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PSU may make the CFP without beating a ranked team

I’m not sure I understand why it matters that the Top 10 are SEC?

And they don’t usually play 4 cupcakes.

They play Wisconsin this year.

FSU and Wisky in 25.

WVU, FSU, and South Florida in 26.

West Virginia and Ohio State in 27

Etc, etc

In 17 they played FSU
18 was Louisville
19 Duke
20 COVID so didn’t get to play USC
21 Miami
22 Texas
23 Texas

That’s a pretty good OOC list considering how difficult their conference schedule is.
All OOC games for them were at neutral sites, until last year I believe they changed.
 
No Won’t the two top teams in the B10 play for the conference championship?

That is classic. And 100% true.

People just refuse to admit the obvious--the SEC is far superior as a football league than any of the rest. Year in, year out, for a very long time. It's just a fact.

Which should be expected.

They bring in by far the best recruiting classes of any conference.

There’s kind of a correlation between elite talent and elite on field results.

People just try too hard to think it’s all a media/voter conspiracy.
 
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Which should be expected.

They bring in by far the best recruiting classes of any conference.

There’s kind of a correlation between elite talent and elite on field results.

People just try too hard to think it’s all a media/voter conspiracy.
Best recruits out of high school and they put the most players in the NFL out of college.
 
Team Rankings Old Big Ten
UM
OSU
Pedo St.

Team Rankings New Big Ten
Oregon
OSU
UM
USC
Pedos Wash Wisc (Fikell)

I can see them being tied for 5th place most years.

They will certainly be 4th every year. 2 loses may be anywhere from 4th to tied for 6th.
 
It wasn't that long ago Franklin had to back to back seasons with Big 10 records of 4-5. This year they certainly look to be better than that, but I'm not convinced he is a good enough to coach to just pencil in 10 wins. Sure you can pencil in 6, 7, maybe 8 wins -- but I'm not penciling in 10. The beauty of the sport is that nobody knows and they have to play the games.
 
USC might be good this year. It looks like they have an actual defense.

Maybe but PSU doesnt have to beat them. They can lose to Ohio State and USC and then get off the bus 10 times.

Look at these 10 games PSU has to win to make it:

WVU
BGSU
Kent St
Illinois
UCLA
@ Wisky (the only possible loss)
Washington
Purdue
Minnesota
Maryland

So basically, lose to Ohio State and split USC/Wisky and you're in.
 
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Yep, it always cracks me up when people will talk about how difficult Alabama's schedule is because they play 3 top 10 teams, but those teams are usually within the SEC like Mississippi or Texas A&M. Meanwhile they never play north of the Mason Dixon line (would love to see an Alabama-Michigan game played at the big house) and they play 4 OOC games usually of the cupcake variety.

PSU is wise to this model. Check out next years OOC for them, zero P4 games. Can't blame them, smart scheduling. I've been screaming for Pitt/Heather to do this for years. Instead we get games with UCF, Wisconsin, etc.
Yeah, four cupcakes and crap conference games. That will do wonders with season ticket sales. As if attendance was not bad enough.
 
Yeah, four cupcakes and crap conference games. That will do wonders with season ticket sales. As if attendance was not bad enough.
If we win more, attendance will be fine. Maybe it doesn't help season ticket sales, but winning will help individual game ticket sales and people that actually bought tickets will show up.
 
Yeah, four cupcakes and crap conference games. That will do wonders with season ticket sales. As if attendance was not bad enough.

Yeah, UCF and Cinci really move the attendance needle. So you're saying maybe a more traditional P4 school? There were throngs of people at Oklahoma State a few years ago.

You know what yinzers care about? Wins and playoff chases. 9-2 with an ACC championship appearance riding on the last game against Miami will drum up interest. No one will care that four of the nine wins were against Kent, Thiel, Mercyhurst and Duquesne.
 
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If we win more, attendance will be fine. Maybe it doesn't help season ticket sales, but winning will help individual game ticket sales and people that actually bought tickets will show up.

Winning doesn't help individual ticket sales. No one says, hey, Pitt is 5-1, lets spend a few hundred on tickets, food, and parking to watch them play Cal instead of watching it on my couch. Pitt's attendance is fine. The problem is the stadium is far too big. If we were undefeated going into the Syr and BC home games, we would draw 5K more fans, maybe.
 
Winning doesn't help individual ticket sales. No one says, hey, Pitt is 5-1, lets spend a few hundred on tickets, food, and parking to watch them play Cal instead of watching it on my couch. Pitt's attendance is fine. The problem is the stadium is far too big. If we were undefeated going into the Syr and BC home games, we would draw 5K more fans, maybe.

In any sport, it is season tickets that drive attendance. Baseball maybe not so much; for example Paul Skenes draws a pretty big walk up crowd.

So maybe you have a winning season and people think hey Pitt is on the upswing, maybe I'll grab some season tickets next year. Of course a little more marketing from the AD would help in that regard
 
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In any sport, it is season tickets that drive attendance. Baseball maybe not so much; for example Paul Skenes draws a pretty big walk up crowd.

So maybe you have a winning season and people think hey Pitt is on the upswing, maybe I'll grab some season tickets next year. Of course a little more marketing from the AD would help in that regard

Right. Which is why I say if Pitt is undefeated into November, we will only get 5K more for Syracuse and BC. If we make the CFP, we will still have a season ticket decline next year because WVU is off the schedule but would still have a reasonably good season ticket sale. But that's making the CFP. If we dont make the CFP, season ticket numbers wont be good. Pitt needs EXTREME winning or a marquee opponent to sell season tickets. 8-4 or 9-3 isnt going to do it
 
Maybe but PSU doesnt have to beat them. They can lose to Ohio State and USC and then get off the bus 10 times.

Look at these 10 games PSU has to win to make it:

WVU
BGSU
Kent St
Illinois
UCLA
@ Wisky (the only possible loss)
Washington
Purdue
Minnesota
Maryland

So basically, lose to Ohio State and split USC/Wisky and you're in.

Wisky because it’s on the road is the iffy game?
 
In any sport, it is season tickets that drive attendance. Baseball maybe not so much; for example Paul Skenes draws a pretty big walk up crowd.

So maybe you have a winning season and people think hey Pitt is on the upswing, maybe I'll grab some season tickets next year. Of course a little more marketing from the AD would help in that regard

This. It’s season tickets and law firms and corporation that buy to give away, that drive ticket sales on a game to game basis. At least in professional sports. And Pitt, USC, Miami, etc. are more like a professional sport situation.
 
Winning doesn't help individual ticket sales. No one says, hey, Pitt is 5-1, lets spend a few hundred on tickets, food, and parking to watch them play Cal instead of watching it on my couch. Pitt's attendance is fine. The problem is the stadium is far too big. If we were undefeated going into the Syr and BC home games, we would draw 5K more fans, maybe.
I know they don't stay the whole game, but I'd love to see the spillover student section on the lower level. They had them all in the upper deck end zone for Week 1 and they took up a good 40-45% of those seats. Get them all on the lower level in the end zone and visitor sideline. I know this would displace some season ticket holders but would make for a better presence and atmosphere.
 
Right. Which is why I say if Pitt is undefeated into November, we will only get 5K more for Syracuse and BC. If we make the CFP, we will still have a season ticket decline next year because WVU is off the schedule but would still have a reasonably good season ticket sale. But that's making the CFP. If we dont make the CFP, season ticket numbers wont be good. Pitt needs EXTREME winning or a marquee opponent to sell season tickets. 8-4 or 9-3 isnt going to do it

That's kinda what life is for big city / pro- town schools.
 
Weak league. Cake schedule. Get off the bus 10 times and head to the CFP.
That's kind of the definition of a 12 team playoff. 10-2 or better will keep you where you need to be. I'm not sure what the complaint is. Most teams are in similar positions. ND has an even easier path.

Pitt's path is even easier. The only ranked team on the schedule just got destroyed and will probably be unranked, the conference is down and you get the WVU team at home. It's all there for the taking.
 
Bowl games, as Pitt fans know well, are subject to opt outs. It’s difficult to really say who was the better team when elite players choose to sit it out.

This site will give you the strength of schedule for whichever year you want to look at.

 
I would like for Pitt to make the playoff without beating a ranked team.

Or heck, while beating one of them. Or two. Or five. Or ten.
 
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