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Schedule Openings

That's your opinion, but it shows up in the W column rather than the L column.
you got to find a team that's not in a P5 conference man, you are gonna drive yourself mad hoping pitt schedules non P5 teams and beats up teams in lower levels of football.
 
Some mid-level teams I'd like to see on the schedule:

Temple, Army, Navy, UConn, USF, Houston
Yes, No, No, Yes, Yes, No. Army, Navy, and Houston do nothing for recruiting which is part of the appeal for OC games. Temple would be beneficial bc of the Philly Area. We recruit the northeast and Florida so UConn and USF make sense as well
 
Which teams would move the needle for fan interest that we could realistically come to an agreement with?
I think you schedule two P5 games and two decent non P5 games. But the problem is we can longer afford to buy D1 NON P5 teams to come play at pitt without a return game (to get that 7th home game) so hence, we have the annual FCS buy-a-win scrimmage.. It is what it is. So with that said, make the other non P5 matchup interesting. I like Cincy, im ok with temple, that Utah game a few years back was a cool matchup (they weren't in pac 10 at time), Marshall is OK, a mountain west team would be a cool road trip (San diego st, col state, fresno state. Etc..

Is it going to "move the needle?" Takes a hell of a lot to move the needle for a very fickle fan base so no, I don't think Fresno state will give pitt fans an erection but it's still an entertaining, respectable OOC game..

The real problem is pitt fans are so used to easy schedules that when we do see top 10 opponents (PSU and OK state), we think it's some sort of murderer's row that no one in college football has seen the likes of before. Talk to some SEC fans and tell them about our tough schedule, then tell them our conference schedule will consist of maybe 1 or 2 ranked teams (Maybe) and see how hard they laugh at you..
 
so you want a softer schedule, no P5 teams. See I like P5 football, I want pitt to play teams that are in their same classification. I don't want pitt to pad their schedule against teams they have no business playing. I like Major D1 football, it sounds like you really don't. That's fine, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Personally, I like Pitt in the ACC and glad they are in a P5 conference, you seem to prefer if they'd drop down into a less competitive level.. Weird to me to be honest but hey it's your preference.

Don't make assumptions on what I like. What I like and what's best for the program are 2 different things. This program needs Ws more than it needs P5 OOC games. I don't have a problem playing one P5 game, maybe 2 when ND games hit. That's what a lot of P5 teams do.
 
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I think you schedule two P5 games and two decent non P5 games. But the problem is we can longer afford to buy D1 NON P5 teams to come play at pitt without a return game (to get that 7th home game) so hence, we have the annual FCS buy-a-win scrimmage.. It is what it is. So with that said, make the other non P5 matchup interesting. I like Cincy, im ok with temple, that Utah game a few years back was a cool matchup (they weren't in pac 10 at time), Marshall is OK, a mountain west team would be a cool road trip (San diego st, col state, fresno state. Etc..

Is it going to "move the needle?" Takes a hell of a lot to move the needle for a very fickle fan base so no, I don't think Fresno state will give pitt fans an erection but it's still an entertaining, respectable OOC game..

The real problem is pitt fans are so used to easy schedules that when we do see top 10 opponents (PSU and OK state), we think it's some sort of murderer's row that no one in college football has seen the likes of before. Talk to some SEC fans and tell them about our tough schedule, then tell them our conference schedule will consist of maybe 1 or 2 ranked teams (Maybe) and see how hard they laugh at you..
So you'd rather play a Non-Power 5 middle of the road team 2 or 3 time zones away in an area we do not recruit as opposed to a Non-Power 5 middle of the road team in an area we do recruit. You make no sense.
 
Don't make assumptions on what I like. What I like and what's best for the program are 2 different things. This program needs Ws more than it needs P5 OOC games. I don't have a problem playing one P5 game, maybe 2 when ND games hit. That's what a lot of P5 teams do.
you want to manufacture a winning record with easy FCS wins. I get it but my response is, it does nothing to help improve the program. Any success is earned in conference. if we go 5-3 in ACC, and win 4 games OOC with Albany, ysu, akron and temple, we are 9-3 and laughed at nationally, and still getting the same tier 2 bowl game, as if we go 8-4 with a P5 or 2 teams on our OOC schedule..

now that's worst case. You know it's possible pitt actually beats a good P5 team too. I mean we did beat PSU last year, so we can win these. THey aren't guaranteed losses. Fans like Pitt to play teams they've heard of, they go to those games more frequently. I know I know, you don't care who they play, they could play Quaker valley and you'd still go. Well you are not the norm..
 
J
Next year's OOC schedule is nice, 2019 almost made me puke.. Weak, real weak..

2019
The 2036 schedule is looking good, I think we got a real good shot at beating the Irish in south bend that year. Their team will be young and inexperienced, 1/2 that team isn't even born yet for Chrissakes.

2036
I'm OK with that weak schedule in 2019. I want wins, not being glad strangers on a message board want better opponents at Heinz. That wasn't directed at you either.
 
So you'd rather play a Non-Power 5 middle of the road team 2 or 3 time zones away in an area we do not recruit as opposed to a Non-Power 5 middle of the road team in an area we do recruit. You make no sense.
these OOC P5 games are home and home. No one is saying pitt should always play them on the road. I've said over 3 times in this thread who I want to play.

And the recruit in that neighborhood idea is sooo over rated on this board. So we play FAU or FIU on a Saturday in September in front of 246 people like we did a few years ago, you think that all of a sudden opens the eyes of major florida recruits who all of a sudden want to come to pitt now? You really think that? tell me you believe that please..

Beating a good P5 team on TV, that is actually on tv and not on espn8u.com will get us more attention in recruiting than beating a non P5 team in any region of the US.. Beating PSU turned more heads than playing FIU in a football recruiting region..
 
So you'd rather play a Non-Power 5 middle of the road team 2 or 3 time zones away in an area we do not recruit as opposed to a Non-Power 5 middle of the road team in an area we do recruit. You make no sense.
what non P5 OOC game do we schedule that you think helps us on recruiting? I've said I like the Cincy matchup, im ok with temple but no, I don't think a Temple game would help us with a 3 or 4 star kid from Philly just because we scheduled them compared to if we didn't. I don't think playing cincy will sway a western OH kid to come to pitt because they happened to get free tickets to the game and had an eye opening first hand experience seeing us play. It's such a silly concept and still some on this board thinks it exists..
 
you want to manufacture a winning record with easy FCS wins. I get it but my response is, it does nothing to help improve the program. Any success is earned in conference. if we go 5-3 in ACC, and win 4 games OOC with Albany, ysu, akron and temple, we are 9-3 and laughed at nationally, and still getting the same tier 2 bowl game, as if we go 8-4 with a P5 or 2 teams on our OOC schedule..

now that's worst case. You know it's possible pitt actually beats a good P5 team too. I mean we did beat PSU last year, so we can win these. THey aren't guaranteed losses. Fans like Pitt to play teams they've heard of, they go to those games more frequently. I know I know, you don't care who they play, they could play Quaker valley and you'd still go. Well you are not the norm..

95% of people have no idea who you beat. Nobody is laughing at a 9-3 ranked teams schedule. Bowls want good match ups that look good, and a 7-5 team that lost "tough" OOC games doesn't look good. Pitt's lost the vast majority of the P5 OOC games in the past 10, 20, 30 years (pick your timeframe) and it's not even close.

And for the second time, don't confuse what I would like with what's best for the program.
 
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95% of people have no idea who you beat. Nobody is laughing at a 9-3 ranked teams schedule. Bowls want good match ups that look good, and a 7-5 team that lost "tough" OOC games doesn't look good. Pitt's lost the vast majority of the P5 OOC games in the past 10, 20, 30 years (pick your timeframe) and it's not even close.

And for the second time, don't confuse what I would like with what's best for the program.
im a fan of P5 football, you aren't. , we will agree to disagree. I SAID GOOD DAY
 
95% of people have no idea who you beat. Nobody is laughing at a 9-3 ranked teams schedule. Bowls want good match ups that look good, and a 7-5 team that lost "tough" OOC games doesn't look good. Pitt's lost the vast majority of the P5 OOC games in the past 10, 20, 30 years (pick your timeframe) and it's not even close.

And for the second time, don't confuse what I would like with what's best for the program.
Exactly! Use last year as an example. We went 8-5 with big wins against Clemson and PS. You would think people would be excited, but yet the needle did not move much. If you replaced Okie St. with an Akron home win, then some people would have been more excited with a 9-4 overall record. It probably would have helped a little with the attendance last year as well. The Okie St loss took some wind out of the sails.
 
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That 2019 schedule looks good to me. BC as our Atlantic cross over. If we are headed where we think we are, that should be a 10+ win year for Narduzzi in year 4.
Agreed - it will be a 10 win year if we are going in the right direction. IMO we stay in the 7-8 Win range this year, but that is the year to make hay for sure.
 
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If we're just looking for Ws, why not go the Big 10 model and schedule Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, Minnesota and Penn State for OOC games. I'd take Ws from 2 or 3 of those every year.
 
If we were to buy out Delaware in 2019 for a P5 opponent, TCU is the only school I could find that had an open date that day. Of course, we could get another school to buy out their FCS opponent that day, which would open up a lot more possibilities.

Maybe Jamie can do the coin toss ;)
 
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The FCS games are less appealing for Pitt now that ACC doesn't want as many to open the season.
 
Pitt @ Marshall needs to be off the schedule for 2020. I can see playing at Navy or Temple since those areas have alumni bases and are areas Pitt recruits. What possible benefit comes from playing a non-P5 team in WV?
 
If we were to buy out Delaware in 2019 for a P5 opponent, TCU is the only school I could find that had an open date that day. Of course, we could get another school to buy out their FCS opponent that day, which would open up a lot more possibilities.

Maybe Jamie can do the coin toss ;)
Some of our hoops posters are already plotting to bring him down Zapruder style. Fortunately the other subset on that board have sworn vows to take the bullets.
 
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Temple is good and they are attracting a lot of good players from Eastern PA and New Jersey. It would be a no brainer to play them and as a philly alumnus it would be great to have my alma mater come back to the area
 
VaTech just added games
home/home BYU
5 games with Liberty( 3h,2a)
6 games with Old Dominion (3h,3a)
 
ACC is still allowing 1 fcs game through 2029, but only on 'selected weekends'.
 
Temple is good and they are attracting a lot of good players from Eastern PA and New Jersey. It would be a no brainer to play them and as a philly alumnus it would be great to have my alma mater come back to the area
Who wants to go to the Linc and see a game like back in the days of the Vet with 9,000 people- real downer!
 
We lost to Ohio in the past didn't we?
And YSU, Toledo, Bowling Green, Akron.

"Easy guaranteed wins" for us are typically anything but.

Pitt should be working wth other lower tier schools toward a system where P5 would only play P5 opponents in and out of conference, and set home and away games for all. Allow a non official preseason game for the critical first game warm up.

And standard discipline for common infractions (like failed weed tests or DUI) while at it. Forget being on the same page, which will never happen, but at least get in the same library.

But it took 100 plus years to get agreement on an "early" signing period for recruiting of six whopping weeks... so I'm not gonna hold me breath.
 
So they draw 15-20k now...who cares!


30+ . . . and increasing each year.

"Temple won't sustain it when Al Golden leaves.:"

:Temple won's sustain it when Steve Addazio leaves.::

"Temple won't sustain it when Matt Rhule leaves."

"Temple won't sustain it . . . :"
 
30+ . . . and increasing each year.

"Temple won't sustain it when Al Golden leaves.:"

:Temple won's sustain it when Steve Addazio leaves.::

"Temple won't sustain it when Matt Rhule leaves."

"Temple won't sustain it . . . :"
I concur...Temple won't sustain their march to mediocrity.
 
over the next five years we still have six ooc games to schedule providing that the ACC remains with eight league games. The 2018 season is set with PSU-ND-Albany and UCF. But for the next four years openings persist, again another by product of having our third AD in the past five years. But I just noticed that Temple and Miami have booked a two game series for 2020 and 2023.Unless there is still bad blood between between the schools from Temple's ouster from the Big East why not a series with Temple - in fact for both football and basketball.Temple is now more than respectable for football and is in area where we recruit in the state and has a good deal of alumni and very accessible for the fan base.With the ACC much more competitive and Florida State coming up in a few years we need to be a little smarter in ooc scheduling and just schedule one power five team because -letsface it- we have not faired too well is series with these schools since the new century. Thoughts.
Just my opinion, but I feel that Pitt should always play either Army or Navy. They offer competitive games (especially Navy), each has good fan support and they are close enough for Pitt fans to attend away games versus these team. Now that I think about it, I wonder just how much interest the Naval Academy would have in playing Pitt after the debacle that occurred at the end of their last game against each other here in Pittsburgh. That was a night game and Pitt was in such a hurry to get the post-game fireworks started, that they shut down the lights and started playing music over the Heinz Field speakers as the Naval Academy was singing their school alma mater. The folks from the Naval Academy who were sitting around us were not happy and to be quite honest it made Pitt look pretty bad.
 
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