of our Coastal rivals are wishing for..

    Liked by 3 people

      2. It’s totally a moot point. If you want to go on and on about it fine with me friend. I got some kabobs to fire up. BTW, I’m firmly on record that Pat has to put a good team on the field this year without getting embarrassed and win 8 games. Understanding the situation and being satisfied are two different things.

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          1. It will be hot in Texas! I think the floor (with the administration… rightly or wrongly) is 7

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          2. Check out my latest article ‘acc jeopardy’ to find out which coach really might be on the hot seat

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  166. Regarding Capel’s last two pickups:

    Certainly not going to vault us to the top, but should give us a chance to win a few more games.

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  167. I think PITT can win eight regular season games this year and imo will but not the Coastal. A bowl win would put get PITT to 9 wins. That should calm down some people. but probably not.

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    1. that will calm down 99%
      but the chances of winning 9 are probably less than 20% at this point
      regardless of how the season plays out, the chances of narduzzi recruiting more than three 4-stars is ZERO percent

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  168. following up on Gordon’s posting above, there is no reason to think that Pitt is superior to any other Coastal team. The sad fact is that the Carolinas and even Virginia now has more viable HS football than PA has … and especially WPa. And then there is Miami and GT which is located in the 2 of the top 4 states for HS recruits.

    I know you ‘realists’ don’t want to accept this … but Narduzzi may well be doing a much better job than any of you care to give credit for

    Liked by 5 people

    1. so there is always a chance that a different coach could have gone 28-24, no bowl wins, no final rankings and be a mediocre if not below average recruiter

      and there is a chance that if Pitt would have spent more money and hired a proven head coach with an offensive mind and strong recruiting background and from a good coaching tree, Pitt would have found a way to win 10 games by now.

      so the question becomes, what do you think over $3M in compensation should buy you? I’m thinking that you see 7 wins as a good value and maybe even a great bargain since Narduzzi has all these constraints in his way.

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      1. A division title for starters. Have I mentioned that 300 times or so. May not mean much to you but it does for me.

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  169. ^^ Narduzzi is better than most want to realize Bill. gc’s above video speaks not only of Capel but PITT football as well. I’m more than once bitten and way more that twice shy to make changes when I have no idea who PITT will reel in. Also, Narduzzi isn’t going anywhere anytime soon anyways. << mind bender. Just like an on-campus stadium wont happen anytime soon.

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  170. and BTW for you MBB critics, I see Duke won last night 14-5 and Louisvlle won 14-1. Also, FSU and UNC are also in the Super Regionals

    Pitt fans/alums …. we are no longer in Kansas! You have to change your mindset

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  172. and BTW Tx, I don’t and can’t worry about how much money Narduzzi makes. It’s inconsequential to me. Plus he has been winning football games.

    Like

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