Every year I pick up just about every preseason football mag. Partially out of curiosity. Partially out of boredom that comes with the June-ish dead time.

Every year, I page to Pitt’s entry first. See where they are projected in the ACC. See what is being said.

Coming off a 5-7 season, expectations have been low.

The Phil Steele preview is the biggie of course. That wonderful mix of stats, self-promotion and actual useful information tucked into the small print and vaguely comprehensible abbreviations.

He was also the harshest in projecting Pitt in their ACC finish. 6th in the ACC Coastal. Ahead of only Virginia. 4th or 5th wouldn’t have surprised me, but 6th?

It was the second last sentence in his Pitt preview, though, that struck me.

“My 9 sets of power ratings have them any where from 4-8 to 10-2.”

[Plenty of emphasis added.]

And that right there is this year’s Pitt football team.

I went on a podcast to talk about Pitt a few weeks back. Near the end of some very extensive blathering on my part, we went through the schedule. I think I ended up having Pitt finish 9-3 or something like that.

I’m surprisingly optimistic about most of this team. Yet, I can also see having a really disappointing year. And not all because of the schedule.

We believe Kenny Pickett is going to be really good at QB.

We think that the running game will be solid.

We hope that the O-line will be better after a coaching change and some help with a grad transfer.

We have no idea about the receiving corps.

That’s a lot to take on faith. And that’s just the offensive side of the ball.

I’m optimistic that the defense finally comes together. I love the depth and talent in the secondary — despite the departures of Maddox and Whitehead.

Many Pitt fans seems to think that the linebackers will be a real strength as well. That the D-line is better and that the ends are poised to finally break through (literally and figuratively).

I’m not too bent out of shape at seeing Pitt picked 5th in the ACC pre-season media poll. Duke and North Carolina getting a vote each to win the Coastal? Now that has me disturbed.