Considering the Big East just got $20 million from West Virginia, another $5 million from TCU and $5 million more from Pitt and Syracuse as part of their initial money pay to depart, you would think the Big East would have no excuse for repeating last year’s inexcusable screw-up of running out of lobsters in the Big East clambake. But no, for a second straight year the lobsters were gone before the players were done trying to set records.
Pitt, however, finished an embarrassingly bad last place in the unofficial rankings. Only 2 lobsters consumed? Can’t tell you how disappointed I am in this performance.
Thanks to Twitter the results of the Big East Media Poll are already known. Pitt is picked to finish 5th in the conference this year.
- Louisville
- USF
- Rutgers
- Cinci
- Pitt
- UConn
- Syracuse
- Temple
On the plus side, it will be harder to disappoint expectations with that as the preseason spot.
Pitt is finally trying to get in the blog game. Let’s give them a chance.
While publicly stating that Pitt is not a lame duck in the Big East (they are), AD Steve Pederson didn’t bother to make the trip to Rhode Island for Big East media days. Why? Because Pitt has no voting privileges in the conference meetings. But remember, Pitt is not a lame duck in the Big East.
“We certainly have enjoyed our time in the Big East Conference, it has been an excellent home for us for a lot of years,” Pederson said. “And I think it is important for us to make sure we put all of our energy and all of our focus into this last year and make sure that we do everything we can to make it our absolute best year ever.”
Oh, yes, Pitt can and should do all it can to win. Doesn’t change the fact that this is a lame duck season in the Big East. Just as 2003 was for Virginia Tech and Miami. And 2004 was for Boston College.
The Big East expectations for Pitt has certainly set the bar low for Chryst in his first year of head coaching. It would be a pleasant surprise to go into our Thursday night game vs Cincy and put a game together like we had against USF last year and surprise a lot of doubters while on national TV. Or, of course, we could lay a big fat egg. It’s all about Tino again this year. It would be fantastic to finally see the light come on for him under the coaching of Paul Chryst. I know Chryst has the rep of being a grade A offensive coordinator, but in his first year of head coaching, if he can transform Sunseri into the Div. I QB that Pitt so dearly needs to raise it’s game, he will forever be endeared to the Pitt Faithful.
Let the games begin!
The BE does not care about Pitt and Pitt should not care about the BE.I know I don’t care.
I will be watching Pitt and the ACC in 2012. The BE is history and I suspect the money went into the donut fund for ex commish Marinatto.
As always, HTP!
OL is going to be really good this year.
The runing backs will be a strong point and the TE will be very strong.
the WR will be a ? may be some what ok.
But now the real ? what abought tino if he can hand off and throw short to the TE we have a chance but what could be a good offence could go south if he plays like he has in the past.
The DBs are strong and deep .
The DL is strong but no depth.
The LB are ok but no depth.
So the defence should be good unless there to many player hurt not a lot of depth there.
1. Louisville
2. Pitt
3. Rutgers
4. USF
5. Cincy
6. Syracuse
7. Temple
8. UConn
I think the game to watch is that Pitt-Cincy game September 6th. I know it is a short week for Pitt after the opener, but I think Pitt will have a slight edge having already played a game to shake off the rust. If Pitt wins that game, home games against Rutgers and Louisville give Pitt a great shot to leave the Big East with a championship. I really think that given Chryst’s coaching pedigree, the team will improve as the season goes on, and that early game against Cincy is super crucial, because a road win against a contender puts Pitt in the driver’s seat for the BE title, and a loss makes a bowl game (remember, we need 7 wins this year) a challenge.
2. Louisville
3. Cincinnati
4. Rutgers
5. Pitt
6. Syracuse
7. UConn
8. Temple
We beat them at their place without Graham last year and return many of our players. Not saying we will win this year, just saying that weshould certainly be in the hunt.
yup-yeah, preseason polls are total BS, but at least its something to talk about after a long summer of depressing scandals
I think 8 wins is probably about where this team ends up. Two surefire wins against I-AA schools, two likely losses against Notre Dame and VA Tech, but Pitt has a shot at everything in the middle, and frankly, I think we can put Buffalo and Temple in the surefire win category too. Pitt just needs 3-3 against Cincy, USF, Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, and Louisville. I know four of those are road games, but I think 3-3 or 4-2 in that stretch is doable, and 4-2 against that group gives Pitt a shot at the BE crown.
And we will win the big east this year.
Maybe with one part realism and one part better coach, we can shoot for 8, 9 or 10 wins.
Week 2 is a big one… A win there and the fair weather fans will be out…A loss there and the doomsayers will write Paul Chryst off already.
Lots to keep our interest this year however.
Will Graham be back in form?
do the talented youngsters on defense step it up and prove their mettle?
Can Chryst handle the head coaching job?
Will our offensive line be as good as their potential, or will we be bitten by the injury bug badly again like we we’re last year?
Will Voytik be good enough to see action this year?
Can Shell step right in for the heavy lifting at running back?
And of course the BIG one, can Tino play QB well enough this year that I won’t throw anything at my TV when watching Pitt games?
our coach this year is a better coach i know he is
and we have as good or better players this year we
will go 10 and 2 or 9 and 3 may be chryst cant recruit but i am sure he can coach.
even with tino we will over come i just know it.
May the flood gates open.
LOL, but you make good points. The only problem I had was becoming an alcoholic along the way.
steve h is telling you the truth jump on bord steve 1 10 and 2 it is ok to belive.
ttip ot liah
But not becuse of tino but becuse of the coach i dont think are coach can recruit but he can coach
and he will take us to a big east title this year have faith.
We have our third real head coach in 3 years. Growing pains should be expected. Expect 7/8 wins.
That’s the bad news, the good news is Jacobson comes back for a sixth year and all those guys that got tested by fire last year are now ready to step into their respective positions and back into the pro style type of offense that they were recruited for in the first place.
What was a weakness, at least on paper, now looks like a forte. The key variable, can everybody stay healthy so the first string unit gets a chance to gel under the new offensive coaching system?
This team could really dictate the tempo of games if that happens, especially if Shell can step in and contribute right out of the gate.
Shell is this years wild card, if he is actually as good as advertised at the college level, I say use him right away.
The main reason for that is if he is the real deal he is going to be gone after his Junior year, irrespective if he gets redshirted this season or not. Remember, he’s got two twin infant daughters to support as soon as he can. And that will be in three years when he splits for the NFL.
I would love to see some smash mouth running game get going for Pitt, utilizing two or even three fresh running backs carrying the rock for us and just grinding it out to the dismay of the opposing defenses who find themselves powerless to stop them.
Youngstown State (W)
Cincinnati (W)
Virginia Tech (L)
Gardner-Webb(W)
Syracuse(W)
Louisville (W)(L)
Buffalo(L)
Temple (W)
Notre Dame (L)
Connecticut (W)
Rutgers (W)
I really see us having solid position players except for QB. Tiny will either flourish in short to mid range passes or he will continue his ways. He is completely a 50/50 player. The other question mark I see is Harper. He had a terrible year last season and needs to step it up. Anyone see his video to the right? Maybe if we replace his helmet with a garbage can or let him dress like a hoopie, he would be more accurate.
On the upside, it should be easier to go back to the pre-Graham system than it was to go the Graham system simply because it really isn’t something totally new this time around and likely still fits the overall roster makeup better. So, the system adjustment should not be as hard. Also, since overall roster talent should be more or less at the same level (graduation losses and the one true weak recruiting year (2011) offset to a degree by the addition of a handful of quality eligible transfers). Add to that the fact that the schedule is weaker than last year. All these things should translate into more wins than last year’s six (6).
The downside, as you correctly point out, is that we have no idea whether Chryst will turn out to be a good head coach–since he has never been a head coach. Also, Tino Sunseri has yet to prove he can QB at a high enough level in any system. Further, we have no idea how Ray Graham will be upon return from his ACL injury.
All in all, your 7-8 wins prediction seems quite reasonable. I might stretch it to 7-9 wins and wouldn’t totally rule out 10 wins if injuries (particularly to thin position areas), can be avoided, Ray Graham returns 100% and Coach Chryst and staff prove to be at least as basically competent with the x’s and o’s as Dave Wannstadt’s staff had been.
I would like to have seen Tino’s progression if he had another year in the power o. Tino definitely as potential to manage a game he must develop consistency. I think this is the yer he can do that especially with a good QB coach.
