Basically every September we have a loss that leads all of us to wonder how the season is going to transpire the rest of the way. Sometimes, we have a loss and it leads to a frustrating season. Sometimes the loss leads to improvements and a fun year. And on one occasion, the WMU loss led to a championship season.
In all cases, I think the general reaction after the first loss tends to be, "this season is gonna spin off the rails." And honestly, most times it doesn't.
While I'm not feeling terribly optimistic right now, I think this WVU game is the most pivotal game of the season. Win it, and I think there will be reason for optimism for the next few games after that. There are no "easy" wins, but UNC, VaTech, and Louisville are teams that can be beat. They're not perfect. They have flaws, just like Pitt.
Lose this weekend, and it's going to look pretty grim the next week against Drake Maye. And then you're staring down the barrel of trying to climb out of a 1-3 hole with Notre Dame and Florida State still ahead on the schedule. It could legitimately become very challenging to get to bowl eligibility.
I'm not trying to forecast it either way. If I know anything about Pitt, it's that we win and lose games each season that make no sense.
But this weekend feels REALLY important.
In all cases, I think the general reaction after the first loss tends to be, "this season is gonna spin off the rails." And honestly, most times it doesn't.
While I'm not feeling terribly optimistic right now, I think this WVU game is the most pivotal game of the season. Win it, and I think there will be reason for optimism for the next few games after that. There are no "easy" wins, but UNC, VaTech, and Louisville are teams that can be beat. They're not perfect. They have flaws, just like Pitt.
Lose this weekend, and it's going to look pretty grim the next week against Drake Maye. And then you're staring down the barrel of trying to climb out of a 1-3 hole with Notre Dame and Florida State still ahead on the schedule. It could legitimately become very challenging to get to bowl eligibility.
I'm not trying to forecast it either way. If I know anything about Pitt, it's that we win and lose games each season that make no sense.
But this weekend feels REALLY important.
