Scheduling....

[cpc247]

This year is turning into a complete meltdown, but imagine if we played Toledo and Rugters instead of PSU and UCF we would probably be 4-1 and people would be planning their bowl game parties already. Like I have said in the past "a tough schedule is no win situation for Pitt". We are not a national blue blood power who can loose 2 games and go to a national championship; so just stack wins and bowl games like Wisconsin. I promise you our coaching talent (easier to recruit coaches to winning programs), player talent (easier to sell winning look at UCF), fan base happiness would be a lot better if we beat up on bottom feeders then trying to play underdog every week. This team isn't as horrible as we are making them out to be, but we have a young QB and average talent don't put them up against a Juggernauts each week it just kills confidence and development. Play a bad schedule for 5-8 year period, keep a coaching staff, and everything will fall into play because of winning.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Yawn.

Gold tarps with Pitt script in navy blue

 

[Panther_in_Kentucky]

This year is turning into a complete meltdown, but imagine if we played Toledo and Rugters instead of PSU and UCF we would probably be 4-1 and people would be planning their bowl game parties already. Like I have said in the past "a tough schedule is no win situation for Pitt". We are not a national blue blood power who can loose 2 games and go to a national championship; so just stack wins and bowl games like Wisconsin. I promise you our coaching talent (easier to recruit coaches to winning programs), player talent (easier to sell winning look at UCF), fan base happiness would be a lot better if we beat up on bottom feeders then trying to play underdog every week. This team isn't as horrible as we are making them out to be, but we have a young QB and average talent don't put them up against a Juggernauts each week it just kills confidence and development. Play a bad schedule for 5-8 year period, keep a coaching staff, and everything will fall into play because of winning.

I agree with you. Pitt will end up playing 3, Top 10 teams this year. 2 of them on the road. This is a ridiculous level of scheduling for where this program is.

 

[Pitt79]

Start looking to schedule GUARANTEED WINS, It truly is better for everyone, including fans, "seeing" top teams in games like yesterday is LESS FUN, than pounding Albany. And with easier OOC teams we could be 4-1 right now, and the perception would be that we are better than we are.

 

[ClarkLotTgate]

2019: 6-6 7-5 or losing season. cant be better than that...scheduling is bad next year too.

• 08/31 - Delaware WIN
• 09/07 - Ohio WIN
• 09/14 - at Penn State LOSS
• 09/21 - UCF LOSS
• TBA - Boston College WIN
• TBA - Miami (FL) LOSS
• TBA - North Carolina LOSS
• TBA - Virginia WIN
• TBA - at Duke WIN
• TBA - at Georgia Tech LOSS
• TBA - at Syracuse WIN
• TBA - at Virginia Tech LOSS

 

[ClarkLotTgate]

2020
Little better with only 3 locked down losses.

• 9/05 - Miami (Ohio)
• 09/19 - Richmond
• 09/26 - at Marshall
• 10/16 - Notre Dame LOSS
• TBA - Duke
• TBA - Georgia Tech
• TBA - Syracuse
• TBA - Virginia Tech
• TBA - at Florida State LOSS
• TBA - at Miami (FL) LOSS
• TBA - at North Carolina
• TBA - at Virginia

 

[Pitt79]

2019: 6-6 7-5 or losing season. cant be better than that...scheduling is bad next year too.

• 08/31 - Delaware WIN
• 09/07 - Ohio WIN
• 09/14 - at Penn State LOSS
• 09/21 - UCF LOSS
• TBA - Boston College WIN
• TBA - Miami (FL) LOSS
• TBA - North Carolina LOSS
• TBA - Virginia WIN
• TBA - at Duke WIN
• TBA - at Georgia Tech LOSS
• TBA - at Syracuse WIN
• TBA - at Virginia Tech LOSS

Replace PSU and UCF with Rutgers and Bowling Green and maybe it's 8-4 or 9-3

 

[HailToPitt725]

2020
Little better with only 3 locked down losses.

• 9/05 - Miami (Ohio)
• 09/19 - Richmond
• 09/26 - at Marshall
• 10/16 - Notre Dame LOSS
• TBA - Duke
• TBA - Georgia Tech
• TBA - Syracuse
• TBA - Virginia Tech
• TBA - at Florida State LOSS
• TBA - at Miami (FL) LOSS
• TBA - at North Carolina
• TBA - at Virginia

This is why I’m thinking Narduzzi stays until 2019. 1) You save some money and 2) you get Miami/Richmond/Marshall instead of UCF/PSU. Allows the new coach to build some momentum in his first year.

 

[ClarkLotTgate]

I agree, likely “forced” assistant changes via Heather this winter. And if it doesnt show major progress (visual more than record due to the schedule) who staff gone after 19 season

 

[hemightbejeremy]

Hard to do with the ups and downs in college football. 2015 UCF was winless. Toledo has 11 wins last year. Difficult to predict where the two teams will be when the game is actually played. Unless they are Rutgers or Kansas.

 

[OriginalEther]

The schedule is not, nor has it ever been, the problem

Do you really think playing Psu and Ucf is why Pitt lost to North Carolina?

 

[Burgh15]

UCF wasn't exactly a powerhouse when Pitt scheduled a home and home with them.

 

[BFo8]

Replace PSU and UCF with Rutgers and Bowling Green and maybe it's 8-4 or 9-3

Except when these games were scheduled Bowling Green and UCF were pretty much identical programs.

How do you know which one is going to be good and which one will suck when you finally play them years later?

 

[steel_curtain]

This year is turning into a complete meltdown, but imagine if we played Toledo and Rugters instead of PSU and UCF we would probably be 4-1 and people would be planning their bowl game parties already. Like I have said in the past "a tough schedule is no win situation for Pitt". We are not a national blue blood power who can loose 2 games and go to a national championship; so just stack wins and bowl games like Wisconsin. I promise you our coaching talent (easier to recruit coaches to winning programs), player talent (easier to sell winning look at UCF), fan base happiness would be a lot better if we beat up on bottom feeders then trying to play underdog every week. This team isn't as horrible as we are making them out to be, but we have a young QB and average talent don't put them up against a Juggernauts each week it just kills confidence and development. Play a bad schedule for 5-8 year period, keep a coaching staff, and everything will fall into play because of winning.

-Pitt football scheduling is like that one salmon swimming in the opposite direction from all the other fish swimming upstream. Then the salmon gets eaten by a wondering hopeless starving animal because that 1 salmon was a jackass that didnt do what everyone else did . Pitt is the only team in the country trying to schedule multiple playoff teams per year in the non conference.

Except when these games were scheduled Bowling Green and UCF were pretty much identical programs.

How do you know which one is going to be good and which one will suck when you finally play them years later?

-Pitt gets it wrong. ALWAYS. Notice Wisconsin never gets it wrong. Or anyone else. But Pitt does. Central Florida has won 10+ games in 5 different seasons since 2007. Thats every other year this team wins 10+ games. You play with fire, you get burned and Central Florida blew our doors off. That is a solid 10 year history where this program has won big. 10 years worth of evidence.

-Here's a thought. Rutgers is garbage, always was garbage, and is guaranteed garbage for the next 10 years. Pretty hard to screw it up, put them on the schedule.

 

[fairgambit]

Hard to do with the ups and downs in college football. 2015 UCF was winless. Toledo has 11 wins last year. Difficult to predict where the two teams will be when the game is actually played. Unless they are Rutgers or Kansas.

That's exactly the problem. Even a team like Rutgers might be good in 5 years. OK, bad example. They will never be good, but other teams that are bad now may turn it around.

 

[steel_curtain]

That's exactly the problem. Even a team like Rutgers might be good in 5 years. OK, bad example. They will never be good, but other teams that are bad now may turn it around.

-I guarantee I could give you a list of 20 teams that are going to be crap for the next 10 years. You guys act like this is tough

-Savannah State was outscored 130-0 in its first 2 games this year. Narduzzi's and Pitts pathetic Vanilla offense would have the game over by halftime, guaranteed.

 

[cpc247]

Except when these games were scheduled Bowling Green and UCF were pretty much identical programs.

How do you know which one is going to be good and which one will suck when you finally play them years later?

Stay away from scheduling Florida teams. At any given time they can get home grown talent and that equals bad for Pitt.

 

[LeftCoastPanther]

The 2021 schedule so far has only @Tennessee for the nonconference. Another opportunity to get three wins for sure. It gets tougher again in 2022 with Tennessee and WVU. We’ll see if Heather has any brains when it comes to scheduling in ‘21.

 

[DiehardPanther]

I agree we need to lighten the schedule, but there are no automatic wins for us. Just think back over the last 15 years.

 

[poconopanther]

I agree we need to lighten the schedule, but there are no automatic wins for us. Just think back over the last 15 years.

No you are right about automatic wins but because of the talent differential there are automatic losses .

 

[poconopanther]

This year is turning into a complete meltdown, but imagine if we played Toledo and Rugters instead of PSU and UCF we would probably be 4-1 and people would be planning their bowl game parties already. Like I have said in the past "a tough schedule is no win situation for Pitt". We are not a national blue blood power who can loose 2 games and go to a national championship; so just stack wins and bowl games like Wisconsin. I promise you our coaching talent (easier to recruit coaches to winning programs), player talent (easier to sell winning look at UCF), fan base happiness would be a lot better if we beat up on bottom feeders then trying to play underdog every week. This team isn't as horrible as we are making them out to be, but we have a young QB and average talent don't put them up against a Juggernauts each week it just kills confidence and development. Play a bad schedule for 5-8 year period, keep a coaching staff, and everything will fall into play because of winning.

Agree and have been saying that for years. Syracuse has changed their philosophy and it has been paying dividends already.Until recruiting improves scheduling and getting embarrassed by good teams makes no sense .

 

[DruidTM]

I agree with you. Pitt will end up playing 3, Top 10 teams this year. 2 of them on the road. This is a ridiculous level of scheduling for where this program is.

For once I agree with you

This schedule is an absolute disaster

Still should have beat UNC though

 

[rmf05]

Rutgers became garbage when they stopped playing us. Maybe its time to wonder if all these teams becoming better when they play us isn't really bad luck at all.

 

[McKee Place]

Rutgers became garbage when they stopped playing us. Maybe its time to wonder if all these teams becoming better when they play us isn't really bad luck at all.

True. Think of all the teams in Ohio alone that may count victories over us as among their biggest ever...Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown. And as a bonus I believe Ohio State's 72-0 win was their biggest margin of win ever.

 

[rmf05]

Louisville and UConn also used us as a rung as they climbed the ladder after entering the ACC and WVU and BC did the same to us in the 80's. We haven't just watched all these teams acheive success from afar. We've been active participants in their success.

 

[daminals76]

The schedule is not, nor has it ever been, the problem

Do you really think playing Psu and Ucf is why Pitt lost to North Carolina?

No... Fedora is just Narduzzi's daddy.

 

[daminals76]

True. Think of all the teams in Ohio alone that may count victories over us as among their biggest ever...Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown. And as a bonus I believe Ohio State's 72-0 win was their biggest margin of win ever.

They beat someone 76-0 a few years ago with Meyer as the HC.

 

[McKee Place]

They beat someone 76-0 a few years ago with Meyer as the HC.

Whew.

 

[PhPanther2]

We suck. Why do you want to schedule garbage teams to cover it up? Eat your shit sandwich that is Pitt football and move on. I don’t want any masking of this crap.

 

[California Panther]

We suck. Why do you want to schedule garbage teams to cover it up? Eat your shit sandwich that is Pitt football and move on. I don’t want any masking of this crap.

Will anyone really remember who Pitt beat in the OOC if we end up at 9-3, 10-2, etc. All anyone will remember is that Pitt went 10-2 and Pitt was ranked in the Top 15. No one will remember or care if we went 3-1 in the OOC with wins over Delaware, Rice, and Kent State.

 

[PhPanther2]

Will anyone really remember who Pitt beat in the OOC if we end up at 9-3, 10-2, etc. All anyone will remember is that Pitt went 10-2 and Pitt was ranked in the Top 15. No one will remember or care if we went 3-1 in the OOC with wins over Delaware, Rice, and Kent State.

I want a team that’s challenged. I want a team that’s worth watching. I must be different. I always believed in playing your kids up a league and never taking the easy road. I watch for more than wins/losses.

I hope Pitt never takes the route of scheduling soft to pad records. Just my opinion. I can find other things to do with my saturdays i guess.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Will anyone really remember who Pitt beat in the OOC if we end up at 9-3, 10-2, etc. All anyone will remember is that Pitt went 10-2 and Pitt was ranked in the Top 15. No one will remember or care if we went 3-1 in the OOC with wins over Delaware, Rice, and Kent State.

I want a team that’s challenged. I want a team that’s worth watching. I must be different. I always believed in playing your kids up a league and never taking the easy road. I watch for more than wins/losses.

I hope Pitt never takes the route of scheduling soft to pad records. Just my opinion. I can find other things to do with my saturdays i guess.

Starting off 4-0 or 5-0 builds excitement even if we didn't beat anyone

 

[Ambst95]

It's been a bit of murderer's row. That's not bad if we compete in those games. The problem has been the blowouts and losses to teams we should be able to beat. That's what holds the program back. For every big win there's two bad losses to cancel it out. We could lose to a top 10 by 3 and handle our business against the rest and I'd be happy. We'd be a top 25 or borderline team. That would be nice.

 

[paulbl99]

It's been a bit of murderer's row. That's not bad if we compete in those games. The problem has been the blowouts and losses to teams we should be able to beat. That's what holds the program back. For every big win there's two bad losses to cancel it out. We could lose to a top 10 by 3 and handle our business against the rest and I'd be happy. We'd be a top 25 or borderline team. That would be nice.

Bad losses are SOPwith Pitt.....but thought Pitt was past the blowouts.
Last yr v OkSU, the one blowout was it and most of the yr was pretty much typical Pitt.....this yr regrettably the big time ass kickings have happened twice already and looks as if Pitt is in for several more.

Not good.

 

[pittdan77]

Scheduling is a problem but you have to put some P5 talent on the field as well. You're not going to beat a ton of O5 teams if you're challenging them for recruits.

 

[djbpitt]

I agree with you. Pitt will end up playing 3, Top 10 teams this year. 2 of them on the road. This is a ridiculous level of scheduling for where this program is.

UCF is not a Top 10 team. Not even close. Top 20 yes, but nowhere near top 10.

 

[cpc247]

Just to add to my OP. Having easy games work as practice for your 1st team (sometimes) also with the new redshirt rule it allows a lot of happy recruits.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

You can only dumb it down so much. Have to play ND or a P5 and half of the ACC gets top25 votes. With an fcs, only leaves the 2 ooc spots to shrink.

 

[Dan1911]

The schedule is not, nor has it ever been, the problem

Do you really think playing Psu and Ucf is why Pitt lost to North Carolina?

The problem is meathead fans that want us to schedule murderers row and then tell us all the losses aren’t from having a tough schedule. I’m guessing these guys didnt take advantage of Pitts great philosopy department.

 

[Dan1911]

I want a team that’s challenged. I want a team that’s worth watching. I must be different. I always believed in playing your kids up a league and never taking the easy road. I watch for more than wins/losses.

I hope Pitt never takes the route of scheduling soft to pad records. Just my opinion. I can find other things to do with my saturdays i guess.

I bet you thought the Children’s Crusade was awesome.