The meme on how loaded the Big East will be in basketball for 2008 continues to worm its way around. Per Jay Bilas at ESPN (insider subs.)

It’s still too early to put together a coherent Top 25 for next year, but it is not too early to determine that the Big East will be the best league in the country.

By October, expect the backlash. At the first stumble of an expected top team in the Big East there will be the “ah-ha, see the BE isn’t that good!”

One of the stories I have always been fascinated, because of the consequences and that shows how effed up college sports can be has been the Baylor-Dennehy scandal. This was where a Baylor basketball player was shot by one of his teammates in the off-season. As the investigation was getting underway, the then coach, Dave Bliss, wanted to cover-up how he was secretly paying the way for walk-ons who had transferred — including Dennehy. That included trying to mislead investigators that Dennehy was shot because of a drug deal — despite Dennehy having no involvement in that. He even wanted the assistants to help with the cover-up. One young assistant and former Baylor player was so disturbed by this, he taped one of the conversations.

He went to see a lawyer who eventually leaked the tape, and helped blow the whole thing up. In the fallout, Abar Rouse became blackballed in D-1 because he “betrayed” his head coach. This long piece on what has happened to him is a hell of a read.

Many coaches, including Hall of Famers Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski, have said that Rouse had crossed the line. “If one of my assistants would tape every one of my conversations with me not knowing it, there’s no way he would be on my staff,” Krzyzewski told “Outside the Lines” in 2003. The rank and file has fallen in step.

Despite beating down seemingly every door and mailing out countless résumés, Rouse has had only one basketball job in the past five years, a graduate assistant position at Division II Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. In October he made the agonizing decision to quit, unable to survive on the $8,000 annual salary.

…

Assistant coaches are basketball’s Secret Service, there to step in and take a bullet when one is fired at the man in charge. Indiana’s Senderoff was sent packing long before the NCAA’s tentacles reached Sampson; Dwane Casey took the initial heat for Eddie Sutton at Kentucky in 1989. Taking the fall is an act of honor, despite the fact it usually means some sort of violation occurred.

Turning a coach in, deservedly or not, is viewed through an altogether different prism. Among coaches who pontificate about integrity and ethics — the NABC, then headed ironically enough by Sampson, called an emergency summit the fall after the Baylor scandal to discuss the very thing — there is a hypocritical silent code: Thou shalt not drop a dime on one another. Or at least get caught doing so.

And in a career in which networking is critical for job placement, those who go against the silent code are exiled, left to scrap their way back or wait in hope that someone offers a lifeboat.

Bliss, by the way, got to coach in the NBDL for a year and actually felt like he has re-habbed enough to start showing up at the Final Four once more. Read it all.

East Carolina desperately has wanted in to the Big East since the re-formatting a few years ago. They still want to find their way in. Even if just in football.

OK, but what if a deal too sweet to beat existed? Just for kicks, let’s put one on the table in the form of, say, a job application. The school should be willing to:

• Play a conference football schedule with zero compensation from the Big East so current members don’t have to give up any of their share of revenue.

• Be responsible for negotiating a television contract for home games until the league wants the school to be a part of its package.

• Not expect any of the league’s BCS revenue until earning a BCS bid of its own representing the conference.

• Come in as a football member only. Other sports would play in another league in order to not interfere with the league’s current 16-member setup for all other sports.

• Show a solid track record of putting fans in the seats at home, on the road and at bowl games — all on a trial basis for a few years.

The Big East still won’t bite. They don’t have to. As much as it makes things difficult to schedule in football,  even a provisional, part-time new member would likely upset the delicate balance with the basketball schools. Until the conference realizes it has to split, ECU has no chance.

Finally, congrats to Dick Groat and Pitt great Don Hennon on being included for induction into the WPIAL Hall of Fame. That they weren’t been inducted years ago is more of a shock than anything else.

I think some cautious skepticism about the football team is still warranted. It’s hard with so many pieces starting to look like they are coming into place.

The defense looks strong overall — even if there are some areas with thin depth. The defensive line appears to finally be a point of strength. The linebackers have a hard-nosed, aggressive guy in the middle with more depth than at any point in years. Safety, while not deep, has talent.

On offense there is a stud running back. The receiving corps while not flashy is deep and talented. The QB situation looks a bit better. Even the offensive line has some hope with players coming back from injury, a center that looks like a great find from JUCO ranks and a blue-chip freshman who should be able to grab a starting job immediately.

The coaching staff was overhauled, and seems to be on the same page.

Add in the strong finish from last year that raises the optimism. As further proof of how close Pitt might be, I have seen many cite that Pitt lost 4 of its games by 7 or fewer points. That just a couple bounces, a couple less injuries (or better officiating *cough* Rutgers *cough*) and Pitt would have been at least 6-6 or even, possibly 8-4. Suggesting how close Pitt might be.

On the flip side, though, Pitt also won 3 games by 7 or fewer points. Meaning that a 3-4 record in tight games suggests Pitt was very close to where they should have been, record-wise.

I was thinking about that as I kept coming back to this look at the Big East and team’s schedules.

Two things struck me right away. First, how unsure people are about the Big East after the assumption that WVU will be good and Syracuse will suck. Second, upon reflection I can’t disagree.

The eyeballing of schedules where you pick out almost certain losses or wins for the Big East teams yields a lot more toss-ups than usual. In large part because the teams in the Big East have improved and there is more parity.

UConn had a great season last year, and they didn’t lose much. USF and Rutgers have shown stability and are establishing themselves as consistent top-25 or right around there teams. Cinci is on their way there with Kelly as coach and especially if Mauk gets that 6th year at QB. Louisville is just a big question mark — they could implode with all the JUCOs brought in or could gel like a K-State team.

Then there’s Pitt.

This might be the strongest Panther team yet under Dave Wannstedt, but the schedule could make it a challenging year. There’s a chance for a big start with a home win over Iowa in mid-September, but the Big East slate starts out with two road games against Syracuse and South Florida. Going to Navy and Notre Dame will make it four road dates in a five-game span, and then there’s the finishing kick. After getting a mid-November week off, the Panthers have to play at Cincinnati, West Virginia, and at Connecticut. That could be just tough enough to ruin Big East title hopes.

They don’t give Pitt any “Likely losses” but after the two MAC warm-ups there are also no other “near certain wins” either. And I can’t argue too hard against that. Even the Syracuse game being in Syracuse does make that closer to a toss-up than a lock right now.

Some sad news, Dennis who has been contributing to PittBlather for the past year is leaving.

Dennis will be entering his senior year of high school (which, given the quality of his writing was a startling revelation to me) and has a crush of the usual issues including a summer job and working on college choices and visits. How he had the discipline, time and interest to post at all is a stunner. Especially when I think back to that increasingly dim memory of my lack of drive in high school.

He passed this along, though, an e-mail from DPJ of Cat Basket about trying to improve the gameday atmosphere at Heinz Field.

I was at a meeting with Steve Pederson and Dave Wannstedt where they challenged myself as well as other student leaders to improve the gameday atmosphere. While others were arguing that free t-shirts and hotdogs were the only way to get people to come, I argued that making the in game experience better was the real key for improving attendance (other than winning of course). Some people on SGB and other organizations felt I was crazy. Luckily Dr. Kathy Humphrey, Chris Ferris, and some other fellow student leaders agreed.

During the conclusion of the meeting, I along with our SGB president and Program Council Lecture Director was placed in charge of trying to figure out ways to make the in game experience better. One thing we all agreed upon was that there doesn’t seem to be anything engaging the fans to make them feel more included in the game. Sure we want to have a beach ball in the student section and to incorporate other ideas to make the entire stadium seem like one cohesive unit. However, we felt that there was one big thing that Pitt hasn’t used to our advantage yet. We have that massive jumbotron that usually is one big advertisement the entire game. Have you ever notice how excited people get when the Heinz ketchup flows??? That is why we decided that one of the most effective ways to improve the atmosphere is to use the jumbotron to get the crowd involved. Have you ever been to a Pens game and seen how they use a small outdated jumbotron to get the crowd fired up? Well, why can’t we use our state of the art equipment to get our fans fired up?

They are looking for more suggestions about improving the gameday atmosphere. So head over there with any thoughts.

This seems to be an ongoing process to try and figure out ways to get people to not only come to the games, but be engaged. You may recall the letter AD Pederson sent to season ticket holders after the 07 season. Cutting ticket prices will help sell more tickets, but the issue is getting the people to actually use them and not just sit on their hands.

Obviously the effort alone is a welcome step. Making an effort to get others to throw ideas out there. Rather than just act without actually talking to others who might be closer to the situation or have a better feel.
Here’s one for the jumbotron when the moment calls for the crowd to get fired up or make noise. It builds off the “shave the ’stache” concept (yeah, I’m going to keep pushing this). I’m thinking Mike Ditka standing next to a cardboard cutout of Wannstedt. Ditka stroking his own mustache then speaking to the camera, “Hey Panther fans, I want to see this thing shaved as much as you do,” pointing to the Wannstache, “so how about some noise?!”

After a while, you do have to convince yourself of that. I mean, otherwise, yet another revised top-25 list for college football in May would be, well, filler or just a waste of time. That — that just can’t be.

From the Viacom empire, Dennis Dodd at CBS Sports revises his top-25 and moves Pitt down a spot to #22.

The feel good vibe from the West Virginia win hasn’t diminished yet. Dave Wannstedt might finally be putting it together. Tailback LeSean McCoy was a freshman All-American who surpassed some of Tony Dorsett’s freshman numbers. Linebacker Scott McKillop led the nation in tackles.

From the Big East, WVU #9, USF #19, UConn #21, Cinci #25.

Then there is CSTV.com (another online arm of Viacom). Their college football editor moved Pitt from #24 to #20 in his revision.

The pressure is on Dave Wannstedt. He keeps bringing in these highly rated recruiting classes, but doesn’t have much to show for it on the field. But off of that impressive win over West Virginia in the season finale, and the duo of LeSean McCoy and Pat Bostick leading the offense, there’s reason to be very optimistic. Panthers’ defense should be strong.

Of course, no one else actually thinks Bostick will be the starter (or see playing time) this season (hello, redshirt). A fact even most national writers who paid any attention to things were aware.

“The question with Billy Stull was could he come back full speed after his thumb injury?” Wannstedt said. “He has proven that he can. With the year off and all the lifting he did in the weight room, his arm looks a little stronger to me. Right now, he is probably the most advanced of the group.”

Stull, a homegrown product of Pittsburgh, said his thumb injury might have been a blessing in disguise. Stull said he gained about 10 pounds and now weighs 212. “It’s definitely one thing I noticed when I was able to start throwing,” Stull said. “My arm strength is better.”

…

Still, it appears to be Stull’s job to lose. “He’s tough as far as reading the defense and hitting the targets,” McCoy said. “It’s going to help out the running game tremendously. It was tough last year because there were so many guys in the box. Everybody knew we were going to run the ball.”

McCoy isn’t the one calling the shots on offense, but it doesn’t hurt to have him speak with confidence on the likely starting QB.

Not sure how Chris McKillop’s tryout with the Jets went over the weekend. The former Pitt DE was trying out at Linebacker. It’s as much about making an impression to be invited back in the summer and to maybe create some additional interest from other teams.

That seems to be the result for Mike Phillips after his Browns’ tryout. He didn’t get invited back.

“It was a great opportunity to be in front of a lot of scouts,” Phillips said. “I think it opened some doors for a lot of things to happen. I have to keep working and go from there.”

Phillips has no intention of ending his dream. He’ll confer with his representation at the DeBartolo Co. and see if he can get a chance with another team.

“I’ll have to talk to my agent and look at the rosters of other teams and what they really need,” he said.

…

One possible destination for Phillips is Chicago. He and his agent weighed offers from the Browns and Bears before deciding on the Browns.

’’When I talked to my agent, we felt like the Browns were the better situation,” he said. “Things didn’t work out the way we thought.”

Which of course, does go back to taking advantage of the educational opportunities at Pitt. Just ask Ben Pryor.

Pryor, a highly sought Western Pennsylvania high school football player in 1976 who played in four college bowl games, is enjoying his career in education. He received his degree in elementary education in 1998 and his Masters in 2000.

“It’s going well in this change of careers, and I enjoy what I am doing,” said Pryor, who previously worked in the steel industry.

A focus of Pryor’s daily responsibilities is working with ninth graders entering Roosevelt High, a school of approximately 2,800 students in Prince Georges County, a Washington suburb.

On May 17, Pryor will be one of eight inductees during the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s 39th banquet at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington.

Pryor had tremendous success in both high school football and basketball. He was named first-team all-state, a Parade Magazine All-American and an adidas All-American in 1976, and played in the 1977 Big 33 all-star football game.

There are always other things after football.

Yes, spring practice ended over two weeks ago, but there are still old stories to rehash and things I never got to. In part, because now that we are in the dead period it’s good to hold some things in reserve.

Thinks like player (puff) pieces.

You’ve probably read most of them. Sophomore safety Dom DeCicco had a piece and he discussed a little of the change on the defense under new DC Phil Bennett.

DeCicco said Bennett left much of the defense the same and just added some new wrinkles. Still, he said that Benett’s personality is different and that Bennett is stressing a more aggressive, playmaking approach and philosophy to the defense. The Panthers were second-to-last in the Big East in both interceptions and forced turnovers.DeCicco said he would like to see himself as a player who could help be part of a turnaround in those areas.

Which, of course, is consistent with everything that has been said about the change to the defense this year. A good deal of that also has to do with more speed at all positions on the defense. I’m going to break character and skip the stock Paul Rhodes bashing. He’s gone, that’s all that matters.

Speaking of more speed at all positions, that also includes the increased depth. At linebacker, redshirt freshman Greg Williams has settled in at linebacker after a couple changes in position.

“This might be the place I’ll be the rest of my football life,” Williams said. “I’m doing well. I might have found a home.”

A cousin of Arizona Cardinals tailback Edgerrin James of Immokalee and a nephew of former NFL back Albert Bentley of Immokalee, Williams started at that position this past season. He ran for 1,481 yards and 17 touchdowns as a Barron Collier senior in 2006 and for 3,077 yards in his career.

After redshirting this past fall, he was first moved to strong safety then to outside linebacker. Being moved constantly didn’t sit well with Williams until he talked to new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Phil Bennett, the former coach at Southern Methodist.

“At first, I was down and upset because I didn’t want to play linebacker,” Williams said. “But I’ve grown to like it because I’m fast and I know what running backs like to do.”

Of course, there might be some temptation to move Williams back to safety because of depth issues. Williams, though, impressed throughout spring practices with his play at linebacker so that doesn’t seem too likely that they coaches would keep shifting him around when he is developing an affinity for the spot.

I’ve been thinking about this for a couple weeks. Ever since I found out about Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton’s pledge and follow-through.

Before a January game against Georgia Tech, Georgia Coach Dennis Felton addressed the students. He vowed to shave his mustache if the Bulldogs won the SEC Tournament.

Student interest for the basketball games were flagging — to be kind. Of course Georgia won the SEC Tournament, and Felton kept his word.

“To be honest, I seriously don’t remember making that promise,” Felton, clad in a red jacket, told students gathered around a grassy patch between the student center and the UGA Bookstore. “I’ve had this mustache since it first came when I was 3 or 4.”

Felton’s personal barber, Vernell Wilson of Wilson’s Hair World, did the deed. It took a surprisingly long time, considering the pencil-thin style of mustache Felton wears.

But Wilson, who cuts Felton’s hair at least once a week, said he never had shaved anyone outdoors, encircled by a couple hundred students with a grunge rock band playing in the background.

“I’ve never touched his mustache,” Wilson said. “He’s real particular about it. So this was an honor, and there was some pressure.”

They made it into an event.

Now this brings us to Pitt football, the students and the Wannstache. That which he grew to follow the way of the Bronson.

It’s a big season (hopefully). The team needs the students to turn out in full this year. To really help provide the the home field spark. Last year the student section didn’t even sell out.

My thought is that the Coach Wannstedt make a deal. If the student section sells out — and they attend the games — and if Pitt wins the Big East or wins a BCS bowl, then Wannstedt shaves the ’stache.

How does that not further get things juiced for this season? How do the players themselves not want to make that happen?

You can’t tell me that Schick or Gillette wouldn’t be interested in sponsoring this. There certainly would be ESPN coverage.

I can picture it. Halftime at a Pitt basketball game. A single chair at halfcourt. A small tray with a couple razors and some shaving cream. A barber waiting. Out of the tunnel strides Coach Wannstedt.

The place would go crazy.

This has to happen.

A couple days later and not much has changed.

I found it amusing that on the day before the draft, the Delaware paper wrote about how Otah’s family was hoping he might go with pick #19.

So, even though they know it probably won’t happen, the Otah family will dream about Jeff playing just a half-hour drive up Interstate 95.

“That would be such a thrill for all of us, to have Jeffrey play for the Eagles,” Patricia Otah said. “We’re not getting our hopes up, but if we could pick any place, it would be someplace close to home. And Philadelphia is as close to home as he can get.”

Well, they got it half right with Otah going #19.

The latest pride of Delaware is the 5th Delaware high schooler taken in the first round.

…joining Randy White of McKean High (by Dallas with the second pick in 1975), Joe Campbell of Salesianum (New Orleans, seventh in 1977), Luke Petitgout of Sussex Central (New York Giants, 19th in 1999) and Kwame Harris of Newark (San Francisco, 26th in 2003).

As the NFL is a well-oiled publicity machine, they had quick Q&As with all first round picks on the teams’ respective sites that night.

On playing for Dave Wannstedt at the University of Pittsburgh: He just told me to be a man, and it’s a job now. Everyone playing is a grown man and you have to take care of your family. That is how he treated me when I was there, like a man. He let you make your own decisions, and if you couldn’t abide by that then you wouldn’t be playing.

They also had Otah on a plane to Charlotte that evening to be introduced to the local media.

Otah was puzzled, not knowing Carolina had only minutes before traded up with the Eagles for that 19th pick — and had chosen him.

“I thought it was a prank call,” Otah said.

But it wasn’t, although Otah wasn’t fully convinced until another call came. This time it was Panthers coach John Fox, whose voice Otah recognized from a meeting they had at his workout day for NFL teams.

Otah, as it turned out, was heading where he hoped he would be.

“This is where I envisioned myself going,” Otah said Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, where he had just finished taking a tour of the facility with Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

Given that Carolina traded a good deal to get back into the first round to get Otah, there is probably more pressure on Otah to perform right away than on #13 Jonathan Stewart (who at least has DeAngelo Williams to share carries).

Despite the increase in the level of competition at the Division I level, Otah held his own. By the time he graduated Wannstedt was calling him “the best offensive lineman I’ve ever coached.”

Coach John Fox hopes he can say the same at some point down the road.

He’d better hope so.

The Panthers gave up a king’s ransom - a second- and a fourth-round pick this year and a first-round pick in 2009 - to get Otah with the 19th pick in the first round, so there will be plenty of inherent added pressure on him to play at a high level.

On the second day, Mike McGlynn and Kennard Cox got drafted.

McGlynn was a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles as the 109th overall pick, while Cox was selected in the seventh round [251st] by the Buffalo Bills as a compensatory selection.

Cox was the third CB taken by the Bills in this draft. It’s a safe bet as the second last pick in the NFL draft that Cox’s survival on the roster will be dictated by how well he performs on special teams.

As for McGlynn, Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid likes his versatility.

“In the fourth round, we took Mike McGlynn. He’s an offensive tackle from Pittsburgh, however he did play some guard and also some center. That’s where my interest came in, that he can play all three. He’s very much of the same mode as [RT] Jon Runyan. He’s got a nasty streak to him and he’ll fit in nice with our group of guys here.”

McGlynn, of course, is just ready to play.

On whether he spoke to the Eagles coaches about what position he would be playing: “I think (offensive line) coach (Juan) Castillo likes me inside, playing guard or possibly even center. I really don’t know. We really have not gotten into that to see where they want me to play. I will play anywhere, tackle, guard or center. It doesn’t matter. I am excited.”

On the free agent signings. Chris McKillop, Jameel Brady, Mike Phillips and Lowell Robinson are unsigned.

Joe Clermond signed with the Bears.  Darrell Strong with the Raiders. I’m mildly surprised neither got drafted. Strong’s physical characteristics and Clermond’s production just seemed like someone would take a 6th or 7th round flier on them.

The Carolina Panthers gambled by not taking Otah at the #13 spot. Instead reaching (in my opinion) for Jonathan Stewart of Oregon at Running Back. They then traded with Philly to move in to the #19 spot to grab Jeff Otah.

Otah was expected to go in the #12-20 range. He slid a touch further than expected. I really expected the Bears to grab him at #14 when he was there.

Congrats to Otah.

So, it’s been a good week for Ohio State in Western PA, and a lousy week for keeping the local talent. Dorian Bell and Jordan Hall both committed to the Buckeyes. You can guess no one is happy that Ohio State is suddenly a big threat in the region — not Pitt, not Penn State and certainly not Michigan. It was expected that Michigan would continue to recruit the area with Dick-Rod strengthening recruiting ties to the area.

(Brief aside on Dick-Rod. A big hat tip to Gene who forwarded me some of the pics on his old McMansion in Morgantown, by Cheat Lake — you really can’t make this stuff up. Only asking $2 million. I was able to find the actual listing and photo gallery for a post on FanHouse.)

Instead, Ohio State seems to have built off of getting Pryor to commit for this year.
Pitt has been quiet at this point. Part of what has probably added to the quiet is the new NCAA restriction on attending football camps.

Division II, III and NAIA coaches are still permitted to attend camps such as Metro Index, which is held at Pitt’s South Side football facility, and the Nike camp at Penn State. The bylaw on the NCAA Web site states that coaches are limited to visiting high school-sactioned events in the spring, meaning coaches can attend “regular scholastic activities involving prospective student-athletes enrolled only at the institution at which the regular scholastic activities occur.” Division I coaches are not permitted to attend a camp, even if it’s hosted by its own school.

Wannstedt and plenty of coaches backed the new rule, though.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt favors the new rule because it gives coaches a bit of a break in their hectic recruiting and coaching schedules.

“It’s overkill,” Wannstedt said. “It’s too much. We don’t need it.”

So many of the ridiculous NCAA rules occur because the coaches demand it as a way to control themselves. Everyone is looking for the edge. The extra facetime, chance to connect with a recruit. No coach can afford to look like he is not pursuing a recruit. So, the only way they stop is if the rules say they have to.

A recruit Pitt is pursuing in Florida seems to be getting noticed. Josh Elizondo is a 6-2, 280 pound DT recruit in Naples. He’s not ranked as much of a prospect, though, that seems to be because they just don’t know him yet. He holds offers from Pitt and NC State and now South Carolina.

“I think I like Pittsburgh a lot now,” Elizondo said. “My coach knows Dave Wannstedt real well.” Elizondo said he’s been hearing from USC recruiter David Reaves. He has not taken any unofficial visits and doesn’t have any planned. Elizondo expects to get a lots of looks from recruiters during spring practice because many will be coming down to see his highly touted teammate OL Nick Alajajian.

Elizondo is also getting interest (but no offers yet) from Alabama, Florida St. and Wisconsin.