Brian Bennett at ESPN.com’s Big East blog has a good little discussion topic on the most indispensable player on each team.

In the last two days, we’ve seen a couple of players — Demetrius Jones from Cincinnati and Leslie Stirrups from South Florida — get their official exodus from their respective programs.

Neither is an essential player, but it got me to thinking about which individuals that each Big East team could least afford to lose, via an injury or suspension, this spring. While hoping this doesn’t serve as some sort of voodoo jinx, here is the list I came up with. Some of them are obvious choices, while others may surprise you a bit.

Here’s who he has for Pitt:

Pittsburgh: Dom DeCicco, SS. Like UConn, this one was a tough call. I thought about Jonathan Baldwin, because his playmaking ability is irreplaceable. But Pitt has other receivers. Jason Pinkston at left tackle is another candidate. I settled on DeCicco because the Panthers are thin at safety, and losing a veteran player back there would cause them to have to mix and match.

I actually agree with Bennett about Baldwin. Losing him would be bad, but there is enough depth to make it a less painful. The same probably applies to Dion Lewis.

I have to disagree though about DeCicco. Taglianetti will be back for the fall. While DeCicco has experience and probably gets a little more grief than he deserves for his play, there will also be Kolby Gray (for whom I am admittedly very optimistic for no clear reason) and Jason Hendricks.

Jason Pinkston — or really any of the starters on the O-line — would be a big loss. In terms of reduced depth and the questions of the drop-off from the starters to the guys behind them. While Pitt has the ability to move players to various spots on the line, it would be stressful. That said, I have been conditioned over the years to overreact to all things related to the O-line.

If I’m going to make a pick, it would be Middle Linebacker Dan Mason. The MLB spot is a huge spot in Coach Wannstedt’s defense. Mason is a special player, and losing him at that spot would change the whole defense. Especially if he makes the expected growth in handling passing offenses.

I have been a little too busy in the offline world to make the daily pleas this week as intended.

At this point I have received contributions or pledges to do so from 29 people. Thanks to those that have donated to this point.

Things could be better on that front. So if you can, please help. Hit the Paypal button on the sidelinks or e-mail if you prefer to send a check.

The idea of a tailgate was tossed around in the comments. That has been something on my mind for the last couple years. Not as any sort of fundraiser, but just to have a chance for people to gather, meet, and for me to say thank you.

The problem I have had in advancing it beyond serious consideration is twofold. Like many of you who go to the game, I come in from out-of-town. That makes the logistics of getting everything together and getting set up more difficult.

The bigger problem is that Pitt’s schedule hardly allows for much advanced planning. On Pitt’s schedule this year, there are only 4 Saturday home games. Right now only one Saturday home game is already set for a time — New Hampshire at 1 pm. As we all know, the Big East and ESPN have tended to wait until a week to two weeks before the game to announce the time. Also a lot of the games end up being noon starts, and noon starts suck for a good tailgate.

What might make more sense is having a post-game gathering at one of the North Side watering holes.

Thoughts on the matter are welcome

Hey, you knew it was coming. Really silly top-25 predictions for next year. Even before the dust settles on early entries to the NBA draft and a few more key recruits decide.

Pitt seems to be a consensus top-10 pick in the way too early stuff.

Luke Winn at SI.com:

7. PITTSBURGH: The Panthers were Big East contenders a year ahead of schedule, tying for second in the league. Junior guard Ashton Gibbs is one of the nation’s most underrated scorers — he shot 44.4 percent on threes during Big East play in ‘09-10 — and on the verge of becoming a national name.

Marc Millar from Beyond the Arc:

5. Pitt
Panthers finished 25-9 and were a Big East surprise. By returning four starters and three top bench players, they’re good enough to win league.

From FoxSports.com’s Jeff Goodman:

8. PITTSBURGH
Record: 25-9 (second round of the NCAA tournament)
Lose: Jermaine Dixon Possible Early Entry Departures: None
Key Returnees: Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Nasir Robinson, Travon Woodall, Dante Taylor
Newcomers: J.J. Moore, Cameron Wright, Isaiah Epps

The Panthers weren’t expected to do much this past season after losing four starters, but Jamie Dixon performed some magic to the tune of 25 wins. Pittsburgh’s lone loss is that of Jermaine Dixon, but guards Gibbs and Wanamaker have another year under their belt and McGhee made dramatic improvement in the past year. The key could be the progress of Taylor up front.

Gary Parrish at CBSSports.com puts Pitt at #6.

Over at SBN:

8) Pitt: Jamie Dixon has proven himself to be among the elite coaches in the country, and he should have one of his better teams in 2010/2011. The Panthers exceeded most expectations with their performance this season, and they return their top three scorers. Ashton Gibbs should be one of the elite guys in the Big East next season, and look for Isaiah Epps to step in and make an immediate impact next year.

Mike DeCourcy also chimes in from the Sporting News:

9. Pitt
The Panthers need to become more versatile on offense, but don’t be surprised if talented big man Dante Taylor makes a significant leap as a sophomore.

And finally from Andy Katz at ESPN.com:

5. Pitt: The Panthers were the surprise of the Big East last season by landing a 2-seed in the Big East tournament and a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. No one should be shocked by Pitt returning this season as the Big East favorite. The whole team returns. Ashton Gibbs is the leader of this group and makes money shots for the Panthers.

So, at this point the lowest ranking is 9th. Highest 5th.

Expect Pitt to have a tough and backloaded Big East schedule for next year.