Tomorrow is the first of three straight road games. Admittedly there is a 10-day gap between the FSU game and Rutgers on the 31st. It also the first true road game of the season and the only one in the non-con. Oh, and it is only the third game against a team from a power conference. I guess, no matter how you slice it, it hasn’t been the most challenging non-con schedule.

The Pitt-FSU game is the FoxSports Net national game at 5:30. Tim Brando and Mike Gminski have the call. The game can be found on FoxSports Pittsburgh, North, South, Rocky Mountain, Arizona, Northwest, West, Detroit and Houston (Alternate); Comcast Chicago, Bay Area; Sunshine Network and MSG Plus.

The ESPN.com power poll holds Pitt steady at #3.

See Sam dunk. See Sam score. With Sam Young playing like an All-American and double-double machine DeJuan Blair down low, playing Pitt is a scary prospect for opposing Big East teams.

Yes, I know Gottlieb had Pitt down at #5. Shocking to be sure. He’s holding to his same talking points from the start of the season (Insider subs.).

After watching an extensive amount of tape on Pitt and calling their Siena game in person Wednesday night, I am left with about the same impression that I had before the season.

Pitt is very strong, long and athletic, and the addition of Jermaine Dixon at the 2-guard spot gives them a lockdown perimeter defender. Sam Young is a steadily improving wing who might be this year’s Joe Alexander. By that I mean Young is a dynamic scorer from 17 feet in, has the ability to post smaller guards, and in transition, he has not lost his incredible bounce. Young is not a true guard in terms of ballhandling or passing skill, and I still think they miss a Mike Cook-type of all-around weapon to make everyone else better. Tyrell Biggs is playing with a ton of confidence, and DeJuan Blair is just a complete beast at the block.

Of course there’s a but…

In terms of their Final Four potential or even Big East potential, it is obvious that the Panthers will win with their defense and inside scoring. To beat Pitt, you must stop them in transition off misses and turnovers, block out and contain Blair at the block. Fields is solid as heck, but they still lack offensive pop from the two guards they have had in the past. My questions linger …

• Can Blair stay out of foul trouble on the road?

• Can Fields’ foot not bother him the entire season?

• Can Jermaine Dixon shoot the ball like he did in exhibition games?

• Can Pitt score from the perimeter against a top-level zone or quality interior defense?

Roughly translated, I see no reason to change my notes cribbed from preseason magazines.

Jermaine Dixon is looking forward to the FSU trip since he played junior college down there. He might be a little too excited to play in front of friends.

“When coach (Jamie) Dixon came down in April to recruit me,” said Jermaine Dixon, who played two seasons at Tallahassee Community College, “he said we’d be coming back down to Tallahassee to play Florida State. I’ve been waiting for this ever since. I’ll get to see some old coaches, teammates and friends.”

Jermaine Dixon, the top shooting guard for No. 3 Pitt (11-0) struggled to contain his excitement Friday at Petersen Events Center before boarding a bus for the airport.

Judging from his level of enthusiasm, it was becoming a chore.

So, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised if Dixon hoists a few shots he shouldn’t early in the game.

Meanwhile in a notebook piece, no shock that Dwight Miller is being redshirted. Interesting that Coach Dixon felt the need to make a “special note” on Miller’s improvements in practice. Perhaps a subtle (or not so) way of letting Miller know he still figures into the plans and is an important part of the team.

Coach Dixon concedes that he is still struggling to give minutes to both Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall from game to game.

I love Pitt. I would hope that would be obvious at this point. (Yes there is a “but…” coming.)

I know Coach Wannstedt loves Pitt. Having said that, he’s not at all accurate on this.

“When you see some of the things that are happening [with regards to coaches getting fired] around the country, if our chancellor would have responded like some of these other guys do, I’d either be back coaching the NFL by now or be golfing in Naples,” Wannstedt said with a smile, as he sat, drenched with Gatorade, and discussed the Panthers’ season-ending win at Connecticut in the visiting team interview room Dec. 6.

Wannstedt added, “That’s what separates our chancellor from others. … and that’s what makes [Pitt] special.”

Chancellor Nordenberg has been great for Pitt athletics. He has recognized the value of the major programs having a national presence to the university in terms of exposure and overall donations. He is engaged in the athletic department. Again, not in dispute.

He knows the value of good relationships with the coaches. That is the thing. He has a personal relationship with Wannstedt. Just as he has one with basketball coach Jamie Dixon. That is why Coach Wannstedt got an extension last season without any preconditions.

His relationship with the Chancellor. It also would be a significant factor that Coach Wannstedt has built strong relationships with top boosters and supporters of the program. That was as big a factor. There was no real financial risk to keeping and extending Wannstedt.

Imagine what the relationship would have been with the Chancellors and Athletic Directors in the 90s, if Coach Wannstedt had gotten the job in 1989.

“When we met, I said ‘Ed, what are you looking for in a head coach?’ ” Wannstedt said. “He said ‘Dave, I’m looking for a guy who can be on one side of the tracks and talk to the top CEO of U.S. Steel and walk on the other side of the tracks and relate to the guys working out in the steel mills.

“He told me that’s what he was looking for; that’s what, in his mind, was a ‘Pittsburgh guy’ and that’s what this program needed at that time.”

Wannstedt, the son of a steelworker, had long ago worked in a mill a few summers. He figured he’d be a shoo-in for the job.

Not quite.

“I thought when [Bozik] was talking, he was describing me,” Wannstedt said, then chuckled. “It was a nice visit, but then they called me a few days later and said they were hiring Paul Hackett — a California guy. So I guess you could call it an interview, but I’m not sure what was really going on.”

I’m willing to bet Coach Wannstedt would have been out at Pitt. Maybe not after only 3 years, but it would have been in the 90s. The school and athletic department had no will, drive or direction to make changes. It was being run as small-time and Wannstedt would not have been able to change that back then.

Many  will no doubt be amused that the HC of Iowa St. moves to the head job at Auburn, followed by the DC of Auburn becoming HC of Iowa State, Pitt fans are just celebrating the elimination of any return of Rhoads to Pitt.

Seriously? Five years, $5.75 million plus incentives? For a recently unemployed DC and no other competition for his services as a HC? Hire Rhoads’ agent.

The AD of Iowa State echoed what everyone else has said about Rhoads.

“In my two face-to-face meetings with Paul this week, it was obvious that his enthusiasm, energy and warm personality would be well received by our players, fans and university community,” Pollard said. “He has a presence with a ‘look-you-in-the-eye’ style that makes you feel comfortable.”

And makes you want to overlook all the faults with his actual coaching.

I too am thrilled by this move. Especially since, as suspected, DC Phil Bennett could be on the move.

I wasn’t sure how serious ISU would be over Rhoads. Especially with the Auburn connection. So, I was actually hoping that there was something to the rumor of Mike Stoops of Arizona being interested.

“I have no comment,” Stoops said. “I am getting ready to play a game.” Iowa State has been bombarded with coaching rumors since Gene Chizik accepted on Monday the head coaching position at Auburn.

Not even a denial. Just a no comment.

On its face, moving from Arizona to ISU would seem to be at best a lateral move, but more like a step back. The thing for Mike Stoops is that he was on the second hottest seat in the Pac-10 coming into the season. Getting to a bowl saved his job. He knew it, the AD knew it. Everyone knew it.

If he moved to ISU, the Wildcats would have had to make a new hire in football as well. Likely costing them significantly more money to get someone with a proven track record. Especially given the fact that they had been bowl-free since 1998. The more money they would have to throw at football, at least in theory, would somewhat limit the money they could throw at a head coach in basketball in the spring.

Oh, well. Good luck to Mr. Rhoads. Have at least moderate success so you can be there for quite a while.