Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh’
Like it or Not, This is Your Only Choice
By Paul Myerberg // Oct 7, 2011
In T.C.U., the Big East thought it had found its white knight. The Horned Frogs would have brought prestige to a league desperate for some B.C.S. credibility after its recent national flops, such as Connecticut’s backdoor entry into last year’s Fiesta Bowl — and we know how that ended. T.C.U. would have been the flag bearer, the gold standard and the national face of a conference frantically searching for a highly-ranked presence to combat the rest of the B.C.S., geography be damned. The Horned Frogs were added for one purpose and one purposes only: be the program we don’t have. And it was a marriage of convenience for both parties, with one side needing to alter its standing and the other looking for a place at the table.
Tags: Big East, Boise State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, T.C.U.
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Good, Bad for Big East; B.C.S. Themes
By Paul Myerberg // Oct 3, 2011
This is a good thing for the Big East: the conference needs as many contenders as possible — not national contenders, just conference contenders — for its automatic B.C.S. bid, and Pittsburgh’s win over South Florida casts the Panthers right into the upper half of the league. Pittsburgh didn’t just look good; Pittsburgh looked great, illustrating a grasp of Todd Graham’s spread offense that seemed missing for much of the Panthers’ 2-2 start. If the Big East ever needed a win, this was it — ironically, the win came via a program soon, or somewhat soon, heading for greener B.C.S. pastures. Touching on Pittsburgh, South Florida and other B.C.S. conference themes:
Tags: Arizona, Brady Hoke, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dan Mullen, Denard Robinson, Jeff Tuel, Marshall Lobbestael, Michigan, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Ray Graham, Sherman, South Florida, Texas A&M, Todd Graham, Washington State, West Virginia
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Ten New Commandments for 2011
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 20, 2011
There are 10 real commandments — you know, the Ten Commandments — and whether you believe or not they still serve as a pretty good set of rules to live by on daily basis. Don’t murder. We can all agree on that. Don’t steal. Don’t covet another person’s significant other – and I ask that the members of the armed forces in San Diego pay attention to this one, seeing that several of you tried to do that with my significant other while we were on vacation. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. We can get behind these. College football teams and programs should consider the more traditional commandments in addition to a few others tailor-made for 2011 – a few rules to live by, if you would, beginning with Texas A&M’s message to Baylor.
Tags: B.Y.U., Baylor, Big 12, Big East, Chris Relf, Colorado, Dan Beebe, Dan Mullen, L.S.U., Mississippi, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio, Pac-12, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
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The B.C.S. Bucks, Not the Little Guys
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 20, 2011
Notre Dame to the A.C.C.? The Mountain West and Conference USA united, joining forces to combat the potential super conferences sprouting up along both coasts? Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the A.C.C. – but not quite yet, perhaps not until 2014? That’ll be a comfortable few years for all involved. Oklahoma to the Pac-12? T.C.U. back to the Mountain West? The Big 12 to the trash heap? We’re used to this sort of innuendo, rumor-gathering and conflicting reports during the summer, but that this is coming mid-week in September, between games, says all that needed to be said. There are changes coming: this is abundantly clear. Who gets left out, who stands atop the mountain, who cashes in and who leaves broke – that’s all that remains undecided.
Tags: A.C.C., Big East, Conference USA, Mountain West, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, SEC, Syracuse
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Big East Wins, Loses: B.C.S. Themes
By Paul Myerberg // Sep 19, 2011
Fittingly, the two programs that left the Big East in the cold — that first left the Big East in the cold — were the conference’s lone losers on Saturday. In a weekend where the Big East fared well, notching two wins over B.C.S. conference competition, the primary development was the league’s impending destruction: Syracuse and Pittsburgh are gone, soon to be joined by at least one, perhaps two conference brethren, and the Orange and the Panthers followed up that disappointment with a pair of disappointing defeats. Thanks for nothing, says the Big East. Touching on that and other themes from Saturday’s B.C.S. conference action:
Tags: B.J. Daniels, Big East, Chris Petersen, E.J. Manuel, Florida State, Illinois, James Franklin, Jeff Tuel, Marshall Loebbestael, Mike Leach, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Rick Neuhseil, Seth Doege, South Florida, Syracuse, Texas Tech, U.C.L.A., Vanderbilt, Washington State, West Virginia
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Forecasting the Big East in 2011
By Paul Myerberg // Aug 15, 2011
It’s an old refrain, but it continues to carry weight: Big East teams won’t impress in conference play, so it’s vital that the conference heavyweights make noise in September. And once again, teams like West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will have the opportunity to do so against opponents like L.S.U., Utah and Tennessee, respectively. Yeah, it’s an old, tired refrain, yet one that continues to carry weight. Can you blame the Big East for feeling maligned by the rest of the country? I’d be tired of being discounted, belittled, misjudged and overlooked, but the conference as a whole can’t really look in the mirror and like what it sees.
Tags: Big East, Brandon Lindsay, Butch Jones, Charlie Strong, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Dana Holgorsen, Geno Smith, Greg Schiano, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Skip Holtz, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia, Zach Collaros
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No. 34: Pittsburgh
By Paul Myerberg // Jul 31, 2011
A brief timeline. On Dec. 4, Pittsburgh ends the regular season with a win over Cincinnati. On Dec. 7, athletic director Steve Pederson fires Dave Wannstedt after six years, 42 wins and the program’s best three-year stretch in three decades. On Dec. 16, after a week of hand-wringing over the Pederson-led coaching search, Pittsburgh hired former Miami (Ohio) coach Mike Haywood. On Dec. 31, Haywood was arrested for alleged domestic abuse. On Jan. 1, Pittsburgh fired Haywood. Haywood lasted 16 days, which is 10 days longer than the Six-Day War but still one of the shortest tenures in F.B.S. history. Cue the hand-wringing, round two. On Jan. 11, Pittsburgh hired Tulsa’s Todd Graham, ending a coaching search that should have never occurred in the first place. If it was going to occur, however, at least the Panthers made the most of their second chance.
Tags: Big East, Brandon Lindsay, Chas Alexcih, Dave Wannstedt, Jarred Holley, Lucas Nix, Max Gruder, Mike Shanahan, Myles Caragein, Pittsburgh, Ray Graham, Tino Sunseri, Todd Graham, Zach Brown
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Random Spring Thoughts: Rutgers
By Paul Myerberg // Mar 31, 2011
Using a combination of various computer programs and the Internet — a task nearly beyond my limited computing skills — I selected 25 F.B.S. teams at random. Teams lucky enough to have been randomly selected will be reviewed with several random thoughts as we enter the heart of spring practice. Up next: Rutgers, a team taking everything in perspective.
Rutgers remains happy for the little things, like the wonderful news that Eric LeGrand, injured making a tackle against Army on Oct. 16, has been discharged from a rehabilitation center in New Jersey and can now undergo outpatient treatment for his spinal cord injury. That’s the type of good news not even a national title can replace, as those who first witnessed LeGrand’s injury, his painful battle through therapy and, earlier this month, the happiness he took in being able to attend Rutgers’ annual pro day can attest.
Tags: Chas Dodd, Eric LeGrand, Frank Cignetti, Greg Schiano, Pittsburgh, Rutgers
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