in Pitt Football 1,163 Words

Up Next: Georgia Tech (COVID Edition)

By Richard Hefner

Pitt’s revised season was supposed to end after the Clemson loss. Instead, it is now scheduled to end this Thursday with a Covid-inspired postponement makeup game. Pitt is now 5-5 (4-5 in conference). Our upcoming opponent is Georgia Tech 3-6 (3-5 in conference). GT is coming off a 13-23 loss to NC State. I watched the game to scout GT but with no excitement. It was like I was watching Kansas and Texas Tech (yawn). I have no investment in any of those four teams.

Pitt fans will be able watch the 7:00pm game on their Regional Sports Network. For me that is either Fox Sports South or Fox Sports Southeast.

Geoff Collins is in his second year at the helm of the Yellow Jackets. He has matched his win total from his 2019 campaign (3-9). He has also exceeded his win total against FBS teams with his 3’rd. But his GT teams are 0-1 against FCS teams having lost his 2019 game against (you guessed it) The Citadel Bulldogs in a 24-27 OT loss. Collins has the unenviable task of converting a triple option team (like The Citadel) to a modern (FBS) system.

He has already made progress in recruiting. Compared to Paul Johnson’s last two recruiting classes (2017 Rivals rank 41 and 2018 ranked 53. Those classes combined for a Pat Narduzzi-esque nine 5.7’s and above out of 45 recruits, or 20%). Collins has classes ranked 43 (2019 transitional year) and 24 (2020). He also recruited nineteen 5.7’s and above on 44 total recruits, 0r 43%.) The 2020 class is impressive containing 5.8 4-star QB Jeff Sims and 5.9 4-star RB Jahmyr Gibbs. More on them later.

Georgia Tech for the time period 08/01/19 to 10/30/20 had 17 players enter their name into the transfer portal including one player who entered 6/1/20, changed his mind and came back only to reenter the portal on 10/27/20. These are the 9 (of 17) players who entered since 8/1/20:

Not surprising that all except for one were Johnson’s recruits or in his transitional class (2019) that may or may not have given his verbal to Johnson. BTW, Graham started the last 8 games of the 2019 season.

Added this after Sunday night/Monday morning article was posted. DE Henderson & QB Graham were Rivals 5.8 4stars. DE Dingle was a Rivals 5.7 3-star. I can see QB Graham transferring as he was recruited as triple option QB, The DE’s are a different story. Is there a triple option defense?

To help make up for roster openings or deficiencies, Georgia Tech signed 3 off the portal.

One of the 3 (OT Devin Cochran) did not enroll at Georgia Tech and is not on the roster.

Georgia Tech has also added 4 more portal transfers since the 2020 season started. 3 were added this month.

All four are from Georgia. Washouts? Homesickness? Covid?

Who are the identified preseason potential “Stars”? There was no one selected to the preseason All ACC team. Seven selections in total.

The punter is good. He is ranked 3’rd of 82 averaging 47.65 yards per punt. Our Aussie is ranked 17’th with an average of 44.73 yards. Harvin is also a big guy – listed at 6’, 255lbs. Reminds me of the guy from Psu.

The kicking game is another matter. GT’s kickers (Stewart 20/22, Kelley (2/3) are a combined 22 of 25 on extra points attempts. GT has only attempted 8 FG’s, making 3. Kessman is 29/30 on extra point attempts and 19/25 on field goals. Kessman has attempted and made more FG’s from beyond 40 yards (9/14) then GT has attempted.

Jordan Mason was GT’s leading rusher in ’18 and ’19 with a combined 1,800 yards. He was injured in early September but is now back to full health.

DeFoor, a 2019 season transfer, leads a Oline in transition from the triple option.  How is the Oline doing? Here is the leading rushers chart.

Both RB Gibbs & QB Sims are true freshmen. Griffin is a 5.8 4-star from the 2019 class. Collins recruiting is making an impact. Mason made the “Stars chart. GT is ranked 63’rd (out of 123 ranked teams) in rushing yards per game. Gibbs missed all last week’s NC State. I think he had an Achilles injury in the 11/28 game against Duke. I am no medical expert so is he able to play against Pitt?

Does the revamped Oline protect the QB or move the opponents DLine on running plays. Here is a comparison of GT’s & Pitt’s Oline in sacks & tackles for loss allowed.

IMO, both are average at best in protecting the QB from sacks. Pitt is absolutely horrid at moving the pile off the line of scrimmage. Overall advantage to GT.

How is true Freshman Jeff Sims doing as a QB? Here is a comparison of QB’s passing stats with and without OOC opponent.

Usually, a QB’s pass efficiency rating goes down when excluding OOC stats (like KP’s) but Sims went up. In this case, it is a matter of opponents. Pitt played D1 FCS Austin Peay while GT played D1 FBS G5 UCF. Sims had a bad day against UCF (105.0 rating). I will not get into excuses for that performance.

Here is a comparison of offensive stats.

The NCAA rank is based on 127 teams and That’s it – Fort Pitt on total number of FBS teams that will play this year.

Pitt and Georgia Tech are not offense behemoths. Georgia Tech runs the ball. Pitt passes the ball. On a per game basis, GT averages 28 more yards per game.

To me, it is a toss-up if the game was based on offense only. But it is not. Defense is also involved.

So, let us compare team defense.

All team rankings are out of 127 eligible teams

Based on defensive stats alone, Pitt is heads and shoulders above GT.

Of the potential Stars, 4 of them were on defense. Three of them were DB’s. –  2 Safeties and a CB. I expected a better pass defense. Jack Curry, the LB, is Pitt’s Tre Tipton. Both have been around for 6 seasons. Tre Swilling (one of the 3 DB’s on the Stars list) did not play against NC State. I read or herd something but can not remember if it was injury or opt out of the balance of the year.

It is now time to compare sacks & TFL’s.

That is a Pitt advantage.

Here are some additional stats – penalties & turnovers.

It is a draw on penalties. Pitt clearly wins the turnover battle.

Geoff Collins is doing a great job in building a program. Is it there? No.

 Pitt 31 – GT 14. (Assuming KP plays.)

As I was wrapping this article up, rumors are floating that Pitt’s two “Star” DE’s are leaving (opting out) for the balance of the season. Pitt’s 2’nd team DE’s are not slouches. But they do not have the experience against what I consider RPO QB’s (Cunningham/Louisville, King/Miami, Book/ND, Travis/FSU (except his 88-yard stroll) & Hooker/VT and now Sims). Based on the RPO factor, it would be a closer game, but Pitt does win. Pitt 31- GT 28.

107 thoughts on “Up Next: Georgia Tech (COVID Edition)”

  1. Pitt has four semi finalists for awards. Jones and weaver. Kessman and the Aussie.

    Tech is doing extremely well recruiting. They will awaken before Pitt. That’s unfortunate if you’re a Pitt fan.

    Tex still wandering in the desert trying to avoid the sand worms.

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    1. You knew Michigan would do this to spite their rival. The Michigan water boy got covid. Got to cancel the game then. Harbaugh is chicken crap. He knew he’d get blown out and would be immediately fired.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. COVID-19 sports, or how to screw over your next football opponent. The Steelers should have pulled this on the NFL the same way the Ravens did to them. Happy for OSU fans though,,, 😉

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  3. if Weaver and Jones are both out, it will certainly hurt the cause. But with Baldonera, Alexandre, Hayes and Morgan i reserve, it may make it more stomachable. That may not be the case if Hamlin and Pickett decide to opt out (and no, I haven’t heard anything about this)

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    1. I’d personally rather get next years guys some game reps abs game film even if it means going 5-6. Looking at Richard’s numbers the Tech defense is nothing to write home about. Better to give Yellen a relative cupcake to get his confidence back up after the tough games he was thrown into this year.

      On the other hand I wouldn’t mind seeing Kenny carve up the jackets as a senior year swan song

      Liked by 2 people

  4. I would be very surprised if KP doesn’t play or Hamlin. They are guys that play for the joy of the game.
    No worries about red shirts for the young guys so let’s check a few out.

    I do think 6-5 is much better than 5-6. A winning season vs a losing one.

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    1. Planes are one of the safest ways to travel right now. No middle seat usage and a complete air re-fresh every two minutes. In addition, if your state health department sent you the dreaded, you have covid letter, they share that with airlines so you can’t board. Very safe atmosphere. I got that info from Mr. Haney.

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        1. Come on Red Baron, any pilot worth their wings knows that open-air bi-plane travel is only possible from May to October so that would not be the best way to transport the squad to their games now. Mr Ed was just telling me that the other day.

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      2. The planes, the airports, security checks, the buses, the hotels, the restaurants, the locker rooms, and all the people along the way. What does Haney have to say about that?

        Liked by 2 people

  6. OSU will play another game before the big championship, don’t worry. It will be a big10 West opponent, more than likely. You have to follow the money. The big10 will have no representation if OSU isnt in, therefore, you schedule against Iowa, or Wisky, a decent West program. A great AD has a backup plan without hiring a consulting company to do their work for them.

    Wisky may step up to the plate unless they are the West rep. Internet has been in and out down here so I don’t know if wisky is a bigWest contender.

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    1. Yea they did the internet outages…earlier in the year. OMG…..i can’t play Candy Crush or Destiny.

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  7. Without Pickett Pitt loses with him we have a fighting chance. I’m not looking forward to watching our roster QB’s if Picket doesn’t play. I’d much rather end up 6 and 5 than 5 and 6 which I believe will be the case if Yellen or Beville is our QB.

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  8. Dr Gesundheit doesn’t think this game will be played. And based on who isn’t playing and the fact the game is meaningless….doesn’t do anything either, as to the reason, if the pandemic is so out of control, that this game be played.

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  10. Was going to post last night, that those dirty rat wolverines, would sidestep the game. So as to cause us consternation & confusion in Columbus.

    Hey that would be a great movie title. Consternation & confusion in Columbus.

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  13. Excellent work, Richard. Appreciate the digging and analysis you do. 👍

    GT recruiting is impressive and understandable, given their location.

    Would love to see the Panthers go out with a win, but with the Panthers you just never the heck know.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. So remember how there was supposed discussion of the ACC playing in pods to limit travel during the pandemic. This was thrown out in favor of the teams from NC getting easier schedules and having a Clemson ND game, as a result screwing the heck out of Pitt unintentionally of course. Playing the toughest schedule and travelling to the deep south four times.

    When they could have had a North and South schedule with some crossover games drawn out of a hat to start the season, but would not count toward the Championship game.

    So the North would include ND, BC, Syr, PITT, Louis, VA and VaTech plus one South that counts.

    The South would have Clem, Miami, GT, FLST, UNC, NCST, Wake and Duke.

    So the first two/three say would be crossover and wouldn’t count for the conference championship, except for one crossover that counts for the North drawn by random. Getting weak or strong teams wouldn’t matter. They would be warm up games.(Except for the third crossover for North teams, which makes up for the odd number of teams).

    Everyone would at least play Clemson or ND and if you played both one wouldn’t count. Unless you were unlucky enough to be the North team with Clemson as your third game. Pitt right?

    There would be fewer of the long distance games and you still end up with an ND vs Clemson Championship. There would still be the traditional rivalries played.

    But instead UNC and NCST avoid both Clemson and ND, no favoritism there.

    Anyway, I am sure there bugs in this or any system, but if ND joins for real we need another full time member, and this system would work, especially with a 10 or 11 game ACC schedule.

    Six of the North schools are former Big East Teams.

    Feel free to poke holes in it or create your own system.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I favor UConn or Temple when ND joins, great basketball, solid academics, lots of tv sets and weak football.
      But that’s a whole different discussion.

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    2. AND
      We played all the home games early. No fans/no weather advantage
      But
      If no ACC invite no Pitt football ( see UConn)
      So bend over and smile because it is the best outcome Pitt could get

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  15. Richard, I nominate you along with Mike as the co POV MVP’s. What a job you both did this year and thanks for all the work you both put into entertaining us all.
    🙂

    gc, nice wrap up of how PITT got ripped off this year by the ACC.

    Win, lose of draw I want to see the PITT vs GT game played to see the young ones get in there and show what they can do. The kids deserve it as well.

    If Pickett sits out it could ruin his image as a true gamer, I doubt he does. Others will though, no reason for Jones II or Hamlin risk getting hurt. I just hope this opting out is never used again. This is not competitive football. Put it writing, finish the season or pay back your scholarship. This shouldn’t be a big problem with their NFL bonus $$$

    Liked by 4 people

  16. These divisions have pleasant geographical symmetry and give a nice nod to history but it would be a tough sell on a competitive level to put Miami, Clemson, and Fla St. in the same division. There are probably only four schools in the ACC that can have realistic national championship aspirations, those three and Notre Dame if you’re including the Irish. If I squint my eyes and dream a little, maybe UNC could win a title if they caught lightning in the bottle with the right coach and QB, and they’re in the South, too. Conversely, other than ND, nobody in the north is a threat to be a regular 10 top contender.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good points by you. It would also put ND in the Championship game every year and that wouldn’t sit well with anyone but them. Unfortunately it has been a long time since any of the North schools have been competitive nationally other than ND. Funny, when it was the Big East Miami and VATech were the only ones vying for the NC, until they left.
      I guess this set up only makes sense during a pandemic since the North teams love going South and travel isn’t normally and issue. Plus ND and Clemson are the only real contenders this year. It is too bad Miami didn’t get to play ND, that may have made a difference.

      The funny thing is that UNC couldn’t take advantage of their softer schedule to even get close to the Championship game.

      In any case, unlike Tex, I am very glad to be part of the ACC. Very competitive games almost every week, trips to warmer places and a nice paycheck. Other than Pitt being a little more competitive, who could ask for more?

      Liked by 1 person

  17. The only solution is to form a northern conference and break away from the ACC. I’m on record saying the ACC was not a good fit for pitt athletically. Academics yes. Sports no

    Few schools have wrestling teams

    Few schools have hockey teams

    Pitt at a disadvantage weather wise with baseball

    Pitt will get screwed time after time by the refs to favor southern schools.

    My northern conference would be BC, UConn, Rutgers, Temple, Maryland, Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse, Cincy, Louisville, buffalo, Virginia, va tech

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Since you left out ND and PSU, that would be really crappy football, although Pitt might be more competitive.

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      1. They would never join. They are going to that mega football conference of elites or elite wannabes once the tv contracts expire.

        And this would be a level playing field for Pitt. Across all sports. The academics would suffer a bit but conferences are primarily for sports anyway.

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    2. Just how many “only solutions” to Pitt Football’s woes do you have, Tex? haha

      Virginia and Virginia Tech view themselves as being the South and would never consider a move such as this. Va Tech dreamt for years (like a dog outside of a butcher shop) of getting in the ACC. ANd UVA is a founding member of the ACC.

      Since we are dreaming… Leave Louisville, Cincy and Maryland out. Add PSU, Navy, Army and UMass.
      Blankets the northeast TV markets.

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      1. This is the semi pro league I’ve been talking about. Domers and Nitters get in. I don’t think the Hokies get in. But the cavs definitely would not be invited. And of course pitt wouldn’t be interested nor would they qualify.

        Expiration of the tv contracts will change the football landscape. Along with the growing movement to pay football players.

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    3. And invite some former Big East schools to join for basketball. Fact is though that the ACC has a TV network starting up and way more $$$ to give to Pitt. So it’s all just a pipe dream…

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  18. If I’m Virginia, VT and louisville, I want nothing to do with breaking away from the ACC right now or in the near future.

    All have good sports programs, two with good academics and all competitive in FB & BB (the later two with recent BB national championships).

    Pitt with good academics…

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    1. Nor would anyone else want to break away for a much smaller paycheck, which is why they all left the Big East in the first place. Hell, Maryland left for more money, the driving force in all of this.

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      1. In 2025 this all changes

        Maryland football will be looking for a new home

        And I think Maryland would rather join a mid Atlantic conference than a south eastern one. Geographically, economically, and culturally they are a northern school.

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        1. geographically, no
          economically, no, unless so is Virginia
          culturally, a little mainly by the rather large penetration from NJ and PA but still no

          and most here would still prefer to have stayed in the ACC except for the $$$ of course

          so as to it changing in 2025, well….

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    2. Tv contracts expire in 2025. Conference realignment will happen again. And the football factories will break away from the NCAA and form a semi pro league. They aren’t going to turn away an extra $100 million per year.

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      1. This won’t happen for one reason, too many of the big boys would become losers when they can’t pad their schedules with losers. You think teams like Clemson, tOSU, Oklahoma would rather play a top twenty team every week? They have it made right now.

        The SEC is the poster boy for this concept and how many teams have won championships in the last twenty years?

        PSU and JoePa became legends beating up teams that could never beat them. They have only been marginally competitive since they joined the B1G. Same with the big two and little 8. How has Nebraska done since they joined the B1G? The Nebraska-Oklahoma game used to be one of the biggest of the year.

        Who gets invited to your semi pro league?

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        1. These schools are going to get paid an extra $100 million. Those are the projections based on a 30 school league.

          Who cares if you always end up losing to Alabama or Clemson. That extra money will help your Olympic sports programs, allow you to find new programs, and might actually make your overall sports a profitable business.

          But when this happens, and it will, these schools will need a ceo to run at least the football side. Because it will be a business enterprise. And athletes will get paid.

          80 percent of that ACC check today is from football

          I see Florida state, Miami, clemson, Notre Dame and possibly unc being interested in such a league and meeting the criteria.

          Biggest brands, largest fanbases, semi pro philosophy for football

          In essence these schools become the minor league for the nfl.

          There would be nuances of course

          What if a pitt player wants to transfer to the league? Would it be treated like the soccer world. Pitt would loan the player out and receive compensation.

          Would there be a concept of relegation

          Could there be a tournament where the winner of one league plays the winner of another league for The Cup.

          This could be fun and get interesting.

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        2. Articles have been written about this. Not my idea but I have thoughts obviously. And I like the pro soccer concept of loans and relegation. Again biggest brands and fanbases. Moreover a BoT willing to approve the concept and shuftvaway from the academic mission in order to help support the other 19 programs that lose money and the 3-4 other programs you’d love to have but are too broke to afford them.

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          1. Imagine the bagmen involved in this concept. You would also have to pay the players which opens up a whole new can of worms. Unions, collective bargaining etc. Do you have a draft like the NFL? Then you have the academic issues, do the players actually go to school or are they just there to ball?
            Then you have to have a real administrative component with clout, unlike the NCAA. Then the whole media component.

            Seems as unlikely as an OCS in Oakland.

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            1. This works for hockey and baseball. It’s not as messy as you think. You just have a college name and facility behind the sport. And the primary pool of players for the draft comes from this league. Not to say a pitt player couldn’t get drafted but there might only be 1-2 each year as opposed to the current 4-5.

              So it would work a bit differently as a minor league since hockey and baseball draft you first, sign you and place you in the system. The nfl still wouldn’t be subsidizing this league remember. But as a player you’d basically be tied to the nfl. You couldn’t jump first to play in Canada.

              All the players make the same. They sign a contract. They are in essence personnel of the quasi nfl and new school business enterprise. The schools get compensated by the huge tv money. That allows them to build the infrastructure and support the system.

              The left over monies, if you have a good cfo, go back to support the money losing Olympic sports and helps fund new programs.

              Those details will all get worked out by lawyers. But money talks. Today a sec school makes around $50 million from their conference check. They have a chance to easily double that. It’s a no brainer for me.

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            2. They are semi pro. No classes required

              Every sport has a minor league system or academies except for football. The nfl has a free minor league system for player evaluations and development today. That’s all going to change. Frankly I’m surprised schools haven’t pushed back and demanded compensation from the nfl.

              And really what kind of education are athletes getting from elite schools anyway when they have others take their tests, others submit their homework assignments, take fake classes and get worthless degrees in basket weaving.

              The academics have always been a sham. Now you legalize player payments. It should significantly cut down on the cheating and bagmen. Just like legalization and regulation of drugs.

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  19. Big 14 leading in the Big 14/ACC Basketball Challenge, 6-1. They have already beaten Duke and NC.

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    1. Former Pitt player and now assistant at Illinois is doing quite a good job recruiting – beat Capel head to head on one or two really good players.

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      1. Antigua couldn’t land anyone when he was an assistant at Pitt. There was no money to give kids under the clean Dixon.

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  20. I do like the only conference games schedule. If OOC games are to be played they should only be P-5. No more padding of the records with rent-a -win games. This might make the bowl games much more exciting as well. I do favor an eight game playoff with each P-5 getting a slot and the rest at-large. It would make all Championship games more meaningful. The rest of the Bowl games have totally lost their luster anyway, which is sad for us old guys that remember how much fun a hangover was on New Year’s Day.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ll take the other side of that argument.

      I think there is a value to early season games with non-P5. Lets one work out the kinks since there isn’t a preseason.

      No OOC with non-P5 and we miss out on some great upsets…. App St. vs Mich, Richmond vs UVA, etc.
      How else do we get to see the Grambling band live…haha

      Now, if one wants to argue that non-P5 opponents should be limited to 1-2 games max/yr and ust be played by the end of the second week of Sept, Im all ears.

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      2. I love the Grambling band…. one of my favorite movies is “ Drumline” must have seen it 4 times…

        Richard, your analytics and contributions are greatly appreciated… I look forward to reading your research each time

        Liked by 2 people

  23. last night in the ACC-B1G challenge, PSU played at #15 Va tech and won by 20. Which not only shows that VT are also overrated in BB and how SILLY pre-season and early season polls are

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    1. VT gets way too much love from the media. Its sickening to listen to Kirk Herbstreit fawn over them each year. And they are giving bball too much love due to the Seth Greenberg (meh and now a TV analyst) and Buzz WIlliams (carpet bagged them) hires.

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  25. We are a northern school in a southern conference but will take the money. ACC FB needed the money so we played with the virus. ACC BB will do the same. College FB and BB play the sports for money period. The kids should start to sell their names on shirts for money now. We get the picture. Colleges are NFL 2 and NBA 2.

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    1. the universities no longer license uniforms for sale with player names on them. They typically only sell the #1 and the year #, like 20. The image and likeness litigation is the issue. If I were a 4 or 5 star player, I would get a number in the sequential year while I am at the school.

      I would then take the average jersey sales of the prior 5 years and compare that to the number of sales which occurred in the year with my number. This would give great evidence to make a case for a payment. As an example, Pitt sells 10,000 jerseys per year with the year on it. Shady McCoy comes to town and wears number 25. In the year 2025, Pitt jersey sales jump to 30,000. Was it Shady driving the sales or our genius athletic department all of a sudden? How would you vote if you were on the jury? Very easy to measure the value of the player image/likeness. The difficulty is the 1 star that wears #22 and there is a slight jump in sales.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. Dez Bryant was positive while hugging half the cowboys team last night. Then he was notified and didn’t play. How does that happen?

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    1. And you don’t think we have a socialist system today. Please don’t throw around words you don’t understand.

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    2. Athletes can still get endorsements. The most popular ones will be those most highly compensated. Not necessarily those best in their positions.

      In the corporate world, there are positions with salary grades. You are paid a base salary regardless of experience or performance relative to your peers. You’re all hired for the same role. You’re all generally paid the same although there might be a range.

      So I get paid the same in my grade and position as someone who might do one tenth of my work and one one hundredth of the quality or impact. God forbid if that person came in on the high scale of the range.

      But that bottom dweller unless nepotism is involved or office politics, will eventually be shown the door.

      And I might eventually get a raise or get promoted.

      That’s how the real world works. But you can’t remove office politics and favoritism.

      That’s why you all start out at the same baseline. Work from there. Nuances then come into play. Is it perfect. No. But what is. It is however better.

      It’s a far better system than today where college athletes are truly in a system that offers no upside for monetary gain. Although I would argue a Pitt degree is still better than a Louisville one.

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        1. Correct. Then that bama four star that doesn’t perform like one can transfer to Pitt. 🤠

          Pitt has plenty of experience with 4 stars not performing. Would be a perfect fit.

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    3. yeah, hey, can all you guys just stfu, i can’t hear Tex and i’m sitting right up close to my keyboard

      can you type a little louder, oh great one? these idiots around here don’t appreciate you

      LOL!!!

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  29. Whether a college player is NFL bound, or an average player who just enjoys playing the games, these kids work very hard to compete and their games should not be cancelled without good reason. And so far I haven’t heard one comment about what the players think, or if they should be consulted before cancelling a FB or BB game. Last I checked it is still a roster of college students who play the game and take the risk. Giving them a year back does not compensate all players for what is going on today with COVID.. I don’t care much for coaches and administrators who sit around musing about cancelling games or the season.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. These games aren’t cancelled for no good reason. They are cancelled to protect the health of players. I think the players should be very grateful for that. Or do you believe in conspiracies.

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  33. I expect most bowl games to be cancelled. I don’t see how they make money anyway without fans. I guess the tv advertisements for the sponsors but they have to pay for those spots. Sponsors generally use the week leading up to the bowl as one big exhibition.

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  34. Expect complaining come 11 pm tonight. Pitt basketball game will be over then. Always fun to comment on a crap show.

    Although not a Tomlin fanboy, I do respect him calling out receivers and threatening to bench them for drops. Narduzzi has never done that.

    Another reason why Narduzzi must go and maybe Capel after tonight’s game.

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  35. Tex, it is hard to take serious COVID restrictions and concerns that let people go to strip clubs and liquor stores but don’t let them play sports after receiving a negative COVID test. Your concerns may be valid, but the hypocrisy here is incredible. And you of all people constantly proclaim that money drives everything in sports, and yet you piously proclaim they are protecting the health of the players. What a crock…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It is hypocritical

      Just like last night

      Dez probably infected half the cowboy team

      If the nfl was serious, they would have cancelled and forced all those in contact with dez to quarantine.

      You’re preaching to the choir

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    2. Universities and conferences may claim it’s about a players health. And in Pitts case, I truly believe they are health advocates. To hell with the money. But not everyone thinks this way. I truly congratulate pitt on their covid protocols and how seriously they are approaching things. Something to be proud of. H2P.

      And yes Narduzzi and heather and the atom counter deserve credit.

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  36. Pro ballers get paid massive amounts of money for what you are asking these kids to do in your Super College conference, without the benefits, all of the risks and a flat rate of pay. While the schools, the media all make a fortune from their labor. That is not socialism that is indentured servitude. Your summary of the corporate world is not analogous to the entertainment industry and they are entertainers.

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    1. Entertainers need to get paid. These kids aren’t scholar athletes. They barely go to class and get worthless degrees at those football factories.

      Colleges need to stop giving the nfl a free ride. Every pro league in the world has a Minor system that they pay for.

      Schools like pitt need a level playing field. Pitt needs to play other like minded schools who truly believe in the scholar athlete model.

      No sec school is going to give up over $100 million to have football become semi pro.

      It’s gonna happen and it will be a good day for Pitt

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  37. VoR, you have made many good points. But one thing you seem to not comprehend is that having participants sit out is not necessarily to protect heir health but to stop the spread, and infecting more. The protocol for everyone who tests positive, athlete or non-athlete, is to quarantine.

    Deaths are rising greatly by both seniors and non-seniors …. and that is because many people seem to think like you …. I am not likely to die …. without any regard to anyone else. I apologize if I misunderstand you

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  38. Michael Smith WR in the transfer portal its being reported. Pitt could use the additional scholarship since IMO he would never see the field for Pitt if he stayed around. Some claim he wasn’t on the roster but I do believe was at the star of the 2020 season.

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    1. I have him down with a medical issue on one of my numerous spreadsheets. So was Dontavious Butler. both wide receivers. I believe HCPN announced on opening of fall camp.

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  39. For you gamblers out there take NW and give the 5 1/2 points tonight. The game has been moved to ESPN2 with tip off at 9:15 eastern its being reported. The Big 10 is dominating the ACC right now and I expect that to continue tonight.

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    1. on the other hand, Miami which played the very first game in the Challenge is the only ACC team to win so far. So it stands to reason that Pitt which is playing the final game should also win

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      1. Heather will extend Capel at halftime

        She will be sending Morse code from her bunker

        But Capel will mistake the code for you’re fired

        Heather will then scramble and quickly promote the equipment manager

        Pitt goes on a ten game winning streak.

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      2. Dan – I have a 7am executive meeting tomorrow morning – I’ll stick with the game until the half and base my thoughts of the outcome on your comments.

        No early meeting planned for Friday so I’ll snooze with the Duzz tomorrow.

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  40. wwb, I understand your point. I’m assuming that the colleges have protocols in place that involve isolation, distancing, masks and other preventative measures. And with the testing more advanced now, I’m assuming that if students stay restricted to campus for a day or two, and then get tested on game day, they should be good to go if they test negative. I am actually quite worried about COVID spread, especially for us old timers. But these 20 year old kids are relatively safe, and they should be tested before leaving the campus bubble to make sure they are not taking it home with them. And the CDC has reduced the quarantine time to 10 days, or I think even 7 days if a test follows.

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  41. After reading the Trib’s article about tonight’s opponent and game vs. Northwestern. It would appear the new big man Hugley….is somewhat of a slacker. Which seems to be an overall problem with many teams and many players. I never had a problem with getting up to play any games. I really can’t imagine.

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  42. One to watch is 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward John Hugley, who has the potential to give Pitt a rugged presence in the paint. He started the opener and grabbed eight rebounds in 20 minutes, but he had a total of six rebounds in the next two games.

    “He’s done some good things, but we need him to be better,” Capel said.

    “He has to understand how hard you have to work every day, the discipline it takes to be a really good player at this level. The mindset you have to have every day.

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  43. B1G reneges on 6 game min and allows Ohio St in championship. Says OSU would have qualified even if it would have lost to Mich

    If Clemson beats ND, which is certainly possible and an improving Florida beats Bama (less likely but possible), then Ohio St is the only undefeated P5 team. But who will the committee choose for the final 1? There is a case for all 5, not to mention undefeated Cincy if they beat Tulsa and maybe a 1-loss Tex A&M.

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  45. Terrific game last night! First time I have seen that much fight in a recent team. Hopefully they keep building on it. H2P!

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