ESPN's Power Index Predictor

[DC_Area_Panther]

It really doesn't like us pre-season. It predicts we should only beat YSU, Rice and Virginia to go 3-9.

It indicates we have no better chance at beating PSU than YSU has of beating us.

Wow! It better turn out to be really wrong!

 

[Revenge Of The Noise]

My own prediction is 5-7 and I suppose it could be worse than that. That would be really ugly however.

 

[TD_istheman]

Look how far we have come!

 

[crosbymalkin8771]

Ha.

The ESPN ACC people aren't too bad... got us 8th in the ACC power rankings (4th in the coastal - I'd say Miami and VT should for sure be ahead for now and GT is debatable but only one spot ahead) which I find fair enough.

 

[HailtoPitt]

If Browne isn't good then 3 wins is possible. Though, I think PN is too good of a coach to let that happen.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

It really doesn't like us pre-season. It predicts we should only beat YSU, Rice and Virginia to go 3-9.

It indicates we have no better chance at beating PSU than YSU has of beating us.

Wow! It better turn out to be really wrong!

I believe anything from 11-1 to 3-9 is possible. YSU, Rice, and UVa are the only pretty safe wins. The other 8, right now, we would either be underdogs or very slight favorites. I say 7-5

 

[perchance]

If Browne isn't good then 3 wins is possible. Though, I think PN is too good of a coach to let that happen.

If Browne is anything less than good (not,:very good or great), then our staff lacks any ability to evaluate talent.
If we end 3-9 in Coach Narduzzi's 3rd season, he is obviously not the answer. Where would we go from there? Perpetual mediocrity or Division II?
To even contemplate the possibility of 3-9 is provocative and self defeating.
Seems some here have given up hope. Oh, I forgot; They're just realists. When and if I lose hope I will walk away, not stick around to pick at the scabs.
7-5 is the floor in 2017. Expecting more.

 

[OriginalEther]

It really doesn't like us pre-season. It predicts we should only beat YSU, Rice and Virginia to go 3-9.

It indicates we have no better chance at beating PSU than YSU has of beating us.

Wow! It better turn out to be really wrong!

Sb Nation has Pitt favored in seven games with their metrics, and projects Pitt to Win seven games.

That said, I find Espn giving Pitt only a 40% chance to Win against Syracuse and Duke very questionable.

Looking at their stats from last year, it looks like Espn projected Pitt to go 4-8 last season, so that shows you what they know.

 

[pittdan77]

I hear the PG and Trib have Pitt at 2-10 and 0-12 but Ron Cook and Tim Benz made the predictions.

 

[Farnox]

WOW. Such negativity. I just don't see the disaster predictions I continue to see on this board.
While there will be growing pains to be sure on this team, this 3-9 stuff is just ridiculous.

 

[upj87]

Look how far we have come!

What, that we whine about some lame pre-season prediction silliness of games yet to be played and use it as a basis of progress? hahaha ... yeah, "we" are going downhill....wonder how the espn model had Pitt doing against Clemson last year.

 

[Panther_in_Kentucky]

WOW. Such negativity. I just don't see the disaster predictions I continue to see on this board.
While there will be growing pains to be sure on this team, this 3-9 stuff is just ridiculous.

This team gave up 330+ yards a game in passing in 2016 and is without its best DB ( By freaking far ) for the first 3 games of the year. Narduzzi's defensive scheme doesn't work in the ACC. In fact, I would say ACC teams look forward to playing Pitt and their press coverage because they KNOW they can beat it all day long. Freaking Syracuse scored 61 points on Pitt last year. Pitt's losses to Oklahoma State and North Carolina were solely on Narduzzi. Also, how well prepared were they to lose to an average B!G Fat 10 team in the bowl? I could see this Pitt team losing 8 to 9 games easily. YSU is going to give them a game.

Sorry to burst the bubble early but the "Hope Springs Eternal" preseason hype is over. Hell, Rice was going to be undefeated, until they played a real game.

 

[upj87]

This team gave up 330+ yards a game in passing in 2016 and is without its best DB ( By freaking far ) for the first 3 games of the year. Narduzzi's defensive scheme doesn't work in the ACC. In fact, I would say ACC teams look forward to playing Pitt and their press coverage because they KNOW they can beat it all day long. Freaking Syracuse scored 61 points on Pitt last year. Pitt's losses to Oklahoma State and North Carolina were solely on Narduzzi. Also, how well prepared were they to lose to an average B!G Fat 10 team in the bowl? I could see this Pitt team losing 8 to 9 games easily. YSU is going to give them a game.

Sorry to burst the bubble early but the "Hope Springs Eternal" preseason hype is over. Hell, Rice was going to be undefeated, until they played a real game.

uh, yeah like he said, negativity.

the word fan comes from 'fanatic'..."a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal"

some folks are fans and some folks are whiners who take stock in the opinions of a company that gave a chick with a dick a courage award. I'm a fan. H2P! Let's see what happens.

 

[PittGuyYessir]

Do you have a link to the Index? 3-9 seems impossible.

 

[PittGuyYessir]

46 Pitt, ACC 0-0 5.6 - 6.4

It has Pitt at 5.6 wins. Not 3-9

 

[Revenge Of The Noise]

Even if 3-9, it doesn't mean Narduzzi is "obviously not the answer". It means the administration is still sh*t, if anything. But that will always be true. May as well leave Duz in place to see if enough years of continuity at coach could eventually get us into VT mode.

 

[pittguy81]

Even if 3-9, it doesn't mean Narduzzi is "obviously not the answer". It means the administration is still sh*t, if anything. But that will always be true. May as well leave Duz in place to see if enough years of continuity at coach could eventually get us into VT mode.

Yes obviously the performance of teenagers and young men on a football field is the true measure of a University Administration's worth and performance.

Thanks for the terrific insight.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Do you have a link to the Index? 3-9 seems impossible.

Yes, just go to ESPN College Football Scoreboard, Select ACC and go through week by week clicking on each Pitt game. It shows Pitt favored to win in only those 3 games.

To be more correct as to their meaning, however, Pitt should win some number of the games it is not the favorite but are seen as competitive, so it is not actually "predicting" 3-9. It just has 3-9 as Pitt's floor, if you will. And, I said above, it is likely a worst case preseason assumption based on no defensive improvement and a big offensive drop off. Although those assumptions are possibly correct, I strongly doubt they will prove valid.

 

[Pitt4Life34]

Look how far we have come!

Thank God for idiot members huh?

 

[GT74]

If rooting for Pitt made me as negative and miserable as some Pitt fans, I would root for another team. Hell, I want to be optimistic and happy. It is easy to be happy rooting for Alabamas of the world. I go into every season with hope and optimism, and that in itself is worth my trips to Heinz.

 

[PittGuyYessir]

http://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite

Pitt is ranked 35th in the talent composite which just averages the recruit ratings of every player on the roster. 1 spot ahead of Wisconsin, who almost won the big10 last year. No reason Pitt cant compete and win the Coastal with the talent on hand over the next few seasons.

 

[VAPITTALUM]

If rooting for Pitt made me as negative and miserable as some Pitt fans, I would root for another team. Hell, I want to be optimistic and happy. It is easy to be happy rooting for Alabamas of the world. I go into every season with hope and optimism, and that in itself is worth my trips to Heinz.

This always struck me as off as well. There's no problem with discussing some of the shortfalls of the program and areas which could be improved; however, simply taking this much time out of one's life to continually bash the program is truly pointless. After all, isn't the game just another form of entertainment?

 

[VAPITTALUM]

http://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite

Pitt is ranked 35th in the talent composite which just averages the recruit ratings of every player on the roster. 1 spot ahead of Wisconsin, who almost won the big10 last year. No reason Pitt cant compete and win the Coastal with the talent on hand over the next few seasons.

Agreed, the only thing they have going against them right now is inexperience at several key positions. This year PITT may take their lumps, or these younger players could step up and elevate the program immediately.

 

[Revenge Of The Noise]

This always struck me as off as well. There's no problem with discussing some of the shortfalls of the program and areas which could be improved; however, simply taking this much time out of one's life to continually bash the program is truly pointless. After all, isn't the game just another form of entertainment?

It's been explained before. Ridiculously and retardedly but absolutely realistically, schools (and an extension their students and grads) get a bump (or take lumps) in perception and various rankings ... and most important, donations ... based on these stupid sports.

So if a school is going to have these sports, doing great in them really helps, and sucking in them definitely hurts.

It's understandable that a school would find the compromises needed to excel to be distasteful. But to resist them is foolish because losing with 'honor' perversely causes more harm (in ways mentioned above) than it would to succeed with 'dishonor '. This is proven all the time, most recently with UNC.

The solution to the distaste is really only to drop them. Going half-ased does nobody any good.