Honest Take

[TJOlsen]

The reality of the situation is that Pitt came off of a 3-9 season last year and we are 7-4 today.


None of us are happy with the recent play, but if I told you at the beginning of the season that Pitt would be 7-4 while having the 9th and 12th team in the country on our schedule, I believe most fans would be happy with that result.


Teams don’t go from 3-9 to 11-0 in a span of one season.

Takeaways from the season:

We found our QB. I know some might argue this point, but early on in the season when Eli was provided time in the pocket he was able to beat teams in the air or on the ground. On our 4 game losing streak our QBs have been sacked 16 times with a significant amount of pressures and knockdowns. Just a reminder, Eli is a freshman and has significant room for growth.

During our 7 game winning streak, we were sacked only 16 times total. The sack increase has a direct correlation with losing Branson Taylor and having other OL like Jacoby picking up nagging injuries.

Fortifying the OL is the biggest offseason priority for our team. Bring in multiple OL through the transfer portal that have been successful with experience. This could be players from lower end P4 teams or mid majors. Our LT and LG will have graduated after this season as well.

Our offensive plays take way too long to develop. We don’t have 5 and 6 seconds back in the pocket to allow these long route trees to develop. Could be a mixture of not having a WR group skilled enough to create early separation or Kade’s unwillingness to adjust his play calls to shorter and quicker developing routes. I think it is a mixture of both. We are dropping multiple balls a game and we aren’t chipping the DE every play with a TE or a RB when we are throwing the ball, which is inviting pressure right into the face of our QB.

I think the lack of talent from our receiver core can be successfully addressed. When you have the right QB under center the skill players will come.

We all knew the biggest issue for our defense this year would be the DL, and it has been. It’s been a position of great strength for us in years past. We all knew going into the season that we didn’t do enough to replace the transfers of Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola or the senior departures of Devin Danielson, David Green, Deandre Jules, Tyler Bentley, Nate Temple, Bam Brima….with all of the players who graduated and transferred we didn’t adequately fill the holes…would have been shocked if we could have filled all of those vacancies.


We do have youth on the DL currently, but we still need to address this issue in the transfer portal.

The season has been a success even if we lose the last two games of the year. We found our QB. That alone allows us to compete for a conference championship every year as long as we surround him with the right pieces.

Simply, you are never as good as you think and you are never as bad as you think. There are more positives to take away from this season than negatives.

 

[jivecat]

The reality of the situation is that Pitt came off of a 3-9 season last year and we are 7-4 today.


None of us are happy with the recent play, but if I told you at the beginning of the season that Pitt would be 7-4 while having the 9th and 12th team in the country on our schedule, I believe most fans would be happy with that result.


Teams don’t go from 3-9 to 11-0 in a span of one season.

Takeaways from the season:

We found our QB. I know some might argue this point, but early on in the season when Eli was provided time in the pocket he was able to beat teams in the air or on the ground. On our 4 game losing streak our QBs have been sacked 16 times with a significant amount of pressures and knockdowns. Just a reminder, Eli is a freshman and has significant room for growth.

During our 7 game winning streak, we were sacked only 16 times total. The sack increase has a direct correlation with losing Branson Taylor and having other OL like Jacoby picking up nagging injuries.

Fortifying the OL is the biggest offseason priority for our team. Bring in multiple OL through the transfer portal that have been successful with experience. This could be players from lower end P4 teams or mid majors. Our LT and LG will have graduated after this season as well.

Our offensive plays take way too long to develop. We don’t have 5 and 6 seconds back in the pocket to allow these long route trees to develop. Could be a mixture of not having a WR group skilled enough to create early separation or Kade’s unwillingness to adjust his play calls to shorter and quicker developing routes. I think it is a mixture of both. We are dropping multiple balls a game and we aren’t chipping the DE every play with a TE or a RB when we are throwing the ball, which is inviting pressure right into the face of our QB.

I think the lack of talent from our receiver core can be successfully addressed. When you have the right QB under center the skill players will come.

We all knew the biggest issue for our defense this year would be the DL, and it has been. It’s been a position of great strength for us in years past. We all knew going into the season that we didn’t do enough to replace the transfers of Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola or the senior departures of Devin Danielson, David Green, Deandre Jules, Tyler Bentley, Nate Temple, Bam Brima….with all of the players who graduated and transferred we didn’t adequately fill the holes…would have been shocked if we could have filled all of those vacancies.


We do have youth on the DL currently, but we still need to address this issue in the transfer portal.

The season has been a success even if we lose the last two games of the year. We found our QB. That alone allows us to compete for a conference championship every year as long as we surround him with the right pieces.

Simply, you are never as good as you think and you are never as bad as you think. There are more positives to take away from this season than negatives.

This post is too rational and too long. Please rewrite and resubmit for credit.

 

[PANTHERAN]

The reality of the situation is that Pitt came off of a 3-9 season last year and we are 7-4 today.


None of us are happy with the recent play, but if I told you at the beginning of the season that Pitt would be 7-4 while having the 9th and 12th team in the country on our schedule, I believe most fans would be happy with that result.


Teams don’t go from 3-9 to 11-0 in a span of one season.

Takeaways from the season:

We found our QB. I know some might argue this point, but early on in the season when Eli was provided time in the pocket he was able to beat teams in the air or on the ground. On our 4 game losing streak our QBs have been sacked 16 times with a significant amount of pressures and knockdowns. Just a reminder, Eli is a freshman and has significant room for growth.

During our 7 game winning streak, we were sacked only 16 times total. The sack increase has a direct correlation with losing Branson Taylor and having other OL like Jacoby picking up nagging injuries.

Fortifying the OL is the biggest offseason priority for our team. Bring in multiple OL through the transfer portal that have been successful with experience. This could be players from lower end P4 teams or mid majors. Our LT and LG will have graduated after this season as well.

Our offensive plays take way too long to develop. We don’t have 5 and 6 seconds back in the pocket to allow these long route trees to develop. Could be a mixture of not having a WR group skilled enough to create early separation or Kade’s unwillingness to adjust his play calls to shorter and quicker developing routes. I think it is a mixture of both. We are dropping multiple balls a game and we aren’t chipping the DE every play with a TE or a RB when we are throwing the ball, which is inviting pressure right into the face of our QB.

I think the lack of talent from our receiver core can be successfully addressed. When you have the right QB under center the skill players will come.

We all knew the biggest issue for our defense this year would be the DL, and it has been. It’s been a position of great strength for us in years past. We all knew going into the season that we didn’t do enough to replace the transfers of Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola or the senior departures of Devin Danielson, David Green, Deandre Jules, Tyler Bentley, Nate Temple, Bam Brima….with all of the players who graduated and transferred we didn’t adequately fill the holes…would have been shocked if we could have filled all of those vacancies.


We do have youth on the DL currently, but we still need to address this issue in the transfer portal.

The season has been a success even if we lose the last two games of the year. We found our QB. That alone allows us to compete for a conference championship every year as long as we surround him with the right pieces.

Simply, you are never as good as you think and you are never as bad as you think. There are more positives to take away from this season than negatives.

You are right teams don’t go 3-9 to 11-0 in one season, Indiana just went 10-1 after 3-9 last season. Probably will end up 11-1. Yes they have not play powerhouses until OSU but they beat everyone else on their schedule no matter how weak it is perceived. This is a program with far less tradition and historically has not supported the football program because basketball is king there.

 

[TD_6082]

You are right teams don’t go 3-9 to 11-0 in one season, Indiana just went 10-1 after 3-9 last season. Probably will end up 11-1. Yes they have not play powerhouses until OSU but they beat everyone else on their schedule no matter how weak it is perceived. This is a program with far less tradition and historically has not supported the football program because basketball is king there.

That loss was ugly. tOSU didn't even play well and it was still a beat down.

 

[PANTHERAN]

That loss was ugly. tOSU didn't even play well and it was still a beat down.

Agreed. But was it worse than the beat down Pitt got against SMU and Louisville who are not OSU? I would prefer being 10-1 on the way to 11-1 and have some believe we are frauds than 7-4 on the way to 7-5 and exposed as true frauds.

 

[cashisking884]

What will be available in the transfer portal for OL will be the same or worse than what is currently on the roster.

Holstein has played well during periods of the season. Played poorly during periods of the season. On the whole I don’t think it’s going to have some DJ Lagway type effect, where players in the portal are going to flock to play with him.

 

[TD_6082]

Agreed. But was it worse than the beat down Pitt got against SMU and Louisville who are not OSU? I would prefer being 10-1 on the way to 11-1 and have some believe we are frauds than 7-4 on the way to 7-5 and exposed as true frauds.

Quite honestly, I would prefer being SMU or tOSU and on the way to the Conference Championship game.

 

[Gep Dawg]

I think we could have gone 9-2 or 10-1 if we avoided all the injuries and had better coaching. But we didn't because we have a new OC and players got hurt and we don't have the depth right now to overcome that. So its a fair point and probably more realistic to go 9-4, 8-5, or 7-6. Maybe we should look at this as a nice transition season and perhaps a spring board to bigger and better things in next few years.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

1) This portal era is much different. Teams make massive improvements, or take massive steps back, in record from season to season all the time.

2) You know what else playing worse on offense is related to? Playing better defenses. Cincy was down to playing walk-ons on the d-line early in this season. WVU held DB "tryouts" for the starting spots after our game against them.

3) Five game losing streaks are awful, and no amount of mental gymnastics should convince anyone otherwise. I'd 100% rather start 0-7 and finish 5-7 than start 7-0 and finish 7-5. The former tells me something clicked; the latter tells me you're headed in the wrong direction.

 

[jivecat]

I think we could have gone 9-2 or 10-1 if we avoided all the injuries and had better coaching. But we didn't because we have a new OC and players got hurt and we don't have the depth right now to overcome that. So its a fair point and probably more realistic to go 9-4, 8-5, or 7-6. Maybe we should look at this as a nice transition season and perhaps a spring board to bigger and better things in next few years.

This season reminds me of Wlat's first season when we went 6-5 and were off to the Liberty bowl. After the JM2 years, it was such a big thing for the program. I feel that excitement again with Bell's offense.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

What will be available in the transfer portal for OL will be the same or worse than what is currently on the roster.

Holstein has played well during periods of the season. Played poorly during periods of the season. On the whole I don’t think it’s going to have some DJ Lagway type effect, where players in the portal are going to flock to play with him.

Yeah, this notion that the OL can be "fixed" via the portal is kind of insane. There just aren't enough guys available, and the quality pieces who are available are unaffordable for Pitt. OL is something even blue bloods struggle with addressing via the portal. It's also why Colorado sucked last season: no matter how appealing the Prime effect was and how much they turned the roster over, that was the one area they just couldn't fix.

 

[OhioPanther99]

The reality of the situation is that Pitt came off of a 3-9 season last year and we are 7-4 today.


None of us are happy with the recent play, but if I told you at the beginning of the season that Pitt would be 7-4 while having the 9th and 12th team in the country on our schedule, I believe most fans would be happy with that result.


Teams don’t go from 3-9 to 11-0 in a span of one season.

Takeaways from the season:

We found our QB. I know some might argue this point, but early on in the season when Eli was provided time in the pocket he was able to beat teams in the air or on the ground. On our 4 game losing streak our QBs have been sacked 16 times with a significant amount of pressures and knockdowns. Just a reminder, Eli is a freshman and has significant room for growth.

During our 7 game winning streak, we were sacked only 16 times total. The sack increase has a direct correlation with losing Branson Taylor and having other OL like Jacoby picking up nagging injuries.

Fortifying the OL is the biggest offseason priority for our team. Bring in multiple OL through the transfer portal that have been successful with experience. This could be players from lower end P4 teams or mid majors. Our LT and LG will have graduated after this season as well.

Our offensive plays take way too long to develop. We don’t have 5 and 6 seconds back in the pocket to allow these long route trees to develop. Could be a mixture of not having a WR group skilled enough to create early separation or Kade’s unwillingness to adjust his play calls to shorter and quicker developing routes. I think it is a mixture of both. We are dropping multiple balls a game and we aren’t chipping the DE every play with a TE or a RB when we are throwing the ball, which is inviting pressure right into the face of our QB.

I think the lack of talent from our receiver core can be successfully addressed. When you have the right QB under center the skill players will come.

We all knew the biggest issue for our defense this year would be the DL, and it has been. It’s been a position of great strength for us in years past. We all knew going into the season that we didn’t do enough to replace the transfers of Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola or the senior departures of Devin Danielson, David Green, Deandre Jules, Tyler Bentley, Nate Temple, Bam Brima….with all of the players who graduated and transferred we didn’t adequately fill the holes…would have been shocked if we could have filled all of those vacancies.


We do have youth on the DL currently, but we still need to address this issue in the transfer portal.

The season has been a success even if we lose the last two games of the year. We found our QB. That alone allows us to compete for a conference championship every year as long as we surround him with the right pieces.

Simply, you are never as good as you think and you are never as bad as you think. There are more positives to take away from this season than negatives.

You sure are putting a lot of faith in the transfer portal.

 

[jivecat]

You sure are putting a lot of faith in the transfer portal.

I don't expect 5 stars from the portal but I do believe it will allow us to gain some depth and bring on players who can produce in Bell's system. We are not looking for your typical BIG 10 lineman for this offense.

 

[TD_6082]

Yeah, this notion that the OL can be "fixed" via the portal is kind of insane. There just aren't enough guys available, and the quality pieces who are available are unaffordable for Pitt. OL is something even blue bloods struggle with addressing via the portal.

This is true.

Generally speaking, most OL recruits don't really want to play in a tempo offense. I know Tennessee has whiffed like crazy on OL and that's the feedback their staff is getting. They are making a conscious effort to way overpay at that position. They are paying the LT former 5-star LSU Tiger roughly $900,000. And the dude can't pass blocking to save his life.

Tennessee is no blue blood, but they are a big spender.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I don't expect 5 stars from the portal but I do believe it will allow us to gain some depth and bring on players who can produce in Bell's system. We are not looking for your typical BIG 10 lineman for this offense.

How do you know that? The linemen we've recruited so far in this class:

6'3" 325 pounds

6'4" 265 pounds

6'6" 305 pounds

6'5" 275 pounds

That's a pretty massive haul, size-wise, for high school recruits. And don't quote me on this, but I believe college football banned certain types of cut blocking like 5-10 years ago. So it's not like we're out there seeking 275-lb speedsters on the offensive line.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Yeah, this notion that the OL can be "fixed" via the portal is kind of insane. There just aren't enough guys available, and the quality pieces who are available are unaffordable for Pitt. OL is something even blue bloods struggle with addressing via the portal. It's also why Colorado sucked last season: no matter how appealing the Prime effect was and how much they turned the roster over, that was the one area they just couldn't fix.

Schools like Pitt have to recruit off of the rosters of the OSU's and PSU's of the world. That 4 star kid who will be a junior next year, you call up and say, "Kid, do you want to play college football or not? Its now or never."

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Schools like Pitt have to recruit off of the rosters of the OSU's and PSU's of the world. That 4 star kid who will be a junior next year, you call up and say, "Kid, do you want to play college football or not? Its now or never."

Nolan Ulizio
Ryan Jacoby
John Petrishen
Brandon Hodges
Will Gragg (Arkansas is kind of mid, but he was a high recruit)
Lucas Krull
Dejon Reynolds
Donovan McMillon
Derrick Davis
Max Browne
Eli Holstein
Dwayne Hendrix
Nate Peterman
Shayne Simon
C'Bo Flemister
Phil Jurkovec

Probably missing a few, but that's about what that strategy would yield.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

Schools like Pitt have to recruit off of the rosters of the OSU's and PSU's of the world. That 4 star kid who will be a junior next year, you call up and say, "Kid, do you want to play college football or not? Its now or never."

You recruit those kids and good productive players from a lower level that might not fit the prototype for the elite schools. You still need NIL $ at the end of the day to get what you want.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

This is true.

Generally speaking, most OL recruits don't really want to play in a tempo offense. I know Tennessee has whiffed like crazy on OL and that's the feedback their staff is getting. They are making a conscious effort to way overpay at that position. They are paying the LT former 5-star LSU Tiger roughly $900,000. And the dude can't pass blocking to save his life.

Tennessee is no blue blood, but they are a big spender.

I could see a lack of appeal when it comes to all the running they do in the offseason. I would think that would coincide with having to maintain a certain weight - one that might not have much NFL appeal - but it seems like we're still recruiting some pretty big bodies up front, so I'm not sure what the strategy is.

 

[jivecat]

How do you know that? The linemen we've recruited so far in this class:

6'3" 325 pounds

6'4" 265 pounds

6'6" 305 pounds

6'5" 275 pounds

That's a pretty massive haul, size-wise, for high school recruits. And don't quote me on this, but I believe college football banned certain types of cut blocking like 5-10 years ago. So it's not like we're out there seeking 275-lb speedsters on the offensive line.

Actually that is small for the average NCAA lineman. It sounds like we are going for smaller lineman compared to many other schools. Average NCAA lineman is 309 LBS or almost 22 stone.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Actually that is small for the average NCAA lineman. It sounds like we are going for smaller lineman compared to many other schools. Average NCAA lineman is 309 LBS or almost 22 stone.

Say what? These are the weights of these guys in high school. This isn't their playing weights after 1-3 years in a college strength and conditioning program. Pitt has brought in plenty of high school offensive linemen who were in the 250s.

 

[cashisking884]

Schools like Pitt have to recruit off of the rosters of the OSU's and PSU's of the world. That 4 star kid who will be a junior next year, you call up and say, "Kid, do you want to play college football or not? Its now or never."

And that guy will suck. Maybe he’s better than what is currently on the roster, but that’s like saying a one armed man would
be better than having a no armed man at QB.

While that’s true, you aren’t going to be scoring much with any of them.

When CBS released their pre-season Top 100 players in CFB for 2024, there was one transfer OL. The center from Bama that left after the coaching change and after he got blamed instead of Milroe for the snapping problems. So he wasn’t somebody buried on the depth chart.

The problem with OL in the portal is that OL tend to stick around. They aren’t as concerned that they aren’t starting within the first two years or three years. They are more than happy to take over the job as a redshirt junior.

Which means the only ones entering the portal are ones that are constantly getting passed over on the depth chart, and aren’t going to start over younger guys even when they have the advantage of 2 to 3 years of coaching and weight room. Which are very important at OL compared to other positions.

So you don’t get these young guys that have proved themselves yet to be busts. You guy 100% busts that have no business seeing the football field at a P4 school, dominating the OL portal list.

 

[cashisking884]

Actually that is small for the average NCAA lineman. It sounds like we are going for smaller lineman compared to many other schools. Average NCAA lineman is 309 LBS or almost 22 stone.

Bruh…

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Average NCAA lineman is 309 LBS or almost 22 stone.

22 stones? Big stones or little stones?

 

[TJOlsen]

You are right teams don’t go 3-9 to 11-0 in one season, Indiana just went 10-1 after 3-9 last season. Probably will end up 11-1. Yes they have not play powerhouses until OSU but they beat everyone else on their schedule no matter how weak it is perceived. This is a program with far less tradition and historically has not supported the football program because basketball is king there.

Let me rephrase, it’s very unlikely that a team in one season transitions from 3-9 to 11-0 or 10-1 and to have that sort of expectation is unrealistic. It absolutely helped Indiana that they only played 3 teams the entire season that are bowl eligible (assuming Michigan losses to Ohio State). That’s about as easy as a schedule can get.

To contrast, Pitt has played 8 teams that are currently bowl eligible. A Cincinnati and Virginia win this weekend can make it potentially 10.

If we had Indiana’s schedule I believe our record would be identical.

Indiana isn’t in the CFP picture with Pitt’s schedule.

 

[TJOlsen]

What will be available in the transfer portal for OL will be the same or worse than what is currently on the roster.

Holstein has played well during periods of the season. Played poorly during periods of the season. On the whole I don’t think it’s going to have some DJ Lagway type effect, where players in the portal are going to flock to play with him.

We have no way of knowing that yet, but in recent history we have picked up OL like Lyndon Cooper, Marcus Minor, Ryan Jacoby, and there are a few I am sure I am missing. Bottom line we can identify at least a starter or two through the transfer portal.

You aren’t going to have ex 5-star WRs knocking on the door, but skilled players will be more prone to look at Pitt seriously as a team that can pass the ball and help them showcase their talent. After two seasons of lackluster QB play and the inability to move the ball through the air we have answered the opportunities question, but still probably more NIL money

 

[cashisking884]

We have no way of knowing that yet, but in recent history we have picked up OL like Lyndon Cooper, Marcus Minor, Ryan Jacoby, and there are a few I am sure I am missing. Bottom line we can identify at least a starter or two through the transfer portal.

What an odd example of players to list to try to prove the point that you can find good OL in the portal.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

What an odd example of players to list to try to prove the point that you can find good OL in the portal.

Yeah, two of them aren't good at all. I mean, they comprise/have comprised 40% of an offensive line that is kind of awful at the moment.

Minor was obviously a good find, but that pre-dated the current iteration of the portal. We'll see if we can pull that off again.

 

[TJOlsen]

1) This portal era is much different. Teams make massive improvements, or take massive steps back, in record from season to season all the time.

2) You know what else playing worse on offense is related to? Playing better defenses. Cincy was down to playing walk-ons on the d-line early in this season. WVU held DB "tryouts" for the starting spots after our game against them.

3) Five game losing streaks are awful, and no amount of mental gymnastics should convince anyone otherwise. I'd 100% rather start 0-7 and finish 5-7 than start 7-0 and finish 7-5. The former tells me something clicked; the latter tells me you're headed in the wrong direction.

1. Agreed, but you don’t go from a 3 win team to undefeated or 10-1 in most scenarios. Also factor in losing your starting quarterback for multiple games.

2. Your level of opponent absolutely has an impact on your production of an offense. That being said WVU is bowl eligible and Cincinnati with a win this weekend is bowl eligible also.

3. I disagree here in a big way. It is easier to sell your team to a potential recruit with a narrative of “our team was nationally ranked and competing at a top level until Eli was injured in 4 straight games and a bowl performance”.

 

[thebadby2]

The reality of the situation is that Pitt came off of a 3-9 season last year and we are 7-4 today.


None of us are happy with the recent play, but if I told you at the beginning of the season that Pitt would be 7-4 while having the 9th and 12th team in the country on our schedule, I believe most fans would be happy with that result.


Teams don’t go from 3-9 to 11-0 in a span of one season.

Takeaways from the season:

We found our QB. I know some might argue this point, but early on in the season when Eli was provided time in the pocket he was able to beat teams in the air or on the ground. On our 4 game losing streak our QBs have been sacked 16 times with a significant amount of pressures and knockdowns. Just a reminder, Eli is a freshman and has significant room for growth.

During our 7 game winning streak, we were sacked only 16 times total. The sack increase has a direct correlation with losing Branson Taylor and having other OL like Jacoby picking up nagging injuries.

Fortifying the OL is the biggest offseason priority for our team. Bring in multiple OL through the transfer portal that have been successful with experience. This could be players from lower end P4 teams or mid majors. Our LT and LG will have graduated after this season as well.

Our offensive plays take way too long to develop. We don’t have 5 and 6 seconds back in the pocket to allow these long route trees to develop. Could be a mixture of not having a WR group skilled enough to create early separation or Kade’s unwillingness to adjust his play calls to shorter and quicker developing routes. I think it is a mixture of both. We are dropping multiple balls a game and we aren’t chipping the DE every play with a TE or a RB when we are throwing the ball, which is inviting pressure right into the face of our QB.

I think the lack of talent from our receiver core can be successfully addressed. When you have the right QB under center the skill players will come.

We all knew the biggest issue for our defense this year would be the DL, and it has been. It’s been a position of great strength for us in years past. We all knew going into the season that we didn’t do enough to replace the transfers of Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlola or the senior departures of Devin Danielson, David Green, Deandre Jules, Tyler Bentley, Nate Temple, Bam Brima….with all of the players who graduated and transferred we didn’t adequately fill the holes…would have been shocked if we could have filled all of those vacancies.


We do have youth on the DL currently, but we still need to address this issue in the transfer portal.

The season has been a success even if we lose the last two games of the year. We found our QB. That alone allows us to compete for a conference championship every year as long as we surround him with the right pieces.

Simply, you are never as good as you think and you are never as bad as you think. There are more positives to take away from this season than negatives.

Good post. Stop making sense.

 

[thebadby2]

Schools like Pitt have to recruit off of the rosters of the OSU's and PSU's of the world. That 4 star kid who will be a junior next year, you call up and say, "Kid, do you want to play college football or not? Its now or never."

They’d be smarter to recruit off the starting lineups of MAC schools and G5s, guys that have produced and have a resume, like IU did. Especially for OLs. The best players at those schools are good enough to start for anyone and with NIL and the portal are transferring up like crazy.

 

[cashisking884]

Yeah, two of them aren't good at all. I mean, they comprise/have comprised 40% of an offensive line that is kind of awful at the moment.

Minor was obviously a good find, but that pre-dated the current iteration of the portal. We'll see if we can pull that off again.

Yep. The only good player might as well have been playing on black and white tv relative to the current landscape.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

1. Agreed, but you don’t go from a 3 win team to undefeated or 10-1 in most scenarios. Also factor in losing your starting quarterback for multiple games.

2. Your level of opponent absolutely has an impact on your production of an offense. That being said WVU is bowl eligible and Cincinnati with a win this weekend is bowl eligible also.

3. I disagree here in a big way. It is easier to sell your team to a potential recruit with a narrative of “our team was nationally ranked and competing at a top level until Eli was injured in 4 straight games and a bowl performance”.

Bowl eligible doesn't really move the needle much. Cincinnati can get there by beating Towson and Miami of Ohio and then going 4-6 against the P4. Just isn't really a universe that exists where I feel like that should somehow be rewarded.

And it's going to be very difficult to end the season on a 5-game losing streak and not see turmoil amount in the locker room. You're almost certainly going to lose some guys you don't want to lose if this happens.

 

[TJOlsen]

What an odd example of players to list to try to prove the point that you can find good OL in the portal.

Feel free to articulate why you don’t like the list of those three lineman and will be more than happy to expand and we can breakdown some film together.

 

[cashisking884]

1. Agreed, but you don’t go from a 3 win team to undefeated or 10-1 in most scenarios. Also factor in losing your starting quarterback for multiple games.

2. Your level of opponent absolutely has an impact on your production of an offense. That being said WVU is bowl eligible and Cincinnati with a win this weekend is bowl eligible also.

3. I disagree here in a big way. It is easier to sell your team to a potential recruit with a narrative of “our team was nationally ranked and competing at a top level until Eli was injured in 4 straight games and a bowl performance”.

F+ currently has WVU as the 86th ranked drfnese

The point is that the defenses at the beginning of the season were all 60th or worse. Which correlate with the offensive success.

 

[cashisking884]

Feel free to articulate why you don’t like the list of those three lineman and will be more than happy to expand and we can breakdown some film together.

Sure. Meet me in Dallas for the film study session.

 

[TJOlsen]

Yeah, two of them aren't good at all. I mean, they comprise/have comprised 40% of an offensive line that is kind of awful at the moment.

Minor was obviously a good find, but that pre-dated the current iteration of the portal. We'll see if we can pull that off again.

The issue isn’t the interior OL at this moment it’s at the tackle spot.

Feel free to articulate what you don’t like in Jacoby or Cooper’s game.

 

[TJOlsen]

Bowl eligible doesn't really move the needle much. Cincinnati can get there by beating Towson and Miami of Ohio and then going 4-6 against the P4. Just isn't really a universe that exists where I feel like that should somehow be rewarded.

And it's going to be very difficult to end the season on a 5-game losing streak and not see turmoil amount in the locker room. You're almost certainly going to lose some guys you don't want to lose if this happens.

Name me any power 4 team that plays an OOC of all other P4 teams. The reality is teams play “tune up” games for OOC opponents.

So we are writing this upcoming week off as a loss already. I am going to wait for the game to play out before penciling in a loss.

You have no idea about how this locker room functions and neither do I.

 

[pittdan77]

Bowl eligible doesn't really move the needle much.

If I had six wins, I'd rather opt out and get to recruiting the portal over playing in some bottom tier bowl game. Pitt took crap for doing that in basketball (opting out of the consolation tournament) but I'd say that looks like the right move in retrospect.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Name me any power 4 team that plays an OOC of all other P4 teams. The reality is teams play “tune up” games for OOC opponents.

So we are writing this upcoming week off as a loss already. I am going to wait for the game to play out before penciling in a loss.

You have no idea about how this locker room functions and neither do I.

I know they do. And that still doesn't mean that going 6-6 (4-6 against the P4) impresses me. I didn't comment on whether or not teams do it; I said it's not impressive.

And the hypothetical you responded to was that I would rather go from 0-5 to 5-7 than 7-0 to 7-5. So, that's what we were talking about. I feel like you're toggling between this hypothetical and reality right now.

I don't, but I have followed sports long enough to recognize historical trends. And Pierre, who is often plugged in, mentioned there being an issue with certain guys having attended the LSU game a month or so ago. Multiple people have also pointed out sideline bickering and finger pointing last week. Could be something; could be nothing.