Steve Pederson coming back to Pitt now that he is looking for a new job is a bad idea. Okay? Pitt and sequels just don’t work. This is not about wanting a Pitt guy/gal as the AD — I don’t particularly care. I want the best person for the job. Not someone the Chancellor already knows and may be comfortable with dealing.

Pederson did a lot of good and some bad while at Pitt. He wasn’t the god/savior some make him seem for dragging the primary teams in the athletic department into the modern era, improving the facilities and finally getting a new basketball facility constructed. Nor was he the devil for changing the colors, logo and name and tearing down Pitt Stadium. For the most part he was a good athletic director who provided and acted in a way that helped Pitt. That doesn’t mean he should be brought back now that his alma mater has said “buh-bye.”

I’m sure there will be a column in the next day or two suggesting that it would be a good idea to bring back Pederson. That he would provide the energy to the athletic department and will make the hard choices, etc.

Feh. That’s just code for dealing with the only major public concern regarding the athletic department. Right now the issue is about the football program and its direction. Does the baseball program need shaken up? How about the men’s or women’s basketball? No. I don’t think so.

The athletic department could probably benefit overall from someone aggressive and with personality. It doesn’t, however, need the overhaul and makeover as before. Things have changed.

Bringing back Pederson would be taking the easy way, rather than being serious about looking for a new AD. It would also be one more sign that the athletic department is being run via proxy by Chancellor Nordenberg.

Addition: Naturally, that was also the one topic on Zeise’s Q&A today. He’s slightly more receptive to it, but doubts Pederson would be interested.

Two things. 1) I’m a bit behind in some articles I’ve been wanting to link and comment because of lingering disgust from the Navy game and lots of family that was in town from Thursday through the weekend; and 2) with all the bad stuff in the football, I’m going to try and link to some of the good stuff about the football team in separate posts. Here are a couple of players who get some love.

Redshirt junior Mark Estermyer is the long snapper and was once a walk-on who got his scholarship last year. He was also one of the players named team captain before the Navy game.

Then he so impressed coaches in training camp with his snaps on field goals and extra point attempts that his duties now include all kicks.And, on Monday, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt announced to the team that Estermyer, a redshirt junior, would be the special teams captain for tonight’s game against Navy at Heinz Field.

It’s an honor not often bestowed on an underclassmen.

“I was stunned,” Estermyer said. “I said to myself, ‘Did he just say my name?’ I didn’t expect it, but I’m excited about it.”

Special teams (at least in kicking and punting) have been solid, and Estermyer has been a part of that.

Tyler Tkach wasn’t a blue-chip recruit, but he was one of Pitt’s first recruits under Coach Wannstedt for the 2006 class and the first from Eastern Pennsylvania. The redshirt freshman has steadily worked his way into the rotation at DE.

He also lost his older brother this past July.

Tyler’s coaches call him a ”gamer,” one who plays better than he practices.

”When he gets in there and the lights come on, he makes plays,” Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt said of Tyler, who wears No. 45 and has seven tackles (21/2 for losses), one sack and a fumble recovery.

Bo was a gamer, too. Though undersized (the high school quarterback/college receiver barely got above 170 pounds), he played with an intensity his younger brother admired. Tyler developed his love of football from Bo.

Which is why Tyler had no doubt he would play again this season, not even after he buried Bo in July. In fact, the day after Bo’s funeral, the entire Tkach family drove to Pittsburgh so Tyler could make a team workout the following day.

”I’m doing something my brother loved to do,” Tyler said recently at Pitt’s football complex. ”It’s what he really had a passion for.”

That’s why, before practice and games, Tyler makes a small gesture to acknowledge Bo.

”I write his name on my gloves so I’ll always remember,” Tyler said. ”He’ll always be there with me.”

Bo Tkach was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Eventually, he couldn’t take the strain of it and committed suicide. He was 25. Read the whole thing.

Darts anyone? This has ceased to be fun.

Dennis, as usual did the initial heavy lifting and I did a little tweaking. The floor is now open for comments. Please, when you complain about who is ranked and where, offer a reasonable suggestion as to who should be higher.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	South Florida	3
2	Ohio State	—
3	Boston College	2
4	Oklahoma	2
5	South Carolina	2
6	Kentucky	11
7	LSU	6
8	Florida	—
9	West Virginia	3
10	Southern Cal	1
11	California	8
12	Arizona State	6
13	Missouri	2
14	Oregon	1
15	Kansas	5
16	Hawaii	2
17	Auburn	4
18	Virginia Tech	5
19	Texas	5
20	Cincinnati	10
21	Maryland	1
22	Texas Tech	4
23	Tennessee	3
24	Wake Forest	2
25	Michigan	1

Standing By/Waitlisted: Penn State, Virginia, K-State and Alabama

It’s been that bad in college football that Michigan has found its way back into the top-25. I don’t know. I was poised to actually put UConn, Indiana or Boise St. in the poll, but the first two lost and BSU had a multi-OT shootout at home with Nevada this evening (that BSU did win) to kill that one.

I mean, for gods sake, Virginia is closing in on the top-25 at this point. Even as I argue against it.

Yes, I moved USF to #1. They have accomplished more this season than Ohio State, to this point.

Kentucky continues to yo-yo up and down the poll. Right now up because of beating LSU, though I expect them to plummet again if they lose to Florida this coming Saturday.

Cal takes a hard tumble. Not just for losing, but coming up so small at home against Oregon State.

USC drops another spot as they barely pulled out a weak victory rather than another embarrassing loss.

Cinci, Cinci, Cinci. You broke my wife’s heart by not taking back the Keg O’ Nails. Consolation trophy to come this week.
Oregon only gets a 1 spot bump because I’m not sold on them much longer with the injuries they had this weekend.

Really, it’s just a flippin’ mess. I hate seeing VT move that high just for beating Duke, but no one else is really showing much either. Same with Auburn, but if I’m going to guess at which great defense/crappy offense is better I’m going with Auburn.