Look, I know this is a rough time of the year for Pittsburgh sports writers. No NHL playoff hockey. No NBA franchise in Pittsburgh so the interest in the playoffs is minimal. The Steelers are still in the midst of signing draft picks and there isn’t much in the NFL other than Whizzinator jokes. There are only so many ways you can write about how the Pirates suck.

But if you are going to write about college football and Pitt, it is time to stop bothering with the whole lack of a Pitt-Penn State game. Especially when you’ve had too much to drink. I mean, the idea of state legislation mandating the game is fine. As pointed out:

Where differences reigned, political intervention long ago ensured yearly such rivalries as Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina and Alabama-Auburn.

But then to change tacks at the end and go for a plan of capitulation by Pitt.

Pitt should offer a three-way split: one game at Heinz Field, one at Beaver Stadium and one at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, where this matchup would triple the Penn State-Temple draw. If The Pennsylvania State University refuses that deal, Pitt should agree, for starters, to one 2-and-1 contract and travel twice to University Park for every North Shore game. If Nittany Lions types demur then, seek binding arbitration … in Harrisburg.

Why not just have Pitt then offer to split the gate at Heinz Field? Or maybe offer a 3-1?

As for his final comment at the end:

Because, just Friday night Rendell was saying through his press secretary that he would do whatever he could to influence a Pitt-Penn State return.

Politicians keep talking this, but it hasn’t happened. Now it’s time for the sports writers to stop talking about it.

I was lucky enough to be driving around yesterday afternoon around 2:15, when Mark May came on ESPN Radio. Kiper, Jr. and someone else were doing the show and talking a lot of college football. They were playing a game where they would read through a team’s schedule and pick the wins and losses — thereby predicting the season for the team.

When May came on, they had him talk a little about Pitt. He said he thought the team could win 10 games this year. The 2 games he waffled on — he wanted to pick Pitt, but hesitated too much — were at Nebraska and at Louisville. Honestly, a 9-2 record is not unreasonable. Hopefully, though, it will be even better.

For a longer interview with Mark May, here’s a roughly 8 minute interview with “Rivals radio” (Windows Media, direct link). He also explains why Ohio State fans hate him. Ohio State fans, on the whole, are irrational beings. They are convinced every announcer, analyst and commentator hates TOSU.