Season opener the Pitts

By: Kevin Duffy

Posted: 9/2/08

One more win. That's all West Virginia needed.

In what was supposed to be nothing more than a small speed bump in West Virginia's open highway to the BCS Championship game, the Mountaineers wandered off their home field in utter shock and complete dejection. They didn't even bother to take off their helmets when they moped into the locker room. They couldn't even lift their heads up. Maybe it was because they couldn't bear to see the look on the faces of their fans. Or maybe it was because glancing upwards would create the possibility of seeing what was placed on the scoreboard: Pittsburgh 13, West Virginia 9.

Last year's installment of the "Backyard Brawl" ruined West Virginia's chance at a National Championship and at the same time, catapulted Pitt into the national spotlight.

The Panthers didn't play another game in 2007. After all, they were not even bowl eligible. But somehow, after all the dust settled in the off-season, the stars aligned perfectly for Pitt and it found a spot in the preseason top 25 despite going 5-7 (3-4 Big East) last season.

The Panthers were going to be this year's West Virginia. Behind sophomore tailback LeSean McCoy and the second consecutive No. 1 recruiting class in the Big East, they were primed to challenge for the Big East title and for a berth in a BCS Bowl game. Success was inevitable.

But in college football, scheduling is everything. And in just the first game of their promising 2008 campaign, the Panthers ran into a team that few wish to face at any point in the season - let alone the opener. Pitt ran into a team with a scary amount of offensive firepower; a team that could grind it out between the tackles one play and strike with the deep ball the next. Pitt ran into a team capable of shutting down McCoy and equally adept at putting the clamps on the Panthers' explosive passing game.

That team was the Bowling Green Falcons. Yes, the same Bowling Green squad that put up a valiant fight against national power Tulsa in the prestigious GMAC Bowl last season, losing 63-7.

Pitt led Bowling Green 14-0 in the second quarter, but was outscored 27-3 for the remainder of the game. As the final whistle blew, the Falcons jumped on each other in celebration. The Panthers hopelessly drifted into their home locker room in much the same way that West Virginia did last December.

Say what you want about Pitt, but it is difficult to break down the situation any better than comedian Frank Caliendo did in a skit where he impersonated (and hilariously mocked) ESPN's Jim Rome.

"Dave Wannstedt at Pitt, harsher than my goatee," Caliendo said. "First the NFL, now college. Dude, which Pennsylvania high school do you have your eye on next?"

"Altoona High?," he said. "I like Altoona High. I also like making myself laugh. Hysterical."

As funny as Caliendo (and Rome) can be, Wannstedt's tenure at Pitt is no laughing matter. He consistently brings in blue-chip prospects and his team routinely finishes in the bottom half of a weak Big East conference.

Pitt had no business being brought up in a conversation that may have slightly pertained to the top 25. To put a UConn spin on it, the Huskies annihilated the Panthers, 34-14, on the road last season. UConn finished 9-4 and returned nearly every starter, which earned it the No. 39 ranking in both polls. Pitt got lucky in one game, ended the year 5-7, and somehow was voted as the 25th best team in the country.

The point is two-fold. A: I'm a UConn fan and Pitt's pathetic loss was an easy opportunity to bash a rival. B: Pitt serves as clear evidence that there should be no pre-season rankings, and furthermore, rankings should not come out until at least the third week of the season.

Preseason rankings shouldn't set the tone for the rest of the season, but they do. Take the 2004 Auburn Tigers, for example. The Tigers finished undefeated, but because they were ranked No. 17 in the preseason poll, they were unable to surpass Oklahoma and USC in the rankings and thus deprived of a chance to play for the national championship.

How does this apply to Pitt? Well, it doesn't really. Mentioning the Panthers in the same breath as "national championship" is like mentioning Wannstedt in the same breath as "good coaching." Despite landing 17 four-star recruits in the past three seasons - UConn has signed just two in that time - Wannstedt has compiled a dismal 16-20 record since taking the reigns.

So, on Dec. 6, when Wannstedt's 3-7 Panthers roll into Rentschler Field and get blown out by the 8-2 Huskies (who will still be unranked, might I add), take note that you have just witnessed Wannstedt's last game on the Pittsburgh sidelines.

It's not all bad though. When Wannstedt struts into the athletic director's office at Altuna High on Dec. 7, at least he can say "Hey, I coached my team to the top 25."

That has to be good for something, right?