Then there is the Big East releasing the Conference schedule match-ups. Not the when. Just who and where.
For Pitt, well given the pure unknown quantity of the team, the schedule seems challenging enough.
Home opponents at the Petersen Events Center will include DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova and West Virginia.
The Panthers’ 2009-10 road opponents include Cincinnati, Connecticut, Marquette, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Seton Hall, South Florida, Syracuse and West Virginia.
Pitt’s three repeat opponents are St. John’s, Seton Hall and West Virginia.
Notice a theme with the repeat opponents?
Sure WV is there. Rival and all. But St. John’s and Seton Hall? It’s a double-double dose of Western PA kids against Pitt. D.J. Kennedy gets two cracks as does Herb Pope.
I like to believe these storylines aren’t pre-planned when they set the schedule, but that just seems like quite the double coincidence.
Just eyeballing it, I really don’t know what to expect. I see Villanova and WVU as the top teams in the conference. The next tier is probably UConn, Louisville and Georgetown. Then a big wide-open middle that could include Pitt, Cinci, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse, and maybe Notre Dame.
After that it’s Providence and Marquette with USF, Rutgers and DePaul at the barrell’s bottom.
I could honestly see Pitt as anywhere from 12-6 in the conference to 6-12.
As for the BE schedule — the conference is definitely in need of a balanced schedule. Would it be so bad to play each team only once? You’d still have 15 league games. Might open up some opportunities to play elsewhere earlier in the season.
The problem is that only 15 games creates imbalance in teams schedules. Some years 8 conference home games other years only 7. As we’ve seen in football, this gets annoying to athletic departments.
Plus, the advantage of the 18 allows for teams with natural rivalries (such as the Backyard Brawl) to do a home-and-home as there should be.
Additionally, with 18 it means less scheduling issues and saving some athletic departments money by not having to pay for as many guarantee games. Finally, with the BE’s overall strength it can help the RPI numbers for teams. Kind of important when you do look at the bottom teams in the conference and the drag they can have if there weren’t a few more games.
Jamie Dixon is being Jamie Dixon, and that rocks.
Good Job Boys! Beat Egypt!
/happy motivated national pride clapping