Well it seems there are some other doubters as to how Pitt will do this year.

1. Pittsburgh will wilt under the weight of expectationsAfter last season’s surprising second-place finish in the conference standings, the Panthers are a fashionable choice to win the Big East this year. But talking about it and doing it are two completely different things. To win the conference, Pittsburgh will have to beat Miami and Virginia Tech, something the Panthers have done only once (1997) in the same season since they joined the Big East in 1991. Pittsburgh will also have to prove it can sidestep the upsets — West Virginia last season and South Florida in 2001 — that have been an obstacle to greater success the past two seasons.

There is a reflexive, defensive part of me that just wants to be snide and say this is because the Big East beat writer for ESPN is also a sportswriter at the Palm Beach Post, i.e., he’s a Miami homer. But I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’ll concede the possibility, but disagree and hope he’s dead wrong.

The rest of the list of 10 things to watch in the Big East is mostly rather obvious. It’s more an overview of story lines for the year, for those not following the Big East.