Pitt AD: No more home/homes with non P5 schools?

[runthewildcat]

You clearly knew what I meant buddy. It's evident ND, who we schedule pretty much every year is a great OOC opponent. I was talking about the annual ribfest games or ones vs teams like IUP.
Btw, I'm still waiting on my answer.

 

[runthewildcat]

LOL you sound like a 12 yr old girl " he agrees with me more than you!" CLOWN!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The schedule should be:

1. 1-AA (they come cheap, around 300K)
2. G5 @ Heinz ($800K-1 million)
3. Home with P5 or ND
4. Road at P5 or ND

If we're going to pony up and pay the G5's to come on here without returning the trip, I think the 1-AA games are even more necessary since they come cheap and will get cheaper with the Big Ten deciding not to play them anymore. Now there will be a larger supply of available 1-AA teams competing with each other to get 1A paydays and as we know, when supply goes up, price goes down.

 

[OriginalEther]

I know exactly what you said. You said the OOC schedule - Notre Dame, Iowa, Akron, YSU - wasn't very good. You don't get to cherrypick your own answer because you've been proven wrong.

I did answer your questions. I'm fine with Villanova as the opener. It's certainly a smarter choice than Boise State, a non BCS school (wait, I thought you were against playing those) that is the ultimate lose-lose. And I'm fine with Penn State on the schedule also, i.e. I'm not in favor of replacing them with a cupcake to get the extra home game.

As far as your attempt to throw an insult goes, all quoting the AD means is that you're likely going to see OOC schedules like this one in the future (save for the away game at a place like Akron) rather than a schedule that you deem acceptable.

 

[Pghfan]

Yeah, you did. You said "[Pitt] needed to beef up it's OOC schedule because it's not very good"
Your own words.
That includes Notre Dame and Iowa. You know, half of Pitt's OOC games.

You seem to think that I want an OOC like want Penn State or NC State had this year.
I've made it clear that I do not.
That's as bad as what you want scheduled.

Pitt's OOC for next year is Penn State, Oklahoma State, Marshall, and Villanova. That's more than fine. And reading Barne's quote, he certainly agrees with me a lot more than you.

Barnes seems to be sticking with this scheduling formula.. ADs, coaches, NCAA and schools love these FCS games, only people that don't are the fans, sadly, we are on the bottom of the priority list..

 

[levance2]

I know exactly what you said. You said the OOC schedule - Notre Dame, Iowa, Akron, YSU - wasn't very good. You don't get to cherrypick your own answer because you've been proven wrong.

The ironic part is that "bad" schedule finally got us ranked. That schedule worked out about as perfectly as anyone at Pitt could've expected. If Pitt had played a P5 or even G5 team for their opener, they would've lost. Ask PSU how that affects expectations, both internal and external.

 

[runthewildcat]

The ironic part is that "bad" schedule finally got us ranked. That schedule worked out about as perfectly as anyone at Pitt could've expected. If Pitt had played a P5 or even G5 team for their opener, they would've lost. Ask PSU how that affects expectations, both internal and external.

I disagree. Pitt is a prime example of a team that plays to the quality of their competition.
Penn state schedules cupcakes, and like Pitt, they lose to those teams quite often.
Originalether is going to try and twist my words around, so I'm going to clarify that ND isn't a cupcake , since he's not intelligent enough to decipher what teams I was talking about.

 

[levance2]

All you are complaining about is 1-2 games per year, that really have no impact whatsoever on the quality of the schedule.

Pitt was playing under a rookie head coach, had an injury to possibly their best player, and barely beat a FCS team. There is no way that is a win against a P5 program. 0% chance. There is no way that is a win against Temple either. Pitt didn't even look that good in the first half against Akron either. They are really clicking now, but that was not the case all that long ago. That's what a reasonable schedule does for you.

Most college coaches don't agree with you. Most college athletic directors don't agree with you. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and nobody is. That was Ether's entire point.

 

[Jpripper88]

I'm saying clean up these cupcake games...not too hard to comprehend that.
Not sure why you have this infatuation w/ playing high schools teams the first 2 weeks when 15k shows up.
if you're good enough you don't have to worry about losing to those teams.
And you can do a home and home w a lot of those teams.
Win against quality opponents is how to build a program, not schedule teams that you know you can beat. #pennstatelogic

No, the way to build a program is by winning football games. I'm not sure why it is so hard for you to comprehend that you are proposing doing something that is so far from logical that literally no school in the country does it. Not a single one.

Pitt is better off buying a home win or 2 in front of 20K people than losing on the road to a BCS school in front of all of their fans. Not too hard to comprehend that.

We both know I wasn't talking about ND or IOWA, I was talking about the ribfest game and the other 1-2 poor teams we play yearly... primary the ones during the beginning of the regular season.
Who would you like to play for the Ribfest game, YSU or maybe a team like Boise?
Also, next year, are you one of those people that thinks playing penn state is a bad thing bc we lose a home game the following year?

You were discussing the OOC schedule as a whole. And you were wrong.

 

[Jpripper88]

I disagree. Pitt is a prime example of a team that plays to the quality of their competition.
Penn state schedules cupcakes, and like Pitt, they lose to those teams quite often.
Originalether is going to try and twist my words around, so I'm going to clarify that ND isn't a cupcake , since he's not intelligent enough to decipher what teams I was talking about.

He's not intelligent enough to directly quote the below (bolded and underlined) comment?

I don't know the answer to your question(I assume you do) nor do I care about what other teams do. I simply made the statement that I think there would be far more benefits to beef up our OOC schedule since it's not very good. If you think it's good for Pitt to schedule poor teams year after year just to get automatic wins then so be it. The end.

I think the worst part of what you are suggesting is that you want all P5 schools, except maybe some H&Hs with teams like Boise, Cincy, and Navy. Those are actually exactly the teams we shouldn't play OOC. Why? Because even hosting them it is hard to win a lot of years and going on the road is real tough AND we get absolutely no credit for beating programs like that because no one in major football respects them. So it is the ultimate lose-lose situation. Do you get credit for beating YSU? Definitely not, but there is almost no chance you should lose to them if you have a decent program.

 

[Jpripper88]

All you are complaining about is 1-2 games per year, that really have no impact whatsoever on the quality of the schedule.

Pitt was playing under a rookie head coach, had an injury to possibly their best player, and barely beat a FCS team. There is no way that is a win against a P5 program. 0% chance. There is no way that is a win against Temple either. Pitt didn't even look that good in the first half against Akron either. They are really clicking now, but that was not the case all that long ago. That's what a reasonable schedule does for you.

Most college coaches don't agree with you. Most college athletic directors don't agree with you. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and nobody is. That was Ether's entire point.

Exactly. Pitt probably would have started 0-2 and we would have probably crumbled and be facing a disastrous season right now.

 

[runthewildcat]

It's hard to relate to people where the closest they came to playing the game was reading about it.
Enjoy rib fest next year. We'd get more people at the Pete for a bball game vs nova than a football game at Heinz. And this will definitely make us a MUCH better team since its a guaranteed win.

 

[runthewildcat]

Exactly. Pitt probably would have started 0-2 and we would have probably crumbled and be facing a disastrous season right now.

Jpripper philosophy:
If you can't win, schedule teams you can beat, which in turn will make you a better team.

 

[Pghfan]

Yeah JRip, I don't see your reasoning here.. You either think very lowly of this program, assuming that pitt would automatically lose any P5 game in September.. What happens if they beat a good team? It is possible, I mean I know you think pitt isn't capable but I disagree.. If we are as bad as you think we are, and need favorable scheduling to get to 7 wins, well we have much bigger issues.. Going to have to agree to disagree on this one but let me leave it at this, these fcs games, these matchups against poor non P5 teams, in front of 20k at rib fests, they do NOTHING for this program.. You like it obviously, i'll assume you are a die hard fan but perception wise, it's an embarrassment and it gives off a very low rate, non D 1 football feel to it.. I've been to these games and I have been to big matchups as well and it's unbelievable that any Pitt fan would choose to increase these mickey mouse glorified scrimmages..

 

[PittPanthers90]

Yeah JRip, I don't see your reasoning here.. You either think very lowly of this program, assuming that pitt would automatically lose any P5 game in September.. What happens if they beat a good team? It is possible, I mean I know you think pitt isn't capable but I disagree.. If we are as bad as you think we are, and need favorable scheduling to get to 7 wins, well we have much bigger issues.. Going to have to agree to disagree on this one but let me leave it at this, these fcs games, these matchups against poor non P5 teams, in front of 20k at rib fests, they do NOTHING for this program.. You like it obviously, i'll assume you are a die hard fan but perception wise, it's an embarrassment and it gives off a very low rate, non D 1 football feel to it.. I've been to these games and I have been to big matchups as well and it's unbelievable that any Pitt fan would choose to increase these mickey mouse glorified scrimmages..

I'm gonna split the difference here.

I agree on no more FCS games!

But all teams without a NFL type pre-season, need to open up against a creampuff. why take a stumble in week 1? As such it should be a crappy Group of 5 team. Either 1 and done or 2-1. That should be a game to get out all the kinks and get your team rolling for the season.

with 4 OOC games, 2 Power 5 teams is sufficient, but with the ND arrangement in those years I would go 3 P5, 1 group of 5. other years 1 creampuff group of 5 to start the season, one other group of 5 game, and the last 2 regular home/home with power 5 teams. (I would like that to have at least WVU or State penn as one of those games)

Also as noted the group of 5 would be 1 and done or 2 for 1.

 

[WoadBlue]

I don't think a blanket rule like that works well. For example, Pitt needs to recruit OH well, and playing in OH occasionally can help with that. Ohio St is unlikely to play Pitt Home-Away, which means Pitt is going to be well served playing Cincy and maybe Ohio U or Miami of OH or Toledo or Bowling Green Home-Away.

I don't think UNC should play ECU at all, and never in Greenville. The reason is not because ECU is not in a P5 league. It is because UNC football already has 3 ACC rivals in NC. We need to play more games against teams from other states. Home-Away series with teams like UCF and USF, Navy, Army, Temple, Tulane, Houston, SMU, etc. could help us recruit other areas a bit better and allow some alums who live near those schools see the team.

 

[levance2]

It's hard to relate to people where the closest they came to playing the game was reading about it.
Enjoy rib fest next year. We'd get more people at the Pete for a bball game vs nova than a football game at Heinz. And this will definitely make us a MUCH better team since its a guaranteed win.

You seem more interested in talking about rib fest than giving Pitt the best shot at the best record and best results possible. For this team playing this year, this schedule worked out beautifully. Their chemistry has improved, their coach has earned respect, and everything is clicking at the right time. Pitt is 5-1 with a favorable remaining schedule. Pitt is ranked for the first time in several years, and has the potential to land in a good bowl for once. If that is what happens when 20k show up for "rib fest" then I'm all for it.

As long as the NCAA counts an FCS and G5 win the same as any other, there is zero reason for Pitt to voluntarily stack the deck against themselves. If the NCAA, or even ACC, make a decision that nobody can do it, then I'd fully support that.

 

[OriginalEther]

Pghfan, an old question and a new question, since runthewildcat can't be bothered to answer any:

1. Who would you have placed on this year's OOC schedule, with the caveat being you can't say WVU or Penn State (too obvious)? Specific teams!
2. If Pitt were to finish the regular season 9-3 and ranked around #20, would you still call the season a disappointment because the win total and ranking was "artificially inflated" due to YSU and Akron, even though virtually every other BCS team has at least two wins over those types of schools also?

 

[razzaba]

I don't think a blanket rule like that works well. For example, Pitt needs to recruit OH well, and playing in OH occasionally can help with that. Ohio St is unlikely to play Pitt Home-Away, which means Pitt is going to be well served playing Cincy and maybe Ohio U or Miami of OH or Toledo or Bowling Green Home-Away.

I don't think UNC should play ECU at all, and never in Greenville. The reason is not because ECU is not in a P5 league. It is because UNC football already has 3 ACC rivals in NC. We need to play more games against teams from other states. Home-Away series with teams like UCF and USF, Navy, Army, Temple, Tulane, Houston, SMU, etc. could help us recruit other areas a bit better and allow some alums who live near those schools see the team.

Completely agree. ECU is a lose/lose situation. No sense in giving them "marquee" games on their schedule. If they lose, they're supposed to. If they win, they use it in recruiting and to bolster support.

Though I don't think there is anyone similar to ECU for Pitt in terms of a quality G5 team that also recruits the same geographic footprint and also looks at Pitt as a "rival" - the UNC and NCSU games are ECU's super bowl type games (and Va Tech even)

 

[Pghfan]

Pghfan, an old question and a new question, since runthewildcat can't be bothered to answer any:

1. Who would you have placed on this year's OOC schedule, with the caveat being you can't say WVU or Penn State (too obvious)? Specific teams!
2. If Pitt were to finish the regular season 9-3 and ranked around #20, would you still call the season a disappointment because the win total and ranking was "artificially inflated" due to YSU and Akron, even though virtually every other BCS team has at least two wins over those types of schools also?

Ether, my scheduling format I said before, I like Iowa and ND of course, I can live with Akron but I detest fcs so change out YSU with a good mid major, ( I use mid major term, like it better than G5), so a cincy-like program, ECU, Col State. I don't have a hard on for the service academies like the rest of you, maybe posters think they are being patriotic or something by complimenting army but I say no thanks.. Maybe make a cool road trip so instead of cincy, maybe a game against the Aztecs or fresno.. To answer your second question, no, 9-3 I am happy as hell. We win 9 games, that means we win 6 or even 7 conference games (depending on the ND Game) and a 6 - 2 or 7 - 1 ACC record is wicked pissa..

 

[OriginalEther]

Fair enough.

 

[Pghfan]

Fair enough.

ether, I just get annoyed by the JRips who say, lets schedule as many cupcakes as possible to increase our wins by any means necessary.. That is what I mean by "manufacturing" winning seasons.. We have a very fair weather fan base, you need an exciting opponent to get the casuals into the stands. they will come, we know that, they just wont come for ysu or villanova, no matter how much we win.. I don't want to play Bama, OSU, ND, and MSU any more than I want to play grambling, ysu, Fairmont state and villanova..

 

[CrazyPaco]

Games with Navy aren't going to happen anymore. They have an 8 game AAC schedule, plus ND, Air Force, and Army. = 11 of 12 slots full.

 

[NTOP]

Games with Navy aren't going to happen anymore. They have an 8 game AAC schedule, plus ND, Air Force, and Army. = 11 of 12 slots full.

Bummer.....great road trip, classy opponent.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Bummer.....great road trip, classy opponent.

Agree, one of the best non-conference opponents. Conference realignment strikes again.

 

[OriginalEther]

ether, I just get annoyed by the JRips who say, lets schedule as many cupcakes as possible to increase our wins by any means necessary.. That is what I mean by "manufacturing" winning seasons.. We have a very fair weather fan base, you need an exciting opponent to get the casuals into the stands. they will come, we know that, they just wont come for ysu or villanova, no matter how much we win.. I don't want to play Bama, OSU, ND, and MSU any more than I want to play grambling, ysu, Fairmont state and villanova..

I don't think he's saying that [to play only FCS or very low level mid-majors]. I think he was going after someone's claim that the only way Pitt should schedule would be to just play BCS teams.

That said, it probably was good for Pitt to have YSU and Akron on the schedule to start off the Narduzzi era.

 

[Pghfan]

I don't think he's saying that [to play only FCS or very low level mid-majors]. I think he was going after someone's claim that the only way Pitt should schedule would be to just play BCS teams.

I think we are only a few short years away from P5 teams only playing P5 teams..

 

[PittPanthers90]

I think we are only a few short years away from P5 teams only playing P5 teams..

Never gonna happen. Some schools need extra home games for revenue. It's just that 1 and done for a group of 5 school gonna get more expensive

 

[runthewildcat]

I think we are only a few short years away from P5 teams only playing P5 teams..

I hope so although many are totally against the idea.

 

[runthewildcat]

Never gonna happen. Some schools need extra home games for revenue. It's just that 1 and done for a group of 5 school gonna get more expensive

Unless you win or make a BCS game which should be our goal!

 

[rc79]

Regardless of Navy's limiting commitments, we won't see Narduzzi play a service academy, or any other program that runs the triple option. GT once a year is more than enough. We actually have thinking people running Pitt football these days.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Never gonna happen. Some schools need extra home games for revenue. It's just that 1 and done for a group of 5 school gonna get more expensive

It will happen when (or really, if) the television partners tell the conference to make it happen. If ESPN says to the ACC, we are ready to start your network, we are going to be paying you $X million per school per year, we don't want any more games like Pitt - Youngstown State because no one is going to watch that and we can't make any money from that, then games like Pitt - Youngstown State will stop. But the conferences aren't going to do it on their own. Not just for the money, but for the "1" in the win column that you get from those games.

 

[Jpripper88]

Yeah JRip, I don't see your reasoning here.. You either think very lowly of this program, assuming that pitt would automatically lose any P5 game in September.. What happens if they beat a good team? It is possible, I mean I know you think pitt isn't capable but I disagree.. If we are as bad as you think we are, and need favorable scheduling to get to 7 wins, well we have much bigger issues.. Going to have to agree to disagree on this one but let me leave it at this, these fcs games, these matchups against poor non P5 teams, in front of 20k at rib fests, they do NOTHING for this program.. You like it obviously, i'll assume you are a die hard fan but perception wise, it's an embarrassment and it gives off a very low rate, non D 1 football feel to it.. I've been to these games and I have been to big matchups as well and it's unbelievable that any Pitt fan would choose to increase these mickey mouse glorified scrimmages..

I think even at our best as a program we would win about 60-70% of OOC P5 games if we were scheduling H&Hs. It is stupid in program building (which is where we still are) when you need to pile up wins and when you are playing for playoff and New Year's bowl consideration (which is where I hope we can get to) and you are barely benefited by beating a middle of the pack OOC team vs beating a rent a win. Now, if we just want to be a middle of the pack, win nothing and be happy with a Wannstedt type, program, then by all means eschew competitive logic and play a schedule of only P5s as runthewildcat suggests. Do what no one else does (because it is ridiculously stupid) and keep the program mediocre, but have bigger name schools coming to Heinz. I care about Pitt being the best program they can be, not that every game be the best matchup on Saturday. This year is a great example of how dumb the philosophy runthewildcat is promoting would be for Pitt. Pitt probably would have started 0-2, lost their star RB and likely crumbled into nothing. Instead, they readied themselves against an FCS and G5 program, learned to win games, and have the chance to have a special season. Playing 4 games against Iowa/ND type programs like runthewildcat wants is idiotic.

Jpripper philosophy:
If you can't win, schedule teams you can beat, which in turn will make you a better team.

Or maybe...Every AD in the country philosophy: Don't set yourself up for mediocrity by overscheduling, just because some people don't really care about the program doing well and just want better matchups every week, even if it is likely to hurt the program.

It's hard to relate to people where the closest they came to playing the game was reading about it.
Enjoy rib fest next year. We'd get more people at the Pete for a bball game vs nova than a football game at Heinz. And this will definitely make us a MUCH better team since its a guaranteed win.

I'm sure you were a fantastic player. Sorry you had so many head injuries.