It hasn’t been a good place for Pitt, in an admittedly small sample size. Thursday nights, also not a good night for Pitt.

Pitt has won only two of its past 11 games on ESPN’s Thursday Night football dating to 1998.

So, yeah, that’s out there. Those factors alone are making it feel like a Scotch night when I watch this thing on DVR-delay tonight.

Pitt is trying not to feel the pressure by sticking with the “we gotta take it one game at a time” mantra/cliche.

“We’re really not focused on anything but trying to win this game,” Wannstedt said. “I think that maybe [looking ahead] caught up with us in the past and we can’t afford to do it. We just need to play our best football game of the season [against the Huskies] and continue to improve each week. We want to be playing our best football at the end of the season.

“If we take care of our own business, work hard and just improve, the other stuff will play itself out. But as for right now, we’re not focused on anything but Connecticut.”

Yes, please don’t think that you control your own destiny. Pretty please.

Meanwhile in Connecticut, the media theme seems to be “Come, on UConn, the rest of the Big East is rooting for you.”

Expect the UConn football team to have the support of the rest of the Big East when it takes on Pittsburgh tonight at Rentschler Field (7:30, ESPN).

In what could already be described as a one-team race, Pitt (5-3, 3-0) enters as the league’s lone undefeated team. The remaining seven teams all have two losses. A win tonight would give the Panthers a two-game lead with three left, all but ending hopes of another team realistically earning the league’s automatic Bowl Championship Series berth.

That is the if. Can Pitt, after starting 3-0 can avoid blowing it and becoming part of the Big East blandness. Heck, UConn Coach Randy Edsall can still sell his team on hope despite a 4-4 record and 1-2 in the conference.

“I told the guys, if you want to get to where you want to get to, you have to beat this team,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “They’ve got a two-game lead. If we don’t beat them, they’ve got a three-game lead on us.”

Of course, that math applies to the rest of the conference, too. So in addition to the 40,000 or so fans in East Hartford tonight and the Husky faithful watching on ESPN, UConn will probably have six other Big East teams and their fans rooting for an upset.

“I don’t know about everybody else rooting for us, I just want to go out there and beat Pitt,” UConn guard Zach Hurd said. “Give them their first loss in the conference and show people what we’re capable of, continue with this West Virginia win and keep the ball rolling.”

Will the crowd at the Rent be a factor?

What could also happen again is the Rent rocking like it did against the Mountaineers. The fans were a factor. Wannstedt sent out a warning shot this week about the effect the place can have and Edsall has called for that effect to be in the house Thursday night.

Maybe, but it isn’t even a sellout at this point. More than 3000 tickets still available in a 38,000 seat stadium.

What else?

Both Cardiac Hill and Pitt Script have UConn blogger Q&As. Well worth the reads.

Nice story on Justin Hargrove being healthy, set at a position, and contributing. A bit on the late side, but also a good piece on DT Myles Caragein.

Josh Lay is still glad he went to Pitt and considering a coaching career.

Maurice Williams failed out of Pitt. Never even was able to get qualified to play at Edinboro, but might end up in the CFL.