The Game Central press release from Pitt is up. The game is also Senior Day at the Carrier Dome. The Syracuse Game Notes (PDF) are published. Nothing really jumping out at me.

The Walt Harris Press conference, abridged transcript is available. Rather boring. Only thing I feel like noting:

How do you feel about being able to control your own destiny?

“It’s real satisfying. We’ve been in this situation a couple of times. A situation where it’s up to us, it’s up to coaches to get our players ready and lead them and it’s up to our players to execute and make it happen on the field. We’re real excited that we’re in this situation and that we have a chance, but we’re not worried about any game except this one. If you watched the tape of them dismantling UConn, you’d understand why we’re not worried about anything except for Syracuse.”

Gulp.

The Lame Duck Bowl is the Big East/ESPN+ game of the week. This means some stations will actually carry the game. If you don’t live in Pittsburgh, the game will be aired on regular TV on these stations around the country. Unfortunately, this doesn’t include anywhere near Cleveland. Yet, it will be on in Detroit and Des Moines?

I’ve been debating springing for it on ESPN GamePlan, but since is the first time I looked into it, I didn’t know they had changed the a la carte ordering. Rather than paying $6-10 for the one game, they want you to spend $20 for all the games that week. Nice. Way to set it up to rip off the customers. Look at the rest of the list of games:

Duke @ (13) Florida State 12:00 PM ET
Northwestern @ Penn State 12:00 PM ET
(5) Georgia @ Kentucky 12:30 PM ET
Arkansas @ South Carolina 12:30 PM ET
Oregon @ (6) California 3:30 PM ET
Minnesota @ (4) Wisconsin 3:30 PM ET
San Jose State @ Nevada 9:05 PM ET

No way. Unless you bet the games or attended, you wouldn’t have much burning desire to see many of these match-ups. I could have slipped it past the wife on the cable bill for just one game, but not an extra $20. I could have rationalized it to myself up to maybe $10 for the one game. Instead, I might spring for the $5 for a month’s worth of radio broadcasts on Yahoo!. Still not great, but a better price, and I’ll be able to squeeze in a couple of the patsy basketball games as a topper.

Any ways, game notes from Pitt are here (PDF, 32 pgs.). Pitt has won the last two games against Syracuse. Coincidentally the only 2 games Pitt has won under Coach Harris and Syracuse has lost to Pitt under Pasqualoni (11-2). 60th meeting between the teams, with Syracuse holding the edge 29-27-3.

TALE OF THE TAPE (per game statistics)

PITTSBURGH ………………………………………………….SYRACUSE
26.7 ………………………………. Points ………………………………. 21.0
338.3 ……………………….. Total Offense ……………………….. 320.8
108.7 ………………………. Rushing Yards ………………………. 163.9
38.9 ………………………. Rushing Attempts ………………………. 38.3
2.8 …………………………. Yards Per Carry …………………………. 4.3
229.6 ……………………… Passing Yardage ……………………… 156.9
31.4 ………………………. Passing Attempts ………………………. 25.0
13.2 ……………….. Yards Per Pass Completion ……………….. 11.0
21.4 ………………………… Points Allowed ………………………… 26.4
380.1 ……………………….. Total Defense ……………………….. 428.5
109.4 …………………. Rushing Yards Allowed …………………. 187.1
270.7 …………………. Passing Yards Allowed …………………. 241.4
+5 …………………………. Turnover Margin …………………………. +5

For more detailed info, here are the conference stats through this weekend’s games.

Pass Efficiency Defense, Pitt is ranked 46th nationally while Syracuse is ranked 100th. Pass Defense, though, Pitt is 109th (last in BE), Syracuse is 94th. Rush Defense, Pitt #23, Syracuse #85 (last in BE). Total Defense, Pitt 7oth, Syracuse 98th.

Passing Offense, Pitt #42, Syracuse #103 (last in the BE). Pass Efficiency, Pitt is 53rd, Syracuse 95th (last in BE). Rushing Offense, Pitt is #98, Syracuse #52. Total Offense, Pitt 81st, Rutgers 89th (the worst two in the BE).

Looking at the depth chart, Josh Lay will be starting at right CB. Darrelle Revis at left CB, with Mike Phillips now behind Revis. Allen Richardson is still listed as the primary punt returner, but on kickoffs it is Kirkley and Furman.

Let’s recognize the Syracuse-Pitt game for what it is, a game where the losing team will (with 95% certainty) lose their head coach at season’s end. The winning team, while nothing is certain when momentum to fire the coach has been going that way all year, is in a position to keep their coach.

If Pitt wins, they will be 6-2, bowl eligible and in a position to win the Big East and go to a BCS bowl — not to mention set off a firestorm of complaints about the BCS system and why/how the Big East got to keep its automatic bid of that happened. With games at ND, hosting WVU and the make-up at South Florida. I’d say all the games are winnable, but most of us would settle for winning 2 out of 3. If the team ends the regular season 8-3, then Harris is back and gets a 2-3 year extension. End the season losing 2-3 and that’s the excuse needed — that once again Pitt stumbled at the end of the season against better teams. If Pitt loses, then Harris is toast. It would be hard to see the team rebounding and winning the last 3.

If Syracuse wins, they will be 5-4. One game away from bowl eligibility with Temple as one of the last 2 games. You all but have to assume they will win this game. Any Big East team that loses to Temple this year would have to have their Big East membership status reviewed. That would give them the 6 wins for bowl eligibility and show some improvement from last year. Syracuse’s AD would likely bring Pasqualoni back. Their other remaining game is at BC. If it was at home for Syracuse, I’d like their chances, but not away from the Dome. They lose the Pitt game and it’s all but assumed to be losing record for the season and Syracuse is starting to make discreet calls.

Now with Pitt having a week off and the Steelers beating the Patriots and snapping the win streak, there are no stories in the Pittsburgh papers about Pitt. None. Nada. Zip.

Syracuse, even coming off of a 14 point win over a UConn team that beat Pitt, is still an unknown quantity. The have a great running back in Reyes, but teams will stack the line to stop him, and have Syracuse beat you with the pass. While the QB may not be the same scattershot guy from last year, you can’t always be sure of what kind of game he will have.

Syracuse has a good run defense, but is very weak against the pass. These days, Pitt is passing to set up the run, so if the O-line can give Palko a little time early on, Pitt could open things up.

I know there will be more about the game later.

Final story is a puff piece out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Antonio Bryant. How can you go wrong with a piece that starts like this:

Browns receiver Antonio Bryant used to tell the girls he dated not to try figuring him out.

“I’m a simple man,” he would say, “yet, very complicated.”

The anger management counselors he was sent to in Dallas discovered the same thing.

The funny thing is, he has a lot of his old Pitt support staff right there. Buddy Morris, his old strength and conditioning coach at Pitt is now holding that job for the Browns. His WR Coach, J.D. Brookhart is the head coach down in Akron. Be interesting to see if he finally starts to show some of his talent.