What was Narduzzi's best win? worst loss?

[cbpitt2]

What was Narduzzi's best win? His worst loss?

Some wins that come to mind:
2016 @ Clemson
2016 Penn State
2021 Wake Forest
2022 UCLA
2021 @ Tennessee
2017 Miami
Others?

Some losses that come to mind:
2024 Toledo
2022 @ West Virginia
2023 @ Notre Dame
2021 Western Michigan
2018 Penn State
2018 Clemson
2017 Oklahoma State
Others?

 

[PittPharm2002]

Best is @ Clemson
Most important is ACC Championship
Worst loss-
Too many to mention
EMU has to be way up the list

 

[HailToPitt725]

Best Win - 2017 Miami: We were back home visiting family for Thanksgiving and this was the last Pitt game my dad and I took in before he passed away the week after. It was a game-changer for the program, introducing us to the most important QB in Pitt history who’d lead us to our best season in 40 years.

Worst Loss - 2021 WMU: If we win this game, there’s an outside shot we play Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Any game that even potentially eliminated us from playing for a national championship automatically becomes the worst loss, end of story.

 

[PittMan2003]

Narduzzi had no bad losses his first two years until the northwestern bowl game. Ever since he has one or more per year.

 

[BurghGuy68]

Best - At Clemson in 2016 - they were undefeated at the time and had a long home winning streak, and became national champs

Worst - Home vs WMU in 2021 - made the difference of not being in the playoffs that year

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

So many candidates for worst loss. Lots of directions you could go with all of this, but we have taken some absolutely drubbings under Narduzzi.

2017 OK State
2018 Penn State
2018 UCF
2018 Clemson
2019 VT
2020 ND
2020 Clemson
2023 ND

I'm sure I am forgetting quite a few. But I think that post-2021 contract extension is probably the worst loss of all.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

Good Wins:
Clemson 2016
PSU 2016
WVU this past year
UCLA Sun Bowl
Clemson 2021
Tennessee 2021
Miami 2017

Bad Losses:
WMU
GT after they fired Collins
BC after they fired Addazio
Cuse at Yankee Stadium with their TE at QB
UVA this year
UNC when they had all the suspensions
Toledo bowl

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

So many candidates for worst loss. Lots of directions you could go with all of this, but we have taken some absolutely drubbings under Narduzzi.

2017 OK State
2018 Penn State
2018 UCF
2018 Clemson
2019 VT
2020 ND
2020 Clemson
2023 ND

I'm sure I am forgetting quite a few. But I think that post-2021 contract extension is probably the worst loss of all.

Shocking, you did the worst loss without a best win.

Anyway I think the best win was 2021 Wake Forest, finally got an unshared conference title all those years later.

Worst loss, 2019 Penn State. Missing the field goal from the one that never should have been kicked is a good summary of what Narduzzi gets wrong. Pickett throws for 371 yards and we get only 10 points out of it and lose by a score.

 

[TD_6082]

So many candidates for worst loss. Lots of directions you could go with all of this, but we have taken some absolutely drubbings under Narduzzi.

2017 OK State
2018 Penn State
2018 UCF
2018 Clemson
2019 VT
2020 ND
2020 Clemson
2023 ND

I'm sure I am forgetting quite a few. But I think that post-2021 contract extension is probably the worst loss of all.

The contract extension is really neither here nor there. There's no coach out there that can make Pitt football relevant in the current environment. It's mostly upsetting for the people that are just tired of Narduzzi and ready to be mediocre with another coach roaming the sidelines.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

The contract extension is really neither here nor there. There's no coach out there that can make Pitt football relevant in the current environment. It's mostly upsetting for the people that are just tired of Narduzzi and ready to be mediocre with another coach roaming the sidelines.

The "new coach bump" is absolutely legit. There are all kinds of analyses on it. It's why Narduzzi's highest-rated class also happens to be his first full one. A change/new energy can also pull donors together to produce an uptick in donations. See: Indiana, Syracuse, UNC, Colorado, etc. The water will eventually find its level again, which is why coaching changes are a strategic release of Hopeium as they are anything else.

Is the solution just to let the program rot under Narduzzi's leadership simply because we don't think we can do better? That's absolutely insane to me. As for what "better" is, well, let's define that. Because I'm not saying we're going to bring someone in who will make us a playoff contender, and I'm not even saying a new coach's best season will be better than Narduzzi's 2021 season. What I'm saying is this is the third year in a row where Narduzzi has slapped together a 6-6ish roster (a bounce here or a bad QB decision here can make a difference, but I'm saying the rosters have been about 6-6ish quality). So that's what Narduzzi is right now. AND he's trending in the wrong direction. I don't care what he did 3, 4, 5 years ago. A new coach could improve the situation right now.

Also, he's making about double what we need to be paying a coach in the salary cap era - when that comes to fruition at some point this year. Pitt will have trouble scraping up the $24M or whatever it is, so there's no need to throw $6.7M at a bonehead.

 

[noelr]

best win is at clemson not doubt.

worst loss is several and tbd

 

[Celtsfan]

Best win=PED STATE. Worst LOSS=Tie- western Michigan Toledo!!

 

[TD_6082]

The "new coach bump" is absolutely legit. There are all kinds of analyses on it. It's why Narduzzi's highest-rated class also happens to be his first full one. A change/new energy can also pull donors together to produce an uptick in donations. See: Indiana, Syracuse, UNC, Colorado, etc. The water will eventually find its level again, which is why coaching changes are a strategic release of Hopeium as they are anything else.

Is the solution just to let the program rot under Narduzzi's leadership simply because we don't think we can do better? That's absolutely insane to me. As for what "better" is, well, let's define that. Because I'm not saying we're going to bring someone in who will make us a playoff contender, and I'm not even saying a new coach's best season will be better than Narduzzi's 2021 season. What I'm saying is this is the third year in a row where Narduzzi has slapped together a 6-6ish roster (a bounce here or a bad QB decision here can make a difference, but I'm saying the rosters have been about 6-6ish quality). So that's what Narduzzi is right now. AND he's trending in the wrong direction. I don't care what he did 3, 4, 5 years ago. A new coach could improve the situation right now.

Also, he's making about double what we need to be paying a coach in the salary cap era - when that comes to fruition at some point this year. Pitt will have trouble scraping up the $24M or whatever it is, so there's no need to throw $6.7M at a bonehead.

Those donors you mention are free to pressure the admin & stroke the checks to send Narduzzi packing anytime they want. They are also free to boost NIL anytime they want. It's even possible to significantly boost donations without a coaching change. (see UVA, Missouri, Auburn, LSU)

Nothing isn't rotting under Narduzzi's leadership. A 6-6 type roster is in line with what the program is in this era. Pitt could win anywhere from 3 to 9 games in any given season. That's going to be the same regardless of coach. And to be honest, as long as Pitt is competitive, entertaining, and puts up a fight in 8 or 9 of those game a year, that's good enough for me. Because the reality is that Pitt football is just as irrelevant on the national stage winning 10 games a year as they are winning 3. FWIW, you could've wiped out the entire ACC off the college football map for 2024 and nobody would really notice.

Narduzzi's first full class had an average star rating of 3.05. His current class has an average star rating of 3.05. Coach Prime & Hoodie are anomalies. There doesn't appear to be much of an uptick in donations at Syracuse. If there is an uptick at IU, it wasn't reflected in their high school recruiting rankings, as both SU & IU had an average star ranking of 3.05, which is the same as Pitt's. Regardless, all of those programs are irrelevant.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Those donors you mention are free to pressure the admin & stroke the checks to send Narduzzi packing anytime they want. They are also free to boost NIL anytime they want. It's even possible to significantly boost donations without a coaching change. (see UVA, Missouri, Auburn, LSU)

Nothing isn't rotting under Narduzzi's leadership. A 6-6 type roster is in line with what the program is in this era. Pitt could win anywhere from 3 to 9 games in any given season. That's going to be the same regardless of coach. And to be honest, as long as Pitt is competitive, entertaining, and puts up a fight in 8 or 9 of those game a year, that's good enough for me. Because the reality is that Pitt football is just as irrelevant on the national stage winning 10 games a year as they are winning 3. FWIW, you could've wiped out the entire ACC off the college football map for 2024 and nobody would really notice.

Narduzzi's first full class had an average star rating of 3.05. His current class has an average star rating of 3.05. Coach Prime & Hoodie are anomalies. There doesn't appear to be much of an uptick in donations at Syracuse. If there is an uptick at IU, it wasn't reflected in their high school recruiting rankings, as both SU & IU had an average star ranking of 3.05, which is the same as Pitt's. Regardless, all of those programs are irrelevant.

Average star rating is way too generic of an system, though, because high 3 stars are blue blood-level players while low 3 stars are G5 players. Almost every player Pitt gets is a 3 star.

 

[TD_6082]

Average star rating is way too generic of an system, though, because high 3 stars are blue blood-level players while low 3 stars are G5 players. Almost every player Pitt gets is a 3 star.

That's a better way to determine the level of talent coming in a program that overall ranking. Overall ranking is too dependent on the number of players signed.

Any program that actually wants to be taken seriously needs to keep a running 4-year average of at least 3.7.

 

[cbpitt2]

Those donors you mention are free to pressure the admin & stroke the checks to send Narduzzi packing anytime they want. They are also free to boost NIL anytime they want. It's even possible to significantly boost donations without a coaching change. (see UVA, Missouri, Auburn, LSU)

Nothing isn't rotting under Narduzzi's leadership. A 6-6 type roster is in line with what the program is in this era. Pitt could win anywhere from 3 to 9 games in any given season. That's going to be the same regardless of coach. And to be honest, as long as Pitt is competitive, entertaining, and puts up a fight in 8 or 9 of those game a year, that's good enough for me. Because the reality is that Pitt football is just as irrelevant on the national stage winning 10 games a year as they are winning 3. FWIW, you could've wiped out the entire ACC off the college football map for 2024 and nobody would really notice.

Narduzzi's first full class had an average star rating of 3.05. His current class has an average star rating of 3.05. Coach Prime & Hoodie are anomalies. There doesn't appear to be much of an uptick in donations at Syracuse. If there is an uptick at IU, it wasn't reflected in their high school recruiting rankings, as both SU & IU had an average star ranking of 3.05, which is the same as Pitt's. Regardless, all of those programs are irrelevant.

Making the playoffs is irrelevant? Has anyone told IU or all the other programs trying to make the playoff that?

 

[TD_6082]

Making the playoffs is irrelevant? Has anyone told IU or all the other programs trying to make the playoff that?

There are 4 or 5 playoff teams that were irrelevant. Indiana had absolutely zero chance of winning 4 straight games against teams that were far superior to any team they beat in regular season. That was obvious to everybody.

 

[303vND]

Best - At Clemson in 2016 - they were undefeated at the time and had a long home winning streak, and became national champs

Worst - Home vs WMU in 2021 - made the difference of not being in the playoffs that year

These are my two. I don't think people understand how bad a lost to WMU at home that was and how they dismantled our defense.

 

[303vND]

There are 4 or 5 playoff teams that were irrelevant. Indiana had absolutely zero chance of winning 4 straight games against teams that were far superior to any team they beat in regular season. That was obvious to everybody.

Got to be in it to win it!

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

These are my two. I don't think people understand how bad a lost to WMU at home that was and how they dismantled our defense.

Yeah, that was a clinic in bad coaching. They kept doing the same thing, and we refused to adapt.

 

[pittmeister]

Best win: Wake Forest 2021

Worse Loss in the Narduzzi Era: The next time Pitt loses a game it will be the worse loss in Pitt history.....

 

[Burgh15]

Best - At Clemson in 2016 - they were undefeated at the time and had a long home winning streak, and became national champs

Worst - Home vs WMU in 2021 - made the difference of not being in the playoffs that year

I agree with these two as well. Clemson on the road in the fashion Pitt beat them was a lot of fun--Penn State is second for me.

Not only should Pitt have dominated, but this was a huge loss in an otherwise great season.

 

[BurghGuy68]

These are my two. I don't think people understand how bad a lost to WMU at home that was and how they dismantled our defense.

And Pickett had 6 TDs in that game to boot

 

[steelcurtain55.]

The 2016 Clemson game might've been the biggest win in PITT history when it comes to the talent disparity between 2 teams. I remember Canada saying it was a "fingers crossed" type game plan on offense.

 

[Atilla Cosby]

Best - At Clemson in 2016 - they were undefeated at the time and had a long home winning streak, and became national champs

Worst - Home vs WMU in 2021 - made the difference of not being in the playoffs that year

These are my 2 as well.

 

[mike 301]

2016 vs. the pedos ..
Went to the game with my late uncle (PSU football alum.) Had a great time with a huge Pitt win .
R.I.P. Uncle Greg ..

 

[jtbuba]

What was Narduzzi's best win? His worst loss?

Some wins that come to mind:
2016 @ Clemson
2016 Penn State
2021 Wake Forest
2022 UCLA
2021 @ Tennessee
2017 Miami
Others?

Some losses that come to mind:
2024 Toledo
2022 @ West Virginia
2023 @ Notre Dame
2021 Western Michigan
2018 Penn State
2018 Clemson
2017 Oklahoma State
Others?

Best win 2016 Penn State”we don’t need a game ball”.
Worst loss 2021 Western Michigan

 

[thebadby2]

The "new coach bump" is absolutely legit. There are all kinds of analyses on it. It's why Narduzzi's highest-rated class also happens to be his first full one. A change/new energy can also pull donors together to produce an uptick in donations. See: Indiana, Syracuse, UNC, Colorado, etc. The water will eventually find its level again, which is why coaching changes are a strategic release of Hopeium as they are anything else.

Is the solution just to let the program rot under Narduzzi's leadership simply because we don't think we can do better? That's absolutely insane to me. As for what "better" is, well, let's define that. Because I'm not saying we're going to bring someone in who will make us a playoff contender, and I'm not even saying a new coach's best season will be better than Narduzzi's 2021 season. What I'm saying is this is the third year in a row where Narduzzi has slapped together a 6-6ish roster (a bounce here or a bad QB decision here can make a difference, but I'm saying the rosters have been about 6-6ish quality). So that's what Narduzzi is right now. AND he's trending in the wrong direction. I don't care what he did 3, 4, 5 years ago. A new coach could improve the situation right now.

Also, he's making about double what we need to be paying a coach in the salary cap era - when that comes to fruition at some point this year. Pitt will have trouble scraping up the $24M or whatever it is, so there's no need to throw $6.7M at a bonehead.

It’s astonishing to me that there are any Pitt fans that truly believe Narduzzi is something better than a middling P4 head coach. I personally don’t even think he’s that, but what have they been watching for 10 years?

The guy is a knucklehead. He’s just not a smart man. He’s not a creative man. He doesn’t get it. And despite this perception of him being some hard assed tough guy he has proven to be a gutless man when the moment calls for big balls.

How any diehard Pitt fan can forgive him for this one, I’ll never understand:

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nca...against-penn-state/1ukt90fw8tvtf15kvgz8uavr78