Do you prefer Pitt wins #9 against Minn/Ind OR loses toe-to-toe with LSU/Georgia?

[Pitt79]

Would you rather go 4-8 in the SEC or 9-3 in the MAC?

9-3 in the MAC, if it came down to it, being a constant door mat in the SEC, year after year after year, or being a consistent WINNER in the MAC, for enjoyments sake, I'd rather WIN. I mean, I won't be going into the vault to count the money, so I'd be paid back better by watching wins instead of losses.

 

[Pitt79]

Do you think that beating Indiana in a bowl game is a big selling point? How bout this one. What game would a recruit rather watch on TV, Pitt vs LSU or Pitt vs Indiana?

I'm not into the coming bowl game as a "selling point", I'm not concerned who is watching? To me it's just a football game, a STAND ALONE EVENT, for that day only.... and I want MY TEAM TO WIN.... That simple! That's how people used to view things! Today everyone is watching a game today and concerned about next year, I just don't get it! Enjoy TODAY, you might get hit by a bus in Oakland tomorrow and never see who get's recruited in the spring anyways! LOL

 

[Pitt79]

Except no one will give a damn about that game or win. No one. Getting #9? Great. However, the chance (which is pretty decent in a bowl scenario) of losing to Minnesota or Indiana is enough to greatly outweigh any advantage. No doubt you rather have the 9th win. No doubt at all. Would I rather risk losing to Indiana or Minnesota? Probably not.

No one will remember that you lost to Indiana or Minnesota, and no one will remember you beat LSU, except the die hard fans, and even the recruits, many are hardly fans of the game from a watching perspective, many just play.

 

[Pghfan]

I'm not into the coming bowl game as a "selling point", I'm not concerned who is watching? To me it's just a football game, a STAND ALONE EVENT, for that day only.... and I want MY TEAM TO WIN.... That simple! That's how people used to view things! Today everyone is watching a game today and concerned about next year, I just don't get it! Enjoy TODAY, you might get hit by a bus in Oakland tomorrow and never see who get's recruited in the spring anyways! LOL

Pitt79, I agree with your first part 100%. This is a STAND ALONE EVENT, honestly, i'll take it a step further and disassociate this game with the season. My opinion on the 2015 Panthers is set, regardless of the bowl performance. Obviously we disagree on the latter part though, your priority is a win, mine is to compete (and hopefully win) against an Elite Opponent..

Since I separate this from the regular season, the fear of a loss isn't as great as yours so for entertainment value, pitt playing an LSU caliber program would be much more fun than seeing a mediocre opponent. Nothing to do with moral victories, just me enjoying the game much better, that's all.

We disagree, no biggie. We are both fans and we both cheer on pitt. just have differing opinions on level of competition.

 

[Pghfan]

No one will remember that you lost to Indiana or Minnesota, and no one will remember you beat LSU, except the die hard fans, and even the recruits, many are hardly fans of the game from a watching perspective, many just play.

I agree with you on this, to a point too. The bowl game and what happens in it, really has no effect on the fans, the state of the program, and 2016. These players forget about the game once they are on the plane home. Fans forget too. Did the bowl loss against Houston really linger over in your mind? Yes the epic 4th quarter gaffes lingered but that's because of just how pathetic it was. If we cover an onside kick and win by 3, is your outlook in the following September any different? Of course not, it's water under the bridge.

Fans need to think of this how you and I do Pitt79. 3 hours of our team playing and entertaining us. Not as a springboard for '16, just a game, a made-for-tv event.

 

[Jpripper88]

No one will remember that you lost to Indiana or Minnesota, and no one will remember you beat LSU, except the die hard fans, and even the recruits, many are hardly fans of the game from a watching perspective, many just play.

Oh, absolutely they will. Especially because PSU will use it to their advantage. It will reflect very poorly on Pitt and the momentum of this season.

 

[HOF Coach]

There is something to be said for playing the best team available. This gives the coaching staff and the players a clear measuring stick as to the progress that they are or are not making. Any weaknesses will be further exposed and consequently addressed in recruiting and in player development.

Better competition will also bring out the best of the players who are true gamers, those who can be relied to perform against top competition. Beating up on a lesser opponent, though that might feel good in the moment, is fool's gold. HCPN has clearly stated that the goal of his football program is to win the ACC Championship and then see where it goes from there. It is not a 9 win season. Playing against opponents who are perceived to be "better" than you are is part of the process to build a championship football team.

And just imagine the incremental boost of confidence for the team and/or the increased positive attention by the media and potential recruits nationally that the Panthers will receive should they actually upset that higher ranked opponent.

 

[Pghfan]

Oh, absolutely they will. Especially because PSU will use it to their advantage. It will reflect very poorly on Pitt and the momentum of this season.

No it wont. So some jack-ass asst coach from Sandusky U sends out a silly tweet, so what. If a recruit is basing his college decision on insignificant bowl game results from a team he isn't even on, he's got issues.. My example remains, if we recover an onside kick in the "I already forget the name of the bowl we were in" bowl, does it really make the pitt program any better?

 

[UPitt '89]

There is something to be said for playing the best team available. This gives the coaching staff and the players a clear measuring stick as to the progress that they are or are not making. Any weaknesses will be further exposed and consequently addressed in recruiting and in player development.

Better competition will also bring out the best of the players who are true gamers, those who can be relied to perform against top competition. Beating up on a lesser opponent, though that might feel good in the moment, is fool's gold. HCPN has clearly stated that the goal of his football program is to win the ACC Championship and then see where it goes from there. It is not a 9 win season. Playing against opponents who are perceived to be "better" than you are is part of the process to build a championship football team.

And just imagine the incremental boost of confidence for the team and/or the increased positive attention by the media and potential recruits nationally that the Panthers will receive should they actually upset that higher ranked opponent.

If Pitt were to play, and beat, an LSU or Georgia in a bowl game this year..... it would mean a spike of at least 5000 additional season ticket sales for next year.

If Pitt were to play, and lose to, an Indiana or Minnesota in a bowl game this year.... it would have a big deflationary impact on next year's season ticket sales, and a loss to Indiana could be spun to every recruit that Pitt and PSU are both in on - since PSU defeated them handily.

A Pitt win against Indiana/Minnesota and a Pitt loss against LSU/Georgia will both have negligible impact on tickets sales or recruiting.

So given that, I say go for the gusto. Play against the high-profile ranked team. If you get that signature win, it is worth something tangible over the next several months with respect to recruiting and ticket sales.

 

[UPitt '89]

No it wont. So some jack-ass asst coach from Sandusky U sends out a silly tweet, so what. If a recruit is basing his college decision on insignificant bowl game results from a team he isn't even on, he's got issues.. My example remains, if we recover an onside kick in the "I already forget the name of the bowl we were in" bowl, does it really make the pitt program any better?

By not recovering that onside kick, Pitt is now the answer to a trivia question.

"What team blew the biggest 4th-quarter lead in Bowl game history?"

So yes.... not recovering one of those onside kicks has an impact. Every single bowl game that a team has a big comeback to win, you will hear "That's the biggest 4th quarter comeback in a bowl game since Houston rallied from 22-down against Pitt in 2014".

If Chryst wasn't already leaving, that loss would've resulted in his firing.

 

[pittmeister]

First, for the third time, based on this season, nards has beaten every team he can or should like indiana or whoever and lost to teams with a clear talent edge, like lsu.

My issue isnt playing lsu, my issue is discounting beating indiana or whoever all else based on this fantasy that an atta boy loss to lsu is better than a 9th win and bowl win.

And for the umpteenth time you are assuming Pitt will beat Minnesota or Indiana. You are also assuming that Narduzzi will coach the team up again and beat a team he should beat. You do realize than in the last 5 games we are 2-3??????

For Pitt, playing Indiana is a let down compared to playing LSU. It will be more difficult to get them ready to play. LSU would get them more fired up.

Try and let this sink in: A loss to either Minnesota or Indiana would be far MORE damaging to the program than the possible benefit of winning the magical 9th game against Minnesota...

 

[Jeffburgh]

And for the umpteenth time you are assuming Pitt will beat Minnesota or Indiana. You are also assuming that Narduzzi will coach the team up again and beat a team he should beat. You do realize than in the last 5 games we are 2-3??????

For Pitt, playing Indiana is a let down compared to playing LSU. It will be more difficult to get them ready to play. LSU would get them more fired up.

Try and let this sink in: A loss to either Minnesota or Indiana would be far MORE damaging to the program than the possible benefit of winning the magical 9th game against Minnesota...

2-3, beating the two teams they were equal or better than ...

The Pitt football team has won 9 games 3 times in over 30 years ...

It most assuredly means something as well as wining the bowl, which I note each time and you somehow manage to forget to include in your obsession with wanting them to lose ...

I am done here - you are choosing, or are blindly, being obtuse and I have passed the point of being patient about it and will turn uncivil ...

 

[Pitt79]

If Pitt were to play, and beat, an LSU or Georgia in a bowl game this year..... it would mean a spike of at least 5000 additional season ticket sales for next year.

If Pitt were to play, and lose to, an Indiana or Minnesota in a bowl game this year.... it would have a big deflationary impact on next year's season ticket sales, and a loss to Indiana could be spun to every recruit that Pitt and PSU are both in on - since PSU defeated them handily.

I'd argue that most of the people in the stadium don't know or care, half of them came to get drunk or because the weather is nice in early September, and many wouldn't even know that LSU is traditionally better than Indiana. Or maybe they just want to sing "Sweet Caroline", or know that this cute guy is going to be there... Sometimes I think people posting here have this assumption that many people really think as deeply about college football as they do.

 

[Pghfan]

By not recovering that onside kick, Pitt is now the answer to a trivia question.

"What team blew the biggest 4th-quarter lead in Bowl game history?"

So yes.... not recovering one of those onside kicks has an impact. Every single bowl game that a team has a big comeback to win, you will hear "That's the biggest 4th quarter comeback in a bowl game since Houston rallied from 22-down against Pitt in 2014".

If Chryst wasn't already leaving, that loss would've resulted in his firing.

OK, well my example has some holes in it. The fact that this was an epic loss, one never seen before, kind of ruins my point about the outcome and it's lingering effects.

 

[crharris8892]

I love the analysis on the win or lose merits but the bottom line is, in a couple seasons, no one will remember the reasons. You could provide justifications as to why each an every team got the record they got and it would be exhausting. If I look in a season by season win/loss record you just see numbers, not records with asterisks. Long term, as posters have said, it creates buzz for our first year coach with saying "hey we got to 9 wins!" When was the last time you remember that in recent years?... Mr. X 2017 recruit?. Because you know recruits aren't writing comparative analytical research papers about this 9-3 over that 5-7 team. After we win consistently and can honestly compete without this angst over who we play, then we can say we're back, but in the meantime, get the wins now to build up cache and positive perception to use for later.

 

[Jpripper88]

No it wont. So some jack-ass asst coach from Sandusky U sends out a silly tweet, so what. If a recruit is basing his college decision on insignificant bowl game results from a team he isn't even on, he's got issues.. My example remains, if we recover an onside kick in the "I already forget the name of the bowl we were in" bowl, does it really make the pitt program any better?

They all have issues. They are 17 and, honestly, most are of average (at best) intelligence. It will look bad to lose to a bad B1G team. Especially if it is one PSU beat easily.

 

[Pitt79]

They all have issues. They are 17 and, honestly, most are of average (at best) intelligence. It will look bad to lose to a bad B1G team. Especially if it is one PSU beat easily.

So you want to take on the challenge of a 9-3 SEC team, because you are scared to lose to a 5-7 B1G team, which would cause a bunch of semi-dullard 17 year olds to be down on you? LOL! 1st you say they aren't that intelligent, then you assume they are doing analysis of the quality of teams you lose too? Obviously, if you're scared to lose to Indiana, then you should be expecting to get pounded badly by LSU? So you'll take the safe bet, lose to the team you are expected to lose to because that's the least risk of looking bad?

 

[pittmeister]

2-3, beating the two teams they were equal or better than ...

The Pitt football team has won 9 games 3 times in over 30 years ...

It most assuredly means something as well as wining the bowl, which I note each time and you somehow manage to forget to include in your obsession with wanting them to lose ...

I am done here - you are choosing, or are blindly, being obtuse and I have passed the point of being patient about it and will turn uncivil ...

Good...

Trying to convince the majority of us on three different threads that 9 is bigger than 8 is futile. If you can GUARANTEE that Pitt would actually beat Minnesota or Indiana, then some of us may agree with you. However, you can't. Touting a 9th win as some big achievement looks laughable to fans of other schools.

P..S: Reality check - None of us including you will decide which bowl game we will go to and who we're playing.

 

[Pitt79]

Touting a 9th win as some big achievement looks laughable to fans of other schools.

LOL, laughable? Minnesota or Indiana fans would masturbate over 9 wins. You make your comment while thinking about 'Bama or tOSU, they are not our peers, our peers are Minnesota and Indiana, lol! Pitt fans should be excited about 9 wins too, since traditaionally we have lived way beneath that level for 30 years. What's laughable is how some of you act like we are so high up, Pitt tradition etc. when we've been down for generations, 9 wins is HUGE for this program.

 

[Pghfan]

LOL, laughable? Minnesota or Indiana fans would masturbate over 9 wins. You make your comment while thinking about 'Bama or tOSU, they are not our peers, our peers are Minnesota and Indiana, lol! Pitt fans should be excited about 9 wins too, since traditaionally we have lived way beneath that level for 30 years. What's laughable is how some of you act like we are so high up, Pitt tradition etc. when we've been down for generations, 9 wins is HUGE for this program.

9 wins is nothing to laugh at, I just don't see it as some sort of concrete achievement where you manipulate the level of competition to achieve it. I see 10 as that, maybe just because double digits looks better. In short, I don't see the huge difference between a team accomplishing 8 wins and 9, as much as you are making it out to be. I don't see a coach all of a sudden holding his head up a bit higher, having a bit more swag walking into a recruit's living room because of that 9th win compared to an 8 win season.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

I want the weakest team maybe one where the team just got the flu bug?
After the season for a team who isn't ranked noone asks who you beat they just look at the W/L record.
Wins are good
Losses are bad
Losing close is for losers anyone can do that on any given day
I or we lost but it was close who listens to that nosense
Maybe a recruit if you can sell him on if you join the team you'll make the difference next year and we'll win but that's risky.

 

[pittmeister]

LOL, laughable? Minnesota or Indiana fans would masturbate over 9 wins. You make your comment while thinking about 'Bama or tOSU, they are not our peers, our peers are Minnesota and Indiana, lol! Pitt fans should be excited about 9 wins too, since traditaionally we have lived way beneath that level for 30 years. What's laughable is how some of you act like we are so high up, Pitt tradition etc. when we've been down for generations, 9 wins is HUGE for this program.

I expected nothing less than a stupid response from you nitter and you didn't disappoint...."This program" will do well in the future whether we win 9 games this year or not. Trolling idiot....

 

[Pitt79]

I expected nothing less than a stupid response from you nitter and you didn't disappoint...."This program" will do well in the future whether we win 9 games this year or not. Trolling idiot....

You are the Troll! Every time someone makes an HONEST ASSESSMENT you are ready to pounce, I just picture you putting on your little girlie Pitt Cheerleader outfit before you type.

 

[Pghfan]

I want the weakest team maybe one where the team just got the flu bug?
After the season for a team who isn't ranked noone asks who you beat they just look at the W/L record.
Wins are good
Losses are bad
Losing close is for losers anyone can do that on any given day
I or we lost but it was close who listens to that nosense
Maybe a recruit if you can sell him on if you join the team you'll make the difference next year and we'll win but that's risky.

You want to play the weakest teams available and have that team weakened by the flu bug.. You and 20 people in the stands for those contests would have a blast.. I bet you love Pitt basketball games in November.

 

[pittmeister]

You are the Troll! Every time someone makes an HONEST ASSESSMENT you are ready to pounce, I just picture you putting on your little girlie Pitt Cheerleader outfit before you type.

Am I gonna have to put you in your place again jughead???? You never learn your lesson. Trying explain logic to you is like explaining chemistry to a 5 year old. You're either stupid or a troll. That's my HONEST ASSESSMENT...

 

[Pitt79]

Am I gonna have to put you in your place again jughead???? You never learn your lesson. Trying explain logic to you is like explaining chemistry to a 5 year old. You're either stupid or a troll. That's my HONEST ASSESSMENT...

The admin should ban Pittmeister for NAME CALLING and false accusations. A TRUE Pitt fan who wants to make honest comments and not sugar coat things has to put up with BS from the WEAK MINDED, it's not right.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

You want to play the weakest teams available and have that team weakened by the flu bug.. You and 20 people in the stands for those contests would have a blast.. I bet you love Pitt basketball games in November.

Just want a W for PITT football for this team, for this coach, for recruiting, for the fans at this point in the season this year. Any team in a bowl is better than the easy basketball opponents like Cornell etc.
As for basketball I like the entire season lots of great games and I don't like the Cornell type games early on. Basketball has a longtime coach and more stability we need that in football right now!
Remember people only remember the winner not the guy or team who lost.

 

[usf2pitt]

Play the SEC. Nothing looks better for us than that; LSU PITT in a bowl game and people will say, wow, Pitt has stepped it up--- playing big time football.
Losing to the likes of Indiana will set us back bigtime---and besides, PSU fans would say play the cupcake--I can't go along with their $#itty philosophy

 

[Black Panther]

Anytime, all the time, and forever, just win. This program needs WINS, who cares against who and who cares by how much--just WIN.

Exactly...