This program has won 9 games three times

[Jeffburgh]

in the last three decades ...

Look, I get the willingness to play a better team team in a better bowl, and will get behind that if that occurs obviously.

But, it is simply dishonest or petulant to discount that it i s clearly better, if that is the choice, to win 9 games a decent mid tier bowl against a middle of the pack P5 team vs 8 wins, no bowl win because of an atta boy loss to a traditional power.

You take the matchup, enjoy it and spin it if it turns out like it probably will.

But, the seniors on this team absolutely would rather have 9 wins and a bowl win, even against a lesser opponent in the bowl than lose even to a traditional power.

And, to what extent it helps with recruiting, sorry, it simply is better to say 9 wins with a bowl win vs 8 wins with an atta boy loss.

 

[HailtoPitt]

But, the seniors on this team absolutely would rather have 9 wins and a bowl win, even against a lesser opponent in the bowl than lose even to a traditional power.

If I were on the team I would want the bowl game with the best location. So the Hawaii and Popeye Bowls would be my first two choices. Followed by bowl games near the beach in Florida.

 

[Pghfan]

Is 9 wins some sort of concrete goal? I kind of get 10, I mean it's double digits but what is so special about 9 compared to 8? Do players really celebrate getting to that monumental milestone of that 9th win? I love the "atta boy" loss argument, because pitt could never beat a good team. Great fans we have.. While we are at it, why not just compete in the AAC where we could always get that 9th win..

 

[PantherO]

9 > 8

 

[UPitt '89]

The two threads on this subject weren't enough?

In any case..... I maintain there is nothing special about the number "9" with regards to win total. For one thing, in the past 10 years teams have played 12 games plus a bowl instead of 11 plus a bowl. The 2004 Pitt team went 8-3 and lost their bowl to end up 8-4. If they played 13 games, they likely would've been a 9-win team. Meaningless.

Of course 9 wins is better than 8 which is better than 7, etc. But if we wanted to get 9 wins regularly, we could schedule our OOC the way PSU does with 4 non-P5 games.... if we did that this year, we'd have 10 wins already. It wouldn't make us a better team and our perception wouldn't be any better.

What's likely going to keep UNC out of the playoff this year even with a win on Saturday is the fact that their 12-win season would've been built on playing an unbelievably easy schedule. Clemson will be the only team in the Final Top 25 that appeared on their schedule. 13 games, and only one game against the Top 25? A good team SHOULD go 12-1 with that schedule.

But I digress.

I can guarantee you that Pat Narduzzi would much rather play a high-profile SEC team in a bowl game than a 5-7 Big Ten alsoran. He wants to see where his guys stack up and we're he needs to improve. He wants the recruiting buzz that a high-profile win brings. And any competitor also feels the same way. A boxer with a 10-0 record with 9 KOs isn't worth much and isn't getting better if all of his opponents are soup cans.

Not all 9-4 records are equivalent. A 9-4 season that ends with a win over LSU could sneak Pitt into the Top 25. A 9-4 season that ends with a win over Minnesota or Indiana most definitely will not. What's Pitt's "signature" win this season? Louisville? Duke?

You want to be one of the "big boys", you have to play and compete against the "big boys". You don't get better by ducking hard competition for the cosmetic sake of improving your winning percentage. That's what PSU does....and it is why they don't get better.

Let's see where our boys measure up. Lace em up and play a team with a pulse.

 

[pittmeister]

in the last three decades ...

Look, I get the willingness to play a better team team in a better bowl, and will get behind that if that occurs obviously.

But, it is simply dishonest or petulant to discount that it i s clearly better, if that is the choice, to win 9 games a decent mid tier bowl against a middle of the pack P5 team vs 8 wins, no bowl win because of an atta boy loss to a traditional power.

You take the matchup, enjoy it and spin it if it turns out like it probably will.

But, the seniors on this team absolutely would rather have 9 wins and a bowl win, even against a lesser opponent in the bowl than lose even to a traditional power.

And, to what extent it helps with recruiting, sorry, it simply is better to say 9 wins with a bowl win vs 8 wins with an atta boy loss.

Jeff:

This has already been broken down on other threads. You are looking at this situation as the safest bet to get 9 wins. What if we lose????? You are assuming we will win. A win gets us little fanfare whereas a loss would be the worse possible scenario. Playing LSU or Georgia gives us the opposite.

Capice?

 

[Pghfan]

You want to be one of the "big boys", you have to play and compete against the "big boys". You don't get better by ducking hard competition for the cosmetic sake of improving your winning percentage. That's what PSU does....and it is why they don't get better.

Probably the best summation of this debate I've read. Very well put.

 

[UPitt '89]

Jeff:

This has already been broken down on other threads. You are looking at this situation as the safest bet to get 9 wins. What if we lose????? You are assuming we will win. A win gets us little fanfare whereas a loss would be the worse possible scenario. Playing LSU or Georgia gives us the opposite.

Capice?

He obviously doesn't "Capice".

If 9 wins was the magical goal... we should've dropped Iowa from the schedule and played Buffalo instead. We'd have the magical 9 wins then.

This program cannot afford a soul-crushing loss to an Indiana team that was blown out by PSU or to a Minnesota team that is 5-7. The negative PR from that would kill recruiting and ticket sales and the anti-buzz would be deafening. It is a risk we cannot accept.

This program CAN maintain its positive momentum with a loss to an LSU or Georgia. The positive buzz going into recruiting season and ticket selling season would still be there.

The OP isn't weighing the risks very well. A loss to an Indiana or Minnesota probably loses half of the "412 crew" and makes Narduzzi's selling job much, much harder. A win against an Indiana or Minnesota will have very little impact on recruiting or ticket sales, just like a loss to LSU or Georgia would have very little impact on recruiting or ticket sales.

A WIN against an LSU or Georgia, however, could mean 5,000 more season ticket sales... it could mean landing all or almost all of the "412 crew". It would be a shot of adrenalin for the program that we haven't had in a very very very long time.

If we are stuck playing Indiana or Minnesota in NYC, you better hope and pray for a win.... because a loss would be absolutely crushing to the program.

If we are fortunate enough to play LSU or Georgia in Nashville or Jacksonville, the pressure is off. A loss won't hurt the program and a win would catapult it into the 2016 preseason polls.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

If I were on the team I would want the bowl game with the best location. So the Hawaii and Popeye Bowls would be my first two choices. Followed by bowl games near the beach in Florida.

yeah, I think that Bahama's one would be the best bet. How could you not have fun there?

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

I'm not as stuck on the 9 or the opponent and not sure Pitt has as much say so as some are thinking anyway.
But they have to show up prepared and win the bowl now following Miami. Any loss for sure will be spun into 'Is Narduzzi Effect for Real' after starting 6-1 then finishing 2-4.