RE:Scheduling - Heather Gets It

[poconopanther]

glad to see that Heather is perceptive enough to read the college landscape when it comes to scheduling balance that the great majority of Power 5 schools are using . That is the 3-1 model approach of scheduling one brand name school out of conference and three very winnable games. As an AD you have to give your coach a chance to hit the conference schedule with some success. The next two years she has now added games to those originally scheduled so that we have the three-one model . She also added Wisconsin for 2026 and 2027,Heres how ooc for the next two years now reads.
2020- at Marshall., NDame, Richmond and Miami of Ohio- 7 home games
2021- At Tennessee, home games with UMASS, New Hampshire and Western Michigan for seven home games. . Keep in mind as part of ACC schedule we have FSU next year and Clemson comes to Heinz in the following year plus some improving Coastal teams and Syracuse which is challenging enough.Pitt needs toad a opponent for the next two years - probably FCS schools.2023 is very challenging with ooc games (as of now)listing UCincinnati, WVU and NDame with one addition needed. All of those games I believe were scheduled before she got here.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Yeah, I think we can say that seems to be her preference now. Was tough to have a real strategy thru all the realignment and plus have multiple AD’s, coaches here.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

2022
WVU
Tennessee
@ Western Michigan who I'm sure will be pretty good that year

2023
Cincinnati (who is better program than a lot of P5s including us)
@ WVU
@ ND.
So almost like 11 P5 games this year

2024
@ Cincy
WVU

2025
@ WVU.
ND

2026-27 the Wisconsin series kicks in. Do we renew with WVU to keep the tradition alive of playing 10 P5 games?

So 2020-21 are the only 2 years in seems we wont play 10 P5 games.

Im at the point where I'd just play WVU every year and ND when its our turn and screw these series with Wisconsin and Cincinnati. Nobody in Pittsburgh gives a crap about Wis, Cin, UCF, OKST, Utah, Mich St, etc.

The Tennessee series I'm kinda ok with because I still consider them a quasi blue blood in an iconic stadium and a fanbase that may bring 20K.

These are the only teams I'd schedule a 10th P5 game for:

Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
LSU
Texas
Oklahoma
USC

Because those are sellouts. Basically, if its not a blue blood, its not even getting close to selling out, so why take the 2 losses?

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

2026-27 the Wisconsin series kicks in. Do we renew with WVU to keep the tradition alive of playing 10 P5 games?

Basically every team in the PAC 12, Big 12, and Big 10 play 10 power five type games. A few play 11 sometimes. It's not exceptional we aren't going the Syracuse route, if anything, the Syracuses are the exception.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

2026-27 the Wisconsin series kicks in. Do we renew with WVU to keep the tradition alive of playing 10 P5 games?

Basically every team in the PAC 12, Big 12, and Big 10 play 10 power five type games. A few play 11 sometimes. It's not exceptional we aren't going the Syracuse route, if anything, the Syracuses are the exception.

I'd schedule 3 wins and play 9 P5 games.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

Yes I got that from your post. There are other considerations, including economic ones. My assumption is our athletic directors have focused on scheduling games with favorable economic terms because Pitt athletics is subsidized and needs to move to self sufficient.

Regardless, WVU and PSU both play at least 10 P5 teams a year. WVU has 11 this year.

 

[OriginalEther]

Why do some Pitt fans think that 10-30k fans of the other team in our stadium is a good thing?
I’d rather see the yellow seats; a takeover is far more humiliating

The list that smf provides are some of the last teams I’d want to see Pitt play a series against

 

[9nationalchampionships]

I have been going to Pitt games since the late 60s and have never seen anywhere near 30k visitors at any one game....never. Having visiting fans in our home and winning is also satisfying so having a nice contingency of visitors - 3-5K is not a bad thing for me. I also do not spend much time talking about attendance as I stay in the moment and enjoy the play on the field. I expect some UCF fans Saturday but not more than 3-4K.

Why do some Pitt fans think that 10-30k fans of the other team in our stadium is a good thing?
I’d rather see the yellow seats; a takeover is far more humiliating

The list that smf provides are some of the last teams I’d want to see Pitt play a series against

 

[OriginalEther]

I have been going to Pitt games since the late 60s and have never seen anywhere near 30k visitors at any one game....never. Having visiting fans in our home and winning is also satisfying so having a nice contingency of visitors - 3-5K is not a bad thing for me. I also do not spend much time talking about attendance as I stay in the moment and enjoy the play on the field. I expect some UCF fans Saturday but not more than 3-4K.

The 3-5k visitors that appear in part because they are allotted that many tickets is fine
I’ve seen claims range from 10k to 30k visiting fans for some of our opposition of the years. Obviously no one has an exact amount, and folks will adjust the number to fit their narrative. But it’s very clear that some teams bring a lot of fans, and I don’t know why some of us view this as a good thing

 

[Jakey_John]

2026-27 the Wisconsin series kicks in. Do we renew with WVU to keep the tradition alive of playing 10 P5 games?

Basically every team in the PAC 12, Big 12, and Big 10 play 10 power five type games. A few play 11 sometimes. It's not exceptional we aren't going the Syracuse route, if anything, the Syracuses are the exception.

I really enjoyed the Iowa series and think UW will be just as fun.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

Only 3 teams brought as many as 10k fans into Pitt or Heinz - ND, WVU and UPS. OSU brought quit a crowd to one game years ago.....maybe '95-'96. No one has brought in 30k! Anyone who says that is a liar.

The 3-5k visitors that appear in part because they are allotted that many tickets is fine
I’ve seen claims range from 10k to 30k visiting fans for some of our opposition of the years. Obviously no one has an exact amount, and folks will adjust the number to fit their narrative. But it’s very clear that some teams bring a lot of fans, and I don’t know why some of us view this as a good thing

 

[ThePanthers]

Yes I got that from your post. There are other considerations, including economic ones. My assumption is our athletic directors have focused on scheduling games with favorable economic terms because Pitt athletics is subsidized and needs to move to self sufficient.

Regardless, WVU and PSU both play at least 10 P5 teams a year. WVU has 11 this year.

WVU also has a strong fanbase that will come support the team regardless.

Pitt fans need to see wins in order to come.

 

[RingDinger]

We've never had anything approaching 30k visiting fans in our stadium; that's preposterous. The Notre Dame games bring a lot of casual Pittsburgh fans who probably don't even know who they're for, "Omg, so are you going to be for Pitt or Notre Dame? Um, I guess Notre Dame... idk!". They just want to be the for the perceived mystique.

At most, there were 10,000 Penn State fans in attendance in 2016. At most, there were 10,000 Cincinnati fans in attendance in 2009. West Virginia may have brought more than that in years where they had a good team and we had already thrown in the towel, but it wasn't anything near 30k. I went to a Pitt/WVU game down there that wasn't even close to being full, so it's hard to imagine them bringing herds of backwoodsmen up here: Most of their vehicles wouldn't pass inspection to venture onto the highways required to do so, as 17 people laying on some hay in the back of a rusted pickup with a punctured exhaust is generally frowned upon.

I don't think UCF will bring 3-4k up here, either. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd say more like 1,500, tops.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

We've never had anything approaching 30k visiting fans in our stadium; that's preposterous. The Notre Dame games bring a lot of casual Pittsburgh fans who probably don't even know who they're for, "Omg, so are you going to be for Pitt or Notre Dame? Um, I guess Notre Dame... idk!". They just want to be the for the perceived mystique.

At most, there were 10,000 Penn State fans in attendance in 2016. At most, there were 10,000 Cincinnati fans in attendance in 2009. West Virginia may have brought more than that in years where they had a good team and we had already thrown in the towel, but it wasn't anything near 30k. I went to a Pitt/WVU game down there that wasn't even close to being full, so it's hard to imagine them bringing herds of backwoodsmen up here: Most of their vehicles wouldn't pass inspection to venture onto the highways required to do so, as 17 people laying on some hay in the back of a rusted pickup with a punctured exhaust is generally frowned upon.

I don't think UCF will bring 3-4k up here, either. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd say more like 1,500.

I think the most ever was OSU in the mid-90's They would have a good chance of outnumbering us at home. PSU never will as that is a game that Pitt fans come out of the woodwork for. But OSU wouldn't bring out additional Pitt fans to the stadium and the buckeyes would scarf all the tickets they could for a relatively short drive.

 

[sonofabit]

Only 3 teams brought as many as 10k fans into Pitt or Heinz - ND, WVU and UPS. OSU brought quit a crowd to one game years ago.....maybe '95-'96. No one has brought in 30k! Anyone who says that is a liar.

Cincy brought at least 10K in that infamous game. I thought and still believe it adds to the atmosphere.
Mardy! Mardy! Mardy! Sounded more like 20K. We can bicker about the exact numbers but still.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

2022
WVU
Tennessee
@ Western Michigan who I'm sure will be pretty good that year

2023
Cincinnati (who is better program than a lot of P5s including us)
@ WVU
@ ND.
So almost like 11 P5 games this year

2024
@ Cincy
WVU

2025
@ WVU.
ND

idk, doesn't seem to me that Heather quite "Gets it" Why add UT when you are playing WVU? 2023 looks like a typical terrible OOC, 2 away games against 2 rivals. And when you schedule G5, schedule Kent, not the ones that are in contention for the at large bowl bid.

 

[RingDinger]

Cincy brought at least 10K in that infamous game. I thought and still believe it adds to the atmosphere.
Mardy! Mardy! Mardy! Sounded more like 20K. We can bicker about the exact numbers but still.

The noise certainly helps. I think the WVU fans always seem more prevalent than they are because of their silly orchestrated "first down" and "Let's go Mountaineers" chants. Of course, most of that is brought on by Pitt getting its ass kicked.

I'm willing to bet the Ohio game had the most visiting fans we'll see this year. I'm not exactly how many were there, but I might guess something like 2,000.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The noise certainly helps. I think the WVU fans always seem more prevalent than they are because of their silly orchestrated "first down" and "Let's go Mountaineers" chants. Of course, most of that is brought on by Pitt getting its ass kicked.

I'm willing to bet the Ohio game had the most visiting fans we'll see this year. I'm not exactly how many were there, but I might guess something like 2,000.

Miami brings more than you think. All the NE based Miami fans come to that game. They may bring 3K or so.

 

[RingDinger]

Miami brings more than you think. All the NE based Miami fans come to that game. They may bring 3K or so.

They've brought a surprising amount in some years, and not so much in other years. They're 0-2 right now, so I'm not betting on them showing up in droves this year.

I'm also thinking 2,000 might have been a conservative estimate for Ohio. There really were a good amount of them.

 

[runshadyrun]

I say WVU every year, preferably late in the year. Then, add ND as often as they'll play us. In non-ND years, add a mid-level P5 home and home in ACC territory. Tehn two punching bag games. Playing Wisconsin, UCLA, Texas Tech, Utah, etc.. does absolutely to help recruiting.

 

[runshadyrun]

And when you schedule G5, schedule Kent, not the ones that are in contention for the at large bowl bid.

I don't think UCF was in contention for any bowl bid when the game was scheduled.

 

[Rockyhound]

idk, doesn't seem to me that Heather quite "Gets it" Why add UT when you are playing WVU? 2023 looks like a typical terrible OOC, 2 away games against 2 rivals. And when you schedule G5, schedule Kent, not the ones that are in contention for the at large bowl bid.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it was Barnes who scheduled both the WVU and Tenn series. Barnes and Peterson, the gifts that keep on giving.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don't think UCF was in contention for any bowl bid when the game was scheduled.

They won the Big East and the Fiesta Bowl the year before it was scheduled

 

[McKee Place]

Yes I got that from your post. There are other considerations, including economic ones. My assumption is our athletic directors have focused on scheduling games with favorable economic terms because Pitt athletics is subsidized and needs to move to self sufficient.

Regardless, WVU and PSU both play at least 10 P5 teams a year. WVU has 11 this year.

100% correct. Now expect 50 subsequent posts that totally ignore this and call for spending whatever it takes for 3 home and nones with the 3 guaranteed easiest. As if they're sitting there waiting and will give us a discount (or for free). Message Board Fantasies are the YouPorn of sports...

 

[GreatBear71]

2022
WVU
Tennessee
@ Western Michigan who I'm sure will be pretty good that year

2023
Cincinnati (who is better program than a lot of P5s including us)
@ WVU
@ ND.
So almost like 11 P5 games this year

2024
@ Cincy
WVU

2025
@ WVU.
ND

2026-27 the Wisconsin series kicks in. Do we renew with WVU to keep the tradition alive of playing 10 P5 games?

So 2020-21 are the only 2 years in seems we wont play 10 P5 games.

Im at the point where I'd just play WVU every year and ND when its our turn and screw these series with Wisconsin and Cincinnati. Nobody in Pittsburgh gives a crap about Wis, Cin, UCF, OKST, Utah, Mich St, etc.

The Tennessee series I'm kinda ok with because I still consider them a quasi blue blood in an iconic stadium and a fanbase that may bring 20K.

These are the only teams I'd schedule a 10th P5 game for:

Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
LSU
Texas
Oklahoma
USC

Because those are sellouts. Basically, if its not a blue blood, its not even getting close to selling out, so why take the 2 losses?

 

[GreatBear71]

We play Rhode Island in 2022, so we have a full OOC schedule in 2020, 2021, and 2022

 

[runshadyrun]

They won the Big East and the Fiesta Bowl the year before it was scheduled

were they in the Big East?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

were they in the Big East?

Actually, that was the first year they changed the name to the American Athletic but I forgot. It was the transition year so I guess I still think of it as the Big East. Basically, they added UCF, Memphis, Houston, SMU, and Temple (who was in it the year before) to replace WVU, Pitt, and Syracuse. Louisville, Rutgers, UConn, USF, and Cincinnati were still in the league. Then the next year, they went full CUSA by adding Tulane, ECU, Tulsa, and Navy

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it was Barnes who scheduled both the WVU and Tenn series. Barnes and Peterson, the gifts that keep on giving.

Randy Juhl scheduled Tenn right before Barnes was hired. Barnes scheduled the wvu.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Randy Juhl scheduled Tenn right before Barnes was hired. Barnes scheduled the wvu.

omg, we let a pharmacist make our schedule? I'd thought I'd heard everything....

 

[Rockyhound]

Randy Juhl scheduled Tenn right before Barnes was hired. Barnes scheduled the wvu.

You are correct. Man Barnes was an idiot. It's not like WVU wouldn't have agreed to a series after Tenn was over. SMH.

 

[poconopanther]

idk, doesn't seem to me that Heather quite "Gets it" Why add UT when you are playing WVU? 2023 looks like a typical terrible OOC, 2 away games against 2 rivals. And when you schedule G5, schedule Kent, not the ones that are in contention for the at large bowl bid.

AS noted Heather didn't schedule these ooc games for 2023 but it is ambitious for sure.

 

[poconopanther]

We play Rhode Island in 2022, so we have a full OOC schedule in 2020, 2021, and 2022[/QUOTE

 

[poconopanther]

CORRECT-
I forgot that one that was reported a while back.

 

[pittdan77]

It's way too early to declare what Lyke's scheduling preference will be. Let's let her handle the entire OOC schedule for a couple of years and see what happens.

 

[Saboteur]

I have been going to Pitt games since the late 60s and have never seen anywhere near 30k visitors at any one game....never. Having visiting fans in our home and winning is also satisfying so having a nice contingency of visitors - 3-5K is not a bad thing for me. I also do not spend much time talking about attendance as I stay in the moment and enjoy the play on the field. I expect some UCF fans Saturday but not more than 3-4K.

You don't recall Ohio State in '94? I do.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

I reference OSU above only thought it was '95 or '96. They did not have 30k at Pitt stadium but quit a bit.

You don't recall Ohio State in '94? I do.

 

[DiehardPanther]

TN and WVU make sense because they carry name recognition in this region, they will bring fans to Heinz, and they are beatable. I would have just alternated them on the schedule, or at least stagger them Home and Away. The schedule the next 2 years is how it should always be. I don’t like the OOC for 2023.

 

[Saboteur]

I reference OSU above only thought it was '95 or '96. They did not have 30k at Pitt stadium but quit a bit.

Fair enough.

 

[boseman7]

I actually like the Nebraska series......also I think playing Tenn will be a good look and a winnable game, have ya'll watched them play recently? They are not recruiting like gangbusters ....