162 thoughts on “Boston College at Pitt Basketball Game Thread”

  2. Coach Capel completely snake-bitten…

    He sounded a bit subdued today on the pre-game interview.

    Find a way, Coach…

    Go Pitt.

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  4. Without Horton this is a horrible shooting team. BC doubling and tripling down in the paint vs Hugley and Gueye.

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  6. And of course the announcers making BC and their ok point guard out to be the second coming of Wooden’s UCLA!

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  9. Pitt is simply asleep and playing w self pity. They lose to BC and don’t get Horton back and they will NOT win an ACC game.

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  10. Pitt handled the Horton case very poorly. When you payoff a cop, make sure he’s happy with the settlement.

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  15. It’s Hugley and a bit of Mo against the world at the half. Those 2 with 22, rest of team 10; and 9 rebounds vs rest of team 5.

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  16. Pitt handles Horton’s situation as only Pitt can: poorly.

    Horton showed up for the hearing on 12.30.21, the cop didn’t.

    Pitt should have let Horton finish out the season knowing charges would be refilled. When the hearing was set, file a continuance and reconvene in April.

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Plenty good happens after midnight in college .
    I did some of my best work then!
    However, use your head and remember you are a high profile person and any bad thing you do will be public.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. In light of the fact that it was expected the charges would be re-filed (sounded like the policeman was motivated to do so), I’m encouraged that the Pitt admin has been a bit more even-handed here than in the Hugely matter… at least based on what I have heard about it.

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  20. My question is this. How can Pitt and Hortons lawyers not be aware of this refile? Typically …Pitt looks like idiots in how this was handled.
    And in this day and age of bank robbers, rapists and all non homicide criminals all being coddled and set free!

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  21. And the charges had to be refilled yesterday! Why are we just being notified today? Somebody asleep at the switch!

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  26. Stupid stupid basketball by Hugleya d Pitt and again getting crushed on the boards in the last minutes

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  32. Pitt wins despite letting BC drive the floor for a layup w 4.3 seconds to go. Utter stupidity by Pitt! Their ineptness in the last minutes of a game knows no bounds! H2uglyP

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    1. I was shocked we didn’t foul that guy at the end – or at least that a foul wasn’t called…

      What should Pitt have done differently there?? I did wonder about putting Mo on the inbounder instead of having him under the basket…

      Go Pitt.

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      1. Under no circumstances should Pitt have fouled. The difference was 2 points. They needed to slow them up as much as possible and avoid a 3. The BC player is talented his drive was similar to ones earlier but Pitt had 3 people at the basket to make his shot impossible without fouling. Well done.

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    2. When Capel was talking to the team before the inbound the players looked confused. Why is this the case it appears in crunch time? The BC guy got the ball and was across mid court in the blink of an eye.

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  34. So nice to see these Pitt players get an ACC win – regardless of how…

    Oddly enough, BC’s Earl Grant was the coach I was hoping Pitt would hire when we were chasing Hurley. I know little about coaches, but I thought a young, successful and black coach was the way to go.

    Then I figured that maybe Earl wouldn’t want to come north – I was obviously wrong about that…

    Go Pitt.

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  36. Great win for the team after losing so many close ones. I’d feel better with Horton in the rotation.

    Pitt’s administration feels differently. This is why Pitt needs a sports BoT to handle these situations. This clearly is the case after the cop missed the hearing, good reason or not. Jerking a kid around is not good leadership. Reconvene after the season. Why not?

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    1. Life’s actions have consequences and Horton created actions that generally lead to stiff punishment.

      He may be facing jail time – if so, he’ll be playing in a different uniform than the Royal & Mustard.

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      1. We see the consequences of Pitt’s actions with a terrible basketball product for six consecutive seasons. Who will pay for that? No one of course. Oh, boosters who are hit up to pay buyouts.

        I sometimes wonder if some on here prefer losing as long as the school is clean and no negative press, yet fail to realize losing is awful press.

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        1. I hate to lose – I was just painting a picture of reality.

          Barnes was aloud to blow up Pitt men’s basketball, and when he bolted for the left coast, he remained on Pitt’s payroll.

          The six year toilet bath that washed over the Pete is all on Patrick Gallagher.

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                1. Yes, and surprise, surprise, he left Pitt after what, 4 years?, to go back to the left coast…

                  I suggest staying east of Chicago with all hires… 😊

                  Go Pitt.

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  37. When that BC player made that ridiculous shot near the end – the one that Femi fouled out on – I figured this would be another one of those close losses where we’d be saying we’d have won easily if Pickett, er, I mean Horton, would have played…

    Go Pitt.

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  40. OT: Former OC Jim “Chubbs” Chaney is an offensive analyst for the New Orlean Saints whose season ends this weekend.

    Stretch?

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      1. Agree with your no feel comment. In trying to see who might be the next OC, I stumbled across Chubbs.

        Former USC OC Graham Harrell seems to be the front runner.

        We may know this week.

        By the way, today is LAW Appreciation Day, in case you cared.

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  41. Pitt had zero points from their bench today. Yikes!

    Otherwise it seems to me that the stats, except for turnovers, were decent today…

    Go Pitt.

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  43. Although the police do not have it easy on the South Side I have seen them on more than a few occasions overstep their authority and abuse students who had too much to drink.

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  44. It seems to me that Horton’s lawyer can make a good case to have the charges dismissed. The delays in this case don’t seem appropriate given the seriousness of the charges filed. If this officer had a conflict it should have been known far in advance so that Pitt could reinstate Horton without losing the entire season. Now, with the refiling, the effect could be to wash out his entire season. Pitt should reinstate him and his case should be postponed until after the season.

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  46. Sure seems like Horton is being jerked around, what happened to his right to a speedy trial?

    The kid obviously screwed up and alcohol causes a lot of people a lot of grief, but we only know one side of the story as told by the police. This kind of thing happens almost every night on the South Side, if it is not a public figure you never hear about it. Usually a drunk and disorderly with a fine.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. COVID has the courts working at a snails pace. If you have a business law suit between two companies, don’t hold your breath unless one of the businesses will owe the government some money in the way of fines, tariffs or taxes.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Obviously not a lawyer, but it makes sense that civil cases would be put on a back burner, but in this case the police fails to show, wastes everyone’s time and then gets to refile, Was it intentional? who knows, just doesn’t smell right or seem fair. How many times do they get to kick the can down the road?

        Liked by 1 person

          1. I think the missing link to the Horton refile is why the officer failed to show for the hearing – was it COVID related? My guess is yes. In that case, the officer nor the court is obligated to acknowledge that as the reason.

            Bottom line, Ithiel should be more careful of his actions in the future. I paid for a few of my youthful actions and they were lessons learned for a lifetime. I also got away with some things regarding my youthful actions, and while they were fun and adventurous, they were lessons nonetheless that helped to make me a better contributor to society.

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    1. Excerpt from the PSN Capel-Horton article:

      Capel said that as he went to make his gameday radio appearance earlier (before BC game), he saw a video screen playing Horton’s highlights, which made him feel emotional.

      “It was Ithiel doing his ballhandling routine before [the] Louisville [game], and he had a big smile on his face,” Capel said. “This is what he loves to do. He loves to play basketball, he loves to be a part of the team. That had been taken from him … I got really emotional.”

      Horton will have a preliminary hearing on Jan. 26, and will be suspended indefinitely until his criminal case is resolved.

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  50. I’m off to see Bens last game. I was at his first when Maddox went down and I’ll be at his last.

    I still don’t understand why the Horton situation became a last minute game time decision. The courts are not open on Saturdays so the charges were filed Friday.

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    1. Attendance – if announced close to game time, most who were planning to attend are in transit or in the neighborhood of The Pete. It was a money based, announcement timing decision.

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  53. OT re: last years dropped passes: “ As we (justifiably) talk so much about the #Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, let’s not lose this: Tyler Boyd’s 67 receptions w/out a single drop is BY FAR the most in the #NFL this year. (No. 2 is Randall Cobb who has 28 catches w/out a drop.)”

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  54. I stand corrected …

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  55. Did I read the above comment correctly where Capel says that this (playing basketball and playng with teamates) has been taken away from him? I’m sorry. I think the player’s behavior caused the issue and now that the police officer or the court delayed things, the behavior is okay, and the courts and PD are the problems.

    I think that rationale is the problem/issue.

    That said, being a public figure has nothing to do with this case. The same result happens whether you are a public figure or not. I think the Hugley and Horton matters were handled incorrectly by our athletic department. If the harsh treatment of Hugley was meant to stop bad behaviors of others on the team, it was an epic fail by the athletic department. What other Pitt student has the same result for these types of incidents? Again, AD over-reach. Let the legal system play out. Give each kid a very small game suspension and let the facts come out in court (unless it is a physical offense such as sexual assault). There are other issues involved there and student misconduct applies across the university. With Hugley and Horton, if found guilty, immediately suspend. If not guilty, player has had a small suspension served for behavior not in line with the athletic department, but you don’t over-penalize.

    Sorry, bad look by a non-supportive athletic department. This is what caused the rift between AD and Capel last year. Police blotter got a head coach fired previously at Pitt, yet the police blotter in this sport doesn’t.

    You all know I like Capel for many things and think he can still right this ship. Yes, I would have preferred Hurley, but think Capel would do much better with a different set of assistants and some NIL support (done correctly) from the athletic department.

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  56. Hugley was immediately suspended when charges arose. And he stayed that way until charges were dropped.

    I see nothing wrong with that. I know many schools that would have been more lenient

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So any accusation should result in immediate suspension if I read what you typed. Wow, that’s a very interesting stance to take especially if proven innocent (or charges dropped), and number two, if you are a regular Pitt student and you are on the south side, or take a car and get arrested, you post bail and go to class on Monday and be in whatever club you might be in. You participate in all functions until the legal system says you don’t. So athlete students get treated differently because they get accused of something. Wow, just wow. I am in favor of an immediate brief suspension so long as their was no harm to a person physically (i.e. sexual assault, battery, etc.). If to property, not so much, depending. If harm to another person/student, than suspension, etc., but the school has a process for that as well (student conduct hearings), which by the way are the subject of much litigation.

      As far as “says who about rift”, several legit posters on here indicated there were issues around hugley and the other players last year that are no longer here which caused problems between the AD and Coach to the point where he was scolded in the media, via the athletic department. All of that as part of the Hugley massive suspension and other issues. Do you not recall?

      Free Horton as Horton hears a who dunnit!

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  58. The charges will most likely be reduced. The police stalling because they know this and preventing a college kid from finishing his last season of eligibility is appears, because we don’t have all the facts, petty. Horton has been suspended. The charges were dismissed. I had no issue with him rejoining the team. Allowing him to play now, would set an awful precedent so I get the current situation. The fact that the kid has to rebooked was bush-league though. Who knows what happened but it certainly has the appearance of intentional on the part of the police officer. So, yeah, you can feel bad for the kid while also acknowledging that he was wrong. It looks and smells funny … and that does not diminish what may happened … but who knows what happened because the police refuse to show up at the predetermined date and time. If I were Capel, and especially if I cared for the kid, I would be upset too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sorry, on the phone. That may be difficult to read but it’s sure does seem petty on the part of the police.

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  59. I have mixed emotions. I had no issue with his previous suspension. Then he shows up for court but the police doesn’t

    I guess I wouldn’t have a problem if they let him play

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. I think it’s just the precedent it sets. He should have been suspended. The cops should have also shown up to court b

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  61. I guess one thing you have to say for the Steelers – they hang in there…

    Not at all pretty, but they get a win. Likely to be in playoffs now – ridiculous for a team with this many holes in their roster…

    Go Pitt.

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    1. did you pass?

      get an “A”?

      my WordPress nightmare from a few months ago seems to have vanished, hopefully forever but I’m not betting on that 🙂

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      1. Ha-ha, tvax!

        I’ll be good on the POV for a while and then for some reason it no longer recognizes me…. Then I scramble to get access again…

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I had the same problems. It was due to a change that MM made requiring posters to log in. Reed recently undid that, so now you no longer have to log in to post a comment.

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  63. The orange are heavily favored on the espn website to beat Pitt on Tuesday (ikr), despite the cuse losing 3 straight. The probability chart shows 85% chance of a Pitt loss.

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  65. So if we set Sat Jan 15 as the push, do we expect Pitt to name an OC before or after that date? I will say after although I would prefer before.

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  66. The OC will be hired on Wed Jan 12 but will not be announced until the following day

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  67. No one told me this but I think Narduzzi is waiting for the Chargers season to end before he talks to Chris Beatty about the OC position.

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  70. Gene Chizik who won national title as a HC at Auburn, was just hired as Asst Head Coach of Defense at UNC. Note the also already have a DC. So in addition to highly regarded recruits, Mack Brown has a staff that is almost comparable to Saban’s

    The legendary Sam Howell played QB for the Heels in their bowl game, yet they still got spanked by area rival South Carolina

    The Heels who were pre-season ranked 8th, were probably the biggest disappointment this year, but Chizik should address the team’s biggest weakness

    Even with all that Pitt has returning, don’t be surprised if both Miami and UNC are higher ranked in pre-season … which is just fine with me

    PS Hugley on ACCN at 8:50

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. Actually, this was a really good committment, I guess the only reason it didn’t get press on this blog is b/c this is largely a football blog. This is also a 2023 commit too, so still nothing for 2022 unfortunately.

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      1. Kind of like Jalen Schifino (sp). Early commitments from highly ranked players can be great as it can sometimes open the gates to other top recruits. That said, it can also lead to a de-commit and people questioning the athletic department or coach prowess. Seems like it was years ago he committed and yet he still hasn’t started college. Last I saw, he committed to Indiana.

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  72. The one thing I like about the new recruit Barnes is that he apparently is a really good shooter.. and Pitt needs really good shooters

    Sent from my iPhone

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    1. Good point, wwb.

      Seems like every team Pitt plays has a high-percentage 3-point shooter, even the lower-level teams you’ve never heard of…

      We just don’t have that reliable 3-point guy…

      Go Pitt.

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  73. Pitt has to earn a preseason ranking lol. One year with a Heisman candidate QB, who left, is not going to cut it. They should be just outside of it though and can quickly make an appearance with a good start. Pitt has done nothing historically to show that they have arrived and can do it again.

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    1. exactly, the FB page was mostly outraged with the disrespect

      Pitt will earn top 25 with the first couple of games next year, or not and deserve what and where they are now outside looking in

      now why WF is ranked in some places, no idea

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    2. Ranked 40th from what I can tell of the “way too early” preseason poll.

      W_F is #9
      Clemson #5
      Miami #11
      psuX #14
      Wisconsin #6
      Nebraska and Whipple #24

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  74. They won’t get ranked unless they beat both Tennessee and WV, not an easy start for a new QB and OC.

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    2. I think they will be if they beat TN. TN will be better than last season, too. Pitt may be ranked in the preseason, too. Once reports from spring and camp are factored in … Pitt has so much returning talent they should start to move up a little. WVU is a bad team. A win won’t affect the rankings much. The problem with Duzz is he does not value out of conference games. He’s focused on ACC play. He does not care about rankings at all. The goal out of camp will be the same as always. Win the coastal and an ACC Championship. The rankings really don’t mean much anymore. The playoff rankings in late Oct are what matter.

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  76. In the world of women’s volleyball, Penn State announced that Katie Schumacher-Cawley will be the new head coach. She played at PSU and was an assistant to Russ Rose the last four years. On the Volleyball Talk forum most people are not happy with the move and are blaming the PSU AD for the fiasco. And here I thought only Pitt fans were down on their AD!

    On the same forum someone reported that Dan Fisher was almost ready to sign the contract to take over the PSU job. Everyone seemed to agree that would have been a good choice. Too bad that whole story was a bunch of baloney!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. After the recent success of our team ( that Fisher has built) and proving that Pitt can compete on the national stage, why would he want to go to the Middle of Nowhere, PA? It would seem a step down. PSU hasn’t been dominant nationally for a few years.

      I read that one of PSU’s assistants took over the head coach job at ND. Next year will be interesting with all the coaching and player shifts.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. No, I don’t care. Alabama vs Georgia as far as I am concerned is semi=profesional football. I want Pitt to regain national prominence, however, there has to be a limit someplace to restrict the uncontrolled growth of $$ in the so-called college game. The NCAA is absolutely toothless and needs an implant of
      common sense in order to prevent HIGH-LEVEL college ball from becoming the minor leagues of the NFL. Enough is enough>>>but as we all know “money talks and nobody walks”.

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    2. I’m cheering for Stetson Bennett, the starting UGA qb. He began as a walk on, he then transferred to a community college, went back to UGA with a scholarship, was set to be a career back up, and has now been a starter due to injuries and on field success. He also uses a flip phone. What’s not to like?

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  78. The College Football Playoff and system is not owned by the NCAA. So, it is not the NCAA that is greedy, it is the schools themselves and Pitt is one of those schools. It has been this way for almost 40 years, yet most don’t understand the relationship and how things actually work from a business perspective. Back in the day, Oklahoma was sued by the NCAA (who controlled football) and the case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled against the NCAA. At that point in time, the schools and conferences took control of football, specifically, media rights. The cat was out of the proverbial bag and never put back in. The genie was out of the bottle. The horse left the barn and so on….

    College basketball is different. The NCAA owns March Madness. The NCAA makes the money and that is their bread and butter. Blame the NCAA for hoops problems. Blame your conference and schools for football issues. NCAA is front and center in one respect and is the administrator in all others.

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  79. Here’s a name for you.

    Vikings QB coach and Pitt guy Andrew Janocko. He’s been with the Vikings since 2015. Worked with Schiano in college and coached at Mercyhurst.

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  80. The coaching changes have started in the NFL. Lots of unemployed coaches.

    Minnesota, Chicago, Miami…

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  81. Like

      1. I think the issue is the group of 5 wants some guarantees and the P5 are like pound sand. The SEC also regularly gets two teams in so they don’t see the need to expand. It’s time for the P5 to split, name a commissioner, and do their own thing.

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    2. This goes to my prior post about who “owns” college football. If the NCAA made the rules for football, they would just do it, but they can’t.

      You need to have all P5 President’s agree and that is like herding cats. I listened to conference calls between presidents when it was only about canceling games due to covid and you couldn’t even get a conferences presidents to agree.

      At some point in the very near future, when pay to play becomes big money, the presidents will have to support a larger playoff to offset the expenses. Most presidents don’t look at long-term viability of sport. They look at their next contract only. Good plan for them, not a good plan for sports fans!

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  82. Rankings are dead in this era. All that matters is winning your conference and the playoff rankings in late Oct. Everything else is for show. The postseason devalued the regular season and the value of polls. It blows my mind when people still get upset over rankings. They’re the equivalent of the appendix for the human body … we’ve evolved past it but they’re still there …

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    1. I almost agree, but disagree slightly more than my agreement. Rankings do matter but mainly for the kids being recruited. They love to look at the top25 and see how their “offers” stack up against others, or why even publish offerings. If a top10 program offers, it stands to reason that the prospect is pretty good. The very good prospects compare against their competition where the offers come from, so it carries weight.

      Secondly, it matters to Coaches. I work on contracts where rankings matter, pre-season, during season and post-season. It’s money. And if it is money, it matters.

      Fans and students follow rankings for gloating and bragging rights around the kegger.

      Since rankings were established, the idea from a marketing perspective is to drive and have conversations around sport all day, every day. Not just the weekend. What would sportstalk be if there was nothing to talk about other than an outcome of a game and whether it was an upset based on rankings, or to tune in to a game because it’s number 1 vs. #2. Marketing!

      Not sure we will evolve past it because it provides great fodder, It has its flaws for sure (big10 requiring its coaches to vote other big 10 schools in the coaches poll to stack the ballot box), which leads to 5 teams in the top10 by week 6 of the schedule. The big10 figured it out that they get such great press that way, so they backload their schedule to have all of their elite programs play the tough games during week 8,9 and 10. Rankings keep them relevant. Heck, rankings are so much fun that they developed a CFP tv show just to debate rankings. So to me, rankings mean more, than not at this time.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Recruits don’t care … they care about the brand name and playing time and whatever snake oil the coaches are selling … not the ranking … and recruiting is slowly becoming less relevant via the transfer portal. Pitt took a smaller class to save room for transfers.

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        1. Not going to beat a dead horse, but the brand is tied into the rankings….

          Snake oil is an entirely different elixir, manufactured behind locked gates allegedly. 🙂

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  84. From the Athletic….

    USC freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart has entered the transfer portal, a source told The Athletic.

    Dart played in six games in 2021, splitting time with starter Kedon Slovis, who struggled with injuries. As the 2020 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, Dart tallied 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions with a 61.9 completion percentage.

    Dart’s entrance in the portal comes on the heels of USC hiring former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley as its new head coach and Slovis transferring to Pittsburgh. With Dart making a good impression as a true freshman, it set up a potential QB battle between him and Slovis for 2022, leading Slovis to enter the portal.

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    1. WVU upping their game. Last OC doubled as WR coach because Brown had his mitts all over the offense. Harrell will be the sole play caller now. They need a QB. Only good think on the roster is an incoming FR.

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      1. A really good FR QB from USC (Dart) just entered the portal and is rumored to be following Graham Garrell to wvcc.

        That sets up a QB show down between Slovis vs Dart.

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    1. Do tell… which one?

      BTW – I just finished “Ted Lasso”… hilarious and also touching at times. I give it two thumbs up.

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      2. I am a fan of the author Harlan Coben. I am watching his 8 part series “Stay Close”. I’ve read all his books and can never figure out the ending. He actually has about 7 series on Netflix, àlthough I’ve only seen one so far (“The Five” which is excellent). My daughter actually has the subscription and I just got her to add another screen onto her account. I have a lot of catching up to do and Ted Lasso is on my list.

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    2. Annie, im pulling out the ouija board tonight to contact Pop Warner looking for some insight for a new OC.
      Will let yinz know what i find out…

      Liked by 1 person

  89. I may be in the minority here, but I for one will not jump for joy if Beatty is the choice for OC. In my eyes, he was an outstanding recruiter, but little else. The receivers got much better this year under Marion compared to last year under Beatty. Drops went down and it was noted on this site by several posters how the routes run by receivers appeared to be much more crisp. Beatty was the Co-Offensive Coordinator at Maryland in 2018 and Matt Canada was listed as the OC. Beatty may have stepped up when Canada became interim HC. In 2012 he was the Co-OC at Illinois where they went 2-10. Take away the 44 points they scored against Charleston Southern, and they averaged 14 points per game. He may be a likeable coach who can recruit, but I don’t think this is the guy I want give the keys to for my offense this year. I have to say I was shocked when he got a chance at a bigger gig when his receivers were among the worst in 2019 and 2020 for dropping passes.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Seems like the Duzz likes extremely experienced, wizened OCs. I don’t see Beatty fitting that mold…

      Go Pitt.

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    2. I agree, no Beatty or Shanahan. I’ll be shocked if the new OC isn’t over 50 and has been an OC for many years.

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  91. Pop got back to me quickly…his advice is to “hire anyone that can run the single wing…no one knows how to stop it nowadays. And good googly moog, hire someone soon.”
    Who am I to argue with a legend?

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I heard a rumor that the next OC has made an appearance at the Fran/Wolfe tailgate…

      Maybe Scooter?

      Davey Havern?

      BigB?

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  92. I’m personally hoping for Shanahan … No interest in any retreads … They’re out of jobs for a reason … or looking for a reason

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