in Pitt Football 1,079 Words

The Official Season Prediction Thread

Well, here we are: A week away from Pitt football. By this time on the 12th we’ll have a first look at how good or bad Pitt looks, at least against fair-to-middling FCS competition. As with most seasons, the pundits are expecting Pitt to finish somewhere around the middle of the pack, and as with most seasons, there is a pretty obvious disrespect narrative.

The optimists in the crowd (and there are plenty) will point out that this is the first season in Pat Narduzzi’s six-year tenure where Pitt has had continuity at both coordinator positions. That will help. Especially on offense. And, to their credit Pitt does have a lot more going for it on that side of the ball than it did last year. Lets run down the list shall we:

  • A Senior Quarterback who’s got the same coordinator two years in a row for the first time in his college career.
  • Four out of five starters back on the offensive line, and an experienced and surgically-repaired Right Tackle (Gabe Houy) stepping into the spot that was vacated.
  • A receiving corps that returns all but one receiver, with a true freshman (Jordan Addison) who is rumored to be the Real Deal.
  • A running back room that returns all but one contributor from last season
  • A grad transfer Tight End that can reportedly both run and catch.

On defense there are two major qeustion marks, which are a lot fewer than there were last year. One is at defensive tackle, but the optimists will point to Pitt’s depth. The other question mark is corner, and that could be an Achilles heel if a younger player doesn’t step up. With all that being said, the defensive line could make up for any shortcomings in the secondary, and it’s possible that Pitt could be one of the few teams that eclipses 50 sacks for two seasons in a row. It’s a rare feat, but and even though Pitt lost All American DT Jaylen Twyman to an opt-out, the re-addition of Keyshon Camp and Rashad Weaver should offset the loss.

Of course the pessimists in the group (and there are quite a few) will point out that this is still a team that limped to a relatively disappointing 8-5 record last year, with frustrating losses against a beatable Miami team, a very beatable Boston College team, plus a near loss to FCS Delaware, and a handful of had-to-come-from-behind victories on top of that, including one against a 6-6 Eastern Michigan team that required a last-minute circus catch from Taysir Mack. They’ll also point out that Head Coach Pat Narduzzi has never won more than 8 games in a season (although he has done that three times), and so what reason do we have to believe he can win more than that…ever?

None really. Other than the continuity and getting everybody back thing.

Which brings us to the schedule. Eleven regular season games this year instead of 12.

  • Sept. 12: Austin Peay
  • Sept. 19: Syracuse*
  • Sept. 26: Louisville*
  • Oct. 3: NC State*
  • Oct. 10: at Boston College*
  • Oct. 17: at Miami (Fla.)*
  • Oct. 24: Notre Dame*
  • Oct. 31: Open
  • Nov. 7: at Florida State*
  • Nov. 14: at Georgia Tech*
  • Nov. 21: Virginia Tech*
  • Nov. 28: at Clemson*

For those of you who are into math, winning eight out of 12 translates to .667. Winning seven out of 11 translates to .636. So seven and a hook seems about right here.

Of course there are…complications. There’s a very good chance games will be cancelled. There is an equally good chance that even if all the games are played not all the players from both sides will participate.

So is this a prediction thread on the number of games played? Of the number of games played with a full roster? On the number of games played agasint ACC opponents with full rosters? I’d suggest we avoid that. It’s hard enough to predict wins for an up-and-down team like Pitt, adding COVID-related variables into the mix would probably make things well-night impossible.

And so with that being said, here’s my run through the schedule. This is pure instinct and I’m not going to consciously try to fit into my 7.5 win prediction:

  • Sept. 12: Austin Peay – W – Even though I’ve been writing with a negative slant of late, I’m an optimist at heart. Assuming everyone dresses for the game, Pitt wins this one going away.
  • Sept. 19: Syracuse* – W – Even if the Orange Offensive line improves I don’t think they are going to improve enough to keep Tommy DeVito from hearing footsteps all day.
  • Sept. 26: Louisville* – L – Louisville is the anti-Pitt. Their offense was great last year and their defense was terrible. I suspect that their defense will improve more than Pitt’s offense.
  • Oct. 3: NC State* – W – I just don’t think they have the talent right now.
  • Oct. 10: at Boston College* – W – Pitt will be focused for this one. And BC’s Jurkovec isn’t enough to make up for it.
  • Oct. 17: at Miami (Fla.)* – L – Sure, Pitt *should* beat Miami. But will they?
  • Oct. 24: Notre Dame* – W – Just call it a feeling.
  • Oct. 31: Open
  • Nov. 7: at Florida State* – W – Mike Norvell is a good coach but in year one he’s just got too far to go from both a culture and a talent perspective. Fun fact: Norvell coached wide-receivers for one year at Pitt under Todd Graham.
  • Nov. 14: at Georgia Tech* – W – Southern Pigskin calls this one a winnable game for Tech. If there was ever a time for the Duz to play the disrespect card, this would be it.
  • Nov. 21: Virginia Tech* – W – They took us out to the woodshed the year after we took them out to the woodshed. Then we trashed their locker room. Yea it’s not a rivalry… Our turn this year.
  • Nov. 28: at Clemson* – L – No way they overlook us this time.

Tally that up and it puts us at 8-3 (.727 winning percentage), which feels like our ceiling (and as I mentioned, actually is). Of course Notre Dame and Virginia Tech are just as loseable as they are winnable (and Louisville and Miami vice-versa), so six or seven wins is just as plausible. It’s recently occurred to me that Pat Narduzzi has basically gotten us to Walt Harris levels, only in a tougher league. And 6-5, 7-4 or even 8-3 bears that out pretty well. So seven-and-a-hook. Just like the numbers predicted.

What do you think?

Hail to Pitt

Michaelangelo Monteleone

110 thoughts on “The Official Season Prediction Thread”

  3. As Yogi said:”It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”

    If we play 11 games, a big if, my guess is 8 and 3. I think we now have some playmakers on offense, though I think the OL will continue to be the thing that holds us back.

    On defense, I don’t think we get near 50 sacks again, but I hope that our pressure leads to us getting more turnovers…

    I’m guessing we lose to Clemson, Miami, and somebody else…

    (One thing that could really mess us up is Paris being called for targeting a couple of times… Aim that helmet for the ball, Paris…)

    Go Pitt.

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  4. 7-4

    And that’s with a little homer in me

    I do expect Pitt to beat the Domers

    I do expect Pitt to lose to both Techs

    Bowl win makes another 8 win season. I have my doubts Narduzzi will ever reach his 9 win ceiling at Pitt.

    Again, Walt under a much lower budget was shown the door for similar results.

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    1. Walt has much lower competition. While the coastal isn’t great, the worst team would have been in the middle of the big east pack IMO

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      1. Wow. Have to disagree. Walt played against national champions Miami (2001) Virginia Tech at its best (2002) and always tough West Virginia every year. Notre Dame was a regular on the schedule, not every 3 years. I don’t believe there has been one Narduzzi team that could beat the 2002 Pitt squad.

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        1. Ehhhh….I’ll give you that the top end of walt’s schedule was generally pretty tough, but feels like you are cherry picking here. Nobody stands out in the coastal but the bottom is better than Rutgers, 90’s Temple and
          Uconn (who both Walt and Wanny struggled to beat at times)

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    2. I liked Walt but he played a bunch of cream puffs and lost to many of them. BC is Narduzzi worst loss since arriving and they aren’t that bad. Had a real road grader at RB with a good O-Line in front of him.

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  5. One correction here Huff. Opting out means one has decided to not play football this year. Twyman packed up his belongings and left college. Big difference. A player can “opt” out and remain on scholarship, Jaylen is no longer a scholarship player or a student at the University of Pittsburgh. He’s gonzo and opted out of being a student athlete altogether. Cha ching.

    We will find out who the back-up QB is when PITT takes a 25 pt lead second half late Saturday afternoon.

    I’m going 8-3, surprise surprise like Gomer said.

    Tex, you don’t have a homer bone in your body.

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  6. 7 Wins, 4 losses sounds right to me. The offense should be better, I think the defense will stay about the same. So the team should be somewhat better. Problem is, the schedule got substantially harder after the COVID related changes. Add in my lingering disappointment in the BC loss and Narduzzi and Kenny will have to prove to me that the team is better than that.

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  7. Gottfried had some of the best talent in the past how many years. Walt was a good coach who did a good job with less, Wanny was going places but none of those coaches put together a team with the depth Narduzzi has coming back this year and it’s a dam good thing considering what’s going on with Covid. I’m waiting for Bernie to get the call. Point is, PITT doesn’t stink nearly as bad as some of you make them out to be. Some of you remind me of some of my family members, although they know not to bring that negative crap to my house. They get the talk to the hand treatment. Off to beddy bye for now. (hopefully)

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  8. I’m torn between 6 or 7 wins this year as the best guess. If Addison and Krull play up to NFL standards 8 or 9 is possible. But right now 7 at best.

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  9. OT: On Friday the U of Utah furloughed every employee in their athletic department including their athletic director and their highest paid employee head coach Kyle Whittingham($3.7 million). I’m really not really sure where all the money is coming from to pay all the employees in the Pitt athletic department this season?

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  10. I’ll first address a few points –

    Ike – show me the depth at TE, OT, RB, LB, S and CB. Those are half the positions on the field that I see very little depth with good experience. Just saying…

    The PAC 12 will get zero $’s from TV revenue, thus Utah and Stanford making smart cuts. The other PAC 12 and B1G Jokes schools will need to do something soon. For Pitt, I believe 2 things are happening behind the locked gates of Oakland – salary cuts were already made and the school is counting on the TV revenue plus a dip into the general fund to balance the books. We as fans are kept in the dark and left to our own opinion and that of our friends from Texas.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are most likely correct. The bulk of the ACC check is from football tv contracts and bowls. In all likelihood, every Olympic sport had a RIF and or reductions in base salary.

      I don’t see any donors stepping up. Revenues will take at least a $10 million hit without fans in the stands.

      They are stealing again from the general fund. And frankly, I don’t even think Pitt treats this as a loan. There has never been any mention publicly that athletics pays back the ‘borrowing’ with interest within a certain time period.

      All good questions for the BoT during the next meeting

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  11. I’ll first address a few points – I’m on my third attempt to post (waste of time!)

    Ike – show me the depth at TE, OT, RB, LB, S and CB. Those are half the positions on the field that I see very little depth with good experience. Just saying…

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    1. Point #2

      The PAC 12 will get zero $’s from TV revenue, thus Utah and Stanford making smart cuts. The other PAC 12 and B1G Jokes schools will need to do something soon. For Pitt, I believe 2 things are happening behind the locked gates of Oakland – salary cuts were already made and the school is counting on the TV revenue plus a dip into the general fund to balance the books. We as fans are kept in the dark and left to our own opinion and that of our friends from Texas.

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      1. Finally…

        As for my prediction, I’ll give my expectation first – 10-3

        Prediction – 7-5 (many talk of Duzz’s win ceiling – I believe because of his coaching deficiencies that he has 5 loses in him every year, regardless of the number of games). Pitt finishes the regular season at 7-4 and goes down in defeat in a low level bowl game (Duzz would then be 1-4 in bowl games, bags another loss in a 2021 toilet bowl and is shown the door because of his 1-5 bowl record).

        I try to be optimistic, but 40 years of the “same old …” wears thin as I get older and hopefully wiser.

        I’m excited to get the season started and to be wrong on my predictions. I did pick the winner for the Kentucky Derby yesterday (that’s for Dan72 and UPitt). Let’s hope Pitt comes out of the locked gates running hard, with a plan to win the ACC title. Can you imagine the conversations if Pitt started 10-0 and lost their last 3 games?

        H2P!

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    1. There is always a “way”, but with Clemson and Travis Lawrence in the mix, the “way” to the title is really narrow (eye of a needle).

      Predicted starters for the big pee off –

      WR’s T.Mack, Shockey and Tre Tipton (SR bias)
      TE Krull
      LT Warren
      LG Hargrove
      C Morrissey
      RG Kradel
      RT K. Wilson (Houy gets rested because of off season surgery)
      RB AJ Davis (SR bias)
      QB KP

      DE’s Weaver & Jones
      DT‘s Camp & Alexander
      LB’s Bright, Pine & Campbell
      CB’s Pinnock and M.Williams
      S’s Ford & Hamlin

      Maybe not our best 22, but probably what we will see at the start of the pee.

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  13. Still want to know if one team can’t play is it a forfeit that counts for a win for the other team?

    How do you pick a champion if teams play an uneven number of games?

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    1. Forfeit counts as a win for the team that could field a team. This season will come down to which teams have the better players on the field, week in and week out. That is where Pitt can gain some advantages back by having lesser talent than some teams they will play.

      If Pitt’s bubble and protocol with COVID-19 is one of the best in the country and our starters stay healthy, then Pitt can be in the mix to win more games and finish in the top tier of the ACC (a lower tiered bowl game will still await them unless we are 11-1 or 10-2 after the ACC title game).

      Keep in mind – SOP is lurking along with the virus…

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      1. That’s good and it might favor Pitt with a better medical staff, tighter protocols, contact tracing and off the field discipline. It still requires a lot of luck.

        Seven and Four sounds about right. Clemson has already had a third of their team recover from Covid, probably an advantage at this point, over and above their obvious personnel advantage.

        Teams I most want to beat in order are ND, Miami, Louisville and FL ST. If they are among the 7 wins, I would consider the season a success.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I don’t know how confident we can be about the bubble… these are college kids after all. But we can hope that Pitts college kids are smarter than the other schools’ college kids.

        to put it another way… If you and a friend are running from a bear you don’t have to be faster than the bear…

        Liked by 1 person

  14. even though I really think the season will be cut short as the players integrate with the other students, since Maestro wanted us to predict a based on a full schedule …. 7 wins. Ls to Clemson, Miami, (maybe ND) and of course at least one headscratcher …. this is Pitt (Narduzzi or otherwise)

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  15. Good one Doc

    RB

    AK Davis
    Izzy
    V Davis
    D Carter
    Todd Sibley

    TE

    Krull
    Mimes
    Kri
    Wright
    Moraga
    Mimes
    Zilnskas

    OL

    Morrissey
    Hargrove
    Kradel
    Carragan
    Drexel
    Houy
    Van Lynn
    Goncalves
    Liam Dick
    Wilson

    LB

    W Davis
    Petresian
    Sir Dennis
    B George
    Bright
    Pine
    Campbell III

    DB

    Hallet
    Tallendier
    M Williams
    AJ Woods
    Battle
    Royal
    Ford
    Pinnock
    Hamlin

    OK, Rick, thin and inexperienced a few places but still more talent then I’m use to PITT having.

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    1. there is depth, especially on defense, but it has little experience. U left off Bengala Kamara LB and Buddy Mack DB

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  17. Forgive the typo’s I just got up. PITT has talent waiting in the wings without much experience but hearing good things about a few of the young guys. Plus when you have senior laden-ed team it’s hard to get the young guns playing time

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  18. Another unmentioned RS freshman to keep an eye on is Brandon Hill. Hamlin said he’s very smart and he reminds him of J Whitehead in how fast he can play. Smart and speedy is always a great sign for anyone playing at safety. He maybe the reason Narduzzi talked about using Hallet at CB if needed.

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    1. Reading between the lines I take this as Hill is good in run support and hits hard. As far as I’m concerned the jury is out on pass coverage.

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  19. How many wins get you to the championship if you aren’t Clemson? Teams are going to beat up on each other.

    8 wins for Pitt and it very well may get them to the ACC championship game.

    Breakout year…

    Offense: Shockey, Warren, Kradel, Krull, Carter
    Defense: Baldonado, Kancey, Hill, Campbell

    Comeback: Weaver

    Liked by 1 person

  20. I’m sure everybody around the conference has read (and believed) of our Great Disrepection (I conjured up that word for this post). We are, after all, the Rodney Dangerfield of the ACC. We (finally) will be overlooked by more than 1 team – and they would be, obviously, from the upper echelon of ACC teams on our schedule.

    The one “team” that can take out any other is the Fighting Covid Viri – they have great depth on O and on D.

    Therefore, my Pre-Season Guess is predicated on losses, not wins. I predict 2. One will be at Death Valley (could be that the pussy cats lose to The Fighting Viri, before we get there). Not sure about the other.

    Our best position of depth is our available Medical Staff. I expect Pitt to be fit enough to be present at each game this year. We give up ZERO losses due to illness.

    9-2 and a bowl win.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I predict 7-4, too.

    One loss will be due to bad officiating, so hopefully that evens out in the end.

    Losses to Louisville, ND, Miami, Clemson. I’m still perturbed with the schedule Pitt was given by the ACC.

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  22. Will there even be bowls this year? I was thinking just the conference title games and the playoff.

    If Pitt goes 9-2 I don’t want a bowl game as the three-losses-in-a-season streak will be over.

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  24. Dan, you know your my good buddy but I’m pulling a Joe Namath, I guarantee PITT will not lose 6 regular season games this year.

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    1. Ike…Let’s hope we both get to see that many games played! You may change your mind after the first half of Austin Peay. Put any other ACC Coach at Pitt and I’d predict 8-3. But we have the sideline maniac Narduzzi who thinks his sideline displays of anger fire up the team. It’s just the opposite. I’ll never forgive him for fourth and one!

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      1. You know Dan, the possible lack of a full season was a major part of my guarantee. 🙂

        The most intriguing part of this upcoming season is the freshmen can play without losing a year of eligibility. Which definitely helps with depth this year and years to come.

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  25. My prediction for the season, if it is completed, is 6-5. If there is a bowl game, then it will be 6-6. The schedule is very tough and we are missing two key pieces.

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  26. Oh, in five years of being head coach at PITT, Narduzzi’s coastal record is 24-16. Slightly over 3 losses a year. He’s doing what he’s paid to do on all fronts.

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    1. Factor in the schedule with two trips to Florida (see these as a split) and two more ACC games. Looks like slightly over 3 losses could easily slide up to 4 ACC losses and 7-4.

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  27. No problem, Mike. But I was mis-intrepreted. There was no political intent – it was a football phrase.

    Now I know how it feels when a guy gets called for targeting because the RB lowers his head just before contact! 😉

    Liked by 4 people

  28. Normally, such a call would be sent upstairs for review, prior to final judgment. Does this mean I am to go to the locker room, sit out the 2nd half of this post, and the 1st half of the next?

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  29. Over 35 years, I’ve become a strong believer in SOP. I’ve tried to shake the terrible feeling I get watching a game like BC last year, when that feeling starts to set in… Nonetheless, I’m going to go with an 8-3 prediction if all games are played. The defense should keep them in most games, and strong placekicking should maybe get us a win when the red zone offense sputters. So it’s a shaky 8-3 prediction for me.

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  30. So many thoughts required prior to a prediction:
    1) I think all fan message boards across the ACC think their team will improve and have talent waiting in the wings. Very few do that aren’t named Clemson or ND.
    2) We have very little, if any, proven backups other than DE. As some are fond of saying the Duzz takes lower stars and coaches them up, this usually takes time. I think we are an injury or two away from disaster.
    3) If you expect a big year they better go 6-1/5-2 into the break, if not the wheels could come off.
    4) I doubt if we get a full year in, but if that happens I see 5/6 or 6/5. I’ll give a homer 6-5 for my pick.

    Liked by 1 person

  31. I am also going with 8-3.

    A lot of commenters are of the opinion that opponents always improve & always improve better than Pitt. See Mike’s comment on Louisville. Yes the known “LIAR” Pertrino could recruit offense. Not so much defense. I know it is an opinion, but why can you make that assumption. There is ZERO defensive honorees on 2020 preseason Pro Football Focus (PFF), Athlon or a single c/o from 2019 All ACC or 2020 preseason All ACC.

    Yes, Pitt loses to teams that they should beat. But every year Pitt meets (2017 5-7) or beats media preseason wins by one or more games.

    I do not expect a conference championship game but I do expect commenters to say the whole season is ruined even if they only predict 5 to 7 wins.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Isn’t that strange Richard? People predict PITT to only win 5 or 6 games and then act all disappointed when PITT wins 5 or 6 games. Or, they completely forget their predictions when PITT wins 7 or 8 games. 9 or 10 wins will blow their minds.

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  32. Fun fact: Freshman WR Jordan Addison is listed as 6-foot and 170 pounds, making him the lightest guy on the roster. Will be interesting to see how he holds up. Perhaps made it a good move to bring in the slot guy transfer from Maryland to help spread the workload.

    Also wonder if Tre Tipton will be used as a slot receiver…

    We are another injury or two in the wrong places from being in a bad situation, but most teams are…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Rejoice everyone. Game week is finally upon us. Here we are debating about our win total for a season about to begin in 6 days and east in Crappy Valley their “120-Days-to-Maybe-Football Clock” has begun. Is this a great country or what?

    Liked by 3 people

  34. Ike, predicting doesn’t mean satisfied. It doesn’t mean that’s where you want them to finish, just that’s where you think they will. I’d say 11-0 is where I want them to finish. But given talent, coaching, schedule, etc. 6-5 is what I think.Im disappointed that’s what I think, but why should I be satisfied with it? Remember, this is the guy who managed to lose 5 games with one of the best teams we’ve had in years. If you give them credit for beating Clemson on the road, which I do, you have to be amazed they managed to lose 5 games that year.
    Oh, Dan, btw, yes, the call on the one was unforgivable, but absolutely not as bad as his defending it as being the right call. That was the real move that made me question his makeup.

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  35. To put it another way, if you ask me what I predict I’ll shoot at Quicksilver I’d say 90. Not that I’m happy with a 90, That’s just what I’d expect, and my handicap bears it out. Harder course somewhat worst, easier somewhat better, but seems you always play to your handicap. The Duzz is a 7-8 win coach, some years a little worse, no years a little better. You always play to your handicap.

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  36. Very lucky we did not play Marshall. After a 5 – 0 start we lose to Miami. Come back to beat ND. Lose to Clemson (10 – 1). At 9 – 2 we are eligible to play Clemson again as ND (9 – 2) lost to us. ACC hates us.

    All of our games are on the ACCN+ digital channel if you can find it except for Syracuse, Clemson and ND. So be it. H2P

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Before providing my prediction, I want to explain my screen name which includes Pitt and Penn State. My first attendance at a Pitt game was a loss to UCLA 63 – 7 in 1968 and I was hooked.
    As a lot of youngsters in the 70’s I did not want to commute to college and ended up at Penn State. It was a challenge when Pitt & Penn State played with both having excellent programs.
    Pitt sports I have always followed; still love them even with the SOP syndrome. With a sad heart I have not been following Penn State due to the child sex abuse scandal. I loved Paterno as a coach and person / leader, however, I will not accept that he did not know what was going on or allowed a culture that allowed children to get hurt. My wife, who did not go to Penn State, thinks I am an idiot not to give Joe Paterno a pass – she says he was a nice man and probably did not know what was going on.
    C’est la vie — They say time heals all, but I have another problem that I am not into Franklin as a coach/person – something about him rubs me the wrong way.

    2020 Pitt Football but before I start must give MM props for leading the effort to produce this blog. It is difficult to follow a legend, but you are holding up very well. I am an avid reader but seldom poster.
    2020 Positive Vibes
    • Continuity of Offensive Coordinator – ( I like Whipple as a coach )
    • Feeling less penalties this year
    • A Tight End – Krull
    • Experience on the OL / Carter losing weight / improved RT play
    • Less drops + Addison; increased YPC
    • Pickett taking a step forward
    • Above plus some new faces will improve the running game
    • Narduzzi defense
    Prediction: 8 – 3
    FYI – I live in ACC country Charlotte, NC and Pitt is an afterthought on ACC sports talk radio. We need to change that THIS SEASON!!
    .

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  38. Oh I get that JoeK, all I can say is that Narduzzi has only gone one year with less than 7 wins with three 8 win seasons. Ironically enough the one 7 win season was when PITT won the Coastal. Only picking this years team to only win 5 games is just not being realistic if all games are played. Certainly just imo. I could be all wrong as well. Dan could be right, after a half of the Peay game I could have egg on my face. Just happy we only have 6 days to find out. I’ll be here to take the punishment just in case and I’ll also be here if PITT can win 7, 8 or 9 games. Don’t forget, 7 wins only gets you 4 regular season losses this year.

    Would like to know more about the status of bowl games this year? PITT losses…. Miami and Clemson and one other but not BC.

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  40. 8-3. Losses to ND, MIA and CLEM. Anything less will be disappointing IMO. I don’t get all the love for LOUISVILLE. They’ve got an athletic QB and a sexy new coach, but I’m not going to elevate them just yet. SYRACUSE will be below the line again. Maybe they have another QB with a drinking problem. This may be Dino’s last year in the snow belt. UPITT said it here first: MIA has all the athletes, but they are always a QB or OL away from being a very good team. I think they fixed those problems this year. I don’t think ND makes it to the ACC championship game…just a hunch. FSU is a year away. BC will experience some growing pains with a rookie HC and a 1st year QB.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pitt is always a good coach away from being a good team.

      $4 million should buy at least fourth place in the ACC. That’s 8-9 wins plus a nice bowl.

      I doubt Narduzzi was asked to take a pay cut this year. Frankly, donors should pay his salary. I doubt the collective wallets of donors would shell out that kind of coin for 7 win seasons.

      Tex who wouldn’t give the man a Mexican peso

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  41. Some tough games. Forget the asterisk if we do better than predicted.
    Anyone else on AT&T U-verse? I’m upping my plan from U-200 to U-300 to get ACCN . The additional $16/mo is cheaper than going to a bar to watch and I get a bonus of more crap channels.

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  42. Major, that Addison listing probably means he’s 5ft 10 in. and 165 lbs. He will not last the entire season without injury so bringing in the Maryland transfer was probably a good move, if they have some depth at QB.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Agree. We can only wonder how much of a cash advance the young man got. Happy for him. Hope and think someone else will step up

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  48. Steelers have two spots on their practice squad. They should add George Aston… 👍

    Also, they finally cut Switzer…about time…

    Go Pitt.

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      1. Saw where the Packers are supposed to be signing Foster to their practice squad. Bills kept WR Duke Williams on their practice squad. Duke, from Auburn, played with the Bills a bit last season…

        Go Pitt.

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      2. If he’s only gone to Pitt he’d probably have gotten playing time, gotten drafted and be playing right now. Hope he enjoyed that CFB championship ring.

        Liked by 2 people

  50. Pitt’s Law states that the longer any blog discussion goes on, the probability of SOP rearing it’s ugly head approaches near certainty.

    Based on anecdotal evidence, I place the marker at around 40 comments.

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    1. What I can tell you for certain is that if I don’t publish a new post every 72 hours the conversation goes off the rails. Every. Single. Time.

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      1. Psychology is fascinating.

        There are actual internet laws out there. My Pitt’s law is a take on Godwin’s law.

        There was a mention of SOP among the comments in the prediction thread.

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      2. Well of course Mike, we are all anal or we wouldn’t be posting regularly on a PITT football blog. Did this push this article off the rails? I’m thinking of taking up knitting.

        A little advice to you young guns, get ready to see life as it really is. It’s a runaway freight train coming straight at you. It’s how you’ll handle it that counts.

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  51. Tex you are the epitome of a SOP PITT fan. Why not enjoy the ride? I’ve been on many trips where the road was rocky, problems with the car and bad rooms we had to swap out. Think about this……. those are great memories today, maybe not then but great memories nonetheless. We only live once! Stop worrying about things you can’t control.

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    1. To that effect: I remember being frustrated beyond belief during the early part of the 2018 season, and disappointed at the Miami loss. But the experience of being at the 63 point beat down of Virginia Tech and watching Pitt clinch the Coastal (yea yea Tex participation trophy – but for once they stepped up and took care of business when they had to) pretty much out weighted all the bad

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  54. It is not possible to discuss predictions without factoring in the legitimate possibility of SOP. After all, Pitt must play at a high level each week to have a good season. They don’t have sufficient talent to win on days when they are flat or have several turnovers. The defense doesn’t force enough turnovers to give Pitt many short field scores. Overall, while I’m sticking with 8-3, Pitt will need to win ugly a couple of games.

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  55. The virus stuff is such a wildcard — what if Kenny or Paris have to miss two weeks in a row v Miami, ND, etc? Its the same for everyone so that makes it even crazier, but I’ll go with 9-2 despite that, as I think our running game will come back and be the difference. D and QB good enough to get 7-8 wins, but new stud RBs will push us to 9-10. Clemson is the only game I have doubts about, but at least we don’t open with them?!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. We’ll have a better idea after the Peay game. What I can say is that every year there are at least a couple guys who emerge that you don’t expect.

      Last year – Alexandre, Baldonaldo, Cam Bright, And heck even Phil Campbell on D. I don’t think these guys were on anybody’s radar.

      On offense. Well. Tougher, but Vince Davis acquitted himself well in limited snaps, and was the only guy who busted out long runs. Jared Wayne was a pleasant surprise at the end of the year.

      That’s six guys who put themselves on the map last season.

      I’m not saying there will be six more, but I think we can reasonably expect three to four guys to emerge. Will they be at the right positions? (Corner and DT primarily). Well that’s anybody’s guess.

      Liked by 1 person

  57. Pitt comes roaring out of the gate and goes 5-1, and the kool-aid drinkers think Pitt should be ranked in the top 5. Then . . . . Pitt being Pitt, lose 4 out of the last 5. All those away games at the end take its toll.

    6-5

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    1. Pitt may finish 6-0

      Outbreaks happen

      Season gets pushed to Spring

      Pitt is declared national champion for the Fall by the post gazette.

      Heather has US Steel build her a trophy.

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  58. I’m going 8-3 and won’t be surprised if we win or lose one to two more. In a crazy year, 8-3 would be damn good.
    Should get a good peak at how the season will play out depending one the first game. If it’s a nail biter, hold on folks.
    In any event, happy to have a Pitt season in front of us all. I hope they all stay safe and healthy!

    H2P

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        1. Tex needs “special” treatment

          waiting for your first photo MM, anxiously

          don’t disappoint us, man!
          (young 🙂 )

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