Well, I’m sure the comments will be measured and calm in response to the news.

University of Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson has been signed to a new five-year contract that will keep him at Pitt through at least 2018, Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg has announced.

“With the University of Pittsburgh set to officially join the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, our athletic programs never have been better positioned for future success,” Nordenberg said. “That is a real tribute to the hard work and effective leadership provided by>Steve Pederson as Pitt’s athletic director.

“Just two years ago, during a period of significant conference instability, Steve was a driving force in helping us to find the best possible conference home. When we received an invitation to join the ACC, Pitt not only had the chance to move to an outstanding athletic conference but also became aligned with some of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions. The ACC is a perfect fit for the University of Pittsburgh, and our receipt of their invitation reflects well on both our overall institutional strength and on the tremendous progress made in Pitt athletics under Steve’s guidance.

“As we begin this exciting new era of ACC competition, we all have high aspirations for each of our programs. The creativity, strength and stability of Steve’s continued leadership will be an important asset as we pursue those lofty goals.”

In addition to the coming ACC money, the fundraising has been fine.

Pederson also has been instrumental in raising funds for the Panthers Club that subsidizes scholarships for student-athletes. The university reported a record total of $14 million in donations from 2010-2012.

Nordenberg likes Pederson. He has a good relationship with him. As long as Nordenberg remains the Chancellor — and there is little reason to think he is leaving anytime soon — Pederson’s job is safe.

Oh, so many choices.

Let’s get target one out of the way: Steve Pederson.

Fifth-highest paid was athletic director Steve Pederson. His total compensation of $844,008 included base pay of $500,161, bonus and incentive compensation of $283,333, other reportable compensation of $10,674, retirement and other deferred compensation of $35,525 and $14,315 in non-taxable benefits.

Now due to the quirk in the state  of public records (read: insane lobbying to keep as such; treatment of Temple, Lincoln, PSU and Pitt in terms of Pennsylvania open records laws), it isn’t the easiest thing to compare. Still, it is a good roughing tool thanks to the USA Today databases. The AD salary surveys has Pederson’s total compensation lower which is important. The USA Today survey is an excellent resource but it is hardly perfect.

The USA Today survey puts Pederson in the top-40.  But the tax reporting suggests closer to top-20. Now before you fly off the handle, please keep in mind that if the differential between what the USA Today survey found for Pederson versus what Pitt ultimately reported then it is safe to assume that there are some more discrepancies in the list. That said, we can safely assume his pay rate is somewhere in the top-30 for ADs.

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With the announcement last week of ND coming to the ACC, lead to the discussion of schedules. On the football side, there was the acknowledgment that Pitt-ND games will change from a yearly game to a once-every-three (or two)-years action. That would open the door to putting Penn State on the schedule with more frequency. And indeed, following AD Steve Pederson’s comments suggesting it, the acting PSU AD echoed the growing possibility.

[David] Joyner, Penn State’s acting athletic director, told the Tribune-Review on Friday he hopes to visit Pederson in Pittsburgh during the football season. Any face-to-face discussions wouldn’t be just about resuming the once-great rivalry, but Joyner acknowledged it would be a significant part of his visit.

“There certainly is a philosophical meeting of the minds,” Joyner said. “It would be very interesting to look to see if we can make it happen, to have more games in the future.”

The Big 10 just had their planned annual games with the Pac-12 fall apart because of the Pac-12 playing 9 conference games annually, and teams like Stanford and USC that regularly play ND. The Big 10 still plays 8 conference games, but Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delaney has been publicly saying that the Big 10 schools need to do a better job on non-con scheduling.

Almost certainly Pitt will be playing PSU in basketball soon. If not in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge, then as a scheduled non-con.

So there’s that, but what about WVU?

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After a few years of skipping Midnight Madness activities in favor of more family friendly fare, Pitt is bringing it back and with some flair.

Pitt plans on making a statement in its final season in the Big East by resuming its traditional role under Jamie Dixon as a title contender after last season’s NCAA miss. To tipoff the campaign, the Panthers are doing something out of the box for the more maligned Panthers by hosting a Midnight Madness event — outside. The unique event will be a part of the school’s 225-year anniversary celebration. The men’s and women’s teams will play on a wooden outdoor floor, near the Pitt Union. Lights, bleachers and a video board will be brought in for the free event that should begin after a fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. If the weather doesn’t cooperate then the teams will go inside at the Petersen Events Center.

It also, just happens to be Homecoming weekend.

Yes, the whole playing outdoors is a bit of a gimmick — whether on an aircraft carrier or on a New Years Day hockey game. Still, this seems like a great idea. Not to mention being set right in the middle of campus.

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A few links/stories not directly related to Pitt but putting out there.

Northwestern has been Under Armour-ized. It’s not good. It’s not Maryland bad, but in the Big 10 it is radical.

Want to see how a lot of teams will probably (or should) schedule in the ACC when they go to a 9 game schedule? Virginia Tech is a good example.

The 2015 Akron game that was listed on Tech’s website under future schedules has been canceled.

The Hokies’ nonconference schedule in the next few years looks like this:

2013: vs. Alabama in Atlanta, vs. Marshall, vs. Western Carolina

2014: vs. William and Mary, at Ohio State, vs. Western Michigan

2015: vs. Furman, vs. Ohio State, vs. East Carolina

2016: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Liberty, at East Carolina

By being pushed back, the East Carolina series would have one more home-and-home cycle in 2017 and ’18.

The Hokies also are scheduled for a trip to Wisconsin in 2017 to satisfy that home-and-home agreement…

Every year has one marquee non-con. VT relies a little heavy on local 1-AA foes for an extreme patsy for my tastes. The third game isn’t bad. Especially with the always dangerous ECU team out there.

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Just remember Pitt, nothing stupid in 347 days. Keep it simple.

Not much new since last night. A few more comments. Another press release.

Here’s the statement from the ACC.

“Today’s announcement that Pitt will be joining the ACC on July 1, 2013 is terrific one. It’s exciting to know that both Pitt and Syracuse will become playing members in the ACC starting with the 2013-14 academic year. I’m pleased that both schools were able to finalize agreements with the Big East. The ACC has long enjoyed a rich tradition of balancing academics and athletics and the addition of Pitt and Syracuse further strengthens this conference. Throughout this past year, we’ve been preparing to welcome both teams into our membership and we look forward to the future of the ACC with these two schools as prominent members.”

It’s nice to have it official. But everyone knew this was coming.

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Well, as the day already starts getting late, and not even the hint of a late day press conference. I think it is safe to say that Pitt will not be announcing the next head coach for at least another day. I do expect that Pitt will have the announcement no later than Friday? Why? Cynical timing.

They definitely want it done before Christmas. They also want to be able to do the standard press conference and then have the new coach show up at the Wagner-Pitt basketball game on Friday night on ESPNU. Speak to the fans. Maybe get a few minutes on the national broadcast. Pitt has done it before — both Graham and Wannstedt showed up at the next basketball game. It’s standard for most schools, and I think Pitt could really use it.

But all reports are that it isn’t going to be today. From FootballScoop.com (h/t Scott):

Sources tell us Mario Cristobal is meeting with Pitt officials today…and plans to meet with FIU administration after (possibly not until tomorrow). We’ll keep you posted.

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Big Pitt event the other night. Athletics at Pitt: The Forefront of a Century of Change.

Many former Panther greats were in attendance, including Tony Dorsett (Pitt’s only Heisman Trophy winner), Larry Fitzgerald (first sophomore to win the Walter Camp Award and a unanimous first team All American selection), and track star Trecia-Kaye Smith (15-time NCAA Champion).

Individuals such as Bobby Grier (first African-American ever to play in the Sugar Bowl) and Hugh Green (three-time All American; winner of the Maxwell Award) shared the red carpet walk from the dais to the main stage with more recent Panthers such as women’s basketball standouts Lorri Johnson (all-time leading scorer) and Jennifer Bruce Scott (second leading scorer in history).

Short films narrated by broadcast pioneer Jack Whitaker and CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield – who was in attendance – and former Panther star Mark May brought to light the path of African-Americans in sport at Pitt. Costas conducted a question and answer with several former athletes, including all-time leading men’s basketball scorer and shot blocker Charles Smith and two-time Olympic gold medalist Roger Kingdom.

All former athletes in attendance were asked to sign a commemorative banner which will be placed on display in the Petersen Events Center.

The event culminated a dream for dinner chair Herb Douglas. The 89-year old, the oldest living former Panther athlete, had a vision of gathering as many generations together for one evening to celebrate the past 100 years and embrace the future. Douglas was the 1948 Olympic bronze medal winner in the long jump.

There’s a list of some of the former greats of Pitt athletics who attended the event. The collection of photographs could stand to have some captions, but I’m sure you can recognize plenty of people in the images.

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There’s a lot of stuff I have to get to. On the blog, elsewhere on-line, and of course in the offline world.

This is one of those things I’ve been meaning to get to for some time.

The next Big East TV contract looks to be better than the last. Of course, given how far behind the last contract was compared to all the other BCS conferences, that’s not exactly a huge stunner.

The Big East Conference may get as much as $460 million for multiyear television contracts to its college basketball and football games, media analysts said.

The conference, which has 16 members for basketball, may get an increase close to the 230 percent that the Atlantic Coast Conference received when News Corp. (NWSA)’s Fox and Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ESPN got in a bidding war, RBC Capital’s David Bank said.

The Big East’s six-year, $200 million contract with Disney’s ESPN network runs through the end of the 2012 season. Commissioner John Marinatto said in December that boosting television fees is a priority for the conference, which has hired former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to help. Interest from ESPN and other broadcasters, including Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s Versus and Time Warner Inc. (TWX)’s Turner network, may increase the league’s income, analysts said.

Now this comes with a lot of caveats and needs perspective on the numbers.

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Pitt baseball has been improving under Coach Joe Jordano. So much so, that you can actually listen to some of the games this year on the radio and via a livestream.

WPTS has Pitt baseball broadcasts this year. The first one is this Saturday at 3pm against IPFW

If you are in the ‘Burgh Pitt’s student radio station is 92.1 FM. Otherwise you can listen on the WPTS Website.

Anyways, here’s the press release and broadcast schedule.

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Welcome to Signing Day. Outside of up to six other recruits who will be announcing today, the biggest question will be the weather? Will kids be able to get to a fax machine, have school, and just be able to send in the NLI today?

For those unfamiliar how this works. This post will be updated all day with signings. How?

Well Pitt’s GoPittFootball twitter will be announcing signings as they come in. Scout.com and Rivals.com commit lists will also indicate when they receive word from recruits or sources inside the athletic department when kids have signed.

When they list a signing, I’ll update the list below.

Pitt will be having a live streaming press conference with Todd Graham to announce the class at 3:30 today. You can watch that here.

Here we go.

[7:40] Artie Rowell is the first one out of the fax machine.

One guy that won’t be signing with Pitt. Massillon WR Justin Olack. He’s going to Toledo.

[8:15] Ronald Jones has sent in his NLI.

[8:38] Darius Patton faxed in. Here’s an article from his local paper today. Just a little optimistic on his immediate impact.

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Sorry. After the last several days of keeping near/glued to a computer “just in case…” I have been in and out trying to catch up on things in the outside world.

The introductory press conference is scheduled for 3:30 pm. You can watch it for free via Pitt’s All-Access streaming video, here.

Thanks to Michael Franklin and Chelsey Rovesti

Big thanks to Michael Franklin for the idea,  Chelsey Rovesti for executing it, and both of them for the permission to use the image.

The press conference is scheduled for 3:30 pm on Tuesday. Presumably it will be streamed live on Pitt’s website.

I won’t lie. I am extremely curious to see how AD Pederson dances around the Haywood stuff. I’m guessing the focus on Graham will be on his on-the-field success. Not his integriy, discipline and intangibles.

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I’m kind of stealing that from Michael. It looks like it is all over but the official announcement.

Todd Graham appears to be the new head coach at Pitt. Reportedly a 5-year contract at about $2 million/year.  It may have taken the AD’s neck on the chopping block, and an unbelievable catastrophe for the first hire; but Pitt pried open the checkbook to pay market rates.

At this point, I think most are just relieved to have the search done. There is going to be a lot of work ahead for Pitt’s athletic department and the new coach and coaching staff.

Graham has to get his staff assembled quickly, while trying to meet and make peace with the players that have to be completely confused at this point. Not sure if there is anyone left to salvage off of the old staff, but if at all possible he should try. At the very least keep Buddy Morris around for this year.

Then it is to see what is left of the recruiting class. It’s a bit of a lost cause, but you have to try.

The athletic department, and I’m not exactly sure what the best way to do this at the moment, really needs to do some major, major ass-kissing and making up to fans, boosters and alum. There was some severe alienation.

Steve Pederson’s status remains in question. People are pissed at him for reasons that at points conflict with the reasons others are pissed at him.

There are people pissed about Dave Wannstedt’s dismissal. People pissed about the first coaching search. About how Pitt appeared to go cheap and conservative in hiring Mike Haywood. About the humiliation stemming from Haywood being arrested. About learning how any and all advice — no matter how important or influential the person — was completely ignored. About all the bad feelings from what Pederson did in his first run as AD. How Tom Bradley didn’t get the job. And you can bet that people will be pissed about how much Pitt paid to get Graham.

Suddenly, the hiring of the coach seems like the easy part.

… as if to catch its breath.

A little too much?

Okay. Embattled AD Steve Pederson in a rare display of openness had a limited media conference call to talk about the coaching search among other things.

The university’s search process this time is different than the way they conducted the first search, which led the university to hire former Miami (Ohio) coach Michael Haywood — who was fired on Jan. 1st, a day after being arrested on charges of domestic battery.

“We have created a small team who will assist in the initial interview process,” Pederson said. “We are meeting potential candidates in a first round, then we will identify a smaller number of candidates from that poll who will brought to campus to participate in further interviews with a group that includes the chancellor [Mark Nordenberg].

“We want to move swiftly, but we have no timeline for completion of the process and we want to make sure we find the right person to lead this program but do so in a timely manner.”

The small group conducting the initial interviews includes Pederson, Executive Associate Athletic Director Donna Sanft and Executive Vice Chancellor Jerry Cochran.

Pederson said the fact that there will be a second round of interviews means that no candidate will be hired — or even offered the job — until the group of finalists are identified and have all had a chance to meet with and interview with Nordenberg.

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