Pitt is headed south for a matchup with the Golden Panthers of Florida International and as Chas mentioned earlier, there’s not a lot of important information to discuss. FIU is a team in rough shape; they’re one of the worst teams in FBS and have a true freshman starting at QB. To be blunt, if Pitt isn’t comfortably ahead in the 4^th quarter it is cause for concern. The goals for the game are 1) health 2) comfortable win and 3) get backups good in-game experience. Anything beyond that is a bonus. Another statistically great game from James Conner would be a boon to his Heisman whispers.

With that said, it feels a bit prudent to look ahead a little. Pitt’s next two BCS opponents, Iowa and Virginia, have key games this week. Iowa plays in-state rival Iowa State and Virginia faces off against the newest ACC member, Louisville (Louavuhl). Thus far, Iowa appears to be a team that is trending lower than expectations and Virginia is exceeding them.

While Iowa is 2-0, both wins were of the ugly variety. In Week 1, Iowa had a mere one point 4^th quarter lead against a mediocre FCS program in Northern Iowa. A late touchdown gave Iowa an eight point victory, but for a BCS team with B1G title game aspirations, that’s not how a season should begin. Iowa followed that up with another ugly win over Ball State, a good MAC program. It took a touchdown with a minute to go for Iowa to pull off the 17-13 win.

Next up for Iowa is middling Iowa State which is coached by former Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads. The 0-2 Cyclones are struggling right now and Rhoads is on the hot seat. Last year the Cyclones lost after a futile 4^th quarter comeback fell short and vengeance would be a good way for Rhoads to save his job. While on paper Iowa is an obvious favorite, rivalry games have a way of ignoring logic. The past three games have all been one score affairs, including one that went into overtime. In fact, Iowa State won in 2011 and 2012.

The key for Iowa will be to get the running game going. After two games, Iowa’s leading rusher has only 53 yards…and that’s their QB. Hawkeye RBs have combined for 50 carries and 181 yards over their first two games. For perspective, Chris James and Rachid Ibrahim have 188 yards on 33 carries. Iowa’s offense is living and dying off of the arm and legs of QB Jake Rudock right now. Rudock is a good QB, but there’s a reason Iowa went 1-3 last season when he threw 30+ attempts. Iowa needs to get the RBs going if they’re going to make a run in the B1G. With subpar QB play from Rudock, Iowa could easily be 0-2 right now. If Iowa State can force some mistakes from Rudock and keep the running game stagnant, Paul Rhoads could deliver a huge blow to Iowa’s psyche the week before the Hawkeyes come to Heinz Field.

For the Cavaliers of Virginia, 2014 has shown glimmers of hope that dead last in the ACC Coastal may not be a forgone conclusion. Against top 10 UCLA, UVA put quite the scare into the Bruins. If not for three– yes three–second quarter defensive touchdowns, the Cavaliers would’ve pulled off an incredible upset. UVA’s defense stifled future NFL QB Brett Hundley and held UCLA’s offense to only seven points. The following week, the Cavaliers had a decisive victory over Richmond, their first victory since the week before last year’s loss to Pitt.

Like last season, UVA has an impressive defense and a lot of questions on offense. There’s still a QB controversy and none of their three RBs who have seen consistent playing time is above 3.7 yards per carry. If UVA wants to build on early season success, the Cavaliers will need to settle on one QB and have even the threat to run the ball with any semblance of consistency. Even with subpar offensive play, their defense has the ability to steal games against superior opponents. While Louisville (Louavuhl) will likely win, UVA has a chance to make another statement that the Cavaliers won’t be a pushover in 2014.