Biggest thing Pitt has to do is be consistent. If you look at the records season by season, anytime we have a 9,10, or 11 win season we always decline the next few years before hitting them wins again. 2008 to 2009 is really the only time we stayed close 2008 won 9 games and 2009 was 10 wins... Then we went 8,6,6,7,6 the next 5 years in wins. If we stayed around 9,10,11 wins in a regular basis the program would earn a little more outside respect.
Many complained when we were the lowest ranked undefeated team in the AP pool at 7-0, fans where ready to fight AP pollers... But yet look what happened. Obviously lot of us knew why we were still ranked low. It's going to take a few years of proof to change things.
Only the blue bloods consistently win that many games a season.