Best Top 10 wins in Pitt Football history

[HailToPitt725]

I originally posted this on the national board, so I thought I'd post it here, too. The task was to list the best ranked win for every number 1-10. It was hard pick some over others, but here was the list I submitted for Pitt

#1 - None to my knowledge; Anyone know if this is wrong?
#2 - Tie between 1981 Georgia and 2007 West Virgina
#3 - 2002 Virginia Tech
#4 - 1987 Notre Dame
#5 - 1976 Georiga
#6 - 1956 Miami
#7 - 1936 Notre Dame
#8 - 1952 Notre Dame
#9 - 1938 Fordham
#10 - 1989 Syracuse

Obviously there's many Top 10/5 victories that were left off, including the more recent ones. However, I feel like these wins trumped those. Anyone have thoughts on this? What games would you put over these ones?

 

[upj87]

I originally posted this on the national board, so I thought I'd post it here, too. The task was to list the best ranked win for every number 1-10. It was hard pick some over others, but here was the list I submitted for Pitt

#1 - None to my knowledge; Anyone know if this is wrong?
#2 - Tie between 1981 Georgia and 2007 West Virgina
#3 - 2002 Virginia Tech
#4 - 1987 Notre Dame
#5 - 1976 Georiga
#6 - 1956 Miami
#7 - 1936 Notre Dame
#8 - 1952 Notre Dame
#9 - 1938 Fordham
#10 - 1989 Syracuse

Obviously there's many Top 10/5 victories that were left off, including the more recent ones. However, I feel like these wins trumped those. Anyone have thoughts on this? What games would you put over these ones?

not sure how a win over a team with lesser talent (Georgia) could be bigger or more significant as it marked the top of Pitt's power which dwindled from there on out...The wvu win may not have been more significant in terms of the program but knocking a team out of the national championship (not the case with the Georgia win) over a heated rival as a massive underdog on the road is the epitome of big.

 

[HailToPitt725]

not sure how a win over a team with lesser talent (Georgia) could be bigger or more significant as it marked the top of Pitt's power which dwindled from there on out...The wvu win may not have been more significant in terms of the program but knocking a team out of the national championship (not the case with the Georgia win) over a heated rival as a massive underdog on the road is the epitome of big.

I’d say it’s equally significant, if not more significant, for a few reasons.

- It was the Sugar Bowl, with the whole country watching
- Regardless of who had more talent, they were the defending national champions
- If the cards played out right that night, that could’ve won us another national championsip

That’s what I’d call the epitome of big. Regardless, each were big in their own regard.

 

[JD1976]

I know Clemson is recent, but handing an eventual national champ its only loss of the season — and on the road in November to boot — has to qualify at least as a tie with WVU 2007... in my opinion.

 

[upj87]

I’d say it’s equally significant, if not more significant, for a few reasons.

- It was the Sugar Bowl, with the whole country watching
- Regardless of who had more talent, they were the defending national champions
- If the cards played out right that night, that could’ve won us another national championsip

That’s what I’d call the epitome of big. Regardless, each were big in their own regard.

I know Clemson is recent, but handing an eventual national champ its only loss of the season — and on the road in November to boot — has to qualify at least as a tie with WVU 2007.

"has" to...no it does not...What it has to do with is the feeling (as a Pitt fan) at the time of its occurrence I would think..Pitt over WVU and Marino to Brown for the win in the Sugar tops that...

 

[HailToPitt725]

I know Clemson is recent, but handing an eventual national champ its only loss of the season — and on the road in November to boot — has to qualify at least as a tie with WVU 2007... in my opinion.

Do you remember which game we were the bigger underdog in, or was it the same spread in each one? I think we were something like 28.5 against Clemson.

 

[upj87]

Do you remember which game we were the bigger underdog in, or was it the same spread in each one? I think we were something like 28.5 against Clemson.

19 for Clemson sticks in my head but don't quote me on it..
https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo.../clemson-pitt-2016-odds-lines-betting-preview

 

[HailToPitt725]

"has" to...no it does not...What it has to do with is the feeling (as a Pitt fan) at the time of its occurrence I would think..Pitt over WVU and Marino to Brown for the win in the Sugar tops that...

I think we felt the same way after Clemson that we did against WVU. There was a good chance that loss could’ve kept them out at the time. However, I put 13-9 ahead of 43-42 because it was a rivalry game and, in terms of records, we had no business of winning that game while we were at least respectable heading into Death Valley.

 

[JD1976]

"has" to...no it does not...What it has to do with is the feeling (as a Pitt fan) at the time of its occurrence I would think..Pitt over WVU and Marino to Brown for the win in the Sugar tops that...

Well the question didn’t say anything about how you felt at the time. If it did, then I probably would agree, but there certainly are many arguments to be made to put the Clemson win up there.

 

[pittmeister]

Why do we do this to ourselves? Are we masochists? Sheesh!

In the last 45 years, we've had two meaningful wins:

1. 1977 Sugar Bowl
2. 1982 Sugar Bowl

That's it.... We've had a few great wins, but not game changers...

3. 2007 WVU
4. 2016 Clemson
5. 2016 PSU

Now if you want to make a list of horrible losses, we've got PLENTY of ammo...

 

[upj87]

Well the question didn’t say anything about how you felt at the time. If it did, then I probably would agree, but there certainly are many arguments to be made to put the Clemson win up there.

the question dealt with significance ..that win had no real effect on Pitt and no real effect on Clemson..the WVU win was the most bitter heartbreaking loss in the history of their school....It was their 48-14.

 

[Mikefln]

13-9 is better than the Clemson win in my opinion. No we did not win the BE but 13-9 was the starting point of a few good/great seasons and a up tick in recruiting. It really did spring board the program before Pitt self sanctioned itself. The Clemson win did none of that. Here we are 2 years after and we still have more question marks then answers.

 

[Swervin27]

Why do we do this to ourselves? Are we masochists? Sheesh!

In the last 45 years, we've had two meaningful wins:

1. 1977 Sugar Bowl
2. 1982 Sugar Bowl

That's it.... We've had a few great wins, but not game changers...

3. 2007 WVU
4. 2016 Clemson
5. 2016 PSU

Now if you want to make a list of horrible losses, we've got PLENTY of ammo...

I'd put both the psu and Clemson win over the wvu '07 game. that '07 game meant nothing, got us to 5 wins, that's it. at least Clemson and PSU games got us bowl eligible.

Why pitt fans hold that wvu '07 game in such high regards is beyond me. We stopped "bubble Screen U' to get to 5 wins. that's what that game got us. yeah, we played spoiler, great. such a loser mentality..

 

[pittmeister]

I'd put both the psu and Clemson win over the wvu '07 game. that '07 game meant nothing, got us to 5 wins, that's it. at least Clemson and PSU games got us bowl eligible.

Why pitt fans hold that wvu '07 game in such high regards is beyond me. We stopped "bubble Screen U' to get to 5 wins. that's what that game got us. yeah, we played spoiler, great. such a loser mentality..

I have the WVU game ahead of the other two, because it was so shocking and unexpected. There was absolutely no evidence based on what happened during the season that Pitt had a chance to win the game. EVERYONE believed Pitt would get blown out.

There's a great book my wife purchased for me for Christmas that tell's all about that season and the shocking upset of WVU.

It's entitled "13-9: the Story of a Game, a Season, and a Team That Never Quit." I would highly recommend it.

 

[Pittx9]

What polls are you using? I don't remember which, but there was a poll that had wvu #1 when we played them in 07, if you wanted to put them in that slot. But they were #2 in I think every other poll.

 

[pittdan77]

It's too bad we don't have a legitimate list of top ten wins that most of us have actually witnessed.

 

[HailToPitt725]

What polls are you using? I don't remember which, but there was a poll that had wvu #1 when we played them in 07, if you wanted to put them in that slot. But they were #2 in I think every other poll.

I was using all rankings according to Wikipedia, which I believe uses the AP.

 

[Saboteur]

Why do we do this to ourselves? Are we masochists? Sheesh!

In the last 45 years, we've had two meaningful wins:

1. 1977 Sugar Bowl
2. 1982 Sugar Bowl

That's it.... We've had a few great wins, but not game changers...

3. 2007 WVU
4. 2016 Clemson
5. 2016 PSU

Now if you want to make a list of horrible losses, we've got PLENTY of ammo...

You just did it.

 

[Pitt1975]

1982 Sugar bowl. We had “swagger”. Watch the last series on YouTube. It still gives me goose bumps. Marino had a huge set, on that fourth down play. The uni’s, JB, Nat’l tv....it was a great day for Pitt football.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

13-9 ended our season with 5 wins.
It was so significant we opened the next season with a loss at home to bowling green.

It’s the least significant win that gets blathered on the most