— The game against Notre Dame is the only kickoff time known right now because NBC has exclusive rights to ND games.
— December in Connecticut will be cold.
— The Backyard Brawl is set for Friday, November 28, the day after Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t mind this game to be played on this day normally, except it could end up being a noon or afternoon game. It’s on ABC, which previously had Texas/Texas A&M in the afternoons for the past few years, but they’re moving that game to Thanksgiving night on ESPN. I’m not really too high on the idea of an afternoon Brawl. Also, it’s always odd not finishing the regular season with WVU.
— The WPIAL championship games will likely be played on Saturday the 29th of November, the day after the Pitt game. Therefore the Friday night game won’t take away from any high school games, plus Pitt would be playing before the field gets torn up by the HS games.
— The game against South Florida comes just five days after playing up in Syracuse. Between traveling across the country and a short practice week, it should be interesting to see how the team responds.
— Following the USF game, Pitt has a a bye week before Navy. That’s an 18 day(!) break. So we have five days off before one game then 18 before the next…something seems weird.
— On both August 30 (Bowling Green) and September 20 (Iowa), the Pirates play a 7:05 pm home game. Expect a noon start (ugh). Remember: a good Pitt team will be forced to play at a bad time because of a baseball team that has had 14 losing seasons and will be out of contention by mid-May. Oh, and I’m still a Buccos fan.
Updates: WPIAL finals will be played the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Pitt-WVU is a noon kickoff on ABC.
And the games that will probably be nooners because of the damn Pirates- absolutely ridiculous. The administration listened to the suggestions about the games but apparently couldn’t follow any of them. SO much for tailgating. Also, you have to remember: they’ll be chasing us out of the lots after those games too.
Then there’s the five days between at Syracuse and at USF- Overall this schedule really sucks…
oh and I also drove 6 hours round trip to see Pitt play UConn at the Pete during spring break
Believe me, I’m gonna try very hard to get there. My concern isn’t just for me, it’s for the student section as a whole. Pitt’s an 11-hour round trip drive for me, so if I go to the game I’m not gonna be home for most of Thanksgiving. While I don’t mind, I have parents that aren’t Pitt alumni, and don’t really understand the appeal of the Brawl, and might not be willing to let me come back. I know that I am going to try my hardest to get back to Pittsburgh for the game, I was just commenting that I know a lot of students, while they’re fans, aren’t passionate enough (much less able) to cancel Thanksgiving plans and make it back for the game. Just because you drove 3 hours doesn’t make you a huge fan, passion for the team does. It’s only my freshman year but I went to the Brawl, to the Duquesne game, to the Duke game, and I’m going to the WVU basketball game next week, all with my own money. Don’t act like you’re better than the rest of us.
Good schedule, bad start times. I will just rehash that the Pirates problem would be non-existent if we played on campus. Also – the Big East has never ever done Pitt football any favors – expecting them to cut Pitt a break is pointless. I am going to find myself either wishing for noon starts so I can see the game here in NY on TV or scrambling to attend games in Pittsburgh.
Even if the Pirates are out the playoff race in August/September (which is likely), if they are playing a team in contention could MLB change the games to the afternoon for TV?
I love them, but they suck!
The 5 day swing between away games is ridiculous. Especially considering that I believe Syracuse and South Florida are farther apart as any two schools in the conference.
Plus, I live in Tampa and the USF game is on a Thursday night, so there’s no guarantee that I can go, unlike if it were on a Saturday.
But there is one bright side to the Friday WVU game. Buddy passes for students are now $5, so local students can bring friends to help make up for the students that won’t be here.
But it really sucks for us freshman…those Freshman that live far away won’t get to see a Backyard Brawl until their senior year! (If they don’t schedule it on a stupid day in 2010, too!)
But really — it’s time for the excuses to end; get your butts in the seats whenever the games may be – you’re going to want to be there for the ride.
I’m on your side in this. I’m going to be at that game. I was merely complaining that if the school wants 100% attendance, they shouldn’t allow the conference to schedule it when they do. True fans such as myself, and a few of my classmates will find a way to be there. I was talking more from the perspective of the casual fan- someone who likes the team but isn’t going to sacrifice valuable family time and a national holiday to watch a football game. I will be there, I will be cheering as loud as anybody there, but I wasn’t directing my post only for the die-hard fans. In a perfect world, everybody would be there, but in a perfect world the Zoo would sell out for every game too.
What, I don’t know. Why not change the Buccos’ to a 12:35 start and Pitt to 7?
now, with that being said…ENOUGH OF THE EXCUSES! GO TO THE FRIGGIN GAMES! i think some fans would find reasons to complain if the game was being played in their own backyard. if its important enough, you will find a way to make the game and have a good time.
Hail to Pitt!!!
I contacted the Pitt Athletic Office and they said that this is a “TBA” game and the time is not finalized and probably wont be until the season starts. I’d suggest everyone contacting Pitt and urging them to have game as night game. Noon or not, i’ll be there!!!
A 3:30 or 4 o’clock game is way better than a noon game- better for tailgating (most importantly), better for the students, and better for a dad whose kid has a little league game.
I don’t think its outrageous for students to want to play our biggest rival on a weekend when the entire school is not shut down. Have you been through Oakland during Thanksgiving break? It’s a ghost town. I agree that the scheduling shouldn’t matter- it doesn’t to me- but the reality is that having WVU at noon the day after Thanksgiving is not good for Pitt. WVU last game of the season, 7PM start would’ve been insane.
Having said that… MAN, I CANNOT FRICKIN WAIT FOR THE SEASON TO START.
Me and my buddy are planning a trip to the Big East tourny this year. We are both students, so tickets to the games themselves are not a problem. We also have a way to-from New York. But we desparately need some advice on a hotel to stay at. We dont need anything nice, were basically looking for the cheapest thing we can put up with. We are willing to get something outside of the city and travel to the games by bus, subway, etc. Please let me know if anyone has ANY suggestions. Thanks.
You can reply on here, or email works: fulltiltmatt@hotmail.com
p.s. Im a bit dissapointed with the schedule as well with all the noon games
Also, off topic, but for those of you old enough to remember him, Scottie the hot dog vendor is apparently back on his old corner selling pecans.
Even though the Oakland Zoo fills up for the big games, we’re still disappointing in terms of the potential of the student section. Cheering dying by the second half of less-important games, students leaving at halftime, and poor attendance for some Big East games (Providence, Louisville) still annoys those in the Zoo that are there for every game. The most annoying part is that we know we can’t MAKE people care. It’s something you have to come in with. Sadly, the only way to get people to really be into it is to win, and to do it for a long time. It’s one thing to go to Michigan, or PSU, or WVU, because they don’t have another team in the area to support. Here, we’re battling for fans with the Steelers- people have another football team in the area to turn to, one not divided by college loyalties. Really the only thing we can do as fans is to try and convince our friends to come, cheer as loud as we can, and hope our team continues to improve, which will mean attendance and interest will continue to improve.
In 2 years no one will even know where WVU is located and we’ll be the top program in the big east. Maybe then we’ll finally get some respect, and they’ll start giving us an advantage in scheduling, instead of cement blocks around our ankles. I thought USF was going to be our hardest game this year – and they found a way to make it even harder. Unbelievable. I hate this fucking conference sometimes.
For the HOMECOMING game against Cincinnatti- a ranked big east opponent that we BEAT- there was practically no one in the student section and kids were leaving the game at halftime. They better get it together because it was beyond pathetic last year.
One of the most infuriating things I’ve heard this year was a Pitt student in line waiting to get into the Zoo. He was talking it up with the coach from Nova a few days before and told him he was from Philly and was secretly a bigger Nova fan. That is something I have a problem with. Whether you like the city or not, cheer for your school.
As far as tradition goes – it means nothing to anyone outside of PGH really – what the PITT, the BE and Media are looking at are $$, pure and simple. But that said, the Thanksgiving & Friday afterward are as close to tradition as PITT gets. That’s when all the PITT vs PSU and WVU classics were scheduled.
do you sell off your tickets like to do for the basetball games?
First of all, I know there are some current legal issues with the TV contract, the payoff for leaving, with the hallowed Big East name, with playing the hoops tourneys at MSG. IMO, none of those are insurmountable, especially with *cough* the brilliant legal mind running our university. But especially with the geeky moron in charge of the conference.
You have problems with the scheduling of the brawl? With the fact we need to schedule I-AA garbage because there aren’t enough conference opponents? With the ass-smooching given to Notre Dame? With having jokes like Marquette and DePaul in hoops only (keeping us from playing each of our hoops rivals twice a year)? With the retards who blatantly, desperately were ordered to give WVU the Brawl last year (and don’t think the garbage scheduling this year isn’t payback in some way).
Got problems with all those things? Petition Nordberg (or more important, all the trustees, since Nordy apparently has his nose up Tranghese’s arse) to get us out.
link to sports.espn.go.com