Sporting News ranked Pitt #26 and has their preview (which is the same that appears in their print preview) and 4th overall in the Big East. UConn is listed as 3d in the print preview for the BE, but #50 overall for their online preview. Huh? USF is #21 and WVU is #8 (which matches the online and print).

In the three seasons since he returned to his alma mater as head coach, Dave Wannstedt has a losing record and no bowl games on his resume. But after producing a third straight consensus top-25 recruiting class — the only Big East school to appear in the 2008 rankings — Wannstedt’s stable of talent should be ready to blossom.

No shock that the area they note that needs to perform this year is the O-line.

Must step up: The offensive line. True, the O-line deserves some of the credit for McCoy’s success. But Pitt ranked next-to-last in Big East rushing as a team last season, and the line breaks in three new starters in 2008.

Now if you like your previews a little more upscale, The Quad from the NY Times reached Pitt a couple days ago and put them at #32. Sadly I didn’t even notice a bump in traffic or any hits from them despite the link at the bottom of the preview.

Credit, though, for having the temp set about right for Wannstedt with regards to the “hot seat.”

Calling 2008 a make-or-break season for Wannstedt may be extreme – barring a monumental collapse, he’ll return in 2009 – but the talent is there for the Panthers to win the Big East. Fans will not be happy with anything less than a bowl appearance. Seat temperature check: baking.

That seems about right. There are expectations. But even if Pitt underachieves Wanny won’t be going anywhere short of a 3-9 type season. Paul Myerberg is expecting 8-4 from Pitt.

Could Pittsburgh be better? Absolutely. There is a great amount of talent: on offense, Turner, Kinder and McCoy; on defense, McKillop, the heart and soul of the unit, is one of the best defensive players in the nation. So why fourth, especially when most publications have Pittsburgh as high as in the top 20 in the nation? For one, I have concerns about Pittsburgh’s schedule, which, while not too difficult out-of-conference, forces the Panthers to go to U.S.F. and Cincinnati, two of the top teams in the Big East. In addition, despite the depth at the position, the Panthers must get more consistent play at quarterback. Though Bostick and Smith showed promise, the pair combined to turn the ball over way too much, leaving their defense in precarious predicaments. However, Stull’s return may alleviate some of the concerns at quarterback. While I like Pittsburgh to take a step forward this season, I think they are a program on the rise for 2009, as the underclassmen who dot this fall’s roster continue to gain experience on the college level and in Wannstedt’s system.

In the famous alumni section they include Ron Paul. Sadly Dr. and Rep. Paul is only a Pittsburgh native. He went to Gettysburg College and Duke Medical.

Go figure at media day there were questions for LeSean McCoy. Mainly about whether this will be his last year before going to the NFL.

“I don’t worry about that,” said McCoy, who ran for a Big East rookie-record 1,328 yards and a school-record 14 touchdowns last fall. “As long as I come into the season focused on what I’m going to do, that stuff will take care of itself. I’m not ready to go to the pros. Those guys are grown men who have to support a family. I’m not ready for (Brian) Urlacher or Ray Lewis. I’ve got to take my time and enjoy college.

“Definitely, it’s in the back of my mind. With this sport, this position I play, anything can happen. But, on the same token, to play on that level you’ve got to be prepared physically and mentally. It’s a whole different step. That’s the real world. It’s in the back of my mind but far in the back of my mind.”

He said exactly the right thing. Personally, I think he’s gone after this season — barring injury. He didn’t deny interest. He didn’t say there was no way. He played it humble. Suggested he needed some more experience and conditioning to be ready. You know, like this season.

AD Steve Pederson brushed off stories that suggested Coach Dave Wannstedt was on the hot seat if the team fell short of expectations.

“We’ve made great progress,” Pederson said. “I think often times, particularly in football, it doesn’t always happen as fast as people would like. It takes awhile to get linemen physically and mentally ready to play — it takes some time. And I saw some good things in the WVU game, a lot of good things, and I think we’ll continue to see that.

“And, obviously, by extending his contract at the end of last year, we made a statement about how we feel about Dave and his program. We need stability, and what I like about Dave is he has carefully built an entire program, not just a team, but a program that is going to be good for a long period and he is doing it for all the right reasons.”

It’s something we all do. I don’t really consider  those who have written or said things like that idiots. Just superficial.

Look at a program that has had some past success. Has had a change in coaches with expectations of being better. and has underachieved for 2 – 3 years. Ergo, coach on the hot seat. A lot of times it really is that simple, but it’s a shorthand thing that ignores other things.

In the case of Pitt, with the extension (probably even more than the WVU win) Wannstedt was not in any real danger after last season. Pitt just isn’t prepared to eat a contract extension like that. Add in the intermediate step of assistant coach overhaul that always takes place just before a true hotseat year has yet to occur. Finally, there is the fact that Wannstedt is a big hit with the monied alum/donors. That is a big issue at any school. The unwashed masses may sometimes be screaming at the gate, but more often it comes down to whether the money people like the guy. In Wannstedt’s case, that is not in question.

Just another reminder, College Football Live at 3:30 on ESPN and 6:30 on ESPN-U will have LeSean McCoy as a guest.

Here are just a few interesting things blogged with regards to Big East Media Day unrelated to Pitt.

Troy Nunes IAM goes barrel fishing with a shotgun by breaking down the utterances of Greg Robinson, not once but twice.

USF Coach Jim Leavitt actually will miss Rich Rodriguez — mainly since he went 2-1 against the Mountaineers with DickRod there.

“We beat Rodriguez. We haven’t gotten this guy. This guy worries me. I wish Rich would have stayed. But he didn’t, so we’ll have to go play Michigan now.”

At least Leavitt will be more popular in Morgantown.

The reports that the Big East may be trying to work a deal with Army and Navy. Um, not so much.

Mike Tranghese dispelled the recent New York Post story on the Big East looking at Army and Navy for football. He said the conference had discussions two years ago, but haven’t spoken since. “We had discussions two years ago, the service academies didn’t feel it was in their best interest, and we dropped it,” Tranghese said. “Now this story appears, and it sounds as if it’s happening now, but that’s not so.”

Chip Malafronte also describes WVU Coach Bill Stewart this way, “Actually, he kind of looks and sounds like Lou Holtz, without the speech impediment.”

Outgoing BE Commish Mike Tranghese seemed to really be out to put an end to any expansion talk in his final year.

“I don’t think there’s anybody out there who can make us better,” Tranghese said. “If there was somebody out there who could make us better, I think our people would react to it very quickly. Our people talk about it all the time.”

Sorry, East Carolina.

What will likely be a story with some legs. Or at least some interesting back-pedaling from WVU QB Pat White. The once 4th round draft pick of the Anaheim Angels calls the WVU Baseball coach a racist.

Asked if he had spoken directly with Van Zant about playing for him, White said: “(No), he wasn’t (excited). He wasn’t interested.”

Then he paused and added:

“In my knowledge of West Virginia baseball, there’s not been many players of my race on his team. He’s not too high on it.

“Every player I’ve talked to doesn’t like him. He’s not a well-liked coach but I guess he has tenure so they never got rid of him. They’re not successful at all.”

Asked if he might have played if there were a different baseball coach at West Virginia, White said, “Maybe.”

Okay, completely unrelated, but too funny not to mention.

A student is facing various charges after police said he entered the Lasch Football Building on Thursday morning and caused $5,000 worth of damage — all while wearing a Penn State football helmet.

…

Following a night of drinking at his friend’s University Terrace apartment and two downtown bars, Costenbader told police he was on his way back to his Toftrees apartment when he decided to hop the fence onto the football practice field. He told police he stripped to his boxer shorts and began running around the field, hitting tackling dummies. He then saw an open gate and headed toward the Lasch building, according to court documents.

Though Costenbader told police he doesn’t remember much about being in the building, he admitted to breaking a glass window as well as being in the locker and weight rooms, according to court documents.

While inside, Costenbader allegedly damaged a window in the training office by throwing weights at it, flipped two tables and two trampolines in the training room and broke a window in the south lobby.

Awesome.

No it’s not part of the BCS poll voting, and this definitely goes in under useless information.  Still the AP Poll is always something watched and debated. I haven’t seen the full list of voters for 2008, but Brett McMurphy of the Tampa Tribune — covers USF — is one of the voters this year and did disclose in his blog who else with Big East ties will be voting.

The others: Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette; Mitch Vingle of The Charleston (WVa.) Gazette; Kent Taylor of WAVE Ch. 3 in Louisville, Ky. and John Silver of the Journal Inquirer in Connecuticut.

Silver is the also has his own blog to focus on UConn football. Taylor already released his pre-season top-25 (he has Pitt #23).